NBA Championship Power Rankings

Hang in there with me, this is going to be a long one. Over the past couple of weeks, there's been a lot happening in the NBA, and what better way to sum it all up than with Power Rankings? Here we go:

Nick "Swaggy P" Young will try to salvage what's left of this broken
season for the Los Angeles Lakers

30-25: Sorry for Jabari [Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers]
These teams are in full tank-mode. Besides the Lakers, this group has been predictable throughout the entire season. For Philly, Orlando, and Utah; the future looks bright, as they have young assets, all of their picks, and aren't overpaying any veterans. For Milwaukee,
 Sacramento, and Los Angeles; the future is a bit cloudy. While they do have their own picks, they're shelling out major salary to aging under-performers. They need Masai Ujiri, too bad he's with Toronto.

All-Star PF Anthony Davis looks to usher in a new era of
Pelicans basketball in New Orleans

24-22: They Don't Realize Yet, but They're Tanking [New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics]
This group is essentially in semi-tank mode. They're still trying, but sooner or later, they'll have to
realize that their team just isn't talented enough. New Orleans just lost Jrue Holiday for the year so there goes that. Denver has just been hampered by injuries all season, so they're going to ave the white flag any minute now. Boston just isn't talented enough. The point guard is there, the coach is there, but that's about it.

21-17: Chasing Fool's Good [New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks]

I'm sure Carmelo Anthony can't wait for this dead season
to come to an end.

The previously noted teams are trying to make the valiantly trying to make the playoffs [besides the Knicks, who are just tanking without a draft pick, much to the dismay of Carmelo Anthony who puts up 40 a night only to watch his team cough it away.], and I respect that. The talent just isn't there. These teams are striving for mediocrity. They're built for mediocrity. If these teams do make the playoffs, it'll be as an early sacrifice to an eventual contender. What makes these teams so special, is that they seem to be pulling the same stunt each year. Constructing a mediocre roster.

16-13: A for Effort [Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns]
The "A for Effort" group is very similar to "Chasing Fool's Gold" except they're completely different

Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic lead an up-and-coming Phoenix team.

teams. Where the teams in category 3 all had standout players and poor supporting casts and or chemistry, these 4 teams are grinders. These teams have just one combined all-star appearance between the three of them [Paul Millsap, and he was arguably not even a rightful all-star]. Memphis, Charlotte, Phoenix, and Atlanta are well well-coached by first-year coaches and will improve as time progresses. Whether it be because injuries heal, or they get more used to playing with each other, or whether they just end up adding some talent. They're sleepers to watch in the playoffs.

12-11: Now or Never [Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls]

Joakim Noah is single-handedly willing the Bulls into
serious contention.

Let me just start off by saying, yes I am aware that there are only two teams in this category. But these two teams deserve a category of their own. Both of these teams have windows that last only this season [at least for Chicago, just one year with this core]. I know, Derrick Rose is coming back. But, Carlos Boozer, a really good contributor despite being overpaid, is a prime candidate for being amnestied this season, and who knows how good Rose will be when he ever comes back. Tom Thibodeau also appear to be on the hot seat [for all the wrong reasons]. It appears that Thibodeau will likely be canned this offseason because of how heavily he plays his starters [a ridiculous reason], as Chicago believes, it makes Chicago an unenjoyable destination for free agents [Carmelo Anthony, anyone?]. So, the Bulls led by the freakishly energetic Joakim Noah and are the 4 seed in the East, miraculously defying expectations. For Brooklyn, it's quite obvious why their window spans just a year. They're roster looks like a retirement home. The average age on their roster is 30. Plain and simple. After getting off to a slow start, Brooklyn has best record in the NBA starting from Jan. 1st and now find themselves in the East 6th seed.

The dynamic duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal looks to lead
Washington into the future.

10-8: Getting There [Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trailblazers]
Give it 2-3 years, these teams will be full-on title contenders. Washington, Toronto, and Portland share
one thing [among others]; a young core built for the future. Washington has all-star John Wall, breakout-player Trevor Ariza and smooth shooter Bradley Beal to lead their future, Toronto has all-star DeMar DeRozen, up-and-comer Jonas Valenciunas, and probably Kyle Lowry [assuming he resigns in free-agency] and Portland has all-star Damien Lillard, perennial all-star snub LaMarcus Aldridge, and swiss-army-knife Nicolas Batum. The future is extremely bright for these teams.

Steph Curry leads a supercharged Warriors squad.

7-5: One Move Away [Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets]
Just one trade, and any of these three teams can win a title. For L.A., they need a 3rd big man off the bench or a wing to go alongside CP3. For Golden State, they need to flip Harrison Barnes for a 3rd big man as insurance for the oft-injured Andrew Bogut. For Houston, they need a stretch-4. Terrance Jones is a nice player, but he's too inconsistent to start every night. Especially for a title contender, If they could flip him and Omer Asik for a guy like Ryan Anderson and a pick, they're set. These teams can all compete now, as all of them have spectacular cores [Curry, Igoudala, Thompson, Lee for GSW. Howard, Harden, and Parsons for Houston. Paul, Griffin, DeAndre for Los Angeles], if they make one particular move, they can REALLY compete.

The Elite 4:

Tony Parker lesds the fundamentally
sound Spurs

4. San Antonio Spurs - Stop me if you've heard this before: The Spurs are holding down the 2 seed and are in a two man race with the Thunder for the Western Conference title, head and shoulders above every other team. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan lead a well-oiled machine of an offense coached by Coach of the Year frontrunner Greg Poppovich. San Antonio continues to manufacture bench reclamation projects [this year it's Patty Mills]. San Antonio looks prepared as ever I feel like I'm about to start yawning, it's like an overplayed song on the radio. The Spurs are the "Royals" [by Lorde] of basketball.



3. Indiana Pacers - Indiana is a scary basketball team. Not just because of how good they are now, but

Paul George and the Pacers are
ready to shock the world

also because they haven't even reached their prime yet. Woah. If LeBron leaves Miami, we could be looking at our next NBA dynasty. Paul George is 23, Lance Stephenson is 23, Roy Hibbert is 27, and [criminally underrated] George Hill is 27. [get ready for the corniest joke you'll hear all week] If Indiana was a candy, they'd be "Now and Later" *crickets* *crickets* *crickets*. But seriously, Indy is ready to take the league by storm.

KD has taken carrying the
team on his back to a whole
new level

2. Oklahoma City Thunder - This team goes as far as Kevin Durant takes them. Luckily for them, Kevin Durant can take them pretty far. Kevin Durant is putting up otherworldly numbers this season. 31 points per game, 5 assists per game, 7 rebounds per game, 50% field-goal percentage,  nearly 40% 3 point percentage, and an insane 30.44 player efficiency rating. That's DOUBLE the league average. Serge Ibaka has been sensational this season as well [15 ppg., nearly 9 rpg., 2.5bpg.]. The only thing holding this team back is "Ewing Theory" [look it up] victim Russell Westbrook. If he returns to form, OKC can bring a title home

LeBron James looks to capture his 3rd title with Miami

1. Miami Heat - The champs. LeBron James is doing LeBron James things, Dwayne Wade is being
rested for the playoffs and Chris Bosh remains to be the underrated anchor of the Heat, putting up the usual numbers + a deadly 3 point shot this season [37% this season compared to 28% last year]. The only thing that has changed this season is the addition of Michael Beasley who has been a revelation in limited minutes shooting above 50% from the floor and 43% from 3-point land this season in just 15 minutes per-game. As long as Miami keeps this up, which they will, they should be in prime position to nab their third title of the LeBron era.