NBA Power Rankings: Quarter Season Edition
By Peter Owen
5. Miami Heat (LW: 3)
Did someone say the Heat look mortal again?
Not just yet, but two consecutive losses to the Pistons and Bulls certainly proved that they are vulnerable to certain types of teams. Both Detroit and Chicago boast strong frontcourt rotations stacked with quality rebounding big men. The Bulls’ domination on the boards on Thursday night was near-total: 27-9 at halftime. It almost takes effort to not accidentally grab more than nine misses from 36 shots.
ORtg: 108.0, DRtg: 99.4
6. Houston Rockets (LW: 8)
Houston’s meeting with Golden State was billed as a high-scoring track meet between two hot young contenders. Instead we witnessed sloppy basketball and Houston’s defense keying the victory. Dwight Howard is at least coming close to being prime Dwight again while the Houston wing players continue to be perfect at spreading the floor for the big man to work down low.
The Rockets had a strange, yo-yo kind of week. They left San Antonio with an impressive victory last weekend before contriving to lose in Utah and against Phoenix. We’ll give them a pass for the recovery on Friday night.
ORtg: 108.3, DRtg: 100.4