Kevin Garnett (photo. Gary Land)
To answer some of the questions we’ve received about criteria for this list, we are including guys whose teams have been eliminated so long as they’ve played at least one game since the previous power ranking. So while names like Caron Butler and Josh Smith will be seen in this week’s […]

Photo. Chris Sembrot
Whereas we normally rank teams in this space, last week was the first of our Playoff Player individual rankings. For this we’re taking into account who’s playing the best at the moment, who has the best overall body of work, who has the most ability and who has the most potential to make […]

Chris Paul (photo. David Deal)
Every week during the regular season, we use this space to rank each team in the NBA from first to worst — an inexact science that combines who is playing the best in that particular week, who has the best overall body of work for the season, and who has the […]

Who has more to prove than ‘Melo?
Going into the games that truly matter, we rank the playoff teams from strongest championship contenders to the first-round fodder…

16. Atlanta Hawks (37-45) — You have to give Billy Knight a lot of credit. He passed on Mike Conley to draft Al Horford, who no one thought would be […]

B-Roy’s Blazers are a year away.
Wrapping up the regular season, we rank the non-playoff teams. Come back later today for the playoff team rankings heading into the postseason.

30. Miami Heat (15-67) — Who here is worth keeping? Obviously D-Wade and Marion. Haslem stays because he fills a role that every team needs filled. Daequan Cook […]

Vince Carter (photo. Mannion)
Ranking the NBA from first to worst…

1. Boston Celtics (61-15) — Doc Rivers held the KG, Pierce and Ray out against the Bobcats over the weekend, and his team still won by more than 20. The C’s probably have the weakest schedule of anyone in the League for the remaining six games: […]

Photo. Gary Land
Ranking the Association from first to worst…

1. Boston Celtics (58-15) — Holding onto the top spot by virtue of 20-piecing the Suns and Hornets last week. Kevin Garnett stays in the MVP discussion by hanging 30 points on Phoenix, then giving N.O. 21 and 13 boards while shutting down David West. One thing […]

Ray Allen (photo. Bootsy Holler)
It seemed like every top-level team played each other last week and in the early parts of this week, making it real tough to sort through everything and come up with a sensible power ranking. Maybe we got it right, maybe we got it wrong. You tell us…

1. Boston Celtics (55-15) […]

Isiah could use this guy…
(photo. Fil Kwiatkowski)
With about a month to go, your team is either gearing up for the Lottery, gearing up for the playoffs or settling into that in-between zone where you could make the postseason only to have no chance of getting past the first round AND going without a Lottery pick.

1. […]

T-Mac (photo. Marc Morrison)
There’s no shame in being completely wrong about the Rockets. When Yao was shut down for the season, no one thought they’d keep winning let alone hold status as the best team in the NBA. The win streak is at 19 as T-Mac’s crew assumes the top spot this week…

1. Houston Rockets […]

Kobe (photo. Chris Sembrot)
1. Los Angeles Lakers (42-18) — After lighting up the Mavs for 52 points, Kobe is looking at an upcoming schedule that’s aligning itself for him to go on one of his famous scoring outbursts: Sacramento, the Clippers, Sacramento and Toronto.

2. Detroit Pistons (43-16) — From one (Billups) all the way down […]

Lamar Odom (Photo. Tim Tadder)
As loaded as the Western Conference is — and even moreso after the trade deadline deals — it’s looking more and more like whoever emerges from that side of the playoff bracket will have a whole other kind of hell to deal with coming out of the East. Onto the power […]

Deron Williams (Photo. Monte Isom)
With the All-Star break behind us, it’s time for teams to make their pushes for the playoffs (or Lottery) and for the superstars to really earn their money. Who has pole position heading down the stretch? Starting at the top…

1. Utah Jazz (35-19) — Shaq, J-Kidd, Gasol and even Bibby will […]

T-Mac’s team is hot right now.
(Photo. Marc Morrison)
30. Memphis Grizzlies (13-37) — Remember when Rudy Gay hit that buzzer-beater over Tim Duncan and the Grizzlies upset the defending champs? That was on December 19. Memphis has gone 5-20 since then, and the wins during that stretch have come against Lottery-types Seattle, Indiana, Chicago, Miami and […]

CP didn’t represent #1 very well.
(Photo. Mannion)
30. Miami Heat (9-37) — How does a team hit two low points of its season in the same week? The drubbing at the hands of the Raptors on Monday night was just as bad as the shellacking Miami took from Garnett/Ray-less Boston team that could’ve rested Paul Pierce […]