NBA Power Rankings: Hot Teams Who Will Eventually Fall

Pete SchauerMay 31, 2018

We're roughly three-and-a-half weeks through the 2012-2013 NBA season and there are a handful of squads playing well above their potential.

The New York Knicks have gotten off to a blazing start and I actually view them as contenders come spring.

Here are three teams, however, that I believe will begin to fall as the season pushes on.

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Golden State Warriors

At 8-6, the Warriors have been a nice surprise thus far in the season, but don't expect that to carry on.

Golden State is a mediocre scoring team at best and is seeing guys like Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes play too well to continue throughout an 82-game season. Also going against the Warriors is the fact they they play in the same division as the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers.

Golden State rebounds the ball extremely well, but doesn't distribute it enough. This means that defenders will be able to key in on certain players and limit their production.

Steph Curry and David Lee are both studs, but they don't have enough pieces around them to remain in contention in the NBA Pacific.

Charlotte Bobcats

Let's be serious here: Most college teams could have beaten the Charlotte Bobcats last season. Although they've made a bunch of significant changes, they're still destined to fall.

Kemba Walker has been a beast for the 7-5 Bobcats, averaging 18 PPG and six assists per game, but you can't expect a second-year man to carry a team that won a mere seven games last season.

Charlotte has also seen a big contribution from another rookie in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. MKG is shooting the ball pretty well (47 percent), but that's not guaranteed to hold up for the remainder of the season.

The bottom line is that Charlotte will not keep this hot start going with just a rookie, sophomore and Ramon Sessions playing above potential.

Philadelphia 76ers

It's a shame that Andrew Bynum decided to begin his PBA career before his Philadelphia 76ers career. Bynum really had a shot at helping the Sixers finish near the bottom of the Atlantic division.

All jokes aside, Philadelphia (7-6) has been playing exceptionally well for a team that ranks No. 27 in the NBA in terms of scoring (just over 91 points per contest).

The villain—otherwise known as Evan Turner to former Ohio State teammate Mark Titus—has been a solid contributor along with Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young, but the loss of Bynum will eventually hurt this team in a tough Atlantic division.

In a division where the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets appear to be front-runners to take the crown, the Sixers and their mediocre offense don't have what it takes to contend for a complete season.

NBA Power Rankings

1. San Antonio Spurs

2. Memphis Grizzlies

3. Miami Heat

4. New York Knicks

5. Oklahoma City Thunder

6. Los Angeles Clippers

7. Atlanta Hawks

8. Brooklyn Nets

9. Golden State Warriors

10. Dallas Mavericks

11. Denver Nuggets