Please Vote! Season 21 Power Rankings Week 2- East & West

Same system as last season = Stock Up = Stock Even = Stock Down
(Stock does not=Rank, a team can stay even but if a teams stock rises above them they overtake them)

East

1- Raptors

The Raps follow up a decent start to the season with a 5-1 record in week 2 with a couple of big wins over the Kings and Nets. Their one hiccup is perhaps a little peak of a weakness for this team though, they seem like they’re still looking to put together a solid second line and have yet to find that ideal combination yet. This is clearly a team who put together their ideal first line and so far, they’re getting the production that they’re looking for from them and are going to continue to be one of the toughest lines in the league to play. If they can figure out their second line and continue to get good performances from their depth and bench expect them to hang out around the top of the East for the season. The Question for the Raps will continue to be their second line.

Team MVP so far- @Im Tom 7-1 26ppg 7.3apg 67%fg

Surprise of the Week- @l Craw Daddy l 1-0 23ppg 3apg 91%fg

2- Nets

The Nets stay right near the top of the standings in the East, the only reason they sit 2 is based on their head to head this week against the Raps, but at this point its really a 1a & 1b, these teams are too close to tell. Another strong week none the less for the Nets who’s 4-2 record will more than likely be their average as the season goes on. This is another top line in the league, a line that has carried them up until this point and will continue to be their biggest strength going into week 3, if their second line can continue to get them some wins they could very well come out on top of the East at the end of the season. Question for the Nets, can they find their depth and put out competitive lines every game?

Team MVP so far- @VenomOnFire 6-2 25.6ppg 9.8apg 57%fg

Surprise of the Week- @Mike Is A Goat 2-0 20.5ppg 63%fg

3- 76ers

Two weeks in and the 76ers are showing everyone that they are the real deal, they’re making a serious case why they should be considered a top team and were 4 points away from being undefeated on the week, finishing 5-1 with only a tough, tough loss to the Kings. They didn’t have an easy schedule this week by any means and still dominated and their tough schedule will continue into week 3 where they will play a back-to-back against the Bulls as well as face the Nets and Raptors, if you’re not quite convinced yet this upcoming week could silence all of their critics. The 76ers have a deep lineup of guys who clearly have ample chemistry as a 10-man unit, if you put out a sub par lineup against these guys you should just expect an L at this point these guys are no pushovers. Question for the 76ers, can you keep this consistency up?

Team MVP so far- @im just a squid 5-2 26.4ppg 6.6apg 4.3stl 71.3%fg

Surprise of the Week- @pr0fit3 4-0 16.8ppg 65%fg

4- Bucks

The question for the Bucks this week was how they would handle a tougher schedule in week 2, and the question was not the best, they finished the week 2-4 but they did pry a win away from the Rockets. The only game they lost this week by more than 10 points was against the 76ers who have a top 3 D in the league, so clearly, they’re almost there and a couple of minor adjustments and this week looks very different, don’t count them out just yet. The key to their future success could have shown his hand on Friday, @YungTickle had a night, dropping 37 & 7 against the Rockets and 42 & 2 against the Blazers and could be the key to them coming out on top in the future if he can keep those numbers up. Question for the Bucks is whether they have that game 5 line to compete with the other top lines in the league.

Team MVP so far- @Texans80mvp 5-3 5.3ppg 11reb 3.3apg 62.5%fg

Surprise of the Week- @YungTickle 1-2 30.3ppg 5apg 55.9%fg

5- Bulls

Top to bottom just a rough week for the Bulls, they looked so strong coming out of the first week but stumbled heavily going 1-5 in week 2, with losses to multiple sub .500 teams the Bulls will have some soul searching to do. Unfortunately for them they may have the toughest week 3 schedule in the league, playing top 4 teams in 5 of their 6 games and will also run into an emerging Knicks squad, they will need to get it back together this week or they could continue to drop. The positive thing for the Bulls is that there’s nowhere to go but up from here, one bad week does not equal the end of your season in this league, Question for the Bulls will be how well they can keep things composed and bounce back next week.

Team MVP so far- @Beta Dreams 4-4 21.5ppg 13.1apg 57%fg

Surprise of the Week- @CookEmUp Dimez 1-2 16.7ppg 54.8%fg

6- Knicks

A big turn around week for the Knicks, they made a couple of moves, kept putting out lineups that could compete and pulled out some big wins in a 3-3 week including a win against the Lakers. Two of their losses were in close games against the Nugs and Kings, two top teams in the West, it’ll be very interesting to see if this team can continue to improve, gain some more chemistry and keep battling for a playoff spot as the season continues. They have a difficult week coming up, but this is the type of team that’s first line will beat most teams second lines, think twice about writing this team off as a free win as they have proven that they’re no pushover, look for them to continue to steal games from teams who underestimate them. Question for this team, can they continue to improve and try to hop in that last playoff spot.

Team MVP so far- @Viktomize 2-4 25.2ppg 52.2%fg

Surprise of the Week- @SIimeWorld 2-0 7.5ppg 7.5reb 2.5apg 3.0stl 2.0blk 60%fg

7- Magic

Another big turnaround from a struggling team, after not winning a game in week one they made some trades, adjusted the lineups and came back strong for week 2 finishing 3-3 on the week including a blowout win against the Bulls. Another case of owners who didn’t give up after a rough start to the season, they traded for a couple of HBB boys who showed their worth going 2-2 on the week. This is the stuff you love to see and now the Magic and Knicks have turned the East into a very competitive division. Couple of Questions for the magic now, can they continue to improve? And can they figure out what their top line is to throw out in winnable games?

