Who are your top 5 teams in the NBA?

[saltlover]

So we lost Hayward and still win.....How good are the rockets minus Harden.

The Rockets have been without Chris Paul, which is a far more apt comparison.

I壇 say Hayward is a fair bit better than Paul at this point in their respective careers, although Harden is better than Hayward.  I知 not sure which comparison is more apt.

[greece66]

So we lost Hayward and still win.....How good are the rockets minus Harden.

The Rockets have been without Chris Paul, which is a far more apt comparison.

I壇 say Hayward is a fair bit better than Paul at this point in their respective careers, although Harden is better than Hayward.  I知 not sure which comparison is more apt.

you mean Harden is better than Kyrie? 

[Celtics4ever]

1. Celtics
2. Celtics
3. Celtics
4. Celtics
5. Celtics

[Moranis]

So we lost Hayward and still win.....How good are the rockets minus Harden.

The Rockets have been without Chris Paul, which is a far more apt comparison.

I壇 say Hayward is a fair bit better than Paul at this point in their respective careers, although Harden is better than Hayward.  I知 not sure which comparison is more apt.

not according to basically all the preseason rankings from ESPN, SI, NBA radio, etc.  In fact Paul was a good deal above Hayward on those rankings.

[Moranis]

Based on the season thus far or where we think the teams will end up when all is said and done, because those are two vastly different things.

[PhoSita]

Golden State is #1.

I think the Rockets are #2.


The Celts are winning with defense and clutch plays.  I'm not sure how sustainable it is, but they're clearly still one of the best teams in the East.  I'm not sure how they're managing to be so coordinated on both ends of the floor after so much turnover and such a young roster.  It's incredible.  Brad Stevens is the runaway Coach of the Year candidate so far.


After that, it's hard to say exactly.  The other "good" teams have been very up and down.

I don't believe in the Pistons, I don't think the Raptors are better than they've been in the past, and I'm not surprised the Thunder are struggling.  I'm kind of happy they are, actually, because I hate the way they play.  I don't believe in the Magic.


I think the Spurs will be in the mix once Kawhi comes back.

I might actually say the Blazers are the 5th team, considering they're top 5 in defensive efficiency with a significant point differential and two elite scoring guards.  I don't think they will be all season, but the Lillard - CJ - Nurkic trio seems legit.

Agree with the bolded part. Not sure what you see in Portland though.

They're top 5 in defensive efficiency so far this year and are scoring 105+ points per 100, which is solid.  Plus they have Lillard and McCollum to create tough shots.

Defense plus elite individual scoring is a solid basis for a good team.

[PhoSita]

Pho it is funny. I was really thinking of putting Portland number 5 (along with memphis). Since then they lost to the nets at home. I like their players I just don't think they have something to make a leap to great. If they were playing Memphis in a close game I think they would lose. I also think Denver could pass them.

don't get me wrong, the fact that the Blazers are at #5 on my list says more about how mediocre the rest of the teams that are supposed to be in that second tier have been rather than how good they've been.


the Clips looked awesome at first but have stumbled since then; the Cavs are struggling as we all know; the Nuggets are still figuring things out; the Grizzlies are good but their offense is inconsistent.

[greece66]

Golden State is #1.

I think the Rockets are #2.


The Celts are winning with defense and clutch plays.  I'm not sure how sustainable it is, but they're clearly still one of the best teams in the East.  I'm not sure how they're managing to be so coordinated on both ends of the floor after so much turnover and such a young roster.  It's incredible.  Brad Stevens is the runaway Coach of the Year candidate so far.


After that, it's hard to say exactly.  The other "good" teams have been very up and down.

I don't believe in the Pistons, I don't think the Raptors are better than they've been in the past, and I'm not surprised the Thunder are struggling.  I'm kind of happy they are, actually, because I hate the way they play.  I don't believe in the Magic.


I think the Spurs will be in the mix once Kawhi comes back.

I might actually say the Blazers are the 5th team, considering they're top 5 in defensive efficiency with a significant point differential and two elite scoring guards.  I don't think they will be all season, but the Lillard - CJ - Nurkic trio seems legit.

Agree with the bolded part. Not sure what you see in Portland though.

They're top 5 in defensive efficiency so far this year and are scoring 105+ points per 100, which is solid.  Plus they have Lillard and McCollum to create tough shots.

Defense plus elite individual scoring is a solid basis for a good team.

>so far>

I think that's my problem - IMO the season so far matters very little for making conclusions on a teams advanced stats.

[smokeablount]

Based on the season thus far or where we think the teams will end up when all is said and done, because those are two vastly different things.

This.  If it's the former then whether you believe in Detroit shouldn't matter, and if it's the latter then teams with bad records that have studs (Cavs, OKC, Bucks) are fair game.  But I think the Warriors, Houston and Boston, and maybe the Spurs should probably be top 5-6 on both lists.

[colincb]

1 GSW
2 BOS
3 HOU
4 Don't know
5 Don't know

I'll take a healthy BOS (less GH) over HOU with CP with Cs having much better D, better net margin, and 5-0 vs 3-3 against teams with a .500+ record. Also, never been a fan of CP or Harden as I think they both have a choke gene. The rest is a mess, but if forced. I'd guess the Spurs would sneak in. The Cavs have real problems but will be dangerous if IT gets back healthy.

[Androslav]

GSW
BOS
SAS
HOU
CLE

I believe the 6th team could move in after some kind of a deadline move.