The Golden State Warriors won 73 games a season ago. The Golden State Warriors did not win 73 games in 2016-2017. By comparison, the team’s follow-up performance after the catastrophic collapse in June did not quite “live up” to its predecessor, especially given the fact that this year’s club included the addition of Kevin Durant. With that said, Durant missed 20 games with injury and, for better or worse, it was violently clear that the Warriors were not as invested in simply achieving regular season success the second time around.
In the grand scheme, it is easy to see why. Nothing that happened in the regular season, short of full-blown disaster, would change the ultimate way that this Golden State team was judged, as this is the definition of a “title or bust” squad. However, that mindset has led much of the NBA world to overlook what was yet another all-time great performance from a team in the regular season.
The Warriors finish with a 67-15 record and, almost more importantly, a comically impressive +12.1 net rating for the season. By comparison, this year’s club actually finishes with a better mark on a per-possession basis than the 2015-2016 squad (+11.6 net rating) and that is doubly noteworthy given the Durant injury caveat. There were whispers of struggles midseason as the Warriors scuffled a bit to rebound in the immediate aftermath of their All-NBA forward going down, but from that point forward, Stephen Curry ratcheted things up and the pieces clicked into place.
Are the Warriors as good or, as some expected, better this season than they were on the way to 73-9? That remains to be seen. What we do know, though, is that Golden State has been far and away the best team in the NBA in 2016-2017 and it almost feels as if they are underrated when compared to that simple baseline. It is more than fair to focus on the playoffs and whatever ultimate fate this team endures but, for now, it is also quite safe to indicate that the Warriors are in a tier by themselves when evaluating professional basketball teams.
We know who No. 1 is at the close of the campaign but, for our final power rankings, the rest is up for debate. Here we go.
1. Golden State Warriors (67-15, Last week — 1st)
There isn’t much more to say. There is Golden State, and there is everyone else.
2. San Antonio Spurs (61-21, Last week — 2nd)
The Spurs didn’t exactly close on a high note, but that was largely because they didn’t care to. Still, San Antonio produced yet another 60-win season and that is, frankly, unbelievable given that Tim Duncan is no longer walking through that door. Kawhi Leonard may not be the MVP but he put together an MVP-quality season, and San Antonio should not be slept on as the playoffs arrive.
3. Houston Rockets (55-27, Last week — 4th)
Like Kawhi Leonard above, James Harden is absolutely worthy of MVP consideration and I’m not entirely worried about Houston’s uneven finish. The Rockets were working with quite a bit of wiggle room given their comfortable lead over the pack, and it remains pretty incredible that Mike D’Antoni was able to coax an average defensive basketball team out of this roster. We don’t know what this version of the Rockets will look like in the playoffs but it will be fun.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (51-31, Last week — 6th)
Outside of Oakland, you won’t find a hotter team as the playoffs arrive than the Clippers. Los Angeles closed the campaign with seven straight victories and this was a 58-win team with Chris Paul on the court. It may be “same old Clippers” but their baseline remains higher than a lot of people seem to believe.
5. Toronto Raptors (51-31, Last week — 7th)
The Raptors are just a different team with Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker on board. Toronto finished 18-7 after the All-Star break, and over that time the team operated as a top-five defensive unit in the NBA. Whether that is sustainable or not is up for debate but much of that success came without Toronto’s best player, Kyle Lowry, on the court. This is a scary team right now.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (51-31, Last week — 3rd)
There is no scenario, barring a LeBron injury, in which I would pick against the Cavs in the Eastern Conference but it is very difficult to rank them in this space. Cleveland finished the campaign with four consecutive losses, including two hilarious ones to Atlanta, and they certainly aren’t playing well right now. This ranking is cheating in that it splits the difference, but that seems like the safest thing to do.
7. Boston Celtics (53-29, Last week — 5th)
The Celtics closed with three straight wins and that stretch might make this perch seem low. Still, Boston did not look good in losing to Atlanta and we all remember what happened against Cleveland when angry LeBron appeared. It is certainly a good thing that Brad Stevens’ team avoided the full-blown letdown at the end of the year but ceiling questions are real and lasting.
