Where should Spurs + NBA "Powers" be on the power rankings?

[Rummpd]

My rankings and will see how Stein and others do this week. My list
1) Boston
2) Spurs (higher point diff than Mavs but close call this one could go either way and it would not upset me.)
3) Mavs
4) Heat
5) Lakers
6) Knicks (just for fun as they will not stay this high)
7) OKC
8) Utah
9) Orlando (will move up but played really bad for a stretch, albeit complicated by a virus and injuries)
10) Bulls



I wrote my list before NBA.com but it is almost the same:

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/powerrankings/12/13/week7/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

1) Boston
2) Spurs
3) Mavs
4) Heat
5) Lakers
6) OKC
7) Utah
8) Orl
9) NYK'
10) Atl
11) Bulls

Hollingers's statistical formula has the Spurs 3rd trailing Boston and the Heat:

http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings


Any ranking right now tough 1-5 as the good to great teams starting to separate from the pack.

[Mark in Austin]

I would put the Mavs ahead of the Spurs right now.

[CubanMustGo]

Yep. Mavs beat us pretty handily H2H and with there only being a game's difference in the rankings and them having played a tougher schedule so far would have to put them ahead of us.

[Brazil]

My rankings and will see how Stein and others do this week. My list
1) Boston
2) Spurs (higher point diff than Mavs but close call this one could go either way and it would not upset me.)
3) Mavs
4) Heat
5) Lakers
6) Knicks (just for fun as they will not stay this high)
7) OKC
8) Utah
9) Orlando (will move up but played really bad for a stretch, albeit complicated by a virus and injuries)
10) Bulls



I wrote my list before NBA.com but it is almost the same:

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/powerrankings/12/13/week7/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

1) Boston
2) Spurs
3) Mavs
4) Heat
5) Lakers
6) OKC
7) Utah
8) Orl
9) NYK'
10) Atl
11) Bulls

Hollingers's statistical formula has the Spurs 3rd trailing Boston and the Heat:

http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings


Any ranking right now tough 1-5 as the good to great teams starting to separate from the pack.

Bulls are for me ahead Atl, NY, Utah or even OKC

[MaNu4Tres]

Only relevant in June tbh

[8FOR!3]

1. Mavs
2. Spurs
3. Celtics
4. Lakers
5. Heat

[Rummpd]

I have no problem with anyone putting the Mavs above the Spurs right now and even having them #1;but Spurs also blowing away good to very good teams consistently the last few weeks. The Spurs have the larger point differential and I feel are just the better and deeper team (but that being said, the Mavs are also a very good team.)

Thank God the NBA is not like the BCS where good teams do not get to show they are great in the end!

[Cessation]

Since mavs playing so great, according to some, if playoffs started today would you pick them as favorites over spurs?

[Rummpd]

Since mavs playing so great, according to some, if playoffs started today would you pick them as favorites over spurs?

No.


I do not see Chandler as the difference maker that a healthy big three plus all the talent the Spurs around them have now to change the outcome from last year. Historically point differential has been as good as predictor of anything and the Spurs are about a full 3 points per game over the Mavs right now. http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings

People discount the Spurs schedule but they are 9 and 2 vs. teams with winning records. Now if the Mavs beat them again or pass them in the standings then I will give them even more props and personally put them above the Spurs.


http://www.slamonline.com/ 54% predict Spurs as the biggest threat to the LAL in the West and that is a fair assessement.

[cheguevara]

Spurs/Celtics/Mavs

all teams playing equally good. Nonsense to try to rank them IMO

[Brazil]

Since mavs playing so great, according to some, if playoffs started today would you pick them as favorites over spurs?

I don't think so but it would be a hell of a serie IMO.

[FromWayDowntown]

I don't give any credence to power rankings. But if anyone is going to do power rankings, I can't see how you could put the Spurs ahead of the Mavs in that effort. If the rankings measure what's occurred to this point, the Mavs have played a more difficult schedule, have essentially the same record, and have beaten the Spurs on the road (not just head-to-head).

