NBA Power Rankings - Week 2

This week's Power Rankings:

*Key
Team, last week's ranking, record (as of Monday 11/1): 

Tier 1
1. Los Angeles Lakers (1) 3-0: Starting strong. Bench allowing starters to rest. Bryant has played 37, 34, and 27 minutes in first three games as he rests knee. How good could they be with a healthy Bynum?
2. Boston Celtics (2) 2-1: First two games (home win vs. Miami, road loss vs. Cleveland) a bit of a headscratcher, though on a back-to-back. Rondo averaging 16.7 assists through three games.

Tier 2
3. Miami Heat (3) 3-1: Looked terrible for most of the game vs. Celtics. Showed a glimpse of what they are capable of against Magic. It's going to take some time for them to figure each other out.
4. Portland Trailblazers (9) 3-0: Deserve big jump after two decent road wins against Clippers and Knicks. Have a serious attitude.
5. Orlando Magic (4) 1-1: What exactly was that against Miami? Defensively, need to help Howard stay out of foul trouble. Offensively, need to find him more shots.
6. Atlanta Hawks (11) 3-0: Good start out of the gate. High scoring. Whenever possible, should try to get bench more involved.


Tier 3
7. Dallas Mavericks (5) 2-1: Holding teams scoring down a good sign. Home loss to Memphis without Randolph not so much.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder (6) 2-1: Narrow(ish) wins vs. Chicago and Detroit before getting blown out at home against the Jazz. Late 4th quarter surge vs. Chicago showed what they are capable of.
9. New Orleans Hornets (18) 3-0: Most impressive start to the season with wins against Milwaukee, Denver, and San Antonio on the road.
10. Denver Nuggets (13) 2-1: They'll be good as long as Carmelo is there and not creating distractions.
11. San Antonio Spurs (8) 1-1: Likely to move a few spots up and down in these rankings throughout the season.

Tier 4
12. Utah Jazz (7) 1-2: Looked flat against Denver and Phoenix, but blew out Oklahoma City on the road.
13. Chicago Bulls (12) 1-1: Need to find more offense while Boozer is out.
14. Memphis Grizzlies (16) 2-1: Playing well enough without Randolph. Good road win against Dallas.

Tier 5
15. Indiana Pacers (21) 2-1: Gave up a whopping 122 points in San Antonio, but bounced back with wins against Charlotte and Philadelphia. Hibbert watch: 18 & 10 through three games.
16. Houston Rockets (10) 0-3: Disappointing start. Nearly took out Lakers on the road, but followed up with losses to Golden State and Denver. Giving up 117 points per game. Danger zone.
17. Phoenix Suns (15) 1-2: Looked solid in Utah, but game against Lakers showed their weaknesses
18. Milwaukee Bucks (14) 1-2: Not as high on this team as most others, but East is only five deep.


Tier 6
19. New York Knicks (17) 1-2: Not sure what to make yet. Landry Fields a surprise at the outset.
20. New Jersey Nets (26) 2-1: Showing much more energy than last year. Lopez will put up big numbers.
21. Sacramento Kings (24) 2-1: Have gone 2-1 on the road against three weaker opponents.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers (27) 1-2: Happy to see them get up for game against Boston. Losses to Toronto (blowout) and Sacramento, not encouraging.
23. Golden State Warriors (25) 2-1: As usual they score a ton, but give up more. Stephen Curry day-to-day (ankle)



Tier 7
24. Minnesota Timberwolves (28) 1-2: They're trying to figure out who they want to play. Not a great sign.
25. Los Angeles Clippers (19) 0-3: Maybe they will be an exciting team that can't pull out wins. Problem not so much that they lost first three, but that they were blown out (-14.7 differential). At least Blake Griffin is good.
26. Washington Wizards (22) 0-2: Looked horrendous against Orlando.Tough to start on the road against Magic and Hawks though.
27. Philadelphia 76ers (20) 0-3: Seem to be uninspired by Doug Collins thus far.
28. Charlotte Bobcats (23) 0-3: Rough start. Team will divide if it continues.
29. Toronto Raptors (30) 1-1: Didn't expect a blowout win (against Cleveland) this early in the season. Reggie Evans is putting up odd stat lines gamely (averaging 1 point, 15 rebounds).
30. Detroit Pistons (29) 0-3: Tough to see what they can rely on.