8. Utah Jazz (51-31, Last week — 8th)
The Jazz finished with the fifth-best net rating (+4.7) in the NBA this season, and they did it despite being battered by injuries at various times during the year. That is quite impressive and this is the Jazz team that many expected to see. Now, it will be intriguing to see if Utah can reach another gear, but when healthy, this is one of the best teams in the league and the first-round battle against the Clippers might be the best in the playoffs.
9. Washington Wizards (49-33, Last week — 9th)
The Wizards kept their heads above water with a 15-12 record after the All-Star break but that doesn’t mean Washington is playing well. In fact, they were outscored over that time period while allowing more than 110 points per 100 possessions defensively and a first-round playoff series against Atlanta doesn’t seem quite as breezy as it did a week ago. It’s gut check time for John Wall, Scott Brooks, and company.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (47-35, Last week — 10th)
The year of Russell Westbrook was a lot of fun. Oklahoma City’s triple-double machine is right up there in the MVP conversation, and he operated in a way that we have never seen before. The Thunder’s supporting cast has received a bad rap as a result and that is misguided, if only because they have immense defensive talent. Still, it remains to be seen as to just how threatening this particular squad can be in late April and May with the way they play.
11. Indiana Pacers (42-40, Last week — 17th)
This is a tough evaluation. The Pacers closed on a hot streak with five straight victories and Indy is arguably playing the best basketball we’ve seen from the team this season. However, Paul George and company fell short of expectations over the full body of 82 games and I don’t think anyone feels as if the Pacers are particularly threatening in the playoffs. Throw in the offseason discourse that will inevitably surround PG13 and, well, chaos ensues.
12. Atlanta Hawks (43-39, Last week — 18th)
Before pulling the plug on the season’s final night, the Hawks rebounded from an ugly spell with four straight wins. It remains to be seen as to just how indicative that “turn of the corner” was, especially considering this team has been soundly outscored for the season. Still, Mike Budenholzer just might have things going in the right direction as the playoffs arrive. There are (faint) signs of hope.
13. Memphis Grizzlies (43-39, Last week — 11th)
Are the Grizzlies good? Memphis finished 9-15 after the All-Star break after five losses in six games at the end and the team’s overall performance is in question. We absolutely know that Marc Gasol and Mike Conley are incredible. Beyond that, questions abound as the playoffs get going.
14. Milwaukee Bucks (42-40, Last week — 13th)
Giannis Antetokounmpo is probably going to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and he deserves it. In fact, the Greek Freak would certainly be among the top ten MVP candidates in the league, and the fact that the Bucks were able to do what they did without Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker for long stretches is a testament to his play. The first-round series between the Bucks and Raptors should be fun.
15. Chicago Bulls (41-41, Last week — 15th)
Well, the Bulls made the playoffs. I’m not sure how it happened, but it did. Jimmy Butler is very, very good at basketball.
16. Portland Trail Blazers (41-41, Last week — 16th)
Portland’s prize for reaching the NBA Playoffs is a first-round date with a now full-strength Warriors team that is ready to go. That is, of course, quite a perilous task but the Blazers did a good job in recovering to make the playoffs at all. It was an uneven year to be sure, but Portland is playing closer to how they should be playing now.
17. Denver Nuggets (40-42, Last week — 12th)
The Nuggets finished with a top-five offense in the NBA and the second-worst defense. Sometimes, it is just that easy. The future is very bright, however, and this is a young team with a burgeoning star in Nikola Jokic. Things could be worse.
18. Miami Heat (41-41, Last week — 19th)
Given that Miami was 11-30 at one point, this is a very impressive final mark. In fact, the injury to Dion Waiters probably cost the Heat a playoff spot and that would have been a crazy sentiment just a few months ago. How good are the Heat? I’m not really sure, but they are well coached and play (very) hard. There is something to be said for that. Even if Erik Spoelstra has a broken heart for a couple days.
19. Charlotte Hornets (36-46, Last week — 14th)
The Hornets finished with a better net rating (+0.3) than the Hawks on the season, yet landed seven games behind Atlanta in the standings. Part of that is clutch performance but part of it is also pure luck in Atlanta’s direction and misfortune for Charlotte. The problem, though, is that isn’t easy to project big-time growth from this roster next season.
