2014-15 NBA Power Rankings: How Every Team Stacks Up After 50 Games
February is usually the busiest month of the NBA regular season. There's the All-Star Game and all of the ancillary events and parties that entails, plus the trade deadline and the flood of rumors and massive phone bills that entails.
This year, and likely for many more years going forward, there will be slightly less hullabaloo. A longer break following All-Star weekend should allow players and coaches to rest up for a thrilling stretch run of the 2014-15 campaign—and give fans a chance to catch their collective breath as well.
That doesn't mean there won't be plenty of buzzing and quaking across the basketball landscape during the shortest month of the year, though. Executives around the Association figure to have their hands full with trade proposals and in-season upgrades right up until the Feb. 19 deadline, which will pass before the teams resume actual post-All-Star competition.
But before we get wrapped up in all that, let's whip around the league to see how all 30 teams shake out in relation to one another after 50 games, based on recent performance and present personnel.
30. Orlando Magic
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It took two-and-a-half years, but the Orlando Magic appear to have finally hit rock bottom in the post-Dwight Howard era.
The thud came on Thursday, when Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Magic had fired Jacque Vaughn, Stan Van Gundy's successor as head coach in Orlando. Three of Vaughn's assistants—Wes Unseld Jr., Brett Gunning and Zack Guthrie—have also been shown the door.
Per Woj, Orlando still owes Vaughn $2.2 million for 2015-16 after picking up his option over the summer.
Vaughn's ouster was hardly a surprise. Word surfaced last week from Woj that Vaughn's seat was heating up, with the Magic in the midst of what's now become a 10-game losing streak.
That leaves his immediate replacement, be it an interim fill-in or a full-time hire, with quite the fire to put out.
Not that there isn't plenty of talent with which to extinguish it. As Woj detailed:
"General manager Rob Hennigan has overseen a strong infusion of young talent into the Magic, including a backcourt of Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton that could anchor the franchise for a decade. Hennigan snagged one of the NBA’s best young big men, Nik Vucevic, in the Dwight Howard trade, and forward Tobias Harris in the J.J. Redick deal.
"
It would be one thing if the cupboard were still bare in the Magic Kingdom, as it was two years ago when Orlando won just 20 games. But it's not, and the fact that this team hasn't shown much progress on either end (25th in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per NBA.com) has everything to do with Vaughn dropping by the breadline and the Magic dropping to the bottom of these power rankings.
29. Los Angeles Lakers
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For all of their struggles this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have, at the very least, seen head coach Byron Scott squeeze a surprising amount of blood from the hodgepodge of proverbial stones with which he was bestowed.
Well, maybe not from all of those stones. Jeremy Lin, for one, has struggled to summon any semblance of his former Linsanity since arriving in L.A. But, if nothing else, Lin tries.
According to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding, the same can't be said for Wesley Johnson:
"Johnson simply doesn't want more. He's not a deadbeat; he did agree to work out with Bryant. He's not a bad guy.
He just talks about improving and then plays the same way he always has, squandering potential. He wants nothing but to sit in the back seat.
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That may be good for the Lakers' prospects of keeping their pick in the upcoming draft—not that the Lakers, who recently snapped a nine-game skid, need any help with that. But when it comes to rebuilding the team's locker-room culture, Johnson appears to be dead weight.
28. Philadelphia 76ers
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The tide seems to be turning for the Philadelphia 76ers. They've won their last three home games, including a 105-98 result against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, and they've crept up toward the top 10 in defensive efficiency. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, some of the NBA's biggest names are paying attention:
"When LeBron James is taking notice, you know you're doing something right.
The Cavaliers star was reportedly speaking highly of the 76ers' effort last week before his team defeated the Sixers on Monday. It's part of a slowly changing perception of the Sixers from an easy win on opponents' schedules to a tough team to beat.
The Sixers (11-39) are now regarded as a respectable group that plays hard, and if you don't match their intensity they can beat you.
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That's a far cry from where this club was two months ago, fresh off of a record-tying 0-17 start.
For head coach Brett Brown, the perception has been shifted by the reality of Philly's night-to-night effort, which far outweighs the club's collective talent and experience.
"How do you want other people to look at you? I ask my guys that all the time," Brown told The Inquirer. "It comes back to playing hard. Hard for us represents a lot of things."
It's clear that scoring is hard for them: The Sixers offense is still the NBA's worst by a Keystone State mile.
