-Best team in the league. Won ten games in the row. The best offense in the league and one of the best defenses. Barely missing a beat despite trading Harden. They should be tested this week against San Antonio, Atlanta, Minnesota. (EJ)
2. New York Knicks 18-5
-Right now Melo is our league's MVP. His offensive efficiency has improved by leaps and bounds this year and as long as he stays healthy, the Knicks will be in the hunt for the Larry O'Brien trophy. (AL)
3. Los Angeles Clippers 17-6
-The Clippers are winners of nine straight and it only gets easier. The have Detroit, Phoenix, Sacramento and New Orleans as their next four games. (BF)
4. San Antonio Spurs 19-6
-Tim Duncan is playing as well as I've seen him play in 5 years and I believe it's due to the inspired play of Tiago Splitter. (AL
5. Golden State Warriors 16-8
-Okay, so maybe we are putting them too high. But after the Clippers and Thunder, this is arguably the hottest team in basketball right now. Plus, you can't put them below the Heat after beating them in Miami. (BF)
(David Lee is leading a resurgence in Golden State that has the league taking notice.)
6. Miami Heat 15-6
-The Heat have shown weaknesses, but they are still the Heat. This team is one big man away from becoming the team to beat once again. (BF)
7. Memphis Grizzlies 15-6
-If Rudy Gay elevates his game this team has a chance to come out of the west. A starting front line of Gay, Randolph and Gasol is fierce.
8. Altanta Hawks 14-7
-A knockout loss to the Warriors made this team look a whole lot more human. They need to start beating some of the good teams as well to prove they are worthy of a top East spot. (BF)
9. Minnesota Timberwolves 12-9
-The return of Rubio in limited minutes lead Minnesota to a much needed win. With him they are an exciting team that can score. Combine that with an underrated defense and elite rebounding and this team will be thrust into the Western conference picture. (EJ)
(It is really good to see this guy dishing out passes around Minnesota again.)
10. Chicago Bulls 13-9
-Rose will be back this season and this team will take off, this ranking reflects that. They play excellent defense with Joakim Noah a serious defensive player of the year candidate. That defense will be tested this week against New York. I'm predicting an upset in which the Bulls show the league that they are for real even without Rose. (EJ)
11. Indiana Pacers 13-11
-The Pacers have recently got hot and started to put it together winning three straight. They are playing staunch defense and rebounding which will always lead to wins. Eventually they will turn it around, and it looks like the turn around has started. (EJ)
12. Milwaukee Bucks 12-10
-This team has the ability to be very good. They are playing solid defense with Larry Sanders becoming one of the best defensive players in the league. The problem as always is not having enough balls on the court for both Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. (EJ)
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-Deron Williams continues to play terribly shooting less than 39% from the field. This team is average until he turns it around. (AL)
14. Denver Nuggets 13-12
-Denver is in this spot mainly because of the potential that they showed at the end of the year last year. They have yet to truly hit their stride with Iguodala but it should only be a matter of time. If they can knock off the Spurs they could easily ride that to a win streak. (EJ)
(Andre and the Nugs have been a little confused so far this year.)
-Boston's struggles are well documented but once this team clicks, the rest of the league will need to watch out. (AL)
16. Utah Jazz 13-12
-Great win for them against San Antonio. This team has all the makings of a very good team, the question is do they keep Jefferson and Milsap around long enough for it to happen. (EJ)
17. Portland Trailblazers 11-12
-Damian Lillard added to his already impressive resume last night with a game winning buzzer beater. Aldridge going down will hurt them but it's not like this team was going anywhere anyway. (EJ)
18. Philadelphia 76ers 12-12
-Evan Turner is starting to play like a #2 overall pick. The best rebounding guard in the league. (AL)
19. Houston Rockets 11-12
-Linsanity finally had a good game pouring in 38 points in their loss to the Spurs. He and Harden need to find a way to coexist on the floor. Also, can we get some defense please. (AL)
20. Los Angeles Lakers 11-13
-The Lakers finally got two big road wins, over Philadelphia and Washington. Impressive? No. Needed? Absolutely. (BF)
21. Dallas Mavericks 11-13
-Dirk comes back on Christmas day. He and Mayo could be an explosive 1st and 2nd option. (AL)
(He's baaacckkk. But are the Mavs?)
22. Orlando Magic 10-13
-The Magic got a much needed win over the Bobcats over the weekend. Expect this team to be active on the trade market this year, with them definitely being on the selling side. (BF)
23. Phoenix Suns 9-15
-The Suns are slowly, slowly, and surely falling into a place where they will consistently get the 9th or 10th pick in every draft. It's not a good place to be. Just ask the Raptors. (BF)
24. Toronto Raptors 6-19
25. Sacramento Kings 7-16
-The Kings have lost four in a row after winning three straight, and the biggest storyline is still Demarcus Cousin's ball tap of a different sort. This team just has issues beyond issues. (BF)
26. Detroit Pistons 7-16
-Losers of 4 in a row and 6 of the last seven this team is not exactly setting the world on fire. They do however have a very good young core which is more than we can say for the teams behind them. (EJ)
27. Cleveland Cavaliers 5-20
-Kyrie Irving set a career high last night in a loss to the Knicks. With him and his sweet Batman mask this team has the potential to skyrocket up the rankings. (EJ)
(Kyrie Irving is Batman.)
28. Charlotte Bobcats 7-16
-The Bobcats have now lost 11 straight. They are trying really hard to not surpass the 7 win total from last year. (BF)
29. New Orleans Hornets 6-19
-Anthony Davis is finally healthy and Austin Rivers looks to be coming out of his shell-shock. (AL)
30. Washington Wizards 3-18
-The Wizards are once again falling into a bad abyss of awfulness. Their next steps could be to decide which one of their veteran big men is worth keeping, and which they could turn more draft picks into. (BF)
Until next time, your amazing YouTube clip!
-Bford
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