Warriors Fall Out of NBA Power Rankings Top 5
The Golden State Warriors have a tendency to catch a lot of media slander. Greatness has become the expectation for the dynasty that held the NBA in a stranglehold for about 5 years. The only things that could get in their way were injuries and some questionable decisions by league officials to make certain suspensions that were inarguably unnecessary, and people naturally hate ‘em for it.
But today, it’s the NBA directly that is dishing out the disrespect. With the recent release of their “official” power rankings, there are 5 teams that decorate the top 5. Here they are:
Alright. This is getting absurd. The NBA’s power rankings have this tendency to be incredibly reactionary. Hence why the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, and Denver Nuggets are all ranked ahead of Golden State. Miami and Phoenix? Understandable. But we’re bordering on slander here. From the guys in the league who are supposed to get paid to know this sport.
Let’s add some context to them placing the Dubs at #6. Despite having the 2nd best record in the NBA, they’re 6-4 in their last 10 games. They’re still missing Draymond Green, James Wiseman, and have had both Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr. sitting out with injuries or for load management from time to time. Regardless of who they’re missing or what they’ve failed to do prior to the NBA All-Star Break, if it isn’t obvious how damn-good the Warriors are even at this level of lacking strength, then it may never be obvious.
There are only a few reasons we can begin to cook up that explain the decision here. Their recent play, their current roster issues, or to push an MVP campaign that isn’t Steph Curry’s. It’s no secret, most objective fans would tell you, that there are certainly crowd favorites which the NBA likes to create narratives around for MVP. A major media push recently for Nikola Jokic is the latest of these phenomena, and while the Joker is playing very well, his team is currently in 6th in the West. Denver is also 6-4 in their last 10 games.
Jokic could go back-to-back even if his team ends up in the play-in game - which would be heinous if he did, considering that’s the apparent reason Steph Curry couldn’t win it last year - because of this kind of promotion. That’s not a problem by itself. Jokic is an excellent player and is playing at an MVP level. The problem is that it would show a lack of consistency in the MVP conversation.
The MVP narrative, while probably the most entertaining to discuss, is likely not the reason. Given that the Warriors are also 6-4 in their last 10 games like two of the other teams on this list (Miami, Denver), it’s also not because of recent play. So it boils down to Klay Thompson finding his groove, Draymond Green missing time, and quite possibly the last remnants from Steph Curry’s slump. How a player can drop 16 threes in a single game no matter the context and still have a poor shooting stretch held against him is beyond me, especially considering how good he’s been recently.
Of players who have played 8 or more of their last 10 games, only Demar Derozan has been better than Steph Curry in the 4th quarter in terms of scoring (props to him for averaging 11 points per 4th quarter in that stretch, by the way). Curry averages 8 points per 4th, in just as many minutes, and shooting 58/47/95 in this situation. That’s absurdly good for someone who’s apparently slumping.
So… does this matter? The answer is undeniably no, and the Warriors will likely end up reclaiming a top-3 spot in these meaningless power rankings by the end of the season. What matters is the team looking towards the playoffs and ensuring that Steph Curry is back in his groove. It looks like, from his recent stretch of play, he’s gearing up for more spring showers just like last season. The Warriors should also be getting Draymond Green and James Wiseman back soon enough to integrate them into a playoff-ready rotation, which will mean improvements in almost every lacking aspect so far. This stretch of the season remains the most important, so we’ll see how the Warriors handle it. I have no doubt they’ll prove these rankings irrelevant, however, and they’ll be the squad nobody wants to face… just as usual.
(Photo credit: NBAE / Getty Images)