27. New York Knicks
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Phil Jackson, long known as one of the NBA's most self-confident figures, came across as contrite during his chat with The New York Times' Harvey Araton.
"So far, my experiment has fallen flat on its face," Jackson said, in reference to the New York Knicks' 5-36 start.
He went on to describe his tenure as Knicks president to date as "an experiment that certainly hasn't worked" but insisted that, despite New York's struggles to adapt to Jackson's extreme makeover, "this is just the first chapter."
As it happens, the Knicks seem to be turning a page as we speak. They've won five of eight since their franchise-worst 16-game skid came to an end, with the likes of Langston Galloway, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas providing some much-needed spark alongside Carmelo Anthony and company.
26. Minnesota Timberwolves
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The Minnesota Timberwolves may have been upset about their loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, but in some respects, it was a comforting occasion—and not just because of the six-point margin of defeat. That game marked the first time that Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin shared the floor in an actual NBA game since Nov. 7.
In the three intervening months, the Wolves tumbled to the bottom of the Western Conference while Rubio's ankle, Pekovic's knee and Martin's wrist healed up. With those three down, Andrew Wiggins had ample opportunity to take control of the offense, for better or worse, and establish himself as the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year honors.
It may be more than coincidence, though, that two of Wiggins' worst shooting nights of the season have come since Rubio returned to the Wolves' not-so-great triumvirate.
"We're a work in process," head coach Flip Saunders said after the defeat in Dallas, via ESPN.com. "The more we play together, we start to get a better feel for each other."
That goes as much for Wiggins as it does for the three relative veterans who are back in the saddle.
25. Denver Nuggets
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CBS Sports' Matt Moore characterized the Denver Nuggets, losers of four in a row and 11 of 12 overall, as "a train wreck," and, well, he has a point—several, even.
Here's one: "Denver is the only team to lose to the Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, and Timberwolves this season. Two of those losses came at home to an opponent on a back to back."
Here's another: "The Nuggets, once unbeatable in the altitude of Denver, are 12-13 at home this season."
Head coach Brian Shaw's latest use of the media as a cudgel against his players stands as another such exhibit. "It just looks like you almost have to try to lose as bad, and in the way we've been losing," Shaw said, via The Denver Post's Nick Groke.
In Moore's opinion, though, the Nuggets' struggles are the result of much more than that:
"It's everything. The coach has coached badly, the players have coached badly, Shaw has thrown enough players under the bus to raise it high enough to change the tires on it, the players have failed to show basic levels of competitive spirit or competency. There's no effective leadership, and so this is the mess.
"
24. Utah Jazz
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The Utah Jazz are clearly on the upswing. They're stacked with young talent and giving quality opponents a run for their money, and then some. Just ask the Golden State Warriors, who lost in Salt Lake City this past week, or the Portland Trail Blazers, who eked out a one-point win over the visiting Jazz on Tuesday.
At this point, Utah's biggest impediment to playoff competition, aside from its 17-32 record, is its poor performance in crunch time. Let The Salt Lake Tribune's Aaron Falk break it down for you:
"According to NBA.com, Utah ranks among the league's worst teams in clutch situations. The Jazz are 8-16 in games that were within five points with five minutes to play. Only the Minnesota Timberwolves (7-17) and the New York Knicks (7-18) fare worse.
The Jazz are shooting 31.8 percent (42 of 122) from the field in the clutch, per NBA.com. Only the Detroit Pistons (31.8 percent) are converting at a lower percentage. From 3-point territory, the Jazz have hit 8 of 40 crunch-time attempts, the third-lowest mark in the league behind the Clippers (8 of 41) and the Charlotte Hornets (8 of 45).
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So when Gordon Hayward tells The Tribune, "When it gets closer to the end of the game, we're still not quite there yet," he clearly isn't kidding and might even be underselling the issue.
23. Sacramento Kings
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DeMarcus Cousins may be approaching his boiling point. The All-Star center directed some hard truths toward his teammates after the Sacramento Kings' 101-78 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks—their 10th in 11 games overall.
"We're the same team. The same that everybody was praising in the beginning of the year, it's the same team, so yes we can do it," Cousins said, via The Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones. "If we play hard and we get our brains beat in I'm fine with that. But to come out and just lie down like we did tonight is inexcusable."
