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The Spurs are the top team in the NBA right now. It goes without saying, and every power ranking our there has them number one. Their winning streak had to end eventually, but it doesn't really change who the best team is.
I would have thought that the Clippers would have been a near consensus for second, with the Thunder riding a two game losing streak into this week's round of rankings. But it seems that Oklahoma City's win over San Antonio has balanced out their subsequent losses to Houston and Phoenix.
Of course none of this matters. What would matter would be if the Clippers could pass the Thunder in the standings and secure home court advantage in a potential second round playoff series between the teams. The Clippers almost certainly have to win out (which would include a win over the Thunder on Wednesday night in STAPLES Center) and the Thunder would have to lose one more game -- perhaps at Indiana next Sunday.
The Clippers remain the second best team in the league by all metrics that go beyond winning percentages.
The average ranking for this week (after tossing out the lowest ranking and highest ranking) is 2.6.
| Source | Pundit | Rank(LAC) | Comment |
| ESPN.com | Marc Stein | 3 | The Clippers are quietly bracing for a No. 3 finish in the West that will almost certainly force them to beat OKC in Round 2 without home-court advantage. Let's see what happens Wednesday, when the Clips host Kevin Durant & Co. in ESPN's late game, before writing anything in stone. |
| Yahoo.com | Marc Spears | 3 | The Clippers own a 2-1 lead in the season series with the Thunder. The Clippers also are 32-6 this season at Staples Center. |
| CBS Sports | Matt Moore | 2 | Hard to get too worked up over a double-overtime loss to desperate Dallas. Or the alliteration in that previous sentence. Anyway, the Clippers continue to calcify their credentials as contenders. |
| SI.com | Matt Dollinger | 2 | Debating whether Blake Griffin or Chris Paul has been more valuable to the Clippers is like debating whether your arms or your legs are more important to your body. Both are critical to Los Angeles' title chances, which seem to grow by the day. |
| ProBasketballTalk | Kurt Helin | 2 | Health is the prevailing question in L.A., with key bench contributors Jamal Crawford and Danny Granger likely out until the playoffs begin. With a likely looming first round series against Golden State (and potential second round vs. OKC), the Clippers need Glen Davis focused (and playing for his next contract), plus a healthy Crawford and Granger to advance. |
| NBA.com | John Schuhmann | 2 | The Clippers might not be whole until the playoffs, but they did finally get J.J, Redick back last week. And it's like they've added two 3-point shooters, because after struggling with his jumper for a good month and a half, Chris Paul has shot 20-for-40 from beyond the arc over the last six games. The Clips hit 13 threes in their last meeting with the Thunder, who they'll host on Wednesday. |
| NBA.com | David Aldridge | x | No rankings this week |
| SB Nation | Jason Patt | 3 | The Clippers got J.J. Redick back from injury last week and have a legit chance at the No. 2 seed thanks to the Thunder's hiccups. |
| Sheridan Hoops | Kamenetsky Brothers | 3 | Wednesday's game vs. OKC might (might) have some implications, but the LAC's biggest need is to keep Griffin, Redick, and Co. healthy. |
| USA Today | 3 | In this week's NBA power rankings, we pick the unheralded hero of each team this season. Darren Collison, who admirably filled in when Chris Paul was hurt and allowed him to rest. |
| WP | RPI | MOV | SRS | Hollinger | NetRtg | |
| Total | .705 | .558 | .713 | 7.34 | 108.454 | 7.7 |
| Rank | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |