The Sports Headquarters NBA Power Rankings 2-4-2012

This was a week full of great matchup games. We got to see some of the better teams faceoff against each other and I think we may have learned a little more about who is and who is not a contender. Surprise teams like the 76ers and the Nuggets have made a case that they are the real deal and that they should not be cast aside when discussing the top tier teams in the NBA. So let us not waste anymore time, let’s look at the Top 10 teams thus far in the NBA.

1. Miami Heat (17-6) +1

Sure they lost to the very average Milwaukee Bucks this week, but they had two huge wins over the only other teams in the Eastern Conference that seem equipped to battle them come playoff time. They won a very close game at home against the Bulls that came down to Rose missing free throws to cost Chicago a chance at winning and then they went on to crush the hot 76ers team. Looking at the east I see really only three contenders. The Heat, Bulls, and 76ers are for real. After that you have the Hawks and Pacers pretty darn close.

2. OKC Thunder (18-4) -1

An argument could be made that the Thunder are the best team in the league. It is pretty close up here at the top. The Thunder had a bad outing against the streaky Clippers but they then finished out the week with nice wins over the Mavericks and Grizzlies. They are clearly the best team in the west and it seems that all the other teams are going to have to simply battle it out to see who is the second best team. Durant has been going on a tear as of late with some very nice statlines including Friday’s game with Memphis were he dropped 36 points with 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Right now the MVP is either going to him or LeBron and nobody else is really close.

3. Chicago Bulls (19-6) even

The Bulls do not move in my rankings this week. Sure they lost a close game on the road against the Heat, but that game was anyone’s to lose. The loss to the 76ers was a much bigger deal in my eyes, but they bounced back and won on the road in New York. If the Bulls play hard on both ends they are very hard to beat. All the injuries have taken their toll even though they still hold the best record in the east. There is a chance that we might see the Bulls slip a bit if Deng and Rip much more time, but luck for them they have a soft schedule this week so they might be able to hold on a while longer and get guys healthy.

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