With this in mind, it's not all that far-fetched to picture the remainder of the Kings' lost season unfolding as a struggle between Boogie's maturation into a superstar and the remnants of organizational rot from the Maloof era.
22. Boston Celtics
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The New England Patriots' latest Super Bowl victory officially pushed the Boston Celtics to the bottom of Beantown's championship totem pole. The NFL's Pats, NHL's Bruins and MLB's Red Sox have all won titles since the C's last hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2008.
It may be a while until the Celtics are able to change that. They've been surprisingly feisty at times, even with Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green gone, and sit just two-and-a-half games back of a playoff spot in the East. Realistically, though, this 18-30 squad has a long way to go before it can even think about thinking about another victory parade.
In the meantime, the Celtics, Jared Sullinger in particular, will have to do a better job of dealing with the snarling traffic that such celebrations naturally entail.
21. Detroit Pistons
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D.J. Augustin has done his darnedest to take the edge off of the devastation of Brandon Jennings' season-ending Achilles injury. Since assuming Jennings' spot in the Detroit Pistons' starting lineup, Augustin has averaged 20.2 points, 8.7 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 48.2 percent from the field (44.4 percent from three).
"I think any player in the league, we're all good players, but when you get a chance to play a lot of minutes, obviously you're going to do better than less minutes," Augustin said after scoring 25 points in a blowout win against the Miami Heat, via the Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis. "It's just feeling comfortable and getting in the rhythm of the game and you play better."
Augustin should know. When thrust into a similar position with the Chicago Bulls last season, he chipped in an average of 17.8 points and 6.4 assists in nine starts.
If he can keep this up, the Pistons just might rediscover their previous rhythm and push their way into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
20. Indiana Pacers
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The Indiana Pacers have had plenty to play for all season, between their professional pride, a fifth straight playoff appearance and the development of new talent amid devastating absences—injury-related and otherwise.
But now the Pacers really have something to look forward to: Paul George's return. The All-Star swingman has his sights set on returning to Pacers practice by March 1.
"No limitations, full on, going on, being incorporated in all of our practice sessions and doing it through the whole duration of the practice instead of spot minutes or just getting thrown into the mix every now and then," George told The Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner.
George, though, was careful to temper the overriding optimism with a sprinkle of caution.
"I want to be back out there playing. That's just my competitive side," George added. "Again, I know it's not a likelihood at this point, but I'm definitely pushing it and working hard to make it possible."
Whether George returns in time to play this season or not, it'll be on the shoulders of the Pacers' active players to propel this team back into the postseason. Alternating wins and losses, as Indy has since late January, won't cut it, not with four teams and three-and-a-half games standing between the Pacers and the East's No. 8 seed.
19. Miami Heat
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If the Miami Heat were playing in ancient Greece right now, Homer might be busy penning an epic poem to the exploits of Hassan Whiteside. Surely, Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick would agree: "Every time Hassan Whiteside appears on the floor now, there's an assumption his output will be astonishing. There's an expectation the NBA's unforeseen emerging force will stamp the stat sheet with some more say-what-wait-what(?!) numbers."
Those numbers, since Whiteside returned from a two-game sabbatical in late January, are 16.8 points, 15.3 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 61.3 percent shooting. That's not bad for a former second-round pick who has done more globetrotting in his pro career than your average Harlem baller.
But it's not enough to save a Miami Heat squad that's lost four of its last five games. "We're about to be out of the playoffs race, not the race, but as far as the seeds, we're about to be out," Chris Bosh said when reflecting on Miami's one-point loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman. "We're not concentrating. I don't understand that. It's a game we could have got. And all we had to do was concentrate, locking in."
Whiteside was one of the culprits in that defeat. He and Norris Cole combined to screw up a crucial inbounds in crunch time that helped the Wolves secure the win.
Maybe we should hold off on the paeans for now.
18. Brooklyn Nets
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Jim Sann, an assistant coach and scout for the Brooklyn Nets, was beyond fortunate to be around the team when his heart gave out on Sunday. "I was on my way out," Sann told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. "I was gone."
The Nets' training staff was able to resuscitate Sann, thereby sparing his family yet another tragedy. Huge kudos to Brooklyn for springing into action and saving his life.
Perhaps those trainers have also had a hand in Brooklyn's on-court revival. The Nets are fresh off of consecutive wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors, after playing surprisingly well in losses to the red-hot Atlanta Hawks and those same Raptors.
