Celts are 1st in point differential, record, and defense. 15th in offense.
I think you've got to rank them at least 2nd based on what they've done through 10 games.
The Warriors are the best offense by a country mile, with the second best point differential. I think it's fair to rank them first.
Yeah, because everyone knows offense is more important than defense, right??
Yes, I'm being sarcastic!!
In the modern NBA offense is far more important than defense.
The Warriors have the best point differential (don’t know why someone earlier said they were #2 in that stat) on top of their best offense, on top of being obviously the best team over the past three years. First is perfectly reasonable for them.
But when it comes to Boston vs. Houston, the Celtics have the better record, the better point differential (by 4 per 100 possessions), the longer win streak (8 vs. a mere 3). It’s power rankings, which are silly clickbait designed to get people debating on the internet (well done, ESPN), but at the same time, they theoretically take into account recent performance more heavily. On top of being the better team over the course of the season (short tho it is), the Celtics are in a different class than the Rockets over the last two weeks. During that period, the Celtics are 7-0 with a +15.9 per 100 possessions. The Rockets are 5-3 with a +6.4 per 100 — the Celtics have been 9.5 points better than the Rockets per 100 possessions over the last two weeks. (Golden State is #1 at 16.7, then Boston, then OKC at 9.2, then Houston). In fact, over that time, the Celtics actually have as good an offense as Houston — both at 108.4 per 100.
The debate should be between Warriors and Celtics, and the Rockets should be in their own debate with other teams over #3. Because that’s the level the Celtics have been playing at the last two weeks — legitimately approaching Warriors-level dominance over other teams. That ESPN has the Rockets higher is simply due to their preconceived notion that Houston is a better team. They may very well ultimately wind up that way, but they have not demonstrated that to date.