The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered their first loss of the season but considering their status as the defending NBA champions as well as the question marks surrounding the other teams at the top of the Eastern Conference it’s difficult to downgrade them on our list of the top teams in the association right now. The Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors have combined for a 17-5 record with Toronto picking up another notable win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday but it’s early and we aren’t willing to shake up our power rankings too much. Instead, the Los Angeles Clippers climb to No. 3 on our list with the best record in the NBA while the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs each take small steps back. Here is a look at the top-five teams in the NBA right now.
1. Golden State Warriors (6-2)
Last Week: 1
NBA Championship Odds: -120
Klay Thompson might not be performing at an elite level right now but he did score 20 points while hitting 4-of-7 three-point attempts and the Warriors are already setting records early on this season. On Sunday, Stephen Curry scored an NBA-record 13 three-point shots in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On Wednesday, Golden State set a record with four different players hitting at least four three-point shots in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Curry and Kevin Durant are averaging a combined 54.9 points per game and the Warriors are learning how to maximize their potential as a team by spreading the ball around. Golden State is the most talented team in the NBA right now and everything appears to be trending in the right direction on the west coast.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (6-1)
Last Week: 2
NBA Championship Odds: +333
The Cavaliers barely escaped with a 102-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers before falling to the Atlanta Hawks in a 110-106 loss three nights later. Focus and maintaining a strong sense of urgency will be the keys to locking up top spot in the Eastern Conference but the early indications is that they could have some competition in that race. Cleveland is still the first LeBron team to open a season with six straight wins and it is worth noting that each of the three previous LeBron teams that managed to start 5-1 went on to win it all.
3. Los Angeles Clippers (7-1)
Last Week: 5
NBA Championship Odds: +2200
The Clippers followed up a loss to Oklahoma City with four straight wins including road victories over the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. The fact that they beat San Antonio by 24 points on their own floor is very impressive and they doubled down a few nights later with a 31-point win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Blake Griffin is playing at the highest level of his career right now while Chris Paul looks rejuvenated and motivated in LA. There is also a legitimate possibility that Marreese Speights and Raymond Felton have actually made the Clippers bench that much formidable so we are willing to give them the small bump they have earned in our power rankings.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (6-2)
Last Week: 4
NBA Championship Odds: +3300
Oklahoma City beat LA but had no answers for the Warriors and Raptors in a pair of double-digit losses with the latter coming on their home floor on Wednesday night. Russell Westbrook has averaged 31.1 points, 9.5 assists and 8.3 rebounds and while Victor Oladipo has helped share some of the load in terms of scoring that tandem still needs more help. Their limited defense was exposed by both Golden State and Toronto this past week so they will need to bounce back this week or risk falling out of the top five.
5. San Antonio Spurs (5-3)
Last Week: 3
NBA Championship Odds: +700
The Raptors, Hornets and even the Utah Jazz earned consideration for the final spot on this list but in the end the Spurs managed to hold on by the smallest of margins based on the fact that their slow start is a major outlier from what we are used to from one of the NBA’s most consistent teams. San Antonio needs to improve its level of play at the defensive end but after a 29-point win over Golden State in their opener there were bound to be some hiccups with every team bringing their best to the table when they play. The Spurs have home games with the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat sandwiching their rematch with the Houston Rockets on their schedule before the next update so we will be keeping a close eye on them to see if they can hold their position among the top five teams in our power rankings.
