The New Year has come and with it has come another change at the top of the rankings, precipitated by the Clippers' back-to-back losses that brought an end to their 17-game winning streak.With the All-Star break approaching quickly, there is still time for teams to turn things around, for better or worse, but it has to start soon for teams with championship aspirations. Here are my current rankings, with teams grouped by similar level of performance.
TW. (LW) Team (Week) Overall
1. (2) San Antonio (4-1) 26-9
2. (1) LA Clippers (2-2) 25-8
3. (3) Oklahoma City (2-1) 24-7
4. (6) Denver (2-2) 18-16
5. (5) Houston (2-2) 18-14
6. (7) Memphis (2-1) 20-9
7. (8) New York (1-2) 22-10
8. (11) Golden State (3-0) 22-10
9. (4) Miami (2-2) 22-8
10. (9) LA Lakers (1-1) 15-16
11. (10) Indiana (3-1) 19-13
12. (13) Atlanta (3-1) 20-10
13. (15) Utah (1-2) 16-17
14. (12) Minnesota (2-1) 15-14
15. (23) Toronto (3-0) 12-20
16. (20) Milwaukee (1-2) 16-14
17. (16) Brooklyn (3-1) 17-15
18. (19) Detroit (3-0) 12-22
19. (14) Chicago (2-1) 17-13
20. (22) Philadelphia (1-3) 15-18
21. (18) Portland (2-2) 16-15
22. (28) Sacramento (3-1) 12-20
23. (17) Boston (0-3) 14-17
24. (24) Phoenix (1-3) 12-21
25. (25) New Orleans (1-3) 7-25
26. (26) Dallas (1-3) 13-20
27. (21) Orlando (0-4) 12-20
28. (27) Cleveland (0-3) 7-26
29. (29) Charlotte (1-2) 8-23
30. (30) Washington (1-3) 4-26
The team that has already started a turnaround and looks to be headed for the playoffs is the Toronto Raptors. They were once again the hottest team in the league, winning all three of their games this week, two by over 20 points. The Raptors have now won 8 of their last 9 games, losing only at #1 San Antonio, and it's kind of tough to remember three weeks ago when I had them ranked #29, ahead of only the woeful Charlotte Bobcats.
Toronto will be playing another hot team that seems to be turning things around tonight, when they host the Sacramento Kings. The Kings won 3 of 4 this week, including an upset of the New York Knicks, and have won 5 of 8 overall, which is something to celebrate for this franchise. The Pacific Division is really strong this year, but Sacramento could sneak in an snag a playoff spot if they keep up the hot streak.
Another member of that same division, the Golden State Warriors, has been nearly as hot lately, and all season for that matter. The Warriors have not lost 2 straight in nearly 2 months, and they just gave the Clippers their first losing streak in over a month a couple of nights ago. They are now a top 10 team, and they'll have a target on their backs tomorrow when they travel to Los Angeles to face the same Clippers, who will be looking for revenge.
Utah, who went 1-2 this week, doesn't fit the traditional definition of hot, especially since they now have a losing record, but both of those losses came against the Clippers, one by only 2 points. They may have only 3 wins in the last 3 weeks, but all 6 of their losses came against teams that will probably have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and a couple of those games were pretty competitive. Look for a win streak now that they're hitting a softer spot in the schedule.
Predictions
Upset picks are in italics.
Sacramento at Toronto - Raptors by 6
Brooklyn at Washington - Nets by 6
Cleveland at Charlotte - Cavaliers by 1
Atlanta at Detroit - Pistons by 1
Chicago at Miami - Heat by 8
Indiana at Boston - Pacers by 2
Portland at Memphis - Grizzlies by 10
Philadelphia at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 12
Houston at Milwaukee - Rockets by 2
Utah at Phoenix - Jazz by 2
LA Lakers vs. LA Clippers - Clippers by 6
College Basketball
Fordham at Ole Miss - Rebels by 26
Prediction Results
NBA: 0-2 (.000) 327-149 overall (.687)
College Basketball: 4-0 (1.000) 380-72 overall (.841)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 25-26 overall (.490)
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