NBA midseason report: midseason awards and power rankings
Ray Hupfer
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: Sports
Surprise Team
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Houston Rockets
The West dominates the surprising teams at the midway point. Houston is only four games behind Dallas despite being without Yao and Tracy McGrady all year. Memphis started 1-8 and it looked like the Allen Iverson experiment would doom the team; however, with Gasol and Zach Randolph playing like possessed men down low, and Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo being more than capable scorers, the Grizzlies are sitting only a half-game behind Houston. And Oklahoma City, led by Durant and Russell Westbrook, has become a playoff contender a year or two ahead of schedule and are only five games behind the red-hot Denver Nuggets.
Disappointing Team
1. New Jersey Nets
2. Washington Wizards
3. Toronto Raptors
With Turkoglu added to the duo of Jose Calderon and Bosh, the Raptors were supposed to be a serious contender in the East. Instead, they're sitting at .500. The Wizards had some hopes for this season since they would finally have a chance to have their big-three, Arenas, Butler, and Antawn Jamison, play together. But they sit 15 games under .500 and are dealing with both legal and trade issues. And while the Nets weren't expected to be good, they sit at an abysmal 3-40. The worst record since the NBA moved to an 82-game season-9-73 by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers.
Top 5 Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks, led by Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, lead the Southeast Division and boast a .667 winning percentage. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups have lifted the Nuggets to the top spot in the Northwest and to the second-best record in the West. Despite the injuries, the Celtics have the second-best record in the East and are getting back to full-strength. LeBron and Cavs have played great, but someone is going to have to fill the void left by the injury to Mo Williams. And the Lakers, like the Celtics, have dealt with injuries all year, but still boast the best record in the NBA and are the defending champs, giving them the top spot.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Houston Rockets
The West dominates the surprising teams at the midway point. Houston is only four games behind Dallas despite being without Yao and Tracy McGrady all year. Memphis started 1-8 and it looked like the Allen Iverson experiment would doom the team; however, with Gasol and Zach Randolph playing like possessed men down low, and Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo being more than capable scorers, the Grizzlies are sitting only a half-game behind Houston. And Oklahoma City, led by Durant and Russell Westbrook, has become a playoff contender a year or two ahead of schedule and are only five games behind the red-hot Denver Nuggets.
Disappointing Team
1. New Jersey Nets
2. Washington Wizards
3. Toronto Raptors
With Turkoglu added to the duo of Jose Calderon and Bosh, the Raptors were supposed to be a serious contender in the East. Instead, they're sitting at .500. The Wizards had some hopes for this season since they would finally have a chance to have their big-three, Arenas, Butler, and Antawn Jamison, play together. But they sit 15 games under .500 and are dealing with both legal and trade issues. And while the Nets weren't expected to be good, they sit at an abysmal 3-40. The worst record since the NBA moved to an 82-game season-9-73 by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers.
Top 5 Power Rankings
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks, led by Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, lead the Southeast Division and boast a .667 winning percentage. Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups have lifted the Nuggets to the top spot in the Northwest and to the second-best record in the West. Despite the injuries, the Celtics have the second-best record in the East and are getting back to full-strength. LeBron and Cavs have played great, but someone is going to have to fill the void left by the injury to Mo Williams. And the Lakers, like the Celtics, have dealt with injuries all year, but still boast the best record in the NBA and are the defending champs, giving them the top spot.