Here are my NBA Power Rankings for Friday December 12, 2014. Enjoy!
#1. Golden State Warriors (19-2): The Warriors have now won 14 straight games and it hasn't been due to a herculean effort by Stephen Curry. Everybody is chipping in and contributing, making this team even more scary. That being said, Stephen Curry is putting up a strong case for league MVP at this point of the season (23.0 points, 7.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game).
#2. Memphis Grizzlies (17-4): The game against the Warriors on Tuesday could decide who is ranked #1 next week. It should be fun to see if Tony Allen and Courtney Lee can slow down Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the perimeter. I can't wait!
#3. Houston Rockets (17-5): James Harden is playing some fantastic basketball right now. He had 44 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals against the Kings on Thursday, and the previous three games, he scored 34 points, 15 points, and 38 points. If you want to know how the Rockets are still winning without Dwight Howard it's because of James Harden and his sensational play.
#4. Los Angeles Clippers (16-5): Nobody is talking about the Clippers' nine game winning streak that they have going into tonight's game in D.C.. These guys are playing really well right now.
#5. Portland Trail Blazers (17-5): Even with the Thunder getting on a roll, these guys still are in prime position to win the Northwest division. Their focus now needs to be on getting the #1 seed in the West, which will be no easy task.
#6. Atlanta Hawks (15-6): The Paul Millsap/Al Horford combo is starting to look good. They've won eight straight games and are gunning for nine straight wins tonight against the Magic.
#7. San Antonio Spurs (16-6): I know it doesn't feel like these guys are moving up the ranks, but in reality, they are doing all that they need to be doing in order to get back to the NBA Finals. All these guys care about is May and June, but unfortunately for them, caring only about that still requires them to be winning games at a solid clip.
#8. Toronto Raptors (16-6): They need DeMar DeRozan back. That simple.
#9. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-8): These guys are starting to wake up, having won eight out of their last nine games. With nobody in the East really taking control, I'd say the Cavaliers are the front runners to win the East at this point.
#10. Washington Wizards (15-6): The maturation of Bradley Beal and John Wall is fun to watch. They aren't as good of a backcourt duo as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but they are in that same zip code.
#11. Dallas Mavericks (17-7): Saturday's game against the Warriors at home is huge. If they beat the Warriors, that will really send a strong message to the rest of the NBA.
#12. Chicago Bulls (13-8): What really helps this team is that their conference is weak. If they get healthy, they have all the makings of a team that could run the table. They just need to stay afloat and get healthy by April.
#13. Oklahoma City Thunder (9-13): They are only a couple of games out of the #8 seed in the West. I'm confident they'll make the playoffs.
#14. Phoenix Suns (12-11): If Alex Len can actually become a productive center, he could vault these guys into championship contending status in the coming years.
#15. Milwaukee Bucks (11-2): They will be tested on their upcoming Western Conference road trip: @Phoenix, @Portland, @Sacramento, and @Los Angeles Clippers. The trip starts on December 15.
#16. Sacramento Kings (11-12): Just like the Raptors, they need their star back. So long as DeMarcus Cousins is out, the Kings will struggle.
#17. New Orleans Pelicans (10-11): Eric Gordon has really let this team down.
#18. Denver Nuggets (10-12): I have faith in this team's ability to stay the course as a .500 team. I'm not worried.
#19. Miami Heat (10-12): Remember when people were like "Don't sleep on the Heat"? I may have been one of those people, haha. But it looks like they aren't going to be much of a threat. They obviously are not the same team without LeBron James.
#20. Brooklyn Nets (8-12): If they really are open to trading Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez, they might as well waive the white flag.
#21. Orlando Magic (9-15): Amazingly, they are staying in the playoff hunt as I predicted that they would.
#22. Boston Celtics (7-13): Marcus Smart's 23 points against the Wizards was a definite bright flash that this team needed in terms of giving them some hope.
#23. Indiana Pacers (7-15): They've lost six straight games and likely will have seven straight losses after tonight's game against the Raptors.
#24. Utah Jazz (6-16): They beat the Spurs at home. That says something good about this team.
#25. Charlotte Hornets (6-15): Several teams are interested in Lance Stephenson. These guys probably should listen to some offers.
#26. Los Angeles Lakers (6-16): Ronnie Price and Ed Davis starting over Carlos Boozer and Jeremy Lin is all you need to know about the current state of the Lakers.
#27. Minnesota Timberwolves (5-16): Andrew Wiggins is the real deal. These guys have a future with him on their team.
#28. New York Knicks (4-20): These guys are awful.
#29. Philadelphia 76ers (2-19): They went up a spot in my rankings!!!! Congrats to them!!!
#30. Detroit Pistons (3-19): They have fallen below the 76ers in my Power Rankings. It is that bad right now in the Motor City.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord
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