Halfway through Monday’s nine-game slate of games, we’ll reach the quarter point of the season, the time when we’ve seen enough to really take stock of what teams are good and what teams aren’t. On average, only one team that’s outside the top eight in its conference at this point will make the playoffs.
That said, the Eastern Conference is kind of crazy right now. Ten East teams are over .500 and they’re all within two games of each other in the standings. By the end of this week, the 10th-place Boston Celtics could be ahead of the first-place Miami Heat. (And thank goodness that what division you’re in doesn’t really matter anymore.)
Things will sort themselves out in time, but for now we can enjoy the competition. It used to be that there was a handful of good Western Conference games every week. Now, we have that situation in the East.
This week, even though there’s a lot of interconference action, there are seven games between the top 10 teams in the East, with the Hornets hosting Detroit, Miami and Boston. At 2-5 in games played within the group, Charlotte has some work to do.
Every team in the East’s top 10 has at least two wins and one loss against the other nine teams, but Detroit and Indiana have looked best thus far. The Pacers won the first meeting and they’ll see each other again on Saturday.
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? Last week: Warriors take their show on the road
? This time last year: OKC at full strength as schedule reaches quarter pole — The Sixers got their first and second wins of the season and the Warriors were 12 games into a 16-game winning streak. Russell Westbrook threw down one of those dunks on the Pistons and Monta Ellis beat the Bucks at the buzzer.
? Plus-minus studs: Stephen Curry (GSW) and Reggie Jackson (DET) were each a plus-56 in four games last week.
? Plus-minus duds: Kobe Bryant (LAL) and Julius Randle (LAL) were each a minus-63 in four games last week.
? Hero team of the week: Golden State (4-0) — The Pistons (4-0) were the only other team with a perfect week and had a much easier schedule. The champs are still getting it done without Harrison Barnes.
? Zero team of the week: Cleveland (0-3) — The Cavs lost in overtime on the road on Friday and without LeBron James on Saturday, but the week began with an ugly loss at home to the struggling Wizards.
? East vs. West: The East is 57-55 (0.509) against the West in interconference games and was 16-13 last week.
? Toughest schedules through Nov. 29: 1. Sacramento, 2. Brooklyn, 3. New Orleans
? Easiest schedules through Nov. 29: 1. Golden State, 2. San Antonio, 3. Portland
Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record, and adjusted for home vs. away and days of rest before a game.
? High jumps of the week: Houston (+6), Boston (+5), Three teams (+3)
? Free falls of the week: Phoenix (-5), Minnesota (-4), Brooklyn (-3), Chicago (-3)
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Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
The league has averaged 98.8 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 101.4 points scored per 100 possessions this season.
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NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via Twitter.
