Another week in the NBA and it seemed like more of the same with the Golden State Warriors holding down top spot while at least one team made a key addition that could help close the gap on them. The Cleveland Cavaliers are poised to make at least a couple of moves to bolster their lineup in anticipation of another NBA Finals series with the Warriors while the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are in the best position to prevent an NBA Finals rematch. Here is a look at the NBA power rankings for this week.
1. Golden State Warriors
Last Week: 1
NBA Championship Odds: -120
Golden State is the only team in the NBA that has won at least 30 of its first 35 games three years in a row but not all of the stats indicate good things to come. The Warriors are now 0-5 in games against Cleveland, Houston, San Antonio and Memphis so either they will figure out how to perform at the highest level against those opponents or they will fall short of winning a championship this season. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have made magic this season and it’s important to remember that Golden State could still add to its depth before the trade deadline and become even better on paper.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Week: 2
NBA Championship Odds: +300
The Cavaliers are coming off back-to-back losses but they still own the best record in the Eastern Conference by three games and just added another elite catch-and-shoot guard in Kyle Korver. Korver will give Cleveland another guard that can stretch the floor and capitalize on kick out situations. On top of that, by moving Mo Williams and Mike Dunleavy the Cavaliers now have enough cap space to make another move before the trade deadline. Cleveland is clearly the beasts of the east and now they are loading up for another championship run.
3. San Antonio Spurs
Last Week: 3
NBA Championship Odds: +850
San Antonio is coming off a brutal home loss to a Milwaukee Bucks team that didn’t have its best player in Giannis Antetokounmpo but it’s not enough to move them from No. 3 on this list. The Spurs now own the top defensive efficiency rating in the NBA and with both LaMarcus Aldridge and Danny Green becoming more reliable at the offensive end this team is starting to look like a legitimate contender. There is also a strong case so far this season for Kawhi Leonard as MVP. San Antonio is just 2.5 games back of the Warriors for top spot in the Western Conference standings right now and the pressure is on to keep pace heading in to the second half of the season.
4. Houston Rockets
Last Week: 4
NBA Championship Odds: +2500
A 9-1 stretch has Houston within three games of the Warriors for top spot in the Western Conference and the fact that they beat them in Golden State already should help their confidence. The Rockets are 9-1 in the second of back-to-backs this season and as long as they continue to score at such a high level they will be tough to stop. Houston ranks second in the NBA with an average of 114.6 points per game thanks to the second-best assists average at 25.7 per game. The Rockets should be getting Eric Gordon back in time for their showdown with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night and that should help take some of the pressure off of James Harden and company following wins over Oklahoma City and Toronto last week.
5. Toronto Raptors
Last Week: 5
NBA Championship Odds: +2500
The Raptors have played .500 ball over their last 10 games with losses to San Antonio, Chicago and Houston that kept them from climbing higher in the standings and higher on this list. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry make up an outstanding guard combo but it’s hard to expect any more from this team when they are standing pat while a team like the Cavaliers is getting creative to bring in more talent. Toronto needs to make a move in order to contend with the top dog in the Eastern Conference so it will be very interesting to see what the Raptors do at the trade deadline.
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