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NBA Power Rankings Playoff Edition: Brooklyn Nets Come In Near The Bottom

By Kenneth Teape

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Apr 15, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors line up before autographing jerseys for fans after the win against the Denver Nuggets at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets 133-126. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

2. San Antonio Spurs (55-27) 6th Place In Western Conference

The defending champion Spurs may be a six seed in name, but are a top seed in reputation and performance. They ended the season winning 11 of their last 12, with the only loss coming the last night of the season against a hungry Pelicans squad needing a win to make the playoffs. The loss dropped the Spurs from the two-seed all the way to the six-seed, but you won’t see anyone in San Antonio worrying about it.

The trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are as prepared for the postseason as any, and with Popovich leading the way there is nothing they aren’t prepared for. Kawhi Leonard is a star in the making, and looks to be next in the line of great Spurs players. They are peaking at the right time, and will be difficult to defeat even without home court advantage.

The only thing that could catch up to them is fatigue, as the Western Conference is loaded. The Spurs start off by facing Chris Paul on the perimeter and DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin inside, followed by potentially James Harden and Dwight Howard, then the Splash Bros and Andrew Bogut if everything goes chalk in the West. That is a daunting task, but if any team is capable of doing it, it is the Spurs.

1. Golden State Warriors (67-15) 1st Place In Western Conference

The Warriors earned not only the number one seed in the Western Conference, but in the NBA as a whole with as dominant a regular season as anyone has ever seen. They crushed opponent throughout the season, finishing with a point differential of +10.1. A lot of that came at home at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors are virtually unbeatable, losing only twice, to the Spurs and Bulls (in overtime), all season.

Head coach Steve Kerr must count his blessings every night that the Warriors came and offered him a deal as he was ready to coach the Knicks this season. Instead, he leads a team that is outstanding offensively behind Splash Bros Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, and bring it defensively as well. They are two deep at basically every position, and bring two former All-Stars off the bench in Andre Iguodala and David Lee.

There is very little, if anything, to say negatively about this team. They have various levels of playoff experience throughout the roster, and no injuries to worry about heading into the postseason like some of their opposition does. They are primed for a deep postseason run, as the playoffs run through their home arena and they are strong on both ends of the court.

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