Well, finally after a few weeks of constant bickering about the top spot in the Power Rankings there was very little to argue about. The Kings were No. 1, the Wolves were second and the rest filled in. Sure, there were arguments about certain teams, but all in all it was a little friendlier. Of course, already this week the Kings and Wolves AND Lakers have lost, which means next week's rankings will be controversial yet again. So get ready.
Experience, my friends
Bucks team page
Will whomever does the Power Rankings please ask for help. The Nets above the Bucks? Do you consider anything other than record? The Bucks are done playing out West, the Nets have six games left. The Bucks have played nine more games on the road than at home. The Nets have played the same amount at home as on the road. Please remove the Spurs also. They have a losing record against winning teams and have been swept by the Bucks three years in a row now. Someone tell them they are better than the Bucks and see what their response is. Most of all the Bucks were one game away from the Finals last year. Experience, my friends. Don't underestimate it.
Randy Ottmann
Milwaukee, Wisc.
Turned the corner
Blazers team page
Yes, it's true. The Blazers really stunk up the court for the first 30 games. Maybe I'm at fault for believing that this team has really "turned the corner" as stated by Coach Cheeks. However, ranking them below the Clippers and the Sonics is a travesty. I believe that the Blazers (pending the turnout against the Kings, tonight) [Editor's note: Portland won in OT] should be ranked closer to where the Wizards are and possibly higher. I know that the top five are solid picks, but come on! The Blazers have turned the corner and with any kind of team play will show the world just that against Sacramento.
Jon
Portland, Ore.
Numerous Aberrations
Sixers team page
When a team shoots 66.1 percent, as the Sonics did against the Sixers, I don't think you can blame the defense. Most NBA teams don't shoot 66.1 percent on the layup line, least of all in a game; yet, when the Sixers go 3-1 with that one aberration responsible for the loss, they don't change in the rankings. Meanwhile, the Clippers, Wizards, Pacers, and that aberration of a team, the Sonics, had worse weeks and have comparable overall records and stay above the Sixers. I realize you didn't feel like making too many changes this week, but a little bit of logic would be nice.
David Dittell
Newark, Del.
Beating a dead horse
Wolves team page
Honestly, do you think a team that can't even go .500 on the road really deserves the top spot? I hate to beat a dead horse here, but seriously, that is embarrassing. I'd love to see how many wins the Wolves would have if they played just as many home games as the Kings. Obviously the only way you rank these teams is to look at overall record and how they did the previous week. I guess player injuries and how many road wins a team has means nothing.
Jeff
Winona, Minn.
Descend to mediocrity
Clippers team page
Clippers above the Sonics? Again? If this exercise is supposed to be a NBA snapshot in time, I suggest you check your batteries. Like the Clippers could possibly shoot 66 percent on the road against a good Philly defense. The Sonics did last week. What did the Clippers do? They lost two on the road, what else? The Clippers 3-14 road record projected over the 82-game season equates to less than nine road wins for the season. Their pathetic road record suggests business as usual. The Clippers will not descend to mediocrity this season, they are already there. Until they mature enough to win consistently on the road they deserve nothing higher than anyone's bottom 10.
Bill Graham
Sequim, Wash.
The worst ... clearly
Knicks team page
Please just put the Knicks in last already. We are clearly the worst team in the game, at least give us that.
Andrew
New York
Accurate rankings next week?
Mavericks team page
Rankings were accurate in my book, but after Tuesday night, with the Lakers losing to Denver at home (UGH!), and the Kings losing a close one to Portland, while Dallas kept taking care of business, I hope that next week's rankings accurately reflect this fact. Cuban is my vote for best owner in sports, and for the rest of this season, you are going to see a Dallas DQ of everyone else in the West.
Brett Davis
Arkadelphia, Ark.
A little impossible
Heat team page
I know it might seem a little impossible but I think the Heat should be at least 15th.
Mauricio Avesani
Miami
Lynch mob
Bulls team page
Sure, the Bulls' win over Atlanta is more impressive than the Warriors' win over Cleveland, but at least the Warriors were more respectable in their losses. Losing to Sacramento, Minnesota and Utah is better than losing to Washington, Indiana and Miami. At least the Warriors were close in their games to Minnesota and Utah. The Bulls were just simply awful, especially against Michael Jordan in Chicago. The people of Chicago should lynch mob the two Jerrys for ruining what was the greatest franchise in the NBA and making it the worst.
Robert Lan
Waterloo, Ontario
I think I speak for the general public when I say that the Bulls winning one game is the worst reason of all-time to put them above the Warriors. Let me spell this out for you: 24 percent FG. At home. On national TV. Against the struggling Wizards. I don't care who made his homecoming, community college teams play better than the Bulls.
Ben Borg
Worcester, Mass.