Dec 28, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond (0) dribbles the ball as Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal (3) and Wizards point guard John Wall (2) defend in the third quarter at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 106-82. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
RWB Power Rank is a weekly feature in which I rank teams in the NBA with one thing in common: Their team colors are red, white, and blue. This week was interesting for the standings. It would appear that the Clippers and Sixers will remain in place. Hawks, Pistons, and Wizards should be dancing around from now on.
Los Angeles Clippers: 1 (1)
Week record: 2-2 (I predicted 3-1)
RWB Record: 2-1
Clippers had two OT games this week. Won one and lost the other. They beat the T-Wolves and lost to the Blazers in those games. They also beat the Jazz and lost to the Warriors. Clippers didn’t have a good week in terms of their bid for contender status. You gotta beat the Warriors and Blazers if you want to be known as the best. Still, they had a good enough week in these standings to stick to the first spot.
This upcoming week will have the team face the Suns, Bobcats, Mavericks, and Spurs. I see a win over the Cats and Mavs. Lose to the Spurs. As for the Suns? I’ll go win. Clippers need to prove themselves. They’ve had some injury issues but still. 3-1
Atlanta Hawks: 2 (2)
Week Record: 2-1 (I predicted 2-1)
RWB Record: 5-1
Hawks also played in OT games. In fact, all of their games this week were decided in OT. They lost to the Heat by two, beat the Cavaliers by two in double OT, and then beat the Bobcats by two. I’m sure Hawks fans are trying to catch their breath after this week. They matched my prediction. So yay.
This week won’t be easy. Considering they lost Al Horford to injury, they could struggle. They have the Magic, Celtics, Warriors, and Bulls. They are home vs the Warriors. Yeah, not easy. They can beat the Celtics and Bulls. Lose to the Warriors and Magic. 2-2
Washington Wizards: 3 (3)
Week Record: 1-1 (I predicted 1-1)
RWB Record: 3-4
Wizards claim the 3rd spot after blowing out rival Pistons. They got blown out by the T-Wolves though. Like I said last week, the winner of the Pistons-Wizards battle would be a major deciding factor of who wins this spot.
Can the Wizards stay in place? They have that rematch with the Pistons, Mavericks, and Raptors also on the way. I say Pistons win. They’ll be at home this time and you know they want to avenge that nasty loss. I think they can take on the Raptors and I see a loss to the Mavs. So, 1-2
Detroit Pistons: 4 (4)
Week Record: 1-2 (I predicted 2-1)
RWB Record: 2-3
Pistons…man. Not a good week. They got blown out twice, once by rival Wizards and the other time by the Magic. They did blow out the Cavs though.
This week, they have to get back on track. They face the Wizards and…uh…that’s it. The Wizards. 1-0. With such a quiet week, they probably won’t move, even if they beat the Wizards. Wizards would have to lose each game for Pistons to move up.
Philadelphia 76ers: 5 (5)
Week Record: 0-1 (I predicted 0-1)
RWB Record: 1-4
Sixers kept it simple. They lost on the road as I figured they would. End of story. They played a decent game vs the Suns if you looked at only the score. Should’ve lost by 20+ though they way it looked.
Prediction this week is easy. As I said weeks before, until the Sixers win on the road, I’m predicting losses. They have four games this week. All on the road. Lakers, Nuggets, Kings, and Blazers. Sixers have lost 13 straight after beating the Bulls during that shocking 3-0 season start. Give me one reason the Sixers win one of those games. Tell me. 0-4
Agree with the rankings? What other thoughts you have? Let me know and follow me on Twitter @DanteWrites for more NBA and RWB talk.