We’re just over one week into the NBA season, so naturally, every media outlet is putting out their freshest overreactions. That includes the worldwide leader, ESPN, which put out its week-one power rankings of all 30 teams in the league and placed the Celtics 8th, dropping them two spots from the preseason rankings, despite a 3-1 start.
Boston blew a big lead on opening day, but that was a wonky 3 pm start time on national television in a hostile environment against a very good Detroit Pistons squad. Since then, the Celtics have beaten the Knicks, smoked the Bulls, and toppled the Nets on the second night of a back-to-back.
Things have been far from perfect, and there is very clear room for improvement, yet the Celtics are still finding a way to win games and are now tied atop the Eastern Conference. But apparently that wasn’t impressive enough for ESPN to move them up, or even keep them at 6th, as they found a way to drop them below the Pistons, 76ers, and Raptors in the East.
Celtics have no business being jumped by the Raptors
Detroit is 4-1 and beat the Celtics, so that seems fair. The Sixers are 4-1 and have had some nice comebacks, so I can’t argue too much. But the Raptors are already missing Kawhi Leonard for a month and have the same record as Boston. Why would they jump from 12th to 7th while the Celtics dropped?
The Western Conference teams ahead of the Celtics somehow make even less sense. Even with the injuries and a tough loss in Dallas, I have no issues with the Thunder being ranked 1st in the NBA with a 4-1 record and impressive wins over the Spurs and Nuggets.
I’m also fine with the Rockets being ranked 4th, as they are still undefeated and have looked extremely promising. However, that’s about where the reasonable takes end.
Wolves and Lakers over Celtics is absurd
The Timberwolves are inexplicably ranked 2nd, even with two straight losses and Anthony Edwards set to be out for multiple months. At this point, they look like they’re going to have to battle just to stay in the top 6 in the West, let alone be a top-10 team in the NBA. That ranking is just absurd.
And sure, I know they are always going to receive some bias, but why would the Lakers be ranked 6th and ahead of Boston? Yes, they are 4-1, but their schedule has been a joke, with their wins coming against the Warriors, Jazz, and Clippers twice, while they fell at home to the Blazers. Luka Doncic has been great, but the defense is a mess. And yet, they’ve jumped from 11th to 6th and leapfrogged the Celtics. Make it make sense!
I know these are just ESPN rankings to rile people up, and ultimately, they don’t mean anything. But it would still be nice to actually get an accurate picture of the landscape of the league. Sadly, these rankings don’t fulfill that mission in the slightest. Maybe next week.
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