[duncan228]

ProBasketballTalk (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/12/13/nba-power-rankings-there-are-some-long-winning-streaks-out-there/)

1. Mavericks (19-4)
2. Celtics (19-4)

3. Spurs (20-3). After they beat the Blazers Sunday Nate McMillan called the Spurs the best team in the NBA right now. Hard to argue that, there may be a couple teams hotter right now but better?

4. Heat (17-8)
5. Jazz (17-8)
6. Lakers (17-7)
7. Knicks (16-9)
8. Thunder (17-8)
9. Bulls (14-8)
10. Magic (16-8)

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/12/13/nba-power-rankings-there-are-some-long-winning-streaks-out-there/

[ALVAREZ6]

Since mavs playing so great, according to some, if playoffs started today would you pick them as favorites over spurs?

No, because a power ranking doesn't rank which teams are the best, considering all factors, they just track what teams are hot at the moment. If power rankings were an analyst's way to rank who he/she believes are the top teams for winning a championship, obviously Dallas wouldn't be top 5.

[brock_lobster]

Spurs should still be #1, as they have been winning still, have the highest point differential in the NBA, the best road record, and the best overall record. All this with Tim Duncan playing career low minutes and James Anderson sidelined. Salivation!

[GSH]

Boston is giving up the fewest points in the league, and has the lowest opponent FG%. And their point differential is only a fraction behind SA. If we still believe that defense wins championships, that's pretty tough to argue with. They are also dishing out the most assists, and have the highest assist differential of any team in the league. As far as early-season rankings go, I don't know how you could put anyone else at #1.

The one thing the Spurs are doing best is winning games. Right now we're only 1 game ahead of Boston for the best record in the league. If we're in exactly that position at the end of the season - 1 win more than Boston - there's a good chance that Timmy will be wearing his 5th ring.


I do wonder if Hollinger continually re-calculates his strength of schedule numbers as the season progresses. Think about this: on October 28, the Cavs' winning percentage was 1.000, the Celtics was .500, and the Heats was 0.000. So if you played Cleveland that night, you would get credit for beating a really good team. Boston would be so-so, and Miami would be terrible. If you played those teams today, it would look totally different. So does he look at your opponent's record when you played them, or today?

[DMC]

I think some of the competition (loose term) has suffered, which is why some teams have capitalized so much on the beginning of the season. The Suns, Jazz, Cavaliers and a few other teams have seen big losses, and there are teams that just flat out suck.

That said, I don't put any stock in power rankings. I do check the standings now and then, that's about it. Power rankings are personal opinions based on nothing more than conjecture. It's mostly a popularity contest, who's exciting the fans the most right now.

So, just to play along, the Heat are the number 1 in the power rankings followed by probably the Knicks, then the Lakers and Boston. No one gives a shit about any Texas teams.

[duncan228]

NBA Power Rankings (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/britt_robson/12/14/power.rankings/index.html)
Britt Robson
SI.com

1. Boston Celtics (19-4)

2. San Antonio Spurs (20-3)
Last Week: 3
The more you watch the Spurs, the more you appreciate the value of George Hill. The 6-2 combo guard is capable of filling in for either Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili without a significant drop-off in performance. Hill's hot shooting helped the Spurs pull away from Atlanta in the fourth quarter Friday, and his all-around game ignited the tone-setting first-half spurt as the Spurs pounced on Portland on Sunday. He's scored in double figures in 11 straight games and is the Spurs' second-leading scorer over the last 10 (16.2 points), shooting 51 percent from the field, 48.4 percent from deep and 89.6 percent from the free-throw line. According to 82games.com (http://www.82games.com/1011/10SAS2.HTM), the Spurs are 7.9 points per 100 possessions better when he plays compared to when he sits. These are serious credentials for a Sixth Man Award candidacy -- and, given Ginobili's injury history and the punishment Parker absorbs every game, a crucial element of the Spurs' championship aspirations.

3. Dallas Mavericks (19-5)
4. Chicago Bulls (15-8)
5. Los Angeles Lakers (17-7)
6. Miami Heat (18-8)
7. Utah Jazz (18-8)
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-8)
9. Orlando Magic (16-8)
10. New York Knicks (16-9)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/britt_robson/12/14/power.rankings/index.html