In a league that boasts the presence of the Warriors, Cavs, and Spurs, somehow the Miami Heat are the hottest team in the NBA. Erik Spoelstra’s team has rattled off eight consecutive victories since the middle of January and, hilariously, Heat guard Dion Waiters was just named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
How did we get here? Only two weeks ago, I wrote, “Are the Heat bad? Yes, yes they are” and I meant it. Sure, Miami was only 12-30 at that point and, even after this latest binge of victories, the Heat hold just a 19-30 record. In the same breath, Hassan Whiteside and company hold a -2.2 net rating that is, at worst, respectable and their record hasn’t been overly reflective of their actual level of play throughout the campaign.
Eight consecutive wins don’t magically make Miami “good,” and that also has to be said. This latest run from Waiters (24.2 points, 5.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 49.5 percent shooting, 51.3 percent from deep over the last six), is wholly unsustainable and the Heat could be back in the tanking conversation in a hurry by bunching together a few losses. Today there’s plenty of room for a tip of the cap in the direction of Spoelstra and his team, simply because no one would have predicted anything approaching an eight-game winning streak for Miami at any point during the season.
Can the Heat keep it up a bit longer? How do they rate in terms of the rest of the NBA’s 30 clubs? That and more in this week’s edition of our NBA Power Rankings.
Let’s get it going.
1. Golden State Warriors (41-7, Last week — 1st)
It was another ho-hum week in which the Warriors won all three games. Golden State was pushed to the brink without Stephen Curry on Sunday evening but, prior to that, the Dubs hung 144 (!) points on the Clippers during a national television broadcast and that felt a lot like a statement to the rest of the league. There continues to be zero doubt as to which team will occupy the top spot, and the gap is wider now than it has been all season.
2. San Antonio Spurs (37-11, Last week — 2nd)
Kawhi Leonard and company stopped the bleeding of back-to-back losses with a home win over the Thunder on Tuesday evening. That, in conjunction with five straight wins (including triumphs over the Raptors and Cavs) previously, was more than enough to justify the runner-up spot. As stated above, though, the gap is wide between Golden State and the rest.
3. Houston Rockets (36-16, Last week — 4th)
The Rockets are just 5-7 over the last 12 games and they have been remarkably ordinary. After doubting them throughout the offseason and in the early going, the benefit of the doubt is being given here and Tuesday’s thrashing of the Kings helps. We’ll see if Houston can bounce back when the dog days subside.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (32-15, Last week — 3rd)
Only a week ago, I told you not to worry about the Cavs and that sentiment applies. With that said, things are getting weirder by the day. LeBron is calling out Charles Barkley, the Cavs are holding tryouts for out-of-the-league veterans on the perimeter, and even Baron Davis wants to be involved. I’m not panicking but Cleveland isn’t operating at a high level right now on the floor and that’s reflected in this ranking.
5. Boston Celtics (30-18, Last week — 10th)
When we last spoke, the Celtics were in free fall. The team was unceremoniously lambasted in Washington to cap a three-game losing skid and on the way out of the top ten in this space. On cue, Boston won all four games this week in impressive fashion and any overarching concerns have largely evaporated. And, by the way, the Celtics now own sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference standings.
6. Utah Jazz (30-19, Last week — 6th)
Yes, the Jazz have dropped three of four, but I’m not losing faith just yet. Utah’s record at full strength this season is still preposterously good and none of the three defeats (Oklahoma City, Memphis, and at Denver) should be considered ugly. This feels like a 50-win team, and with the way some of their chief competition has been playing, that’s good enough.
7. Washington Wizards (28-20, Last week — 7th)
Washington has won 9 of 10, including an active five-game winning streak. This ranking probably overstates their overall upside a little bit, simply because this is a team with (very) little depth. At the same time, the Wizards are playing insanely well right now and you’d be hard-pressed to pick the No. 9 team in a neutral-court situation against them right now.
8. Toronto Raptors (30-19, Last week — 8th)
The Raptors are no longer in the driver’s seat in the race for the No. 2 spot in the East, but they still have Kyle Lowry. The All-NBA guard was all that stood between Toronto and yet another weird defeat on Tuesday, but Lowry banged home a game-winner that singlehandedly kept the Raps from another dip on this list. He’s pretty good.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder (28-21, Last week — 9th)
If you simply look at the last two results, you may wonder how OKC managed to stay in the same spot as last week. Losses aren’t weighted equally, though, and there is no shame in succumbing to the Cavaliers and Spurs on the road in back to back contests. The Thunder aren’t better than the Clippers at full strength, but they’re better right now.
10. Los Angeles Clippers (30-18, Last week — 5th)
Playing without Chris Paul isn’t easy. The Clippers shouldn’t be punished too harshly as a result. However, Los Angeles has dropped four of five, and in their last contest the Clippers were unceremoniously blasted by the Warriors to the tune of a 46-point loss. That one is tough to simply ignore.
11. Memphis Grizzlies (29-21, Last week — 12th)
This team has a gripe in being ranked behind the Jazz this week, simply because the Grizzlies went into Salt Lake City and won decisively just a few days ago. For me, Utah’s baseline is higher but Memphis is playing well again and their style of play is always fun to come across on a League Pass evening. Plus, the Grizz are healthy! Rejoice!
Full @memgrizz injury rep…
…wait…hang on…
No injuries to report!! 👀
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) February 1, 2017
12. Atlanta Hawks (28-20, Last week — 11th)
The Hawks have been outscored on the season and that probably isn’t the best sign for sustaining their current winning percentage. In the same breath, Atlanta has beaten teams they are supposed to beat for the most part and their latest victory, a four-overtime spectacle against the Knicks, saves them from a real drop for another week.
