Hoops Haven

Every two weeks,‭ ‬we at the Haven,‭ ‬will rank the Top‭ ‬16‭ ‬Teams based on their performance during the weeks.‭ ‬This will be our second rankings of the ’09-’10 season. Previous rankings are inside (). Where does your team rank?

1) Orlando   13-4  (5) – With the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Magic had an impressive two weeks, going 7-1 in their last 8 games.  Orlando earns the top spot because of their stellar play against the other top teams in the conference, besting Boston, Atlanta, and Milwaukee in the past week alone.  After slow starts, Vince Carter looks young again(25 ppg in last 5 gms) and Dwight Howard is waking up(16.5 rebs/gm in last 5 gms).

2) Phoenix   13-3  (3) – The Suns keep cruising along and show no signs of slipping anytime soon.  2 time MVP Steve Nash is back to leading the league in assists(11.6) and Amare Stoudemire appears to be rounding back into All Star form(24 ppg, 9 reb).  In an amazing stat, the suns have scored 100 points in every game this season, win or loss.  Teams don’t want to face them at home(6-0 record).

3) LA Lakers    12-3   (2) – After winning 5 straight, the Lake Show looks to be hitting their stride with the return of Pau Gasol.  Kobe is #2 in the league in scoring(29 ppg) and Andrew Bynum has been a beast(19 ppg, 10.6 rebs).  Getting back Gasol should lessen the scoring burden on the Black Mamba, freeing him up to run Showtime.

4) Atlanta    12-4   (6) – The Hawks have proven that they belong among the leagues elite teams by beating Boston, Denver, and Portland.  They suddenly show poise on offense and have rediscovered how to defend.  MVP candidate Joe Johnson(21.7 ppg) has been a steadying force on a young squad.  Watch out for the ever improving Josh Smith(15.7 ppg, 9 rebs) and Al Horford(13.1 ppg, 10 rebs).

5) Denver    12-4   (4) – The Nuggets got a boost from the returning JR Smith(16 ppg) from suspension.  Melo continues to be a Top 5 player in the league by scoring on everybody, even dropping 50 points against the Knicks.  Chauncey Billups has been excellent running the point(16.8 ppg and 6.1 ast) while K-Mart and Nene(9.2 rebs) have been defensive stoppers up front.

6) Boston    12-4   (1) – The Celtics slip from #1 to #6 because they went 4-3 in their last 7 games and have lost games to a number of the East’s top teams(Atlanta and Orlando).  The definately missed Ray Allen’s consistency on offense(15.5 ppg).  It even took an OT buzzer beater by Garnett to beat the hapless NY Knicks.  Sheed seems to be taking too many three’s.  Don’t panic in Boston, it’s only the start of December.

7) Dallas    12-5   (10) – the Mavs have made an impressive 7-2 run since our last rankings to jump 3 spots despite having major injury bugs.  Being without Josh Howard and Shawn Marion would cripple most teams, but they don’t have Dirk Nowitzki.  Dirk gets my vote for early season MVP(27.1 ppg and 9 rebs) as Jason Kidd continues to lead a deep squad at 8.9 assists.  If the Mavs can play defense, they could be a contender once everyone is healthy in the second half.

Cleveland    12-5  (9) – The Lebronettes have won an amazing 9 of their last 11 games to get back to respectability among the leagues better teams.  LBJ has done it all(29.2 ppg, 6.7 rebs, 8 ast) without having key cogs like Shaq and Delonte West at full strength.  Mo Williams has stepped up as of late, even hit 7 3pointers in a game.  They are a better team out on the break than in the half court.

9) Portland    12-7   (8) – The Blazers slip a spot after losing to 2 of the league’s worst teams(New orleans and Golden State).  They have won 6 of their last 10 games but are capable of being better.  The Andre Miller experiment still isn’t quite running right as the Blazers appear to be a better team with the rock in Brandon Roy’s(19.7 ppg) hands.  Greg Oden(11.6 ppg, 8.2 rebs, 2.3 blocks) is starting to live up to the hype of a #1 pick as Travis Outlaw(10 ppg) and Martell Webster(8.4 ppg) have been excellent as supporting players. 

10) San Antonio    8-6  (12) – The Spurs when healthy are among the league’s Top 5 teams.  They haven’t been, that’s why they are at #10.  The “Big Fundamental” Tim Duncan(18.3 ppg, 11.3 rebs) is still one of the best 4 men in the game, he just isn’t as dominating any more on a game by game basis.  Richard Jefferson(14.4 ppg) has proven to be a valuable pick up considering all of the injuries to the Big 3(Duncan, Parker, Ginobili).

11) Miami    9-6  (7) - D. Wade(27.1 ppg) can’t do it all.  The Heat are one of our biggest losers this rankings primarily because the are just .500(5-5) over their last 10 games after a tremendous 4-1 start.  Beasley has shown flashes of being great(14.3 ppg) and Udonis Haslem has been surprisingly good(11 ppg, 8.9 rebs).  They need more consistent play from Jermaine O’Neal(14 ppg, 7 rebs, 1 blk).

12) Oklahoma City    9-7  (16) – The Thunder move up 4 spots by going 5-3 in their last 8 games against teams with winning records(Miami, Utah, Milwaukee).  Kevin Durant(27.5 ppg, 7 rebs) should be on your MVP candidates list.  Probably most impressive is the play of newly transformed point guard Russell Westbrook(16.7 ppg, 6.9 ast) who hadn’t played the point until this season.  Watch out Western Conference!

13) Utah    9-7  (NR) - The Jazz have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games primarily because of the stellar play from Deron Williams(19.5 ppg, 9.9 ast) and a resurgent CarlosBoozer(19.7 ppg, 10.6 rebs).  Mehmet Okur(14.4 ppg) continues to be an underrated offensive player, while AK-47 has been a consistent 13.4 ppg and 5 rebounds.  Undrafted rookie Wes Mathews(6.8 pts) has been big off the bench.   

14) Milwaukee    8-7  (13) – The Bucks have started to come back to Earth as evidence of their 5-5 record in their last 10 games, including losing 4 straight.  Rookie Brandon Jennings still leads the club in scoring(22.3 ppg) and assists(5.1) but has been in a shooting slump(37%) since his 55 point outburst against the Warriors.  They need Andrew Bogut’s 16 ppg and 9 rebs back from injuries.

15) Charlotte    7-9  (NR) - Larry Brown has the Bobcats winning(4 straight) since the trade for Stephen Jackson.  He provides scoring(17.4 ppg) and excellent defense to make them a legitimate contender for a playoff spot.  Crash Wallace continues to be the team leader with 16 ppg and 11.8 rebs.  Boris Diaw(11.7 ppg) has been better than expected down low.  They need Tyson Chandler(6.1 ppg) to get back on track to challenge other better teams.  

16) Houston    8-8  (NR) – Although they have slipped lately(4-6 in last 10 games), the Rockets continue to be one of the surprise teams in the league.  Trevor Ariza has exceeded expectations with 18.3 ppg, 5 rebs, 4 ast, while Louis Scola(15.3 ppg, 10 rebs) has been tremendous.  Carl Landry has to be one of the league’s most improved players(15 ppg).

The Best of the Rest:

Sacramento (7-8), New Orleans (7-9), Toronto (7-10), Chicago 6-8), and Indiana (6-8)

Teams on the Rise:

Orlando, Charlotte, and Utah

Teams on the Slide:

Milwaukee, Miami, and Boston

updated 11/29/09