NBA Power Rankings

At this point, the NBA season is about 1/3 of the way done, so I thought it only made sense to supply you with my own personal power rankings at this point in the season. Being a shortened 66-game season, you may be slightly surprised by some teams and not so surprised by others. Before the season even started, it was a pretty safe bet saying Miami, Chicago, and Oklahoma City would be better than most other teams. But who thought Philadelphia would be in my top 5? Check it out:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant

OKC has been playing very well this season. They are leading the Western Conference and have one of the youngest cores in the league. Not only are they young, they are intimidating and pretty damn good. They've had a couple of head-scratching losses, but I see this team representing the West in the Finals.

2. Chicago Bulls
Quite possibly the team representing the East in the Finals, the Bulls have had a great first third of the season. Currently on top of the East, the Bulls depth is what I love. They have an incredible starting lineup and then have players like Richard Hamilton, Kyle Korver, Taj Gibson, and Omer Asik. These four bench players could easily start on other teams throughout the league.

Derrick Rose

3. Miami Heat
Any team with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh is probably going to be pretty good. Even with Wade missing many games so far this season, Miami has still managed to only lose 6 games so far. LeBron is definitely the best player on the team and is in the prime of his career. I don't see him getting past Chicago in the playoffs again, though.

4. Boston Celtics
I may be a little biased here being a lifelong Celtics fan, but I do really think this team has what it takes to get to the Finals. After a very sloppy start to the season, the Celtics have won 7 out of their last 8 with impressive wins over teams that people say are "better" than Boston. With Paul Pierce being awarded Player of the Week honors in the Eastern Conference, he led the Celtics without the injured Rajon Rondo. Even without the all star point guard, Boston did very well, which shows me a lot about this team. Their experience and will to win will give any team a challenge in the playoffs. Keep your chin up, New England. The Patriots may have lost, but the Celtics are playing some exciting basketball at the moment.

Paul Pierce

5. Philadelphia 76ers
No one saw this coming. Philly is on top of the Atlantic division and basically has a mirror record to the likes of Miami and Chicago. They have the best defense in the league and have been using their young legs to score plenty of fast-paced points. They've beat some very good teams and are showing no sign of slowing down. I just question if they can really handle the pressure of an intense playoff series.