2014-15 NBA Power Rankings: Week 3

Another week, another slate of losses. They had the Houston Rockets on the ropes before they found a way to lose in spectacular enough fashion to conjure up a slew of tanking conspiracy theories.

The Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t ride the momentum of their single win, and lost every game they played this week. Kobe Bryant shot until his heart was content, averaging 23.3 FGA per game, something he hasn’t done since 2005. However, hitting only 37 percent of those is something he has never done before.

Despite an encouraging blowout win on the road against Indiana, the Denver Nuggets turned around and laid an egg against the New York Knicks. They continue to put up historically futile performances, this time around failing to make a single field goal in the 2nd quarter until a buzzer beater at the end of the quarter. Brian Shaw’s job is definitely not safe.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a rough week, losing three games by an average of 25 points, including a 48 point drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans. The growing pains are real.

The New York Knicks showed some signs of life this week, but they continue to come up short. Carmelo Anthony was on fire, averaging 34 ppg this week, but heartbreaking losses to the Utah Jazz and Orlando Magic highlighted their deficiencies.

The Oklahoma City Thunder show heart night after night, but are just not talented enough to walk away victorious very often. Reggie Jackson is trying to play hero, but it may be to the detriment of the team. He is currently ranked 2nd in the league in average time of possession per game, behind only John Wall. He may want to think about sharing the rock a bit more.

Josh Smith has never met a shot he didn’t like. He is taking almost 16 per game, and only making about 37 percent of them. As a team, only the Philadelphia 76ers are worse shooting the rock (41.8 percent). Things don’t appear to be getting any better in Motor City.

You have to respect what the Indiana Pacers are doing. Despite being decimated by injuries, they put a competitive product on the court night after night, losing only by an average of 1.7 points. Their win against the Chicago Bulls this week is definitely their signature win of the season so far.

Don’t look now, but the Orlando Magic appear to be figuring things out a bit. They beat the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks this week, and their young players are leading the way.

The Boston Celtics had a tough week. They started it off with a win against the Chicago Bulls, but after a rough loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they threw away a 19 point lead against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 4th quarter, and squandered a great opportunity.

The Utah Jazz continue to be an extremely inconsistent team, as is to be expected with their young core. They can beat anybody in the league on any given night, but can also lose to anyone just as easily.

The Charlotte Hornets played a tough schedule this week, but managed only one win, against the up-and-down Phoenix Suns. They continue to struggle on the offensive side of the ball and lack any real rhythm or chemistry.

The Brooklyn Nets lost every game they played this week, albeit to tough opponents in the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers. They are playing pretty average ball across the board, as seen in their middle of the pack rankings in most statistical categories.

These Milwaukee Bucks continue to gradually rise up these rankings. A huge win against the Miami Heat, on the back of them handing the Memphis Grizzlies their only loss on the season last week, and this team is making some real noise. They are a far cry from where they were a year ago.

The Atlanta Hawks appeared to be hitting their stride until they ran up against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The four straight wins prior to that is probably a better measuring stick for who this team really is. Tough tests against the Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans this week will show us how good this team is right now.

After stumbling a bit out of the gate, the New Orleans Pelicans are finally figuring things out. Anthony Davis continues his MVP-caliber play (24.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg and 4.1 bpg), however, the real story of the week was the incredible play of Ryan Anderson.

The Phoenix Suns are struggling to figure out how their three-guard lineup fits together. Right now, it isn’t working. Sure, they are scoring points, but they are also 16th in offensive efficiency, and Goran Dragic's and Eric Bledsoe's stats are down across the board. Is it time to raise a flag about the Lance Thomas signing? Not quite. But, ask me again in a month.

It wasn’t a good week for the Miami Heat, but in their defense, they were missing Dwyane Wade for most of it. Their struggles are indicative of how incredibly important Wade is to this team.

The Cleveland Cavaliers seem like they are starting to click, as they have rattled off four straight, and are actually sharing the ball. In their last win against the Atlanta Hawks, they logged 39 assists. That will almost always result in a win, especially with this talent.

Sure, the Washington Wizards are winning games, but they are playing against the doormats of the league. In fact, against their only two quality opponents (Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors), they came out on the wrong end of the box score. They need to show me more before they can move up any more. Bradley Beal comes back soon, which should give them a huge boost.

It was an interesting week for the Sacramento Kings. They lost big to the Dallas Mavericks, were robbed of a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies by the refs, and beat the San Antonio Spurs. This Kings team is hard to figure out, but one thing is for sure, they are much better than everyone thought they’d be.

The Dallas Mavericks are beating up on all the bad teams of the league, but can’t seem to get past any of the good ones. The story remains the same for them. They are the best offensive team in the league, but one of the worst defensively.

The Los Angeles Clippers have issues, but their talent continues to allow them to walk away victorious more often than not. Their defense so far has been really, really bad, ranking 22nd in defensive efficiency at 107.5. They weren’t great last year either, but their potent offense overshadowed their defensive limitations. So far, their offense has yet to show that same explosiveness.

After a very slow start, the San Antonio Spurs put together a string of quality wins this week (Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers). Their loss to the Sacramento Kings was a bit concerning, but this team will be fine.

Another team that got off to a slow start, the Portland Trail Blazers have absolutely exploded, winning six of their last seven games. In the process, they have surprisingly become one of the better defensive teams in the league to match their already potent offense. This team is scary.

Sure, they lost at home to the Indiana Pacers, but they were also without Derrick Rose yet again. This team is still one of the best in the league. Their offense has become one of the NBA’s best, with Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler leading the way, and their defense is still not playing up to their potential.

The Toronto Raptors are for real. They are the 3rd most efficient offensive team and the 7th most efficient defensive team in the NBA. Their schedule has been a bit soft, but that all changes this week with games against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Houston Rockets won every game they played this week, yet move down three spots? That’s right. When you should have lost to the Philadelphia 76ers and barely beat the bare-bones Oklahoma City Thunder in one of the ugliest games I have ever watched, some questions arise. They depend way too much on the three-ball, taking five more than any other team in the league.

After losing two straight games, the Golden State Warriors rebounded and won their last three. They are seventh in offensive rating and third in defensive rating. The Warriors are legitimate contenders and have shown me they are a better team than the Houston Rockets.

I’m honestly not sure how they do it, but they continue to find a way to win. They know what they are good at, and they stick to it. They grind you down defensively, and on the offensive side of the ball, they get really good looks close to the rim. I'm not convinced they will remain this high for long, but I had to give them their due.