Power Rankings: Week 18

Did it take long before Kobe made his mark again? All this talk about LeBron James and Kevin Durant going to be the MVP, but not so fast ladies and gents, the once poster child of the league has something to say, and his voice supplies more than enough decibels to be heard around the horn. However, the Cavs will still remain on top. The Thunder will take a fall after they crumbled under pressure against San Antonio and Phoenix. Ha, this is an interesting segway. The Suns have played amazing of late but they still can’t beat the Spurs, no matter what. It’s pretty sad though, one week prior, the 3 time champ, Tim Duncan and company lost to the lonely Pistons. We will see what happens with them in near future.

As this week’s podcast was all about the playoff push, it is going to be the theme for the next coming weeks as teams will fight for position whether it will be for home court or just a chance to prove to your fans that you’re not dead in the water. For teams like Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Miami, Chicago, Portland, and New Orleans, every game is a playoff contest… let’s see who can handle the pressure. OKC, Portland, and Chicago will come out this group and emerge to not only the playoffs but a threat to the Conference’s best.

But like I always say… time will tell… Let’s get the Power Rankings through the Ref’s eyes:

Biggest Gain: San Antonio (+6)
Biggest Drop: Boston (-4)

1. Cleveland (46-14) Shaq is out, Big Z is gone, but are the Cavs in trouble? Absolutely not; this gives everyone the chance to see how good JJ Hickson is. His development will only help this team when Shaq and Streetball Legend Zyrundas Illgauskas come back.
2.LA Lakers (45-15) I have to repeat myself, did it take long for Kobe to make his mark again? Man, and I know the Lakers lost to Dallas, but they sure responded against Denver, especially after the fact that it looked like the Nuggets had total control of the game.
3.Dallas (39-21) I don’t care if you hate him, we all must applaud for Mark Cuban. What a move! It won’t take long before NBA panelists will start picking them to represent the West in the Finals.
4.Denver (39-20) The Nuggets had a real chance to make a statement that would vibrate through the entire league. However, like this whole season, they find a way to crunch under pressure.
5.Utah (38-21) The Jazz are hot baby. AK-47 is playing like he did 3 years ago, and finally Jerry Sloan has a healthy roster. Why does everyone forget that he is arguably the best coach in the league?
6.Orlando (40-20) Orlando had a little bit of a brain fart against the Hornets this past week, but need to respond by Sunday as the defending champion Lakers come into town. Will Dwight Howard rise to the occasion, or falter like he always does when he sees the opposition’s size.
7.Phoenix (37-24) Even though the Spurs still own this team, you can’t take away from they have done in the past month: 11-3 including 6-2 on the road. Impressive, most impressive.
8.Oklahoma City (35-23) The Thunder scared me for a little this week when they choked against Phoenix in the last 2 minutes, but I forgot this when looking at the schedule: The Thunder are 17-2 against teams under .500 and 18-6 against the East.
9.San Antonio (33-24) What can I say about the Spurs? Every time I think they are dead, they come up with two big wins at home (OKC and Phoenix). However, there is reason for this recent uprising, Richard Jefferson is playing like…well… Richard Jefferson.
10.Atlanta (37-21) The team that has to show me the most in the next coming weeks is Atlanta, and I’ll tell you why: this team is deep, athletic, defensive minded, incredibly hard to guard, and yet, always find a way to lose just when they are about to break out. Mike Woodson…get your game up.
11.Portland (35-27) Can Brandon Roy please get healthy? Please? I love watching this man play and the poor, but true fans of Rip City can’t take more panic attacks like Marcus Camby rolling his ankle anymore. Quite frankly, neither can I.
12.Boston (36-21) The Celtics should lose more games going into the playoffs so they don’t have any home court advantage. They’re the second best road team in the league: 20-10 compared to a mere 16-11 at home.
13.Toronto (31-28) The Raptors may be struggling of late, but we all know why. There really isn’t much to say here. They are without CB4 and can’t find it within themselves to dig down deep to get a solid victory.
14.Chicago (31-28) The Bulls are going to be hot going into the playoffs. They have a favorable schedule coming up and the team is getting healthier by the second. Luol Deng’s play has been superb and it’s about time. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah couldn’t do it by themselves.
15.Milwaukee (30-29) Everyone is saying it’s between Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry for ROY. Are either of these guys helping their respected teams into the playoffs? I rest my case.
16. New Orleans (31-29) Nice win against Orlando, but can they use this as a momentum push into a playoff run? David West has to be the leader, and if I’m a Hornets fan, I would be worried.
17.Charlotte (28-29) The Bobcats achieved a solid victory against Memphis on the road. The Grizzlies are a solid 18-12 at home, let’s see how the team reacts as The Great One takes majority ownership. DeMarcus Cousins reminds me of a draft pick by the Wizards in 2001. Go for it, MJ, you were so right the first time.
18.Memphis (30-29) The Grizzlies look nothing like the team that went on an 8-game winning streak overall and a 11-game winning streak at home. They are now playing scared and timid ball. Why, I don’t know.
19.Houston (29-29) Well Kevin Martin, I am sorry to say this but you are officially a black hole. The Rockets have won one game since you came to the club and have a total of 3 wins in their last 10.
20.Miami (29-31) Dwyane Wade come back. No wait, you deserve the vacation. The Heat aren’t making the playoffs anyway.
21.Philadelphia (22-36) Enjoy it Sixers fans, this is the highest this team will go in my power rankings. I am almost embarrassed to say that I picked them to be a 4 seed. Ouch.
22.Washington (21-36) I really like this team. There basketball equivalent of The Replacements: everyone is fighting for a second chance, diving in the stands, playing hard-nosed D, and proving the world they still got. Isn’t it ironic that the movie was also set in the nation’s capital?
23.LA Clippers (24-35) I didn’t know this until I looked, but the Clippers are 17-12 at home. Never would have figured that.
24.Detroit (21-38) The Pistons at times have looked terrible, but they have beaten some pretty good teams this year: San Antonio, Boston, Denver, & Atlanta.
25.Sacramento (20-39) The Kings are playing a little better since there terrible collapse from the 13-14 start. Maybe it had something to do with getting rid of Kevin Martin.
26.New York (20-38) The Knicks got lucky against Washington, but deservingly got dismantled by the Grizz. Tracy McGrady is hurt and it almost makes me happy. He never was back, he will never be back, he is a has been. McGrady is a $3 million a year player… at most.
27.Golden State (17-41) Steph Curry was so smooth in the win against Detroit. I never thought he would be this good…. ever. Now, I can’t wait to see how great he becomes.
28.Indiana (20-39) I thought this team forfeited the rest of the season to try and acquire Greg Monroe. Oops, my bad.
29.Minnesota (14-47) The T-Wolves are on a three game losing streak and have gone 1-9 since they went on that rare 4-game win streak eons ago.
30.New Jersey (6-53) If I could raise the Nets higher than the Celtics after embarrassing them on their home floor, I would, but then they lost to Washington at IZOD, which puts them right back where they started.

This is The Ref signaling I’m out until next time and remember: We miss calls, you miss lay ups.