Post All Star Weekend Top 10 Power Rankings

[BigDaddyd8720]

Welcome in to another edition of BigDaddyD’s Power Rankings. It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these but Post All Star Weekend seems like a great time to see where the league is at and where the league may be headed.

Lots of familiar teams on this list since last time I did one of these but we do have a few new faces. And as always, these rankings are 100% accurate and there is absolutely no way that anyone can dispute them. But if you have any thoughts on these rankings, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to tell you why your opinion is wrong and mine is right.

Now let’s get down to business (to defeat the huns) and see who are the Top 10 teams in the 1985-86 NPBSL

#10 San Diego Clippers- This was a toss up between the Clippers, the Nets and the Rockets but I gotta give it to the Clippers because while the Rockets seem to be slipping, the Clippers seem to be hitting their stride at the right moment. The Nets make a better argument to be here instead but something about the Clippers tell me they have a better chance at going further in the playoffs. While their Divisional record is not great, but as it is every season, this division is incredibly tough, this team is still showing they are a force to be reckoned with. They don’t really excel in any category except being top 5 in assists and #2 in turnovers but they find ways to win. They do struggle on the road which will be their undoing once they hit playoffs but they do take care of business at home so maybe they can steal a road game and then win a series. And Reggie Theus averaging a double double is going to be the reason this team makes another postseason run.

#9 Golden State Warriors- This team needs to get home court advantage in the first round if they want to have a chance at advancing to round 2. Their 8-17 road record is what is holding this team back. With the combo of Lister, Parrish, and Chambers, these 3 big men can really take over any game. Lister has proven to be a defensive nightmare while Chambers is averaging almost 30 points per game. They are pretty middle of the pack in almost every category so it wouldn’t surprise me too much if they do fall down a few spots and miss the playoffs. But for now, they seem to be on the right track with competing for that title. Just need to figure out how to win the road first.

#8 New York Knicks- This team is going to be fun to watch during these last few weeks of the season. 2nd to worst defense but 3rd best offense. That’s a great recipe for some exciting basketball. If I was a betting man, I’d be betting the over in every single game. But, if they really want to make a push, ,they will have to figure out how to stop opponents from scoring. They won’t be able to just outscore everybody. Teams will figure out how to slow them down offensively and if that happens then this team may be looking at an early exit from the playoffs. But who knows, maybe with Malone and King basically both averaging 30 points per game, they can just get by teams just by outscoring them like crazy. Seems to be working so far. And being only one game below .500 on the road bodes well for them stealing a road game or two in the playoffs to help win a series. And they have the Supersonics 1st round pick this next draft so this team is only going to get better.

#7 Detroit Pistons- It really seems like this team has made every correct move to put their team in a position to win. From the bottom of the league, to looking poised to compete for a title, this Pistons team looks legit. All the while being in a division with the Bucks and Bulls. English and Griffith were two fantastic additions to this team. While their offense isn’t spectacular, their defense being top 4 is what’s going to carry this team deep into the playoffs. Also, being the first team on this list with a winning road record is a good sign for being successful in the playoffs. We saw this team reach the 2nd round of the playoffs last season and then take the Bullets to Game 7. I’m really looking forward to watching them see if they can make it to the conference finals or even the NPBSL finals.

#6 Chicago Bulls- This Bulls team got off to such a hot start where they went 22-3 in their first 25 games. They have since gone 14-12 but still remain top 6 in offense and defense while also being 2nd in rebounds, assists, and blocks. There’s not really too many weaknesses on this team. Having Calvin Natt is a great place to start to talk about how awesome this offense can be. If somebody else steps up offensively, this team is going to be incredibly dangerous and tough to beat. I really see this team not necessarily being a dark horse to win it all but I don’t think they’re the favorite and they could definitely surprise some people in the postseason.

#5 Los Angeles Lakers- The Lakers are the truest example of “If you have Magic Johnson, your team is going to be good” Losing Donaldson to a broken leg, then trading for Mark Eaton and then having him getting hurt immediately would have completely derailed any another team, especially with the Lakers lack of depth behind their starters. But having Magic and Dantley scoring 30+ each game is a great way to win a lot of games. Maybe once Eaton gets healthy, we can see the Lakers start to really dominate. But this team still needs some playing time together before we can really say they are a contender. Yes, having Magic always gives them a chance, but once you hit the playoffs, the games change. Stop Magic, stop the Lakers.

#4 Washington Bullets- Every single season I am so incredibly intrigued with watching the Bullets. They never seem to look like the best team in the league but they are always in the playoff conversation. They came so close to bringing the trophy home to Washington, taking the Trailblazers to 7 games, so I’m sure they are very much looking forward to another chance to win that title. Top 5 in offense, defense, rebounds, and blocks just lets you know this Bullets team is going to be incredibly tough to beat once the playoffs arrive. And they are just dominating their division too, 14-1 record. To go along with a 15-8 record against the other division in their conference. 2nd highest point differential in the league at 11.3 is just going to wreak havoc on teams this postseason.

#3 San Antonio Spurs- Crazy to think in this league that Michael Jordan isn’t the best player on this team. I’m sure in time he will be but Kiki’s scoring is making him the most valuable player on this team. Of course it helps having 3 people scoring 20+ points per game with MJ sitting at 19.3 points per game. This Spurs team is built on offense. They are going to do everything they can to outscore every opponent and it almost doesn’t matter who you slow down because they have multiple people just waiting to take over if someone has a bad game. It’s gonna take a deep starting rotation to slow this offense down. But every team has a flaw. And the Spurs’ flaw is their road record. Sitting at 11-10, this may be a sign that they will struggle once the playoffs come around. If they face a good team with a good road record, they could be looking at being knocked out of the playoffs. But the real threat to the Spurs team? The tax man. They’re gonna have to figure out something soon on how to deal with that. Hopefully they can win a championship or two before that happens.

#2 Portland Trailblazers- Remember when this team was 10-10 and looking like they may not be defending their title? Well since that moment they have gone 28-4 with the # 2 offense. This team really flipped its season very quickly. I’m pretty sure they even updated their trade block to look like they may be looking at selling some pieces. But as it always is with the Trailblazers, they don’t have a true superstar on their team but they have a lot of really good to great players that know how to play as a team. Always one of the deepest teams in the league, this team just knows how to get the best out of their players. This could very well be looking at a first round bye as they make another deep playoff run. Will we see our first back to back champion in the NPBSL? We’ll find out soon enough.

#1 Milwaukee Bucks- I could see an argument for any of the other spots in these rankings (even though you would be wrong to argue these rankings) but the #1 spot is undoubtedly the Bucks. They have looked like the best team since the very start of the season and have not come close to giving up that title. Number 1 in defense. Rebounds, and blocks, this team knows how to beat up on its opponents. Not to mention they have the #4 offense. Good luck to anyone facing them in the playoffs because they are the clear favorites to win it all this season. And I’m sure this team is going to play even harder since they saw Kevin Mchale’s 34.4 points per game get disrespected by not being invited to the All Star Game. If there’s one thing this team didn’t need, it was even more motivation to win.

[WigNosy]

OBJECTIVE: 1693 words (1500-1999 words = 5 points)
SUBJECTIVE: Covers most of the league (+1 point). "To defeat the huns" +1 point.

TOTAL: 7 points.