Power Rankings: In wacky season, contending Clippers no shock
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| Griffin no longer has to carry the load in the paint as DeAndre Jordan and Kenyon Martin pitch in. (Getty Images) |
Updated Feb. 14
It's Valentine's Day, and that means it's time to be with the one you love, or at least love the one you're with. And with the NBA, that means coming to understand a bit more about who exactly your team is.
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We're starting to figure out ceilings on these teams, but it's the teams for which we haven't located their ceiling yet that could do the most damage.
That explains what we're seeing when looking at the Los Angeles Clippers.
If you take a through-the-looking-glass approach, depending on which side you're standing, the Clips are either a powerhouse built around Chris Paul's brilliance and surrounded by a devastating front court, or a sheep in wolf's clothing that's hiding significant issues at both ends.
I tend to land on the side of metrics, but in the Clippers' case, you have to consider the potential for this team to make a significant step forward in the playoffs. In a wacky year, with a shortened schedule and in a wide-open West, there's no reason that what the Clippers do well can't be replicated in the playoffs, spurring a deep run.
If you have to pick a horse to run with, is Chris Paul handling the ball late in a close game while the Clippers' shooters hang and Griffin draws attention that poor of an option?
The Clippers -- along with the Mavericks, Spurs and, yes, the Knicks -- have a shot at making a run -- or falling apart. We don't know. But if we're looking at highest potential ceiling, you can do worse than thinking Chris Paul and Blake Griffin can put something tremendous together in the playoffs.
Vinny Del Negro will have to surprise everyone, but in this season, who knows?
| Power Rankings | |||
| Current | Team | Previous | |
 | 1 | Spurs · Trends | 1 |
| Can you win an NBA title with an offense-first team? That's what Popovich is trying to do this season. And he may have a better shot than the Seven-Seconds-or-Less Suns. It would not be celebrated as such, but it would be an incredible accomplishment. | |||
 | 2 | Bulls · Trends | 2 |
| The most consistent team in the league for two years running. Tom Thibodeau is the Dr. Doom of the NBA. | |||
 | 3 | Heat · Trends | 3 |
| To live up to expectations, the Heat have to make such a huge jump, they need rocket fuel to get it done. | |||
 | 4 | Thunder · Trends | 5 |
| The Thunder have had nothing but upside and positive feelings the past two years as they climbed into contention. They're facing their first bout of serious adversity. How they handle it determines whether this team has championship mettle. | |||
 | 5 | Pacers · Trends | 9 |
| You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos. | |||
 | 6 | Lakers · Trends | 6 |
| The Lakers winning the Pacific again would be like the Kansas Jayhawks winning their conference. They have a closet where they just toss the trophies on top of the pile. Looks like Scrooge McDuck's gold. | |||
 | 7 | Clippers · Trends | 7 |
| Uh, anyone else notice that despite all the questions (defense, coaching, shooters, coaching, cohesiveness, coaching), the Clippers are really pretty good? | |||
 | 8 | Celtics · Trends | 4 |
| One more ride, old-timers. One more ride. | |||
 | 9 | Hawks · Trends | 11 |
| Boston and Atlanta began their playoff runs with their cores pitted against one another. It's possible they'll end them as well. | |||
 | 10 | Knicks · Trends | 12 |
| The grind-it-out style of the playoffs means having Carmelo Anthony's super-ISO offense is a whole different thing. | |||
 | 11 | Grizzlies · Trends | 8 |
| The Grizzlies are on the worst-looking five-game winning streak ever. | |||
 | 12 | Nuggets · Trends | 10 |
| Oh, look, Denver, you found your offense under the porch! Good job! Maybe that'll teach you not to be so cavalier with it. | |||
 | 13 | Jazz · Trends | 16 |
| The Jazz hope the first round's title will be "Hidden Tiger, Crouching Millsap." | |||
 | 14 | Mavericks · Trends | 17 |
| I've decided the Mavericks' 2012 season is "Cabin in the Woods." It looks like your standard horror show, but there's so much more going on. | |||
 | 15 | Suns · Trends | 13 |
| If this were Steve Nash's last legitimate playoff run ... #slowclap | |||
 | 16 | 76ers · Trends | 19 |
| "Mr. and Mrs. Sixers fans? Hi. Yes, I'm Dr. Easy Schedule. Your team is stable. It's resting comfortably. It was touch-and-go for a while, but we managed to repair the playoff eligibility. It's going to make it. ... You don't look happy?" | |||
 | 17 | Rockets · Trends | 15 |
| Oh, look. The late lottery. There's a new area for the Rockets to explore. #stare | |||
 | 18 | Magic · Trends | 14 |
| The Orlando Magic: The walking, talking reason for the league to enact a "you can trade your playoff spot for a lottery pick" rule. | |||
 | 19 | Bucks · Trends | 18 |
| A pivotal offseason for the Bucks is set to begin. It's extremely unlikely, but imagine if this team lands a top-three pick. | |||
 | 20 | Timberwolves · Trends | 22 |
| To the tune of "Total Eclipse of the Heart:" "Ru-bi-o, every now and then I get a little bit lonely and your leg still isn't healed. Ru-bi-o, every now and then I get a little bit tired of Beasley getting killed on defense ..." | |||
 | 21 | Trail Blazers · Trends | 21 |
| The Blazers were 12-9 on Feb. 1. This completes today's lesson in "How quickly things can go to hell in a handcart." | |||
 | 22 | Kings · Trends | 23 |
| The Kings can look back and point to legitimate growth. But the next steps are even more important. The leap from "promising young talent" to "team that doesn't make you want to gouge your eye out with a lobster fork" is a difficult process. | |||
 | 23 | Hornets · Trends | 20 |
| Monty Williams and Dell Demps need to go bowling, get drunk and forget this year ever happened. Unfortunately, it's New Orleans, so finding alcohol could be a problem. | |||
 | 24 | Pistons · Trends | 24 |
| Well, a young, inexperienced team like that is going to have ... what's that? Tayshaun Prince is how old? Oh, never mind, they're just bad. | |||
 | 25 | Raptors · Trends | 25 |
| Dwane Casey can look back and say he changed the culture. The talent comes next, then the winning. The future is bright in Toronto. | |||
 | 26 | Nets · Trends | 26 |
| I'm sure New Jersey is all choked up over losing the Nets. At least they're used to that when it comes to the Nets -- losing, that is. | |||
 | 27 | Cavaliers · Trends | 27 |
| It had to get worse before it gets better. They've got their next franchise guy. Now they just have to build around him. And do it better this time. | |||
 | 28 | Warriors · Trends | 28 |
| This had better have been worth it. | |||
 | 29 | Wizards · Trends | 29 |
| The Wizards managed to move from pathetic joke to just pathetic by the end of the year. Progress in our time! | |||
 | 30 | Bobcats · Trends | 30 |
| Now let us never speak of this again. | |||
