NBA Power Rankings: What's under the Christmas tree for your favorite team?
It's Christmas Day which means every NBA team received a different gift under the tree
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1 min read
Christmas is here, which means it's the season of giving. And in that spirit, this week's NBA Power Rankings will be a little different from usual. Instead of focusing on which teams are (or aren't) doing well at the moment, the focus will be on what each team would like to find under the Christmas tree.
Some teams like the Rockets and Trail Blazers will find player-specific items and others might find a fantasy that will never become reality. Others are team-oriented and some are just happy to get a nice pair of socks. Everybody has different wants, needs, and desires this holiday season.
Christmas is also, for some, the official start to the NBA season. It's when more fans start checking in and seeing where every team is at. There will be a few surprises, such as the Pacers, and the dominance of teams like the Celtics or Rockets. Surely someone out there wasn't expecting the Raptors to be quite this dominant. Then there's the usual mainstays such as the Warriors and Cavaliers, because even the craziest NBA season needs some semblance of normalcy.
Enjoy this day with lots of thrilling matchups and hopefully your favorite team will find just what they want under their tree.
Biggest Movers
7
Thunder
9
Knicks
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | All the Raptors want for Christmas is a season where they look impressive in the playoffs. They don't even have to win everything. Just look good doing it. | 3 | 15-10 |
| 2 |  | What gift can a team that has everything possibly receive? How about a message from the league office rescinding all their techs and ejections of course. | -- | 13-12 |
| 3 |  | The Cavs would like a top-10 defense and the motivation to care about the season past December. If they look really hard, behind the tree is a slightly-used but plenty good Isaiah Thomas. | -- | 14-11 |
| 4 |  | When the Rockets wake up Christmas morning they'll sprint to the tree to find a brand new pair of knees for Chris Paul. All Houston needs is good health and plenty of 3-pointers. | 3 | 15-6 |
| 5 |  | The Spurs didn't ask for anything this Christmas, but Gregg Popovich would really like to give a nice bottle of wine to the media in exchange for less questions. Kawhi Leonard's health would be nice too. | 1 | 15-7 |
| 6 |  | What the Celtics truly want is the respect every other contender receives and a pair of science textbooks. | 1 | 15-9 |
| 7 |  | The Wolves want everybody to get off their back this Christmas. They keep winning games, so what more could you ask from them? Oh, and a pony. They really want a pony for some reason. | 5 | 15-8 |
| 8 |  | The Pacers want everybody to stop talking about the Paul George trade already and move on. That's never going to happen, so maybe a nice pair of socks will do. | 2 | 5-18 |
| 9 |  | The Nuggets really want some good health and a playoff appearance. They would also like everybody to stop talking about the Broncos. | 2 | 17-6 |
| 10 |  | The Thunder really want Carmelo Anthony and Paul George to re-sign in the offseason. For Christmas, they want an NBA bonus round where you play with two balls instead of one. | 7 | 23-1 |
| 11 |  | John Wall and Bradley Beal want appearances in the All-Star Game, All-NBA, and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals. They were one game away last season. | 2 | 3-19 |
| 12 |  | The Pistons already got their Christmas wish with Andre Drummond's free throws. With nothing else to ask, all they have left to chase is a playoff appearance. | 1 | 19-5 |
| 13 |  | Under Damian Lillard's tree is a trip to the NBA All-Star game after being snubbed so many times in the past. | 6 | 9-15 |
| 14 |  | Milwaukee wants peace on Earth and for Giannis Antetokounmpo to win MVP. Perhaps both of these goals can be attained simultaneously. | 1 | 10-15 |
| 15 |  | Give the Pelicans a good defense this Christmas and maybe a new DeMarcus Cousins contract. | 1 | 3-21 |
| 16 |  | The Heat would like a chance to take back some of the contracts they singed this offseason. For now, they're spending Christmas on the luxurious Waiters Island. | -- | 14-10 |
| 17 |  | The Knicks would like the amnesty clause to return so they can shed some unwanted money off their books. Also a box of Kellogg's unicorn cereal. | 9 | 16-7 |
| 18 |  | The Jazz want Donovan Mitchell to win the Rookie of the Year award and for Rudy Gobert to come back with bionic legs. | -- | 8-15 |
| 19 |  | The Bulls' winning streak has messed up this gift, but Chicago really wants a top lottery pick. | 1 | 9-14 |
| 20 |  | Give the Lakers a pair of Big Baller Brand sneakers and for LaVar Ball to stop talking so much about Luke Walton. | 1 | 17-6 |
| 21 |  | The Kings have gotten top draft picks before. They've had star players before. All they want for Christmas is a stable front office. | 2 | 6-17 |
| 22 |  | While this is the season of giving, the Nets would be willing to take a first-round pick off anybody's hands this Christmas. | -- | 6-17 |
| 23 |  | Michael Jordan looks under his tree and what does he see? Some help for Kemba Walker and an amnesty. | 2 | 7-17 |
| 24 |  | Doc Rivers would like some free tickets to The Masters and the Clippers would like someone to switch the injury settings to "off." | 2 | 6-18 |
| 25 |  | The 76ers found Joel Embiid under the tree after years of trusting the process. Now they want that process to be rewarded with a playoff appearance. | 6 | 13-10 |
| 26 |  | Eric Bledsoe left something under the Suns' tree on his way out. Coupons to his favorite hair salon and a list of potential coaching hires. | 2 | 13-10 |
| 27 |  | The Mavericks don't have much to play for, but a 50-point scoring outburst from Dirk Nowitzki would put a smile on everybody's face. | 3 | 9-16 |
| 28 |  | Mike Conley is under the Grizzlies' tree along with Tony Allen and Zach Randolph. The ship might be sinking, but they would at least they get one last season of 'Grit 'N' Grind.' | 1 | 11-13 |
| 29 |  | The Hawks would love a No. 1 overall pick along with the latest 2 Chainz album. | 1 | 14-11 |
| 30 |  | Give the Magic free season passes to Disney and a time machine to go back to October | 3 | 14-10 |