"This is the fun part of the season—the unknown," Jarrett Jack said after Brooklyn bounced the Nets in Toronto, 109-93, via ESPN.com. "You never know when all those hours of practice or film sessions, when they're really going to come together and materialize and you're going to hit that stride where you start playing consistent, positive basketball. Hopefully this is the stride for us."
If it is, that half-game that separates the Nets and Heat in the playoff race could flip in a hurry.
17. Phoenix Suns
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The Phoenix Suns' 108-87 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday—their third in a row and fifth in seven games—shrunk their lead in the race for the West's eighth seed to just a single game. Worse still, the Suns lost starting center Alex Len to a sprained ankle in Rip City.
Len's absence might not be all that bad. Even if the sophomore out of Maryland has to rest for a while, Phoenix can turn to Miles Plumlee, its full-time center as recently as mid-December, to provide some support.
Still, any drain, even on the margins, could be enough to sink the Suns' playoff prospects.
Fortunately for Phoenix, as Grantland's Andrew Sharp wrote, this franchise's future is and will be bright for years to come:
"Look at the rest of the West. Chris Paul, Zach Randolph, and Dirk Nowitzki are only getting older, the Spurs are getting ancient, Dwight Howard can’t stay healthy, and OKC could bottom out entirely if Durant leaves in 18 months. The top of the conference is loaded in 2015, but there’s plenty of hope in the not-so-distant future.
"
16. Charlotte Hornets
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The Charlotte Hornets moved to 6-1 in their last seven games without Kemba Walker with a 94-87 upending of the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
How have they done it? The same way they sneaked into the playoffs last year: with stifling defense. Let ESPN Insider Tom Haberstroh break it down for you:
"They've held opponents to just 92.7 points per 100 possessions since Jan. 1. Watch a Hornets game and it's bound to be a pitcher's duel; they own the fourth-worst offense over that time, as well. This season the Hornets have allowed a minuscule 89.8 points per 100 possessions in the 339 minutes when Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Bismack Biyombo have taken the floor, per NBA.com.
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Charlotte's latest victory was no exception. Upcoming games against the Sixers, Pacers and Pistons don't figure to be either.
15. New Orleans Pelicans
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Even the best teams in the NBA have a hard time containing Anthony Davis.
Just ask the Atlanta Hawks. Their All-Star frontcourt was no match for the Brow, who beat up Al Horford and Paul Millsap for 29 points, 13 rebounds and three assists to end Atlanta's 19-game winning streak.
Davis has done serious damage to pretty much every opponent he's faced this season. And now, much to the dismay of the NBA, he's adding a nifty bank shot to his already extensive arsenal.
Perhaps more importantly, though, the rest of the New Orleans Pelicans are showing marked improvement, despite Jrue Holiday's absence. The trio of Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans and Ryan Anderson came up big in a stunning win over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers, with Davis watching from the bench.
14. Chicago Bulls
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The Chicago Bulls could be in store for a jarring shake-up if the latest report from Sporting News' Sean Deveney regarding Taj Gibson's apparent trade chippiness proves prescient.
As Deveney pointed out, there's good reason to believe that Gibson is on the block: "In recent weeks, he has not played with the type of energy for which he has been known, and there has been speculation that he is frustrated with the addition of Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol (though his playing time has not changed much)."
Moving the $17.4 million left on Gibson's contract could be tough, especially if his performance doesn't improve. But more poor play would make it even tougher for Gibson to maintain a comfortable spot in Chicago's crowded frontcourt rotation, and with the way the Bulls have been scuffling of late (3-6 in their last nine games), they may need a jolt of some sort to get back in gear in time for a title run.
13. Washington Wizards
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Andre Miller's importance to the Washington Wizards has never been clearer than it became this past week.
Head coach Randy Wittman thought it best to give the 38-year-old floor general some time off. "He hasn't missed a game, hasn't missed a practice," Wittman said on Wednesday, via The Washington Post's Jorge Castillo. "It's a time to maybe give him a little rest, too, and I just thought with where we're at and seeing things slide from a defensive standpoint that it made sense to get Garrett [Temple] in there so I liked what I saw out of that group."
The Wizards better hope this sabbatical for Miller pays off, because it's taking a heck of a toll on their record. Washington has dropped its last five games in a row, with a 94-87 loss to the Hornets on Thursday serving as the latest disappointment. Miller has missed the most recent three and played just over eight minutes combined in the two prior contests.
