30. Utah Jazz (15-50)
Previous Week Ranking: 27th
Utah has the unfortunate designation of being the first team mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the Jazz were not making the playoffs, but when the math ultimately rules you out, it is a dark day.

29. Charlotte Hornets (16-48)
Previous Week Ranking: 30th
The Hornets are somehow on a 2-game winning streak, but both games were one-possession wins. Charlotte is still among the worst teams as of late, and there are even rumors of them looking to offload LaMelo Ball and or Miles Bridges in the summer. Not sure how that makes them a better team.

28. Washington Wizards (13-50)
Previous Week Ranking: 29th
Unfortunately for Washington fans, if any exist this year, the team is about to play itself out of the best odds in the NBA Draft. Trading for Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart was a good move to get veteran leaders in the locker room. The thing is, it has also led to more wins as of late, and they are on the verge of not having the league’s worst record.

27. Philadelphia 76ers (22-42)
Previous Week Ranking: 28th
Paul George shutting down his podcast to focus on winning a Championship may be the most laughable thing ever. First of all, Podcast P is not a great listen by itself. However, to then stop doing the podcast when your team is literally tanking and say you are focused on the ultimate goal is just outrageous. Any teams looking for bandwagon fans for the playoffs?

26. New Orleans Pelicans (17-48)
Previous Week Ranking: 25th
After showing some life and fight a week ago, New Orleans turned back to its losing ways. Granted, they played a stretch last week of all Western Conference playoff teams. Still, they went 0-4 with an average margin of loss of 16+ points in those contests.

25. Brooklyn Nets (22-42)
Previous Week Ranking: 24th
Brooklyn had a little something to celebrate after beating the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been rolling since the acquisition of Luka Doncic. The caveat was LeBron did not play against the Nets, but still the Nets should not have won this game. JJ Redick almost had a heart attack in his post-game presser.

24. Toronto Raptors (22-43)
Previous Week Ranking: 26th
Even when the Raptors are a good NBA team, which is rare, they are often forgotten as the only Canadian-based franchise. When they are bad, I cannot help but wonder if Adam Silver wants to consider moving the team back to America like what was done with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Also, thoughts and prayers to Gradey Dick who will miss some time for Toronto.

23. San Antonio Spurs (26-37)
Previous Week Ranking: 21st
Three consecutive losses for a Spurs team that has almost zero concern or motivation for this season. For the moment, while De’Aaron Fox is still not shut down, he continues to impress on the floor. The fantasies of a future with him and a healthy Wemby hang in the balance for now.

22. Miami Heat (29-35)
Previous Week Ranking: 18th
Last week, The Rankings noted some chemistry developing in Miami. Well, clearly that was a false alarm; the Heat are on a four-game skid, and two of those losses came to the Bulls and lowly Hornets. Miami needs to figure something out because even if they continue losing, they are likely going to be in the Play-In in the Eastern Conference.

21. Orlando Magic (30-36)
Previous Week Ranking: 20th
Dallas is clearly the poster child for a roster being decimated by injury, however, Orlando is not far off. Similarly to the Heat, the East is so bad, they do not seem like they can fall out of the playoffs no matter how hard they try. The Magic are 1-4 in March, and their losses do not have silver linings.

20. Phoenix Suns (30-35)
Previous Week Ranking: 22nd
Phoenix sits in 11th in the Western Conference standings, however, they will most likely sneak into the 10-seed. Dallas barely has enough players to roster a team and is in freefall, which will likely result in a swap with the Suns. How funny would it be to see the Suns just kill and roll some higher-seeded teams in the playoffs? The truth is, they have the capability and the pure talent to overpower some teams, even as bad as they have looked most of the year.

19. Chicago Bulls (27-38)
Previous Week Ranking: 23rd
The Bulls’ three-game winning streak and competitiveness as of late, has been spurred by an unlikely backcourt duo. Coby White and Josh Giddey are playing well off of each other and seem to play freer in the absence of Zach LaVine. Sometimes, all young players need is an opportunity to be the man.

18. Portland Trailblazers (28-38)
Previous Week Ranking: 17th
If you solely looked at records, you would think the Trailblazers last week was a failure with 4 straight losses. This Portland team faced off against Boston, Oklahoma City, Detroit, and Golden State, three of which were on the road. Outside of the Thunder matchup, the Trailblazers held their own. They will be a team to watch in the offseason.

17. Atlanta Hawks (31-34)
Previous Week Ranking: 19th
Are you telling me the streakiest team in the NBA is being streaky yet again? Atlanta has been one of the hardest teams to read all year. Early on, they were losing headscratchers and beating the league’s best teams. The Hawks are the Suns of the East. They may not have the talent, but they are a Play-In team that I want nothing to do with.

16. Dallas Mavericks (33-33)
Previous Week Ranking: 16th
Losing your superstars is heartbreaking. Losing your bench players, though, can be more costly, literally. The Mavericks only have 8 healthy active players, and due to salary cap restrictions, they literally cannot even sign a player to a 10-day contract to try and bridge the timeline of their latest injuries. Trading Luka was the start of the end.