Team MVP so far- @HBB TONE 3-3 13.3ppg 14.8reb 3.5apg 2.8stl 44.9%fg

Surprise of the Week- @Torched Xans 2-1 12.3ppg 3apg 2.3stl 75%fg


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West

1- Kings

No movement after another solid week for the Kings at 4-2, they’ve cemented themselves as the team to beat in the West right now, but with that being said they haven’t quite run away with the Conference just yet. The Kings are a team with a number of very talented guys, they’re beating teams right now purely based on skill but have faltered against some of the top lines in the league in their 3 losses, they clearly have the skill and when they can figure out who their game 5 lineup is this team will just get all the more terrifying to play. Kudos to their management for the quality and depth of talent that they put together as well, as they’re getting some quality production out of their entire roster. Question for the Kings, who’s your game 5 line and how good of a top line can they beat?

Team MVP so far- @FlaccoOnFire 4-3 23.7ppg 3.4apg 3.7stl 63.9%fg

Surprise of the Week- @Rico Suave TOS 2-0 9ppg 12reb 4blk 50%fg

2- Nuggets

Nuggets came out in week 2 and did exactly what was expected of them, they had a winnable week and converted that into a 5-1 record putting them right back in the hunt in the West, including what may have been the game of the week in a 69-66 nail biter win over the Bulls. This team is the real deal, they have a deep roster of very talented players and 2 lines that can obviously compete with any team in the league, easily the best example of an owner building a contender through bidding alone. Their one hiccup came against a hot 76ers squad but other than that there’s really nothing to critique for the Nugs this week and clearly they also have a positive locker room as bouncing back after a start you weren’t expecting is never easy. Question for the Nuggets, can you beat the top lines you play next week and steal that top spot?

Team MVP so far- @OG GrandPoppa 5-2 29ppg 8apg 3stl 69.3%fg

Surprise of the Week- @SosaOnFire 2-0 33ppg 9apg 4.5stl 68.9%fg

(this one was a tough one @Jordan 704 & @CPT84 ya’ll also had great weeks)

3- Rockets

Another team in the West that got the bounce back that they needed in week 2, the Rockets rebounded with a 4-2 record hoping up one spot in the process. They had 3 big wins against the Bulls, Kings and Nets and although they dropped their 2 games with makeshift lines, they’re clearly making some progress when it comes to trying to spread out their talent. They have a calmer week coming up and will be looking to keep their trend moving upward, this week will also include a huge match-up against the Nuggets on Friday at 9:30. Minichud has clearly kept himself busy, making trades and tinkering with his lineup which is what you love to see from managers, this upcoming week will be telling of how likely the Rockets are to compete for that top spot in the West. Question for the Rockets is the same as last week, how solid of a second line/depth lines can you put out game to game?

Team MVP so far- @D Andoo99 6-2 28.3ppg 9.5apg 5.8stl 68.3%fg

Surprise of the Week- @Sam F N STACKS 3-1 14.8ppg 6apg 2.3stl 50%fg

4- Lakers

Consistency seems to be the model for the Lakers, a tough loss to the Knicks slides them to 3-3 on the week but this is a team that has shown that they belong in the conversation when it comes to playoff teams in the West. They’re winning most of their games against teams below them in the standings, which is the recipe for the playoff’s in this league, that being said they do have a difficult game coming up against 4 top teams and it’ll be interesting to see how they fair. One thing that needs to be said about the Lakers, that every other owner and player in the league needs to know about their early success is this, the Lakers are playing together consistently, these guys are in Rec and Pro-Am together on a regular basis and the results have been apparent. Question for the Lakers, with all of that depth, is there a top line that can compete with the best lines in the league?

Team MVP so far- @RiCo505 4-1 16.6ppg 6.6apg 54.8%fg

Surprise of the Week- @Beardo526 2-1 6.7ppg 12.7reb 3.4apg 2stl 3.4blk 75%fg

5- Blazers

Another week, another giant question mark for the Blazers 2-4 on the week but their wins came against good teams in the Raps and Bucks but losses to teams like the Knicks and Magic make it so tough to place them at the moment. Back to back 2-4 weeks pretty much solidify them as a fringe playoff team in the West at best, especially with how many teams are having success in the early goings. The big issue for the Blazers so far has been their offence, they don’t seem to have “the guy” who can take over teams and pop off when they need someone too, they’ll have a guy show up for a game or two but nothing consistently. Question for the Blazers, who is your guy?

Team MVP so far- @Unkipazinpi 3-4 11ppg 3.1reb 3.7apg 4.6stl 76.8%fg

Surprise of the Week- @xI Nightwing Ix 0-2 19.5ppg 66.7%fg

6- T’Wolves

Top to bottom just a rough week for the T’Wolves, other than a huge win against a solid Bulls lineup they really couldn’t seem to get anything going and a 1-5 record on the week is a clear tell that changes need to be made. Rise has made some trades to try and get their season but they look to be some trades for the worse at this point, it’ll be interesting to see if they continue to make moves. This is a team definitely not to be counted out just yet, they have a plethora of talented guys in their roster, their issue at the moment seems to be finding the right lineups and being 3 games out of a playoff spot does not spell the end of their season. Question for the T’Wolves, can you find that one line that can get you wins every week and play them in the winnable games?

Team MVP so far- @A Sniper13 3-5 17ppg 2.6stl 67%fg

Surprise of the Week- @xRICKOSHAY Not stats, more surprise of why he’s being played at the 2 when he can run the 1?

7- Thunder

So many things have been floated around about what’s going on with the Thunder right now, they don’t play games together outside of LG games, management doesn’t play with their players, guys are purposely throwing/giving up on games and it looks like no one on their team can seem to show up for a Friday game. Whether these are true or not is all guesses at this point, they’ve made 1 trade since their season started to fall apart and at this point, they’re going to have to do something to try and salvage any hope of competing this season. Upside? No where to go but up from here.