Oh, and the last four came against Eastern Conference playoff teams. With Cleveland on the march and Chicago and Toronto hanging around, the Wizards' claim to a top-four spot in the East's postseason could be in jeopardy, unless Miller returns in time to save the day.
12. Portland Trail Blazers
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Nicolas Batum must be pulling for a first-round series between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Suns right about now. The French forward has struggled against almost everyone this season but has taken Phoenix to task.
On Thursday, Batum tallied a game-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds and seven assists in a 108-87 win over the Suns in Portland. Two weeks prior, he lowered the boom for 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in Phoenix.
The Blazers would have to surpass the high-flying Warriors and hope the Thunder and Pelicans don't push their way into the postseason picture to make a matchup with the Suns materialize. At this rate, then, Batum had better figure out how to pick up his play against other quality opponents, lest Portland take a step back this spring from where they were in 2014.
11. Dallas Mavericks
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The Dallas Mavericks suffered what could be a crushing blow to their home-court hopes when Rajon Rondo fractured his left orbital bone and nose in the early moments of a blowout win over Orlando. There's no timetable for his return.
As for the timing, it couldn't have been much worse for the Mavs, as ESPN Dallas' Tim McMahon pointed out:
"So this is a heck of a time for Rondo to be recovering from a pair of facial fractures. The Mavs will face Curry's Golden State Warriors, Lillard's Portland Trail Blazers and Paul's Los Angeles Clippers over the next week. Dallas will see Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder in the first game after the All-Star break.
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In the bigger picture, Dallas' defense figures to suffer without the All-Star point guard whose arrival ushered in a shot-stopping renaissance:
"From the Dec. 18 trade to Saturday night, when Rondo was injured, the Mavs ranked seventh in the NBA in defensive efficiency and were allowing 100.6 points per 100 possessions. (That dropped to 98.7 when Rondo has been on the floor.) Opponents' 3-point shooting plummeted to 33.4 percent, the sixth-lowest in the league during that span.
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Then again, the Mavs might be able to manage without him. Dallas blew out the Kings in Sacramento on Thursday for its second win in three games sans Rondo. The Mavs would probably be 3-0 without Rondo right now if not for Stephen Curry's 51-point explosion at Golden State on Wednesday.
10. Toronto Raptors
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The frontcourt has been the Toronto Raptors' biggest weakness from the beginning. Jonas Valanciunas still seems like he's struggling to adapt to the NBA game, assuming he ever does consistently. Amir Johnson has been plenty erratic as well.
It should come as little surprise, then, that the Raptors are in the market for another big, per Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler:
"A few names continue to surface around league sources when talking about Toronto, the biggest being Indiana’s David West, the next is Chicago’s Taj Gibson, then Denver’s Kenneth Faried and then there is a long list of B and C tier names that Toronto might consider at the deadline if all else fails.
The Raptors are not offering much and that’s likely why there has been so little traction.
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They may need to loosen the purse strings if the team's defense (21st in efficiency) and rebounding (18th by percentage) don't both turn around in a hurry. Otherwise, Toronto runs the distinct risk of suffering another quick exit from the playoffs.
9. Los Angeles Clippers
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Grantland's Zach Lowe had high praise for the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, even after a disappointing late-game defeat in Brooklyn: "Don’t sleep on these guys—now, next season, or going forward. Everyone loves to hate them, but the Clippers are firmly in the championship picture. They just need a little more luck than a few of the other teams jostling for center stage."
They looked like they'd need a lot more luck during a 105-94 loss in Cleveland on Thursday. L.A. came unglued in the third quarter against the Cavaliers, with Matt Barnes earning an ejection amid the Clippers' team-wide frustration.
As bad as the Clips looked on national TV, that result isn't panic-worthy, even though the game wasn't as close as the final score would suggest. L.A. is now 0-7 against the East's top five and 9-4 against teams currently in the West's playoff picture.
Which is to say, if the playoffs started today, they'd be in good shape to compete through the conference finals. After that? Not as much.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
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Grantland's Jason Concepcion summed up Russell Westbrook's impact on the Oklahoma City Thunder perfectly: "...having the luxury of being able to dive face first into the fiery basketball megalomania of Russell Westbrook has a way of making a team’s problems disappear in a cannonade of finger guns."
