2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 6: Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies Best Teams in the League
Welcome to another edition of NBA Power Rankings.
The Western Conference is dominating Week 6 with all five teams coming from the West. Even more impressive, four Southwest teams made the top five this week.
Here are the top five teams in the NBA after six weeks.
1. Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors have been on fire lately. At 18-2, the Warriors lead the Pacific division over the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns. More importantly, the Warriors are the No. 1 seed the Western Conference. This Warriors squad is 7-1 at home so far, and having home court advantage would set up perfectly come playoff time. Head coach Steve Kerr has done a terrific job in his first season. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have been great this season, especially from beyond the perimeter. The Warriors rank fourth in offense and fifth in defense, creating an extremely balanced squad.
2. San Antonio Spurs
Don't look now, but the San Antonio Spurs are have won nine of their last 10 games. Despite not having Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills, the Spurs have been weathering the injury storm. Tony Parker has been battling a rib injury, but 38-year-old Tim Duncan has been playing great averaging more than 10 rebounds per game this season. Manu Ginobili and Danny Green have been the Spurs best 3-point shooters. Recently, the Spurs handed the Memphis Grizzlies their only home loss of the season. The Spurs play in an extremely tough Southwest division, but Gregg Popovich is up for the challenge.
3. Memphis Grizzlies
The best defensive team in the league comes in at No. 3. Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies are allowing less than 94 points per game. Zach Randolph leads the Grizzlies in rebounds to create the most powerful front court in the NBA. The biggest issue for this team has been long distance shooting. The Grizzlies rank 28th overall in three point shots made this season. Could free agent Ray Allen be an option? Still, the Grizzlies are right in the mix of things and will make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
4. Houston Rockets
At 16-4, the Rockets have won their last four consecutive games. The Rockets are the best three point shooting team in the NBA thanks to Trevor Ariza, James Harden and Jason Terry. With Dwight Howard taking care of the defensive rebounds and blocks, the Rockets are a dangerous playoff team. The Rockets defense ranks third overall in the league in points allowed. If Harden can improve his defense, this Rockets team can make it all the way to the finals.
5. Dallas Mavericks
Another Southwest team makes the list.
The Dallas Mavericks have won six of their last seven games, and they have the No. 1 offense in the league scoring more than 110 points per game. Dirk Nowitzki directs the offensive unit, but Monta Ellis leads the Mavericks in scoring with 21.2 points per game. Because Nowitzki accepted so much less money, Mark Cuban and the Mavericks were able to build around him this previous offseason. Nowitzki is the fourth highest paid player on the Mavericks behind Tyson Chandler, Chandler Parsons and Ellis. If this Mavericks are going to win their second NBA Championship, they will have to improve their defense.
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