S5 1984-85 Post All Star Break Power Rankings

[BigDaddyd8720]

S5 1984-85 Post All Star Break Power Rankings

Welcome in to the greatest article ever written. The one that stands above all the other ones, including all the podcasts. That’s right, the one, the only, POWER RANKINGS.

We’re past the All Star Break and now we are really seeing where teams stand. Both playoff races look like they are gonna come down to the wire. Curious to see how these rankings play out. Maybe we have some surprises in here that you didn’t see coming. But one thing is for sure, nobody can dispute the accuracy of these rankings. They are 100% true and if anybody says anything different then you must enjoy going through life being wrong.

I fully expect these to change by the time we get to the playoff power rankings but for now, this is where I see these teams ranking through the All Star Break.

Now lets get into the nitty gritty of it all.

Two teams not in these rankings that could jump up in the playoff power rankings are the Clippers and the Pacers. Both are on the cusp of the playoffs and if they make the right moves or the ball bounces their way a few times, they could sneak into these rankings

Honorable Mention: Kansas City Kings- Even though they are currently sitting as the 4 seed in the West, this Kings team has slid pretty hard recently, going 3-8 in their last 11 games. If they don’t figure themselves out soon, they could be looking at missing the playoffs this season. I expect to see them make a trade or two by the deadline, possibly for a PG since Eddie L. Johnson and Danny Ainge don’t seem to be it. They still have a lot of fantastic talent, including the former Defensive Player of the Year Alton Lister but for some reason this team just isn’t clicking like it used to before these recent sims. I fully trust Darth Vegito to get it together and make the playoff push this team is capable of making.

#10 Golden State Warriors- It wasn’t too long ago that this team was one of the best in the league. But coming up short multiple times seemed to wear them down. It looked like this offseason the Warriors would be going into rebuild as they traded away Malone and put Parish on the trade block. Boy did they psyche everyone out. While their defense is close to the bottom of the league, they do currently have the #6 offense. Part of that may come from the fact that they take the most shots per game but they still gotta make their shots. If this team can figure out their defense, they could be fun to watch make a playoff run.

#9 Seattle Supersonics- They got off to a slow start but they have since seemed to turn it around a little bit. Sitting currently with the #1 defense, this team still needs to find a little bit more offense before they can be a real contender. They are not good in their own division but can take care of business elsewhere. Just have to hope they don’t end up with another matchup against the Trailblazers if they want to get past the first round. 6 players on this team averaging over 12 points per game is a good place to start for trying to get some offense going.

#8 Detroit Pistons- #2 defense in the league, this is another team that needs to find some offense in order to compete as well. While they do have .500 record in their own conference, that means they are sitting at 14-6 against teams in the West (which has been perceived as the tougher conference). Maybe it’s a sign that the league is shifting towards more balance or it’s that this Pistons team is finally starting to put it all together. They don’t have much production after their starters as they only have 5 players averaging over 9.5 points per game.

#7 Chicago Bulls- Top 8 in offense and defense, this team has to be frustrated that they are in the same division as the Bucks because they can just never seem to take the divisional lead from them. Irregardless, this team is more than poised to make a deep playoff run. They lost Hodges and Short for extended periods of time but they have still managed to string together a bunch of wins, 6-2 in their last 8 games. Once they get healthy, I’d be worried to face this team in the playoffs.

#6 San Antonio Spurs- 4 players averaging over 20 points per game and yet this team is looking like the worst division leader in the league. #1 offense in the league but their defense ranks towards the bottom. Even with all that offensive firepower, this team may be lucky to win a playoff series. Even with all their flaws though, there’s no denying that this team is still very dominant and won’t go down easy. If they get matched up against the Trailblazers, their playoff run could be cut short but getting that home court advantage will be key for this team. Who knows, maybe they make a move at the trade deadline or change up their gameplan and figure out how to play defense. If so, they would go right up there as one of the favorites to win the league this season.

#5 Washington Bullets- This is a team that always finds themselves 1st or 2nd in the division, even when their team doesn’t look the strongest. They constantly make changes to their gameplan and are always looking for trades to improve their team. This is another team with a great offense but an average defense. But even still, this team has gone 17-3 in their last 20 and if they can keep that up, watch for them to pass up the Knicks and take over a 1st round bye. Not to mention the fact that they are currently 10-1 in their own division which may make things even more difficult for the Knicks if they can’t find a way to slow this team down and keep them from overtaking the division.

#4 Portland Trailblazers- Another season, another Trailblazers team being one of, if not the, deepest team in the league. 8 players scoring 10+ points per game. With seemingly no true superstar on this team, they always find themselves close to the top of the toughest division in the game. The Lakers better pray nothing happens to Magic because should he suffer an injury, this Trailblazers team will be right there to take the division from them. They are on a 3 game losing streak at the moment but I don’t see that lasting too much longer with their #2 defense and 16-7 record on the road.

#3 Milwaukee Bucks- This next sim could be very crucial for this Bucks team. With games against the Lakers, Knicks, Pacers, Bullets, and Kings, it could be one that may knock them down a little bit in the rankings. But as long as they have the true MVP from last season in Kevin McHale, this team has every chance to win every game this sim. Even though this team has a winning road record, it’s only 3 games ahead of .500. This could be their downfall in the playoffs. But even then, #1 in Rebounds, Blocks, and Turnovers is still a great recipe for winning another championship

#2 Los Angeles Lakers- You mean to tell me the team with the best winning percentage in the league isn’t the #1 team in the Power Rankings? What is this madness? Well, I’ll tell you. This team is amazing. Magic Johnson is on his way to yet another MVP award. James Donaldson is averaging a double double and they have 3 players averaging 8+ assists per game. The one flaw with this team? Absolutely no depth. Should anything happen to any player, especially Magic Johnson, this team likely takes a huge step back. But, we don’t rank on what ifs, so while this team is healthy, they are still one of the best teams in the league and very much a favorite to win the West.

#1 New York Knicks- #1 in the East, 10 game win streak and 15 wins in their last 16. The only team with a top 5 offense AND defense. This team is firing on all cylinders. Outside of Malone King, and Greenwood, this team doesn’t really have much after that. But this team plays incredibly well together. 9 of their last 10 wins were by double digits, with 6 of them being on the road. Whatever they are doing down in New York is clearly working and it’ll be interesting to see if they will be the ones who take down the reigning champs in the playoffs. They do have significantly more road games than home games during the remainder of the season so they do have a tough road (pun intended) ahead of them. If they can keep this momentum going, I’m not sure there will be a team that can stop them as they try to bring home the SLOE trophy.

[greepleairport]

~1540 words, +5pts

...Am I still above the Kings??? Hahaha