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NBA Power Rankings Week 16

Posted By Eric Pincus On April 16, 2012 @ 4:00 pm In All,Main Page,NBA | No Comments

4/16/12 – The playoff picture is coming into view with a couple of weeks to go. The Chicago Bulls are almost sure to be the top seed in the Eastern Conference followed by the Miami HEAT, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. The Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic should land at five and six (in some order), followed by the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks (although who will draw the Bulls is unclear). Meanwhile in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will fight out for the top two-seeds. The Los Angeles duo (Lakers and Clippers) will go third and fourth. The Memphis Grizzlies look like the only “set” team at five (although even that’s not locked in). Six through eight will be three of the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns. Don’t count out the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz, as both franchises still believe they have a shot. The NBA, 16 weeks in . . .

NBA Power Rankings Week 16

Rank	Last	Standing	Comments
1	4	46-14	Chicago has rebounded with wins over the Knicks and HEAT. With five to play, it appears the Bulls will finish on top.
2	3	44-16	The Thunder have a two-win lead over the Spurs but the schedule has four on the road including two trips to Los Angeles and one to Phoenix.
3	1	42-16	The loss to the Kobe Bryant-less Lakers in San Antonio was . . . unexpected.
4	2	42-17	The HEAT were bested by the Bulls in Chicago on Thursday. They’ll get another crack this week in Miami.
5	5	39-22	Coach Kobe and the Lakers are winning. At some point, shouldn’t actual Coach Mike Brown get some credit here?
6	6	37-23	The Clippers hit rock bottom but as opposed to previous years/decades, they’ve climbed up and righted the ship.
7	7	36-25	There was a point where the Celtics were below .500 on the wrong side of the playoff bubble.
8	9	38-22	The Pacers are playing some of their best ball which is where team wants to be heading into the playoffs.
9	8	35-25	Marc Gasol’s status is day-to-day with a bone bruise. The Grizzlies, if healthy, are very dangerous.
10	15	33-27	Other than their loss in Los Angeles to the Lakers without Kobe, the Nuggets are doing just enough to stay in the top-eight.
11	13	34-27	The Mavericks looked like they were set for six but now the Nuggets are on their heels.
12	10	35-25	The Hawks at five would draw the Celtics. If they drop to six, a less-veteran Pacers. Might be time to rest a veteran or two . . .
13	11	35-25	Dwight Howard is likely out for the rest of the season with a significant back issue. Even playoffs aren’t a lock.
14	12	32-28	Goran Dragic was tremendous while Kyle Lowry was hurt. Now the team is adjusting to play both.
15	14	31-29	The Knicks just need to hang onto eight. Losing won’t be from lack of effort – the team has shown a lot of heart for Coach Mike Woodson.
16	17	31-29	The Suns have a tough schedule left. If they manage to climb to eight, it will be well-earned.
17	18	31-28	The Sixers are going to draw the Bulls or HEAT in the first round.
18	16	29-31	The Bucks lost three key games at home this week (Thunder, Knicks and Pacers). Tough opponents yes, but the playoffs are in jeopardy now.
19	19	31-30	The Jazz only have five games left (four at home) and winning out may be the only path to the postseason.
20	20	28-33	LaMarcus Aldridge done for the year (hip). It’s a recoverable injury but the track record for health has been beyond disappointing for the Blazers.
21	22	22-39	The Nets have won more games on the road (13) than at home (nine).
22	23	22-38	Detroit is the only non-playoff team in the East with a winning home record.
23	25	22-39	Andrea Bargnani is shut down for the year with just 31 games played.
24	21	25-36	The Wolves are in complete free-fall, losing nine straight.
25	26	18-42	One of the best teams ever to win just 30% of their games.
26	24	22-37	Protect-the-pick mode – the Warriors have to finish top seven or else their lottery pick selection goes to the Jazz.
27	28	20-39	Kyrie Irving as a rookie has shot 41.4% from three on 162 attempts.
28	27	20-41	The Kings are actually .500 at home. It’s the 5-26 road record that is comparable to the Bobcats.
29	29	14-46	The Wizards will have more lottery combinations than any other team (except the Bobcats).
30	30	7-52	Another sixteen losses in a row . . .

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