Westbrook has had his finger guns firing like never before since Kevin Durant's toe started bothering him again. The UCLA product posted a monstrous triple-double (25 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists...and four steals) to carry OKC to a seven-point win over the Magic on Monday. Two nights later, he scored a career-high-tying 45 points to help the 10th-place Thunder top the ninth-place Pelicans in New Orleans.
"Just trying to find a way to keep us in the game and get us a win," Westbrook said afterward, via ESPN.com. "This was a must-win for us coming into their building. That was my only thing."
With more games like these, and more wins for OKC, Westbrook could make a strong MVP case for himself over the remainder of the 2014-15 campaign, even if Durant returns to form soon. His season averages of 25.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists and a league-leading 2.2 steals constitute a pretty good start in that regard for Westbrook, to say the least.
7. Milwaukee Bucks
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Perhaps no single player has had a greater impact on the Milwaukee Bucks during their ongoing five-game winning streak than Khris Middleton. During this spurt, he has poured in 17.6 points per game on a white-hot 56.5 percent shooting (52.6 percent from three) while using his lanky 6'7" frame to notch 2.2 steals per game.
Surprisingly enough, Middleton's overall numbers on the season (11.2 points, 1.6 steals, 44.2 percent from three) aren't all that far off from what he's posted of late.
"I think it is just another year of experience under my belt," Middleton said on Tuesday, via Fox Sports Wisconsin's Andrew Gruman. "I'm taking a step in the right direction. I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I'm playing well right now. I just have to keep it up."
The longer he's able to do that, the bigger the raise he can expect when he hits free agency this summer. The Texas A&M product, though, insists he's not concerned with his impending payday right now. "That's so far ahead, I don't even think about that at all. I just know what I need to do day in and day out and game-by-game. I have to do what I can to help this team win."
So far, he's done plenty.
6. Houston Rockets
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The Golden State Warriors have gotten some serious shine for leading the league in both pace and defensive efficiency, and rightfully so.
But don't sleep on what the Houston Rockets have done in that regard. While praising the Dubs for their unusual blend of speed and defensive prowess, ESPN Insider Tom Haberstroh let loose this interesting morsel of information: "Interestingly enough, this season's Houston Rockets have come close to matching the Warriors by playing at the fourth-highest pace while boasting the third-best defense. But they're not on the Warriors' level in either category."
That's true, but considering how far ahead of the pack Golden State has been all year, merely being mentioned in the same breath as the Warriors counts as an accomplishment for the Rockets, who moved to 12-5 in Dwight Howard's absence with a handy win over the Bulls on Wednesday.
5. San Antonio Spurs
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The specter of Tim Duncan's potential retirement, with his contract coming due in July, has quietly hung over the San Antonio Spurs since the 2014-15 season began. Gregg Popovich, for one, is optimistic that this campaign won't be the Big Fundamental's last.
He told USA Today's Sam Amick:
"If you ask me, my guess is that he'll go for another one because he has been so consistent this season.
It's just consistent stuff: another double-double, over and over and over again. Because of that, I think in his mind that if it continues through the rest of the year, I think he'll say, 'I'm going to go another year and see what happens.' Because what he has told me is that the minute he feels like he's a hindrance to his team or he's not on the positive end or helping him, he's going to walk right off the court. It might be during the third quarter of a game.
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Fortunately for the Spurs, Duncan didn't do that on Wednesday. Instead, he put together a vintage Timmy performance (i.e., a season-high 26 points with 10 rebounds) in a 110-103 win over the surprisingly feisty Magic.
Games like that not only validate Duncan's All-Star selection but also, by Pop's definition, move the future Hall of Famer that much closer to returning for a 19th NBA season.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
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LeBron James insisted he wasn't kidding when he told reporters at practice on Wednesday, via ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, "Whatever this team needs in order for us to win, I'll come off the bench. I'm serious. I'll come off the bench. If it helps our team, that's what it's about, man."
Of course, the Cleveland Cavaliers aren't about to entertain such a drastic change now that they're winning...and winning...and winning. The Cavs scored their 12th straight victory on Thursday, trouncing the visiting Clippers 105-94 in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final tally would indicate.
Cleveland must have been pleased to see Kevin Love bust out of his "slump" with a team-leading 24-point night. But it's the defense that's truly been the difference for the Cavs of late. They've held each of their last 10 opponents under 100 points and limited the Clippers' top-ranked offense to 41.8 percent shooting.
