At least three games have been played in each playoff series, so it’s a good time to update the power rankings (where I list each team and their relative chances of advancing to the next round and/or the Finals.)

Click here for the first edition of these rankings.

R.I.P.

16. Pistons
Detroit was unceremoniously swept by the surging Cavs, who won by an average of 15.5 points. This series was never in doubt, and went just like everyone (but the Detroit faithful/demented) thought it would after the Allen Iverson trade blew up in Joe Dumars’ face. Assuming they let AI and Rasheed Wallace walk, the Pistons will have a ton of cap space to work with this summer (or next, if they choose to wait). The core looks to be Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey and Rip Hamilton. Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson appear to be ready to play heavier minutes, but the Pistons still need to add a free agent big man over the next two summers. Carlos Boozer will be this year’s free agent prize, at least as far as bigs go, while Anderson Varejao, Brandon Bass and Drew Gooden are cheaper options. It’s going to be interesting to see how Dumars reshapes this roster — he gave up any chance at a deep playoff run by trading Chauncey Billups away.

DEAD MAN WALKING

15. Jazz
Down 3-1 with two games remaining in L.A., the Jazz are in serious trouble. They desperately needed Game 4 to have a chance and without it, they…um…don’t have (much of) a chance. Utah faces a tumultuous offseason, though they can rest easy that they have one of the few franchise players in the league in Deron Williams. Carlos Boozer plans to test free agency, so the team will need to decide if he’s worth a long-term commitment or if they should turn the reins over to Paul Millsap, who was actually more productive on a per-minute basis. (For the record, if Boozer wants more than $12 million a year, and he probably will, I’d let him walk.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Two more games on TNT, two more double-digit wins. The Heat beat the Hawks, 108-93, to even up the series at 1-1 and the Nuggets beat the Hornets, 108-93 (that’s not a typo, both games had the same final score), to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the series.

Meanwhile, NBA TV had the best game of the night (again) with Orlando’s 96-87 win over Philly to even the series at one apiece. Here are a few random observations from Wednesday night’s action:

- Dwight Howard fouled out with 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, but couldn’t catch a break with the refs. Nice job by Courtney Lee (24 points), Hedo Turkoglu (16 points) and Rashard Lewis (16 points) to pick up the slack and get the win without their big man. Howard’s backup, Marcin Gortat, had six rebounds and two blocks in 18 minutes.

- Lee is looking like the real deal. He might be a little small for a shooting guard, but he’s listed at 6′5″, so who knows. He’s averaging 21 points in two playoff games, can knock down the three and can finish at the rim. Not bad for the #22 pick in the draft.

Read the rest of this entry »

Every Monday, I’ll update these rankings based on the previous week’s events. One game has been played in each of the eight playoff series and we already know a lot more than we did before the weekend.

IN A BAD WAY

16. Pistons
15. Jazz
14. Hornets
These are three teams that have struggled this season against larger expectations and were hoping for a fresh start in the Playoffs, but lost by an average of 20 points. The Jazz seem most capable of putting up a fight, but they’re facing arguably the best team in the league with a superstar that is on a championship mission. Likewise, without Chauncey Billups, the Pistons are in no position to slow the Cavs down. The Hornets are the most perplexing team of this trio — they have arguably the best point guard in the league (Chris Paul) and a great power foward (David West), but they aren’t getting any help. (Of course, it doesn’t really help that West went 4 of 16 from the field in Game 1.) Paul and West have to play brilliantly if the Hornets are to upend the Nuggets.

Read the rest of this entry »