It’s Tuesday, so it must mean new rankings are here – and this represents a break of sorts with the trade deadline occurring last Thursday. As usual, the methodology is here.
| Rank | Team | W | L | Off | Def | Road | SOS | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat | 44 | 17 | 103.619 (4) | 95.452 (4) | 1.836 | 1.195 (29) | 11.198 |
| 2 | Spurs | 49 | 10 | 103.89 (2) | 96.184 (7) | 1.72 | 1.703 (18) | 11.129 |
| 3 | Celtics | 43 | 15 | 99.955 (13) | 93.129 (2) | 1.69 | 1.595 (23) | 10.11 |
| 4 | Lakers | 42 | 19 | 103.701 (3) | 97.135 (9) | 1.836 | 1.403 (27) | 9.804 |
| 5 | Bulls | 41 | 17 | 99.317 (16) | 92.857 (1) | 1.69 | 1.445 (26) | 9.594 |
| 6 | Magic | 37 | 22 | 101.053 (10) | 95.469 (5) | 1.661 | 1.502 (25) | 8.747 |
| 7 | Mavericks | 43 | 16 | 102.568 (7) | 98.254 (13) | 1.72 | 1.9 (12) | 7.935 |
| 8 | Hornets | 35 | 26 | 98.711 (18) | 95.736 (6) | 1.779 | 1.947 (11) | 6.701 |
| 9 | Nuggets | 35 | 26 | 104.295 (1) | 101.81 (21) | 1.664 | 1.981 (10) | 6.131 |
| 10 | Thunder | 36 | 22 | 102.701 (5) | 100.767 (16) | 1.75 | 2.353 (2) | 6.037 |
| 11 | Sixers | 30 | 29 | 99.496 (15) | 97.106 (8) | 1.839 | 1.28 (28) | 5.509 |
| 12 | Knicks | 30 | 27 | 102.414 (9) | 101.167 (19) | 1.781 | 1.631 (22) | 4.659 |
| 13 | Grizzlies | 33 | 28 | 98.472 (20) | 97.662 (10) | 1.893 | 1.646 (19) | 4.35 |
| 14 | Rockets | 30 | 31 | 102.551 (8) | 102.018 (23) | 1.836 | 1.838 (13) | 4.207 |
| 15 | Suns | 31 | 27 | 102.652 (6) | 102.028 (24) | 1.69 | 1.639 (21) | 3.952 |
| 16 | Blazers | 33 | 26 | 99.629 (14) | 99.293 (15) | 1.78 | 1.716 (16) | 3.832 |
| 17 | Hawks | 36 | 24 | 99.07 (17) | 98.221 (12) | 1.983 | 0.868 (30) | 3.7 |
| 18 | Jazz | 32 | 29 | 100.36 (12) | 100.961 (18) | 1.721 | 1.744 (15) | 2.864 |
| 19 | Pacers | 26 | 32 | 97.267 (22) | 98.03 (11) | 1.69 | 1.547 (24) | 2.474 |
| 20 | Bucks | 22 | 36 | 93.83 (30) | 95.273 (3) | 1.81 | 1.995 (9) | 2.363 |
| 21 | Bobcats | 26 | 33 | 96.627 (25) | 98.485 (14) | 1.72 | 1.645 (20) | 1.507 |
| 22 | Warriors | 26 | 32 | 100.396 (11) | 103.067 (28) | 1.569 | 2.178 (6) | 1.076 |
| 23 | Clippers | 21 | 40 | 97.247 (23) | 101.845 (22) | 1.721 | 2.196 (4) | -0.68 |
| 24 | Pistons | 22 | 39 | 98.534 (19) | 103.013 (27) | 1.721 | 2.045 (8) | -0.712 |
| 25 | Kings | 15 | 43 | 95.451 (26) | 100.954 (17) | 1.69 | 1.704 (17) | -2.11 |
| 26 | Timberwolves | 14 | 46 | 96.697 (24) | 102.305 (25) | 1.692 | 1.744 (14) | -2.172 |
| 27 | Raptors | 16 | 44 | 98.065 (21) | 104.281 (29) | 1.692 | 2.178 (5) | -2.346 |
| 28 | Nets | 17 | 43 | 94.859 (27) | 101.574 (20) | 1.808 | 2.08 (7) | -2.827 |
| 29 | Wizards | 15 | 44 | 94.599 (28) | 102.513 (26) | 1.72 | 2.507 (1) | -3.687 |
| 30 | Cavaliers | 11 | 48 | 94.45 (29) | 104.904 (30) | 1.78 | 2.228 (3) | -6.446 |
This week’s observations revolve around the context of some of the big deals and what to look at going forward. In particular:
- The Celtics moving Perkins would seem to reduce their effectiveness defending the inside. Meanwhile Green gives them some different skills, and Troy Murphy gives them some offensive firepower. Will their 13th ranked offense compensate for the perceived defensive dropoff?
- The Thunder by adding Perk and Mohammed, got bigger and tougher inside. Also moving Serge Ibaka into the starting lineup should improve their defense. Will their mediocre 16th ranked defense improve significantly?
- The Hawks added Kirk Hinrich because they did not want a human traffic cone to be their point guard. Will their 12th ranked defense improve enough to really make them more than just a no-man’s land team in the East?
- The Knicks made the highest profile moves of anybody. The Knicks have been 9th in offense, 19th in defense. One suspects Melo will add little value to the latter – but can the team’s offense rise up to REALLY make them interesting?
