The Warriors? Up here? WTF, Steve? Oh, wait. They're supposed to be here. Never mind.
| Rank | Team | Record | nERD | Last Ranking | Plus/Minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Charlotte Hornets | 5-6 | 59.4 | 11 | +1 |
| 9 | Houston Rockets | 8-3 | 59.7 | 7 | -2 |
| 8 | Orlando Magic | 6-4 | 60.8 | 13 | +5 |
| 7 | Memphis Grizzlies | 7-4 | 64.2 | 9 | -2 |
| 6 | Portland Trail Blazers | 6-5 | 64.7 | 3 | -3 |
| 5 | Toronto Raptors | 6-4 | 66.2 | 4 | -1 |
| 4 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4-6 | 68.4 | 6 | +2 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Clippers | 5-5 | 71.4 | 1 | -2 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics | 9-2 | 72.8 | 8 | +6 |
| 1 | Golden State Warriors | 8-3 | 79.2 | 2 | +1 |
The Expected
Coming into the season, the numberFire laboratory told us that the mighty Dubs were poised to set the record for the highest-ever nERD rating in our data base. Golden State was a bit wobbly coming out of the gate, but the wobbles are behind them.
They're ranked 13th in defensive efficiency -- not great, admittedly -- but their 116.3 offensive rating is a whopping 7.4 points ahead of second place Orlando's. Their +10.1 point differential leads the league, and they'll need each and every one of those points this week, as they'll be taking on Minnesota, Orlando, and Philadelphia.
The Unexpected
In an oddball nERD thing, three of the top-10 teams this week are at or below .500. Even odder is the fact that Oklahoma City is parked at number three. But there's a bunch of stuff about the Thunder that seems odd, the oddest being that they boast the third-best point differential in the West (+5.7), yet they're two games below .500 and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
Finally, despite their two-game losing streak -- one of which came against a really, really bad Chicago team -- Orlando made another quantum leap in the rankings. As noted, they'll be taking on the Evil Empire (a.k.a., the Warriors) on Monday, so we'll see if Pinocchio is a real boy.