About a month into the season, we’re past the point of Wacky Fun, Power Rankings Style (THE SIXERS ARE 3-0! BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE!) but not quite to the point where teams in the NBA’s middle class start separating themselves or merit full buy-in’s whether positive (Portland) or catastrophic (New York, Brooklyn).
Still, a few things are abundantly clear.
First, the Eastern Conference is a dumpster fire that will burn until nothing but Indiana, Miami, and a heap of ashes remain.
Second, good teams will miss the playoffs out West, and whatever squad emerges from that half of the postseason bracket will have done a whole lot more work in the process. Meanwhile, injuries have been the theme among the league’s elite, jimmying up the ranks.
On Sunday, the Pelicans lost Anthony Davis (hand) while the Clippers sent J.J. Redick to the shelf with hand and knee ailments. Could Redick’s presence have pushed them past Indiana in a game — and it still feels weird to put it on paper — representing my preseason Finals prediction?
We’ll never know.
Indiana held on, remaining nearly unblemished while starting a tough five-game road trip against four of the West’s best (plus Utah), and showed while the West has strength in numbers, it doesn’t have the NBA’s best team.
| RANK | TEAM | THE RUNDOWN | LAST |
| 1 | PACERS (16-1) |
Nearly punted away a big lead Sunday in L.A., but saved themselves on the offensive glass. The NBA’s weakest strength of schedule balanced by its largest point differential (11.1). Tough week ahead, though, on road in West. | – |
| 2 | SPURS (14-3) |
Quietly dominating the NBA. Again. How good do they get when Tim Duncan stops shooting 42.5 percent from the floor? We are used to seeing them at their best in March and April, not November and December. | – |
| 3 | HEAT (14-3) |
Despite nearly punting Sunday’s home date with Charlotte, getting saved by a late trio of 3s from Chris Bosh, the Heat have basically put to bed any concerns about their sluggish first week. | – |
| 4 | THUNDER (12-3) |
Still a top 10 group in offensive efficiency, even with Durant at 44 percent and Westbrook at 39. Get the Pacers next Sunday when Indiana will be playing second of back-to-back that starts at S.A.. | – |
| 5 | ROCKETS (13-5) |
Terrance Jones averaging 13.6/8.6 in 10 games starting at PF. Rockets winning despite injuries to Harden, Lin and perhaps now Parsons, too? Dwight at 54 percent on FTs; laughing at Drummond. | – |
| 6 | BLAZERS (14-3) |
Nearly fell asleep in L.A. Sunday, but ran their road record to 8-2. Their record lands them high on this list, but at what point do people start buying their postseason potential? Need a bigger body of work to judge them by. | – |
| 7 | CLIPPERS (12-6) |
Losing J.J. Redick for 6-8 weeks is a killer. The Clips lose spacing and ball-handling, dent their depth, and damage the D. Willie Green started Sunday and did nothing. Four words: Why not Jamal Crawford? | – |
| 8 | NUGGETS (10-6) |
After a brutal start, Brian Shaw’s crew has won six straight. Not that anyone has noticed. Props to front office for grabbing Nate Robinson off the free agent scrap heap. Didn’t anyone watch the Bulls in the playoffs? | – |
| 9 | MAVERICKS (10-8) |
Monta Ellis delivering on promises to be more efficient. True Shooting Percentage up from 49.3 to 57.1, PER a career high 19.3. It is not often that someone other than Dirk leads Mavs in scoring. | – |
| 10 | WARRIORS (10-8) |
Probably getting more credit for what they’re supposed to look like than what they actually are without Andre Iguodala. If they can keep heads above water until he returns, should be Top 6 material by season’s end. | – |
| 11 | WOLVES (9-10) |
They think they’re a playoff team, but not if they can’t break even on the road (3-7). Savvy pickup getting Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from Kings. Needed a defensive stopper like humans need oxygen. | – |
| 12 | HAWKS (9-9) |
Third-best record in the Eastern Conference! Only means something if you don’t look at the teams beneath them. Over/under on East teams with winning records that will make postseason: 4 1/2. | – |
| 13 | SUNS (9-8) |
Flirting with or embedded in the bottom third in rebound rate, turnover rate, and assist percentage. Not a recipe for season long success… which was the whole idea, right? | – |
| 14 | LAKERS (9-9) |
Mike D’Antoni has everyone buying into the system offensively, with a surprisingly competent D. How does Kobe’s return impact all that? And how on Earth can Lakers Nation criticize Kobe for taking big money? Great column by Jan Hubbard. | – |
| 15 | PELICANS (8-8) |
Struggling to crack the Top 8 out West. That changes if the D (22nd in efficiency) closes the gap on the O (5th)… a tall order following Anthony Davis’ hand injury. | – |
| 16 | GRIZZLIES (8-8) |
Marc Gasol’s injury basically eliminates any shot at a top-four finish in the West — but this is a season when the West is so tight that playoff seeding will matter little unless you face the Spurs. | – |
| 17 | WIZARDS (8-9) |
John Wall averaging 23.0 ppt, 8.6 apt, 3.0 spg. Who’s coming with him? He even makes a debut appearance in Sheridan’s latest MVP rankings. | – |
| 18 | BULLS (7-8) |
If the Rose injury doesn’t sink the season, a prolonged absence for Jimmy Butler (toe) will. | – |
| 19 | BOBCATS (8-10) |
Steve Clifford’s crew is surprisingly competent. If Al Jefferson stays healthy… ah, who cares, really? | – |
| 20 | PISTONS (7-10) |
An Island of Misfit Toys, but a decent candidate for a 2nd half run if things coalesce. Can Andre Drummond (32 percent) please make a foul shot? | – |
| 21 | RAPTORS (6-10) |
On the bright side, they are the NBA’s best Canadian team. | – |
| 22 | CELTICS (7-12) |
Brad Stevens’ crew can’t score or rebound, but are a tough nut to crack defensively, providing a glimmer of hope every night. | – |
| 23 | MAGIC (6-10) |
Hard to get a real progress report until Tobias Harris gets healthy. | – |
| 24 | NETS (5-12) |
Jason Kidd’s 50K soda drop was their best play of the season. Maybe getting Brook Lopez healthy changes that dynamic a little. | – |
| 25 | SIXERS (6-12) |
Finally getting into the spirit of tanking after an unnecessarily spry opening 10 days. | – |
| 26 | KINGS (4-11) |
Not a good team, but they’ve played the NBA’s toughest schedule. And Isaiah Thomas has been outstanding. See Sixth Man rankings. | – |
| 27 | CAVALIERS (5-12) |
Andrew Bynum, trolling Mike Brown and the entire city, goes for 20/10 with five blocks Saturday against Chicago in a robust 30 minutes. | – |
| 28 | KNICKS (3-13) |
Even J.R. Smith says it’s OK to panic. Hey Knicks fans, would y’all trade Shump and Hardaway for Biyombo? | – |
| 29 | BUCKS (3-13) |
Larry Drew says more PT for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Spell check objects. | – |
| 30 | JAZZ (3-15) |
Riding the wave of a 1-game win streak, which perhaps not coincidentally was Trey Burke’s best game of the year (20/6/3). | – |
OTHER RANKINGS: MVP | Rookie | Most Improved | Sixth Man
Brian Kamenetsky is a frequent contributor to SheridanHoops.com. Follow him and his brother, Andy, on Twitter.