NFL
By: Louis Prejean
We are almost halfway through the NBA season already. There has been historically great basketball from the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. On the other hand, there has been historically bad basketball from the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite an up and down season from most teams in the league, they will be looking to hit their stride once the second half of the season starts. Which teams are playing the best right now? Let’s look at the ten best teams after eleven weeks.
1. Golden State Warriors
Dominance. That is what the Warriors have displayed this season. Every player on Golden State is a threat every time they step on the court. Defenses have no idea what to do when this team is fully healthy. The Warriors showed against the Miami Heat that they can win despite shooting poorly from the three point line. This team can beat anyone so many different ways. It has been a long time since Golden State has had three All-Stars, but that will change when the Warriors are represented in Toronto.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Yes, the Warriors have been the best team with a record of 36-2. However, the San Antonio Spurs have won by bigger margins this season with 10 wins by 25 points or more. How is it possible that the Warriors have had the best start in NBA history, yet the Spurs are right behind them? Consistency and cohesiveness. Gregg Popovich is doing an amazing job with this team and the continuing development of Kawhi Leonard surely helps.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers have been on fire since Kyrie Irving has returned. They have seven straight wins, but face a major test in their next four games. Cleveland will face three Western Conference teams that currently rank among the top eight in the West, with two of the teams being the Spurs and Warriors. Things should get interesting and we will see just how well the Cavaliers matchup against the best in the NBA.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s defense has slightly improved since the start of the season, but the bench play remains the most important factor. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook can basically do it all but if this team wants to be title contenders then their dynamic duo must make their teammates better. Once the second half hits, hopefully, Durant and Westbrook will look to get the rest of the team more involved. As of now, the Oklahoma City Thunder are still one dangerous team.
5. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors will be without their big offseason acquisition, DeMarre Carroll, for a while. So far, that is not stopping this Toronto team. They sit as the second seed in the Eastern Conference and they are currently in the midst of a three game winning streak. Not bad for a team that has had to adjust to some key players going down. They still are one of the more balanced teams in the NBA, but is this the season the Toronto Raptors prove they are the real deal? We’ll see.
6. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are rolling right now. Since Blake Griffin went down with his injury, Los Angeles has won nine games in a row. One asterisk is that all of these wins have come against teams with under .500 records. However, a win is a win. This team is being led by Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan. Paul Pierce has been playing more power forward, which has proved to be successful for him in the past. They are only 1.5 games back of the Thunder. No doubt the Clippers deserve a spot in this week’s power rankings.
7. Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are back in business after a shaky start to the season. With a record of 23-15, the Hawks are positioning themselves nicely for a second half season run. Their offense is back on track and they are sharing the ball with the best of them like we are used to seeing from Atlanta. Kent Bazemore has filled in for the loss of DeMarre Carroll and the Hawks have been better when he is on the floor. It’s nice to see this team slowly coming together.
8. Chicago Bulls
Right when we thought the Bulls were fixing their problems, they lose three straight and more questions arise. This is another example of the up and down theme most teams have shown in the first half of the 2015-16 NBA season. Joakim Noah has returned after missing 9 games for the Bulls. Once he is fully healthy, he can make a nice, little impact for this team. The Bulls need to play with more consistency and conviction. Once they play like they are one of the better teams in the East, then the results will follow.
9. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat’s defense has been one of the best, but their offense has been one of the worst. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade cannot provide all of the offense for this team. They have one of the better rosters in the league, but the offense has not been clicking. Goran Dragic has not been the same player since going to Miami and does not fit in. Sad to see for Miami, who had high hopes for the point guard. The defense still propels Miami over most of the NBA and hopefully they can get their offense straight entering the second half.
10. Dallas Mavericks
Surprisingly, the Dallas Mavericks are second in the Southwest division. This division was expected to be by far the toughest in the NBA, but with the unexpected play by three of the other four teams, the Mavericks have faired well in the West. The Mavericks gave the Cleveland Cavaliers quite the fight and were up by sixteen at one point. Before that game, Dallas was 20-0 this season when entering the fourth quarter with a lead. This Mavericks team has been better than the preseason projections by most.
You can follow me @LouisPrejean.
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