The 2016-17 NBA season tipped off on Tuesday and while the Golden State Warriors stumbled in their season opener against the San Antonio Spurs we aren’t willing to write them off for the best record in the NBA just yet. 73 wins will not be an easy accomplishment for a team that could deal with chemistry issues early on as they look to work another former NBA MVP in to their starting five but the Warriors are still undoubtedly the top team in the association right now. Here is a look at the top-five teams in the NBA right now.
1. Golden State Warriors
Last Week: –
NBA Championship Odds: -120
Kevin Durant called Golden State’s 129-100 loss to the Spurs a “slap in the face” but we aren’t willing to downgrade the Warriors from top spot in our Power Rankings based on one defeat. Golden State is listed at -120 to win a championship for a reason and while there will be growing pains early on that does not mean this roster isn’t the best in the NBA. The Warriors likely won’t commit 16 turnovers very often this season and the tap from their loss to San Antonio could end up really helping them figure out where they need to be better moving forward. Golden State made its opponents look silly during the preseason and the fact that they will have Durant in Harrison Barnes’ spot when they use Draymond Green at the center position is downright scary. The Warriors will only get better from here and we aren’t changing their outlook one bit following a season-opening loss to San Antonio.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Week: –
NBA Championship Odds: +300
The Cavaliers don’t have to worry about beating out San Antonio to reach the NBA Finals once again so it’s no surprise they are listed right behind Golden State in terms of the NBA title odds. The defending champs celebrated their opening night by raising their championship banner and then blowing away the New York Knicks in a 117-88 win. Kyrie Irving appears on the verge of becoming a superstar and LeBron James has picked up from where he left off in last year’s NBA Finals. Nobody is about to overlook Cleveland’s chances to repeat this season.
3. San Antonio Spurs
Last Week: –
NBA Championship Odds: +700
San Antonio began its redemption tour with a lopsided win over Golden State and there is a very good chance that this year’s team is better than the group that won 67 games last season. Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge have had another year to work together and develop their chemistry while Pau Gasol represents an upgrade from what Tim Duncan had left in the tank by the end of last season. The Spurs will also look to work their young guards in to bigger roles this season with Jonathon Simmons in particular ready to take on more responsibility and head coach Gregg Popovich will be the genius that maximizes the potential of this absolutely loaded roster once again.
4. Toronto Raptors
Last Week: –
NBA Championship Odds: +3000
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey did not hold back when it came to how his team would use the critics as motivation after so many had the Boston Celtics finishing ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference this season. Regardless of what happens moving forward, the Raptors certainly deserve this spot in our Power Rankings based not only on what they did last season but how their roster looks on paper right now. Losing Jared Sullinger for the first couple of months will ramp up the urgency and give their young players the chance to prove they can handle bigger roles while the core of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas continues to lead the way. Toronto was two wins away from reaching the NBA Finals last year and has improved on paper this season. The Raptors have plenty of motivation to prove their critics wrong and right now they deserve to be right behind the big three in our Power Rankings.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
Last Week: –
NBA Championship Odds: +2000
There was some debate about whether the Celtics or the Oklahoma City Thunder deserved the final spot in our top-five but the Clippers might still have the best core group of those three teams with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford. Los Angeles has failed to live up to its potential over the past couple of seasons but with its championship window closing the urgency will ramp up once again in 2016-17. There are a lot of positives lined up for a team is largely being overlooked following last year’s 53-win season but we aren’t about to sleep on the Clippers in the Western Conference this season.
