December NBA Power Rankings; Top 15 Teams In the League, Top 3 MVP Candidates
1.Boston Celtics
The reigning World Champions, 3 of their five starters brought home gold, the only thing that could hold them back is injuries. If Kristaps Porzingis can stay healthy, their squad can come down with more rebounds, which will result in more second chance points, and another body to sub and rotate their depth in more. The Cavs are their only manifest competitors for the Larry O'brien in the East.
2.Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers jumped the league with an incredible 16-0 start to the season. With Donovan Mitchell averaging 24.5 points per game- 17th in the league, 10th in the eastern conference- and his support of co-star Darius Garland and lots of young talent around the team, the Cav’s chances at a championship haven’t looked higher in a long time.
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3.Oklahoma City Thunder
With explosive, young talent, most of which I could confidently say could drop 20 points against any team in the league, and a cornerstone of starting point guard, MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, their P.P.G. can skyrocket. However the Thunder may have trouble executing in the playoffs this season because some aspects of their offense seem hit or miss. A lot could come out of this squad, but franchise history is lying on Mark Daigneault’s (The Thunder’s head coach) shoulders.
4.Dallas Mavericks
Despite getting off to an incredibly slow start, the Maverick’s have adjusted their offense and their skills started turning into wins a lot more. Also, out of their eight losses, 7 of them were against high energy, athletic squads that got the better of them early. However, last season they proved their high-IQ team could take down any roster, making their squad an underestimated assassin. Their team has a good shot at sealing a high seed in the playoffs this season.
5. Memphis Grizzlies
This team feasts off of defensive breakdowns. Their high-energy, unguardable young core, can put up high numbers easily. The main concern that they face is the maturity of these young basketball players. If Ja Morant can make more responsible decisions, and his teammates don’t pick up any of his bad habits, there may be a dynasty awaiting their franchise.
6. Houston Rockets
Houston looks like a silent but deadly team right now. They don’t break the news with massive wins, but have taken down really dominant teams. But the wins aren’t what you rank a team by. They may have just as good or a better record than teams I ranked ahead of them, but have lost to some low-tier, rebuilding teams. If their roster can stay locked in and treat every game equally serious, they could go far.
7. New York Knicks
This may be a controversial statement, but in my opinion, the Knicks biggest problem is their coach. Yes, the Knicks don’t have great depth, but a recurring problem with Thibodeau is overworking 5-7 players, and then dropping out early in the play-offs. We saw it with Derrick Rose in Chicago, all the way through a couple months ago with the Knicks. If New York adds more reliable, trustworthy depth, that Thibodeau is comfortable with, The Knicks will look like they did when they had Ewing.
8. Orlando Magic
Yes, their record looks very promising right now, but what concerns me is their injuries. Let’s be honest, Banchero kind of carries Orlando. With him, and Franz Wagner (Their leading player in points, assists, and steals per game) hurt, their late January- early February looks uncertain. If their stars recover though, There will be a lot of making up to do, but nothing is impossible.
9. Golden State Warriors
Chef Curry is cooking once again. With his Olympic debut ending in a gold medal, clutch performance, his confidence is higher than ever. With a fundamental supporting line-up Curry can afford to have an off night, but the Warriors can’t suffer any injuries, especially not Curry. This team put themselves in a really challenging position this offseason, sending vibes they were ready to rebuild instead of contending by trading CP3, and Klay Thompson, trading their second round 7 footer on draft night for picks in next year's draft. I’ll be really curious how long then Warriors hot streak lasts, and if it does,
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