David Aldridge reveals which teams, to him, are the Top 15 squads in the NBA at this moment.
(last week’s record in parenthesis; previous ranking in brackets)
1) Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0) [2]: No weaknesses anywhere.
2) Golden State Warriors (4-0) [3]: Dubs running the most lethal Doomsday Machine since the one that ate Commodore Decker.
3) San Antonio Spurs (4-0) [4]: The Spurs are still unbeaten (10-0) on the road after rolling through the East this week on a three-game trip, including their ninth straight win overall, in Washington, on Saturday.
4) LA Clippers (2-2) [1]: Per NBA.com/Stats, Clippers had four of the top seven players in the league in Net Rating (Offensive Rating-Defensive Rating): Blake Griffin, at seven (17.7), DeAndre Jordan, at four (18.4), J.J. Redick, at three (19.1) … and at number one? Of course it’s…Luc Mbah a Moute (20.9).
5) Memphis Grizzlies (3-1) [7]: The Grizzlies are hanging in despite numerous injuries at small forward.
6) Houston Rockets (3-1) [9]: Fiddy threes in a game? I know that’s the way of today’s NBA, but, man.
7) Atlanta Hawks (1-3) [5]: The Hawks getting good minutes off the bench with their Malcolm Delaney-Tim Hardaway, Jr. backcourt combo, whether with rookie Taurean Prince at the three or Thabo Sefolosha in a three-guard lineup.
8) Boston Celtics (2-1) [8]: Al Horford is back, picking and popping to beat the band.
9) Toronto Raptors (2-1) [10]: DeMarre Carroll, shooting 52.3 percent (including 10 of 23 on 3-pointers) on the Raptors’ five-game road trip — he played four of the five games — providing necessary spacing for Lowry and DeRozan.
10) Utah Jazz (2-0) [11]: The Jazz, which have played just seven games at home this season, get eight of their next 10 at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
11) Charlotte Hornets (1-3) [6]: Finally get everyone back on the court, and then lose Marvin Williams for at least a week with a hyperextended knee.
12) Chicago Bulls (1-1) [12]: Jimmy Butler currently obliterating his previous career highs in 3-point shooting, making 42.6 percent (23 of 54) behind the arc.
13) Oklahoma City Thunder (2-2) [14]: Victor Oladipo settling in nicely (17.3 ppg, 42 percent on 3-pointers) as Westbrook’s second.
14) New York Knicks (3-1) [NR] : Impressive wins of late over Detroit, Atlanta, Portland and Charlotte.
15) Portland Trail Blazers (1-3) [13]: They just don’t look like a very imposing team right now. Just not good defensively at all.
Dropped out: L.A. Lakers [15]
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Golden State (4-0): Straight up hulking fools this week, winning four games by an average — average — of 29.3 points, while scoring 123.3 points per game. Streak of 10 straight games — all wins — with 30 or more assists ended in Saturday’s win over Minnesota, with “only” 25 dimes.
TEAM OF THE WEAK
Brooklyn (0-2): Feisty start being lost during six game losing streak; last four by an average 19.8 per game. And no sign of Jeremy Lin, out since the opening week of the season with a hamstring injury.
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Longtime NBA reporter, columnist and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer David Aldridge is an analyst for TNT. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
