Legit Contenders To Win The NBA Championship, 2009-2010: PART I
The 2009-2010 NBA regular season schedule began on Tuesday, Oct 27, 2009, just less than 2 weeks ago.
Each team in the league has now played 5 games, at least, with certain ones having already played as many as 7.
What patterns have already begun to emerge?
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LEGITIMATE CONTENDERS TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP, 2009-2010: PART I |
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|
QIR |
Team, W-L/% |
PDR |
PAR |
RDR |
QR |
CR |
|
|
1 |
Boston Celtics, 7-1/.875 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
11 |
E1 |
|
|
2 |
Milwaukee Bucks, 3-2/.600 |
7 |
2 |
4 |
13 |
E2 |
|
|
3 |
Miami Heat, 5-1/.833 |
2 |
6 |
7 |
15 |
E3 |
|
|
4 |
Portland Trail Blazers, 4-3/.571 |
4 |
8 |
3 |
15 |
W1 |
|
|
|
Dallas Mavericks, 4-2/.667 |
3 |
10 |
6 |
19 |
W2 |
|
|
6 |
Okla City Thunder, |
11 |
4 |
5 |
20 |
W3 |
|
|
7 |
Charlotte Bobcats, 3-3/.500 |
19 |
3 |
2 |
24 |
E4 |
|
|
8 |
Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-3/.571 |
10 |
5 |
11 |
26 |
E5 |
|
|
9 |
Los Angeles Lakers, 6-1/.857 * |
5 |
11 |
16 |
32 |
W4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10 |
Phoenix Suns, 6-1/.857 |
6 |
24 |
10 |
40 |
W5 |
|
|
11 |
Orlando Magic, 5-2/.714 * |
12 |
14 |
15 |
41 |
E6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chicago Bulls, 4-2/.667 |
24 |
9 |
8 |
41 |
E7 |
|
|
13 |
Atlanta Hawks, 5-2/.714 |
9 |
20 |
14 |
43 |
E8 |
|
|
|
Detroit Pistons, 3-4/.429 |
16 |
7 |
20 |
43 |
|
|
|
15 |
Washington Wizards, 2-5/.286 * |
22 |
13 |
12 |
47 |
|
|
|
16 |
San Antonio Spurs, 2-3/.400 |
14 |
12 |
26 |
52 |
W6 |
|
|
17 |
Houston Rockets, 4-2/.667 * |
13 |
18 |
22 |
53 |
W7 |
|
|
18 |
Los Angeles Clippers, 3-4/.429 |
15 |
16 |
23 |
54 |
W8 |
|
|
19 |
Denver Nuggets, 5-2/.714 * |
8 |
23 |
24 |
55 |
|
|
|
20 |
Indiana Pacers, 2-3/.400 |
21 |
17 |
18 |
56 |
|
|
|
|
Memphis Grizzlies, 1-6/.143 |
26 |
29 |
1 |
56 |
|
|
|
22 |
Sacramento Kings, 3-4/.429 |
18 |
26 |
13 |
57 |
|
|
|
23 |
Philadelphia 76ers, 3-3/.500 |
23 |
21 |
17 |
61 |
|
|
|
|
Utah Jazz, 2-4/.333 |
20 |
22 |
19 |
61 |
|
|
|
25 |
Toronto Raptors, 3-3/.500 |
17 |
27 |
20 |
64 |
E13 |
|
|
26 |
Minnesota T-wolves, |
27 |
19 |
25 |
71 |
|
|
|
|
New Jersey Nets, 0-7/.000 |
30 |
14 |
27 |
71 |
|
|
|
28 |
New Orleans Hornets, 2-5/.286 |
25 |
25 |
28 |
78 |
|
|
|
29 |
New York Knicks, 1-6/.143 |
28 |
28 |
30 |
86 |
|
|
|
30 |
Golden State Warriors, 1-4/.200 |
29 |
30 |
29 |
88 |
|
|
|
Legend: QIR – Quality Index Ranking; PDR – Points Differential Ranking; PAR – Points Allowed Ranking; RDR – Rebounding Differential Ranking; CR – Conference Ranking; * - Significant player[s] OUT. |
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What It Takes To Win The NBA Championship
Where does your favourite squad rate, right now, in comparison with the best teams in the Association?
What are its specific strengths and weaknesses?
What specific aspects of the game will it need to improve, in order to:
i. Qualify for the playoffs?
ii. Win a 1st Round playoff series?
iii. Advance to the Conference Finals? or,
iv. Reach the NBA Finals?
Each season there are only a handful of teams which SHOULD be considered as ”legitimate contenders”, i.e. with what it takes to actually win the championship that year … as well as, in the not-too-distant future … while the rest are, in fact, strictly “pretenders”.
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PS. As the season progresses, it’s always interesting to see which teams move up on this chart, stay the same, or move down.
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
November 9th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
When you put out a chart like this could you provide enough commentary to have it make some sense?
At this point in the season, why would anyone have changed their mind about who is likely to win the conference finals and the championship?
No more than 8 teams are ever really in contention - only that many cause someone slips due to injury.