NBA Rankings - 26 Feb

There were fewer games this week because of the All-Star break, so there was a little less movement in the rankings than normal, but a couple of teams have set themselves apart from the rest of the pack with hot streaks that have extended for more than a week. Here are the latest rankings, with gaps between groups of teams representing differing levels of performance.

TW. Team (Week) (Overall) Rating (LW)
1. Miami (2-0) (27-7) -10.37 (1)

2. Oklahoma City (4-0) (27-7) -8.51 (3)
3. Chicago (2-0) (27-8) -8.01 (2)

4. Portland (1-1) (18-16) -6.25 (8)
5. San Antonio (2-1) (24-10) -6.24 (4)
6. Dallas (1-1) (21-13) -5.52 (6)
7. Philadelphia (0-3) (20-14) -4.81 (5)
8. LA Clippers (1-1) (20-11) -4.74 (7)

9. LA Lakers (2-2) (20-14) -3.53 (9)
10. Orlando (2-1) (22-13) -3.29 (10)
11. Denver (1-3) (18-17) -3.18 (11)
12. Memphis (1-1) (19-15) -3.12 (13)
13. Houston (3-0) (20-14) -2.80 (12)
14. Indiana (3-0) (21-12) -2.11 (18)
15. Atlanta (1-2) (20-14) -1.79 (14)
16. Minnesota (2-1) (17-17) -1.64 (15)

17. Golden State (2-0) (13-17) -0.34 (19)
18. New York (1-2) (17-18) -0.27 (16)
19. Utah (0-3) (15-17) 0.42 (20)
20. Phoenix (2-1) (14-20) 0.96 (23)
21. Boston (0-3) (15-17) 0.99 (17)
22. Milwaukee (1-2) (13-20) 1.28 (21)
23. New Orleans (1-2) (8-25) 2.26 (24)
24. Cleveland (2-1) (13-18) 3.15 (22)

25. Sacramento (1-2) (11-22) 4.42 (27)
26. Detroit (1-2) (11-24) 4.93 (26)
27. Toronto (1-0) (10-23) 5.11 (25)
28. New Jersey (1-2) (10-25) 5.26 (28)

29. Washington (0-2) (7-26) 7.57 (29)

30. Charlotte (0-2) (4-28) 12.89 (30)

Hot

Portland won only once this week, but it was a big one, the game that ended San Antonio's 11-game winning streak, and while the Spurs were playing without their three stars, any 40-point victory in an NBA game is worth taking notice. They are currently sitting just inside the playoff line, but this week they are going to Denver and hosting Miami, so they will have to play just as well if they want to be taken seriously.

Indiana did not lose a game this week, but they also didn't play a team that wasn't in last place. The two wins over Charlotte were by healthy margins, but they had to go to overtime to beat the Hornets in between, which is somewhat embarrassing. They get to face the Hornets again this week, along with the Golden State Warriors, who have been heating up as well.

Not

Two weeks ago Boston had won nine of ten and had thrust themselves right back into the playoff picture, but they immediately turned around and went back to where they had been before. They have now lost 7 of their past 8, with 5 of those losses coming by double digits. Strangely, the Celtics are 6-4 in games without All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, and 9-13 with him in the lineup.

The Charlotte Bobcats are on pace to have one of the worst records in NBA history. Since this season has been shortened, they do not need to get to 10 wins to avoid the worst winning percentage ever, but they still need to get to 8 wins, which is the exact pace they are on right now. Unfortunately, 2 of their wins came in their first 6 games, with only 2 wins in the 26 games since, and with how few competitive games they've played, 4 more wins may be a stretch.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

Tuesday

Boston at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 1
Golden State at Indiana - Pacers by 5
Philadelphia at Detroit - 76ers by 7
New Orleans at Chicago - Bulls by 13
Toronto at Houston - Rockets by 11
Washington at Milwaukee - Bucks by 9
New Jersey at Dallas - Mavericks by 14
Utah at Sacramento - Jazz by 1
Minnesota at LA Clippers - Clippers by 6

Wednesday

Oklahoma City at Philadelphia - Thunder by 1
Orlando at Washington - Magic by 8
Golden State at Atlanta - Hawks by 5
Milwaukee at Boston - Celtics by 3
Charlotte at Detroit - Pistons by 11
Cleveland at New York - Knicks by 7
Toronto at New Orleans - Hornets by 6
Dallas at Memphis - Grizzlies by 1
Portland at Denver - Nuggets by 1
Chicago at San Antonio - Spurs by 1
Houston at Utah - Rockets by 1
Minnesota at LA Lakers - Lakers by 5

Thursday

Oklahoma City at Orlando - Thunder by 2
Minnesota at Phoenix - Suns by 1
LA Clippers at Sacramento - Clippers by 6
Miami at Portland - Heat by 1

Friday

Memphis at Toronto - Grizzlies by 5
Milwaukee at Atlanta - Hawks by 6
New Jersey at Boston - Celtics by 7
Chicago at Cleveland - Bulls by 8
Dallas at New Orleans - Mavericks by 5
Denver at Houston - Rockets by 3
Golden State at Philadelphia - 76ers by 8
Charlotte at San Antonio - Spurs by 22
Miami at Utah - Heat by 8
Sacramento at LA Lakers - Lakers by 11
LA Clippers at Phoenix - Clippers by 3

Saturday

Oklahoma City at Atlanta - Thunder by 4
Milwaukee at Orlando - Magic by 8
Cleveland at Washington - Cavaliers by 1
Indiana at New Orleans - Pacers by 1
Detroit at Memphis - Grizzlies by 11
Utah at Dallas - Mavericks by 9
Minnesota at Portland - Trail Blazers by 8

Sunday

New York at Boston - Celtics by 2
Miami at LA Lakers - Heat by 4

Prediction Results

NBA: 29-12 (.707) 201-109 overall (.648)
Upsets: 5-2 (.714) 37-27 overall (.578)