Coming down the home stretch, Legitimate Contenders for the 2009-2010 NBA Championship
Every year since the 2000-2001 season, each of the two teams which have reached the NBA Finals (i.e. the Champion and the Finalist) have also finished the regular season schedule with a Quality Rating (QR) of 34, or better, and a Quality Index Rank (QIR) of #11 or better (when compared to all playoff teams that year) … i.e. What it takes to win the NBA Championship.
If the NBA Playoffs were to start today, this is what the list of legitimate contenders to win the championship actually looks like:
|
LEGITIMATE CONTENDERS TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP [as of Sun Feb 28 2010] |
|||||||||
|
TEAM |
W-L REC |
WIN % |
PDR |
PAR |
RDR |
QR |
QIR |
ECPT-QIR |
WCPT-QIR |
|
Cavaliers |
46-14 |
.767 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Magic |
40-20 |
.667 |
3 |
6 |
5 |
14 |
2 |
2 |
|
|
Lakers |
45-15 |
.750 |
2 |
8 |
5 |
15 |
3 |
|
3 |
|
Spurs |
33-24 |
.579 |
8 |
9 |
3 |
20 |
4 |
|
4 |
|
Thunder |
35-23 |
.603 |
9 |
7 |
5 |
21 |
5 |
|
5 |
|
Jazz |
38-21 |
.644 |
4 |
13 |
5 |
22 |
6 |
|
6 |
|
Blazers |
35-27 |
.565 |
11 |
4 |
10 |
25 |
7 |
|
7 |
|
Bobcats |
28-29 |
.491 |
14 |
2 |
12 |
28 |
8 |
8 |
|
|
Heat |
29-31 |
.483 |
14 |
3 |
12 |
29 |
9 |
|
|
|
Celtics |
36-21 |
.632 |
6 |
1 |
23 |
30 |
10 |
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bulls |
31-28 |
.525 |
19 |
14 |
4 |
37 |
11 |
10 |
|
|
Bucks |
30-29 |
.508 |
13 |
11 |
14 |
38 |
12 |
11 |
|
|
Hawks |
37-21 |
.638 |
6 |
12 |
24 |
42 |
13 |
12 |
|
|
Grizzlies |
30-29 |
.508 |
18 |
23 |
2 |
43 |
14 |
|
|
|
Pistons |
21-38 |
.356 |
25 |
10 |
9 |
44 |
15 |
|
|
|
Mavericks |
39-21 |
.650 |
12 |
15 |
18 |
45 |
16 |
|
13 |
|
Nuggets |
39-20 |
.661 |
5 |
22 |
22 |
49 |
17 |
|
14 |
|
76ers |
22-36 |
.379 |
21 |
17 |
14 |
52 |
T-18 |
|
|
|
Clippers |
24-35 |
.407 |
25 |
16 |
11 |
52 |
T-18 |
|
|
|
Rockets |
29-29 |
.500 |
16 |
21 |
18 |
55 |
T-20 |
|
|
|
Hornets |
31-29 |
.517 |
20 |
19 |
26 |
55 |
T-20 |
|
|
|
Suns |
37-24 |
.607 |
10 |
29 |
20 |
59 |
22 |
|
15 |
|
Wizards |
21-36 |
.368 |
23 |
20 |
20 |
63 |
23 |
|
|
|
Knicks |
20-38 |
.345 |
22 |
25 |
29 |
66 |
24 |
|
|
|
Raptors |
31-27 |
.534 |
17 |
26 |
24 |
67 |
25 |
16 |
|
|
Kings |
20-39 |
.339 |
25 |
27 |
16 |
68 |
26 |
|
|
|
Timberwolves |
14-47 |
.230 |
29 |
28 |
17 |
74 |
27 |
|
|
|
Nets |
6-53 |
.102 |
30 |
18 |
27 |
75 |
28 |
|
|
|
Pacers |
20-39 |
.339 |
28 |
24 |
28 |
80 |
29 |
|
|
|
Warriors |
17-41 |
.293 |
24 |
30 |
30 |
84 |
30 |
|
|
|
LEGEND: W-L REC – Won-Loss Record; WIN % – Winning Percentage; PDR – Points Differential Ranking; PAR – Points Allowed Ranking; RDR – Rebounding Differential Ranking; QR – Quality Rating [i.e. PDR + PAR + RDR]; QIR – Quality Index Ranking [i.e. No. 1-30]; ECPT-QIR – Eastern Conference Playoff Teams Quality Index Ranking; WCPT-QIR – Western Conference Playoff Team Quality Index Ranking; Blue Shade – Eastern Conference Playoff Teams; Red Shade – Western Conference Playoff Teams. |
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There are only 9 teams in the hunt with a little more than 1 month’s worth of games left to be played.
4 in the Eastern Conference:
Cleveland Cavaliers [#1]
Orlando Magic [#2]
Charlotte Bobcats [#8], and
Boston Celtics [#9];
and,
5 in the Western Conference:
Los Angeles Lakers [#3]
San Antonio Spurs [#4]
Oklahoma City Thunder [#5]
Utah Jazz [#6], and
Portland Trail Blazers [#7].
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