"I think we're getting it," James said on Wednesday, via Northeast Ohio Media Group's Joe Vardon. "The guys are starting to understand that at the end of the day, no individual has ever won a championship. It's all about a team."
This team is looking more and more like a bona fide title contender, now that its players are getting after it on defense.
3. Memphis Grizzlies
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If you've been caught up in the hoopla surrounding the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Cavaliers, you may well have missed the fact that the Memphis Grizzlies are on a roll. They've won eight straight and 12 of their last 13, carving out a comfortable niche as the West's No. 2 seed in the process.
That may not be enough to hog national headlines, but it's certainly secured the attention of NBA.com's David Aldridge:
"The Grizzlies are no longer under the radar, no longer an afterthought in the West. They're no longer a one-dimensional team that wins solely with defense. While they can still bludgeon you inside with [Marc] Gasol's and Zach Randolph's seemingly endless low-post repertoires, they're now about Mike Conley and his pace, and their increased offensive efficiency, as much as their bigs.
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Aldridge goes on to shower just about every other key cog in Memphis' machinery with love, Tony Allen included. Despite a demotion to the bench, he remains the heart and soul of the "grit-n-grind" Grizzlies, due in large part to his stifling defense, which Allen explained in great detail to Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling.
2. Atlanta Hawks
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The snapping of their franchise-record 19-game winning streak aside, the Atlanta Hawks put together yet another banner week.
On Wednesday, their entire starting five—Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver and DeMarre Carroll—earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors. It was the first time in NBA history that so many players shared what's usually a singular distinction.
But if any fivesome was going to break the mold, it might as well have been Atlanta's. According to NBA.com, that group outscored the opposition by 19.3 points per 100 possessions in January. It's no wonder, then, that the Hawks put together the first 17-0 calendar month the Association has ever seen.
"We appreciate the recognition of our starters’ play during this past month. It is reflective of all the work our entire team and organization has put in," head coach Mike Budenholzer said, via the NBA.com. "We place a strong emphasis on having the right approach every day and making daily improvement. Collectively, we know that we have a lot more work to do this season and look forward to continue growing as a team."
Indeed, the Hawks still have their work cut out for them, despite being well on their way to running away with the East. Atlanta's loss to New Orleans laid bare the Hawks' rebounding deficiencies. The Pelicans pounded the Hawks on the boards that night, 52-32.
That's not a new problem for the Hawks, either. Atlanta ranks 22nd in the NBA in rebounding percentage, per NBA.com. The Hawks would do well to shore up that shortfall in the coming weeks and months, lest they suffer for it in the postseason against the Cavs, Bulls and Wizards—all of whom rank among the top 10 rebounding teams in the league.
1. Golden State Warriors
30 of 30
The Golden State Warriors' rise to the top of the NBA has been years in the making, in large part because their defense has been as well. A full breakdown of how Golden State's defense came to be the league's stingiest would require more virtual ink than would be prudent for this space, so I encourage you to read Ethan Strauss' detailed history of the Warriors' rebuilding project on ESPN.com.
Start with the Monta Ellis trade that brought Andrew Bogut to the Bay Area, scoop up as many defensive-minded wings on the cheap as you can, pluck Draymond Green out of the second round, enlist assistant coach Ron Adams to mold Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson into strong defenders and to teach the team how to switch effectively and—voila!—you'll be giving up just over 97 points per 100 possessions in no time.
Of course, it's more complicated than that. And, as ESPN Insider Tom Haberstroh noted, it's also much more impressive than that:
"So far this season, they're rewriting the script by playing faster and defending better than every other team in the league. How rare is that? Led by first-time head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors are on track to be the first and only team in the modern NBA—since 1979 when the 3-point arc was introduced—to rank No. 1 in both pace and defensive rating.
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Golden State's torrid pace is right in line with the franchise's long-established style. So, too, are the exceptional exploits of Curry and Thompson, who have each logged 50-point performances this season—Curry's coming by way of a 26-point third quarter to fuel a 22-point comeback against the Mavs on Wednesday—and will be launching plenty more looks during the Three-Point Shootout in New York.
All of which is to say, the Warriors have an awesome thing going right now, and if you enjoy the game of basketball, you should watch them.
And if you don't much care for the sport, you should definitely watch the Warriors; they may convert you yet.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
