The Atlanta Hawks fell one win short of becoming just the fifth team in NBA history to win 20 in a row but what they did do in the process was climb to the top of the NBA standings. However, even a string of 19 straight wins wasn’t enough for the Hawks to climb higher than third in the NBA Power Rankings as there are still two teams considered more likely to win an NBA title. Here are the updated NBA Power Rankings with each team’s championship futures odds listed next to them.
1. Golden State Warriors
This Week: +300
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the first teammates to each score 50 points in a game in the same season since 1994-95 and with three straight wins, the Warriors once again own the best record in the NBA. The Splash Brothers are easily the biggest reason why Golden State leads the league with an average of 111.4 points per game and the fact that they have navigated the tough waters of the Western Conference to win 39 of their first 47 games is testament to the talent level of this group.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
This Week: +350
Atlanta’s loss to New Orleans means that Cleveland is the owner of the longest winning streak in the NBA this week as wins over pushed them to 11 in a row. LeBron James has played his best basketball of the season over the past couple of weeks and it appears as though the Cavaliers are finally finding their chemistry as a team. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have to play at an All-Star level in order for this team to compete for an NBA title and we have seen flashes of that during their current run.
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3. Atlanta Hawks
This Week: +700
Losing to the Pelicans isn’t the end of the world for a team that has one loss in 2015 and is still 32 games above .500, but it did expose a potential flaw that will have to be addressed at some point. The Hawks allowed Anthony Davis to dominate them down low as he put up 29 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks in a 115-100 win. While they won’t have to face any MVP caliber big men in the Eastern Conference, there are a number of teams they could run in to in the Finals that could exploit that weakness.
4. San Antonio Spurs
This Week: +750
The Spurs aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Though they haven’t been able to gain any ground in the Western Conference standings despite winning eight of their last 10 games, it’s impossible to doubt them in a seven-game series against any Western Conference opponent. Head coach Gregg Popovich has done a masterful job of managing his player’s minutes and even though they have struggled on the road this season, the focus has to remain on staying healthy and rested for another potential postseason run.
T-5. Memphis Grizzlies
This Week: +1000
Memphis has won eight straight games to close the gap on Golden State for the top spot in the Western Conference and every Grizzlies fan that was ripping on the trade for Jeff Green is suddenly hailing it as the deal that put them over the top. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph represent the league’s best big man tandem and now Green has brought an element to the table that wasn’t there in Memphis before his arrival. Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, and Tony Allen have combined with Gasol and Randolph to lock down opposing offenses with the best defense in the NBA and if they can continue to get upwards of 12 points a night for Green, they could be the best value on the board in terms of championship futures.
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T-5. Chicago Bulls
This Week: +1000
The Bulls went from being considered a top contender from the Eastern Conference to dropping a notch below both Atlanta and Cleveland after trending the opposite direction with a brutal 8-9 record in the first month of 2015. Derrick Rose isn’t the MVP caliber player he once was and while Jimmy Butler has been a bright spot, there isn’t enough scoring depth on this team to keep up with the Hawks and Cavaliers. Pau Gasol has been an excellent fit so far but Chicago can’t afford for him to become run down by relying too much on him during the regular season. This is the second week in a row that the Bulls have continued to slide down the NBA Power Rankings and that will continue if they don’t find a way to turn things around soon.
7. Dallas Mavericks
This Week: +1200
There is something to be said for Dallas’ struggles against teams above them in the standings this season and it’s not about to get any easier with Rajon Rondo sidelined. The Mavericks are scoring seven points less per possession since Rondo arrived but they are also allowing almost five points less at the other end, which makes the trade somewhat of a wash. It will be interesting to see how they respond with Rondo out of the lineup. The Rondo trade hasn’t put them over the top as expected.
8. Los Angeles Clippers
This Week: +1400
It’s tough to grade how much better the addition of Kevin Garnett would make the Clippers and the latest indications are that a move to Los Angeles isn’t as inevitable as some reports made it seem a week ago. The chemistry on this Clippers team is undeniable but it’s hard to make a case they are significantly better than the team that bowed out in the second round of last year’s playoffs. A tough 102-100 loss to Brooklyn was another illustration of the inconsistency Lob City has shown this season and while they can put up points and entertain with the best of them, the jury is still out on whether Chris Paul and Blake Griffin can make up the core of a true NBA title contender.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder
This Week: +1600
Oklahoma City made a statement with a 102-99 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans minus Kevin Durant on Wednesday night as Russell Westbrook went off for a career-high 45 points and six assists. The Phoenix Suns have allowed the Thunder to hang around just a couple of games back of the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference and the consensus is that if they can find a way to get in, then Oklahoma City will be capable of making a postseason run.
10. Houston Rockets
This Week: +2000
The fact that the Rockets are listed below Oklahoma City on this list is testament to what the fans think about both teams and their potential to make a run – if they get in to the postseason. James Harden has been an MVP candidate for Houston but the Dwight Howard injury further complicates an already difficult situation. The Rockets will have a difficult time not falling any further in the Western Conference standings over the next two months. Like the Mavericks, the Rockets haven’t improved after a couple of midseason acquisitions (Corey Brewer, Josh Smith) were supposed to put them over the top.
T-11. Portland Trail Blazers +2500
T-11. Toronto Raptors +2500
13. Washington Wizards +3300
14. Miami Heat +12500
15. Detroit Pistons +15000