20. New Orleans Pelicans (34-48, Last week — 20th)
On the bright side, Anthony Davis played a career-high 75 games and the Pelicans swindled the Kings out of a superstar-level player for an underwhelming return package. Basically everything else, though, did not go well. We won’t really know how the Davis-Cousins partnership works until next season but the entire fabric of this squad now hinges on that and the free agency of Jrue Holiday. Hold on to your hats.
21. Detroit Pistons (37-45, Last week — 26th)
It really feels like the Pistons were worse than their record indicates. Perhaps that comes as a result of falling short of expectations but this was a disastrous season for Stan Van Gundy and company. Andre Drummond regressed, Stanley Johnson was uninspiring, and Reggie Jackson was both injured and bad. It feels safe to say that Detroit is just ready for the summer.
22. Dallas Mavericks (33-49, Last week — 25th)
Tony Romo being a thing served as a distraction at the end of the season and it was brilliant marketing from Mark Cuban. Let’s just say that I’m not outraged by it. At any rate, Dallas is kind of in no man’s land at the moment as Dirk’s career winds to a close. No one could have expected more from Harrison Barnes but even with him playing well, the Mavs weren’t playoff good for most of the season.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (31-51, Last week — 21st)
Karl-Anthony Towns is absolutely incredible, and I care a lot more about that than I do about Minnesota losing six straight games to end the season. With that said, there weren’t many folks projecting 31 victories in Tom Thibodeau’s first season and there is plenty of work to be done in the Twin Cities. Good luck trying to figure out how to peg them going into next season.
24. Sacramento Kings (32-50, Last week — 22nd)
Sacramento wasn’t quite as bad after trading Boogie Cousins as you might think but the roster isn’t exactly set moving forward. On the bright side, they competed to the very end without going into hilarious tank mode (if only because the Kings do have some functional young talent) and they don’t have to deal with an enigmatic star anymore. Unfortunately, they now don’t have a star at all. Such is life in Sacramento.
25. New York Knicks (31-51, Last week — 23rd)
Phil Jackson is going to stick around and that sound you hear is Knicks fans abandoning ship. Okay, that might not be true. At any rate, New York was a mess yet again and a season-ending win over the tanking Sixers (by one point) isn’t going to change that. Where will Carmelo Anthony be? What happens with Joakim Noah? There are question marks but the only certainty is dysfunction in New York.
26. Orlando Magic (29-53, Last week — 29th)
Podcast host Nate Duncan has repeatedly referenced Orlando’s defense as the single most disappointing unit this season and he is absolutely right. It is, frankly, inconceivable that the Magic would be as bad in preventing opponents from scoring as they were throughout the campaign. Given that they were seemingly set up with a dominant defense in mind, you can see what transpired here.
27. Los Angeles Lakers (26-56, Last week — 28th)
No, I don’t care that the Lakers won five in a row before the season-ending loss to Golden State. Los Angeles was actively trying to lose games, and it was oddly fitting that they were unable to tank their way into the best possible position. In general, this was a bad basketball team throughout the year and it is going to be a whirlwind summer for the franchise.
28. Brooklyn Nets (20-62, Last week — 24th)
Brooklyn was more competitive than their record indicates and much of the ugliness came when Jeremy Lin was unavailable due to injury. With that said, the Nets were still quite bad for the great majority of the season and they should probably be recognized as such. Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson still have a lot of work to do, even if the product was more competitive than it probably should have been from a talent standpoint.
29. Philadelphia 76ers (28-54, Last week — 27th)
The Sixers probably deserve better than this but, if any team is “good” at tanking, it is Philly. Eight straight losses to the end the season will work wonders in that regard but, with Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, and at least one high lottery pick on the way, the future remains quite bright in the city of brotherly love.
30. Phoenix Suns (24-58, Last week — 30th)
Congratulations to the Suns for an epic tanking performance. Phoenix shut down Eric Bledsoe very early and even sat Devin Booker for rest at times down the stretch. Earl Watson’s team won two games over the final month of the campaign and, even with both of those victories coming within the last week, they land here with good reason.