15. Sacramento Kings (33-31)
Previous Week Ranking: 14th
If you remember two years ago when the Kings were a high seed in the Western Conference playoffs, it seemed like veteran teams wanted to be positioned to play Sacramento. The disrespect was noticeable, and it appears to be that way again this year. Granted, this year, Sacramento is not a good team and probably the easiest out in the West.

14. Indiana Pacers (35-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 10th
Indiana lost to the Hawks twice and the Bulls once last week. For a team that beats opponents with energy and a fast-paced game, the Pacers have looked apathetic recently. They are a team that can play up to the level of good teams, they just do not do it consistently enough to be taken seriously.

13. LA Clippers (35-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 15th
James Harden reminded everyone that he can still show flashes of his game that resemble when he was the most unstoppable offensive player in the league. Harden put up 50 in an impressive win for the Clippers over the Detroit Pistons. Kawhi continues to look in playoff form, but if Ty Lue plays him 40 minutes like he did against the Kings, he may need a few weeks off.

12. Houston Rockets (40-25)
Previous Week Ranking: 13th
After getting hammered last week on The Rankings, Houston responded well and went 3-0. The thing is, the Rockets did not play any impressive opponents and will unfortunately be with Amen Thompson, who has been a revelation for the team this year.

11. Memphis Grizzlies (41-24)
Previous Week Ranking: 12th
The Grizzlies, like the Rockets, have a record that seems to not be reflective of how good they really are. Memphis is a bit overstated and won all three games this past week, although two were barely wins over the embarrassing Pelicans and the struggling Suns.

10. Detroit Pistons (36-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 8th
The NBA regular season is 80% complete, and the Pistons are still the most under-the-radar team in the league. Eastern Conference teams do not seem to fear Detroit appropriately, which is fair, considering they were horrible last season. With a bonafide superstar and one of the best coaches in the year, I would take Detroit for real in a weak Conference.

9. Milwaukee Bucks (36-27)
Previous Week Ranking: 7th
Coming down this final stretch, Milwaukee is looking to position itself in a good spot in the Eastern Conference. If you have not watched many Bucks games, it is worth tuning in so you can see Giannis play at arguably the highest level of his career. Another thing you will notice is that he seems to have trouble trusting his teammates outside of Dame, which can lead to poor decisions in crunch time.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (37-29)
Previous Week Ranking: 11th
Minnesota is clicking on all cylinders and has won their last five. With Julius Randle and others reintegrating themselves in the lineup after injuries, rebuilding chemistry could be a concern. They have had an easy schedule lately, but their matchup tomorrow night with Denver should be must-see TV.

7. New York Knicks (41-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 6th
Heading into last week’s matchup with the Lakers, Jalen Brunson and KAT acknowledged their team’s struggles against the league’s best teams and were poised to get a win. Well, the Knicks had a double-digit lead heading into the fourth quarter and blew it, again. That was the second of three consecutive losses to the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers, once again proving the narrative correct.

6. Los Angeles Lakers (40-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 4th
I am not predicting a LeBron James MVP this season, yet there could be an argument. He is averaging stats that are eerily similar to the last time he won MVP in 2013. The Lakers superstar is expected to be out 1-2 weeks with a groin injury. As invincible as James has been over his career, at 40, any injury should be a concern for the Lakers.

5. Golden State Warriors (37-28)
Previous Week Ranking: 9th
The hottest team in the Western Conference looks to be the Golden State Warriors. They have won 5 in a row and 10 out of 11. Oddly enough, the one loss came to the Philadelphia 76ers and is definitely the outlier. Steph Curry is playing so rejuvenated, and it is undeniable that Jimmy Butler has had an enormous effect on this team in just a short period of time.

4. Denver Nuggets (42-23)
Previous Week Ranking: 5th
You can make an argument for more than a handful of teams to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. As of this date, The Rankings predicts it will be the Denver Nuggets. Jokic put up an absurd 30-20-20 triple-double, and even though he is unlikely to win his 4th MVP, he is unquestionably the greatest basketball player. With Jamal Murray and the supporting cast coming into form, it is hard to bet against Denver.

3. Boston Celtics (47-18)
Previous Week Ranking: 3rd
Can you name the only pair of Celtics teammates in the franchise’s historic existence to score 40 points in the same game? If you guessed Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, then clearly you listened to ESPN this week. Seriously though, that is one of the craziest statistics I have heard lately. With role players doing stuff like that, Boston proved yet again why they are the title favorite.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (53-12)
Previous Week Ranking: 1st
The Thunder and Nuggets played back-to-back games this weekend where each team won one in blowout fashion. Unless the Lakers have something to say, these two seem to be on a collision course in the Western Conference Finals, and hopefully, the games will be better. OKC dropping off the one line has less to do with them and more to do with Cleveland.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (54-10)
Previous Week Ranking: 2nd
Let’s try this again! The last time the Cavaliers topped The Rankings, they unraveled the following week. Now, respect must be paid. Cleveland has rolled off 14 straight wins and almost looks unbeatable. The restraint is understood with the reigning Champions in their Conference, but it can be said very plainly that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a really great team this year.