13. Indiana Pacers (25-22, Last week — 15th)
Beating the Timberwolves and Kings won’t generate headlines. Beating the Rockets? That’ll do. The Pacers have won three straight to solidify their standing among Eastern Conference playoff squads, and Paul George averaged 32.7 points per game in the trio of wins. Indiana goes as he goes, and along with Jeff Teague, the Pacers are playing well right now.
14. Denver Nuggets (21-26, Last week — 18th)
Losing to the Lakers on Tuesday put a damper on what should’ve been a more glowing review of the Nuggets this week. With that said, Denver currently occupies the No. 8 spot in the West, and I’ve been stumping for this team since the early stages of the season. Now isn’t the time to bail.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (19-29, Last week — 21st)
If you were on the “Wolves to the Playoffs!” bandwagon in the preseason, the team’s recent play was an indication you were only slightly early. Minnesota has won five of six and eight of their last 11 to catapult back into the Western Conference playoff race. Any long-shot bets you made with friends are still alive. The baby Wolves are on their way.
16. Chicago Bulls (24-25, Last week — 16th)
The Bulls might be the weirdest team in the NBA, but every metric indicates they are a run-of-the-mill .500 team on paper. We’re going to treat them that way this week.
17. Portland Trail Blazers (22-28, Last week — 20th)
The Blazers throttled the Hornets in their last outing, which should explain the positioning here. In fact, Portland has four wins in their last five outings and there are whispers circulating that Dame Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and company could be putting it together at the right time.
18. Charlotte Hornets (23-26, Last week — 13th)
Charlotte was once the picture of consistency, and now they’re anything but that. The Hornets have an active five-game losing streak. Before that, Steve Clifford’s team won three straight. Before that, Charlotte … lost five in a row. What in the world is going on here?
19. Milwaukee Bucks (21-26, Last week — 14th)
The Bucks still own a better net rating than the Hawks, but Milwaukee has lost eight out of nine. In fact, having them this high is an endorsement that I believe Milwaukee will find their way out of the malaise, but it needs to happen soon.
20. Dallas Mavericks (18-30, Last week — 24th)
Something might be happening in Dallas. The Mavs just swept a back-to-back against the Spurs and Cavs and, overall, Dallas has won four of five. This team was written off by everyone (including myself) after the wretched start, but with only a 4.5-game deficit between them and the No. 8 spot, who knows? Rick Carlisle is right. This is an “underrated sh*t team.”
21. Miami Heat (19-30, Last week — 25th)
Okay, so I’m not fully buying the Heat. In the same breath, Miami hasn’t been this high in quite a while and we should learn more about them beginning with a home game on Wednesday against Atlanta.
22. New Orleans Pelicans (19-30, Last week — 19th)
New Orleans has faced an unbelievably difficult recent schedule. The team’s last five games have come against the Cavs, Thunder, Spurs, Wizards, and Raptors. Let’s just say coming away with two wins over those five games is nothing to be upset about for a team in this range.
23. Detroit Pistons (21-27, Last week — 17th)
Just when we thought Detroit might be primed for a run, they dropped three games in a row this week, including a home loss to the lowly Kings. Remember when the Pistons were a near-consensus pick to finish fourth in the East during the preseason? Whoops.
24. Philadelphia 76ers (18-29, Last week — 22nd)
Philly has cooled a bit, even if their last outing was a road win over Sacramento. Having a banged-up Joel Embiid will slow the momentum down and there’s nothing wrong with that. But even as we all get excited, the Sixers haven’t become good just yet. We’ll get there. I promise. If only we had a phrase to explain how we need to be patient with the Sixers.
25. New York Knicks (21-29, Last week — 23rd)
The Knicks keep losing and they do so in spectacular fashion. Obviously, the four-overtime marathon loss to the Hawks would be enough to hurt the psyche of any team, but New York followed it up with a decisive loss to Washington. Hilariously, this is a team that is only 2.5 games out of a playoff spot, but that seems far, far away.
26. Sacramento Kings (19-30, Last week — 26th)
There hasn’t been a Boogie Cousins blow-up for a while, and the Kings just completed a hellacious eight-game road trip with a respectable 3-5 record. With that said, Sacramento is 25th in the NBA in net rating. As much as we wish this was different, they just aren’t very good.
27. Orlando Magic (19-31, Last week — 28th)
Orlando finished January with an ugly 4-12 mark, and during the month, the Magic were outscored by 8.4 points per 100 possessions. That figure was second-worst in the NBA (ahead of only Brooklyn) and a shake-up is needed for this roster. That’s about the only thing people across the league can agree on right now.
28. Phoenix Suns (15-33, Last week — 27th)
The Suns have been playing at a respectable level recently, but Phoenix encountered a hiccup this week. Earl Watson’s squad has now dropped four straight, including back-to-back losses at home by double figures. On the bright side, there is some young, intriguing talent on the roster and a top-30 player in the league in Eric Bledsoe. That’s a start.
29. Los Angeles Lakers (17-34, Last week — 29th)
A win over Denver on Tuesday nearly propelled the Lakers upward but it wasn’t quite enough to ignore everything else happening in Los Angeles. The difference between No. 30 and No. 29 is quite large and, frankly, the Lakers have plenty of competition for this spot. We’ll see what they do over the next seven days.
30. Brooklyn Nets (9-39, Last week — 30th)
When only one team in the NBA owns single-digit victories, this becomes arguably the easiest choice (hello, Warriors) on the entire board. The Nets have an active six-game losing streak and the Celtics are already counting the ping-pong balls associated with a draft pick that is almost certainly going to have the highest probability to land at No. 1 overall.
