YODA
09-26-2008, 01:37 PM
Just found this http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=PowerRankings0208
As we approach the seventh season that ESPN.com has entrusted me with its NBA Power Rankings, this seemed like the perfect appetizer.
Remember that "surprise" we vaguely mentioned in our final regular-season helping on April 14? As requested by a few loyal readers, here it is: a look at how all 30 clubs have fared with the committee (of one) since the 2002-03 campaign.
We've clicked back through the archives to find the rankings highs, lows and average placement for every team in our weekly, thoroughly un-automated pulse take of the league. The annual batch of rankings that will take us into training camp for the start of the 2008-09 season is coming Monday.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
1 San Antonio Spurs 59 23 .720 1 10 3.17
High: Wk 18, 2007-08 (most recent of 36) | Low: Wk 7, 2002-03 (most recent of 2) | Rankings archive
Surely this outcome doesn't surprise you. The Spurs wound up halting the Lakers' three-peat run and winning the championship in the first season that the committee (of one) presided over these rankings and won two more titles after that. Then they've got a string of nine consecutive 50-win seasons going and generally rank as the franchise, from top to bottom, every other team wishes it could emulate. Who else could occupy this perch?
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
2 Dallas Mavericks 58 24 .707 1 15 4.23
High: Wk 12, 2006-07 (most recent of 30) | Low: Wk 22, 2007-08 | Rankings archive
Snicker all you want about the Mavs' playoff exploits since the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter in Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals. None of that considerable misery can change the fact that these rankings are a regular-season enterprise, which has made it impossible not to notice that Dallas has posted an average record of 58-24 over the past six seasons … and thus impossible not to rank these tortured souls accordingly.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
3 Detroit Pistons 56 26 .683 1 13 5.15
High: Wk 16, 2007-08 (most recent of 25) | Low: Wk 2, 2006-07 | Rankings archive
Hard to imagine that anyone would claim that Detroit hasn't fully deserved its regular spot in our top five. Frustrated as Pistons fans might be to come away from six consecutive trips to the East finals with only one championship, there's been only one source of positive consistency emanating from the Leastern Conference since Michael Jordan's retirement … and this team is it.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
4 Phoenix Suns 51 31 .622 1 27 8.59
High: Wk 4, 2007-08 (most recent of 15) | Low: Wk 16, 2003-04 (most recent of 2) | Rankings archive
Yet another illustration of Steve Nash's impact in his second stint as a Sun has been playing out right here in our domain. Even though Nash has been back on Planet Orange for just four of the past six seasons -- and even though the two seasons before his return were mostly forgettable -- Phoenix has nonetheless crashed the top five comfortably.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
5 Los Angeles Lakers 47 35 .573 1 25 9.80
High: Wk 17, 2007-08 (most recent of 11) | Low: Wk 4, 2005-06 | Rankings archive
We're already bracing for a fresh batch of Laker Hater e-mails once folks see that Kobe and Co. "only" wound up with an average rank of 10th. Just don't forget how damaging that 34-48 season was in 2004-05 … and don't forget that lots of users out there still think we were way too soft on the 2002-03 Lakers. Our respect for those three-peaters was such that they never dropped below No. 15 despite starting that season 6-12 and 11-18.
As we approach the seventh season that ESPN.com has entrusted me with its NBA Power Rankings, this seemed like the perfect appetizer.
Remember that "surprise" we vaguely mentioned in our final regular-season helping on April 14? As requested by a few loyal readers, here it is: a look at how all 30 clubs have fared with the committee (of one) since the 2002-03 campaign.
We've clicked back through the archives to find the rankings highs, lows and average placement for every team in our weekly, thoroughly un-automated pulse take of the league. The annual batch of rankings that will take us into training camp for the start of the 2008-09 season is coming Monday.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
1 San Antonio Spurs 59 23 .720 1 10 3.17
High: Wk 18, 2007-08 (most recent of 36) | Low: Wk 7, 2002-03 (most recent of 2) | Rankings archive
Surely this outcome doesn't surprise you. The Spurs wound up halting the Lakers' three-peat run and winning the championship in the first season that the committee (of one) presided over these rankings and won two more titles after that. Then they've got a string of nine consecutive 50-win seasons going and generally rank as the franchise, from top to bottom, every other team wishes it could emulate. Who else could occupy this perch?
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
2 Dallas Mavericks 58 24 .707 1 15 4.23
High: Wk 12, 2006-07 (most recent of 30) | Low: Wk 22, 2007-08 | Rankings archive
Snicker all you want about the Mavs' playoff exploits since the 6:30 mark of the fourth quarter in Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals. None of that considerable misery can change the fact that these rankings are a regular-season enterprise, which has made it impossible not to notice that Dallas has posted an average record of 58-24 over the past six seasons … and thus impossible not to rank these tortured souls accordingly.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
3 Detroit Pistons 56 26 .683 1 13 5.15
High: Wk 16, 2007-08 (most recent of 25) | Low: Wk 2, 2006-07 | Rankings archive
Hard to imagine that anyone would claim that Detroit hasn't fully deserved its regular spot in our top five. Frustrated as Pistons fans might be to come away from six consecutive trips to the East finals with only one championship, there's been only one source of positive consistency emanating from the Leastern Conference since Michael Jordan's retirement … and this team is it.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
4 Phoenix Suns 51 31 .622 1 27 8.59
High: Wk 4, 2007-08 (most recent of 15) | Low: Wk 16, 2003-04 (most recent of 2) | Rankings archive
Yet another illustration of Steve Nash's impact in his second stint as a Sun has been playing out right here in our domain. Even though Nash has been back on Planet Orange for just four of the past six seasons -- and even though the two seasons before his return were mostly forgettable -- Phoenix has nonetheless crashed the top five comfortably.
RK TEAM AVG W AVG L PCT HI RK LO RK AVG RK
5 Los Angeles Lakers 47 35 .573 1 25 9.80
High: Wk 17, 2007-08 (most recent of 11) | Low: Wk 4, 2005-06 | Rankings archive
We're already bracing for a fresh batch of Laker Hater e-mails once folks see that Kobe and Co. "only" wound up with an average rank of 10th. Just don't forget how damaging that 34-48 season was in 2004-05 … and don't forget that lots of users out there still think we were way too soft on the 2002-03 Lakers. Our respect for those three-peaters was such that they never dropped below No. 15 despite starting that season 6-12 and 11-18.