March 2025 – JD's Sportscorner

March 2025 NHL Power Rankings: Boston Has Officially Hit the Bear Market

March 19, 2025 jminx943 Comments

Mitch Marner’s OT winner in Boston February 25th sealed a three-goal comeback win by Toronto and pushed the Bruins closer to elimination from postseason contention.

Sports viewers have certain absolutes until they officially end. Some in the U.S. include Gregg Popovich coaching the San Antonio Spurs. Buffalo is forever cursed in the sports world. The unluckiest score in Atlanta, GA is 28-3. The best American college football rivalry is Ohio State and the University of Michigan.

One could say the NHL’s Boston Bruins making the playoffs every year due to veteran leadership and consistent play was a guarantee. It certainly seemed so, until this year. Boston has had a mediocre season since game one back in mid-October. The Bruins were so average, they fired coveted coach Jim Montgomery less than a month into the regular season.

There was a small winning streak after Montgomery’s firing, but there’s been no positive impact. If forward David Pasternak doesn’t score or get a point in a game, Boston probably loses. The Bruins are bottom ten in total offense and defense at five-on-five. The power-play is bottom five because of the anemic talent level. Every team penalty-killing against Boston knows who will get the on-goal shots and who’s the biggest scoring threat: Pasternak. The lack of offensive creativity was a problem before Halloween. Now discipline is a factor since Boston is tied for most penalty minutes.

But wait, it gets worse for Bruins fans. Two of their top scorers were dealt at the trade deadline. Former captain Brad Marchand had the second most points with 47. He had 21 goals and 26 assists before general manager Don Sweeney dealt him to last year’s Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Marchand was upset about this in his opening press conference. He’s right to be emotional. No NHL viewer can picture Marchand without him wearing the black, white and yellow wheeled B jersey. He was there for 16 years and helped the franchise win their first title of the 21st century. Marchand was a key player when Boston returned to the finals twice after winning a championship. The Bruins and Brad Marchand were a perfect pairing that equaled success. Sweeney traded him for a 2027 second round pick.

Marchand wasn’t the only trade piece Don Sweeney unloaded the last calendar year. At the deadline, Sweeney traded once coveted center Charlie Coyle to Colorado. The Avalanche struggled with roster depth until early March when general manager Joe Sakic made this move. Colorado is now in position to make a run at the one seed in the western conference. Don’t forget last offseason’s drama regarding which goaltender Boston would trade away. Former starter Linus Ullmark was dealt to Ottawa for their starting goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and forward Mark Kastelic. Many expected Ullmark would be moved but trading him to a rising playoff contender and division rival wasn’t a good idea. Right now the Senators are the seventh seed and Linus Ullmark has solidified their defense. On the other side, Korpisalo hasn’t played much this season and Kastelic’s still buried on a thin depth chart.

There were criticisms against Boston’s front office, general manager and owner back in (at least) the 2010s. Serious hockey analysts compared Don Sweeney to former Detroit Red Wings general manager and executive vice president Ken Holland. While Holland lasted longer and won more titles, the all-out trades to win a championship paired with no future roster depth developed in minor league programs mirror each other. Holland was lauded for his moves in Detroit as they almost set a record in playoff appearances. Almost. Tell me how that has worked out for them the last nine years.

It’s easy to say Sweeney and owner Jeremy Jacobs are the problems. The latter has always been an easy media target for his economic views. Sweeney has overstayed and done everything possible to keep his power. There’s no doubt the Bruins must begin a long, agonizing rebuild once the season ends. David Pasternak, Jeremy Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm are trade pieces Boston can use to get a haul of draft picks, aging talent and role players to help cushion the incoming fall. For the rebuild to succeed, Don Sweeney cannot return and meddle in the assessment of talent. He’s done enough damage.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made aggressive trades to keep Boston a top team in the NHL for a decade. Now the Bruins will be aggressive in a re-build after those trades failed to result in a championship.

Here’s the final 2024-25 NHL regular season power rankings.

#32 San Jose Sharks (last ranking: 32)

The rookie of the year race is filled with four impressive names and San Jose’s first overall pick center Macklin Celebrini is one of them. Celebrini’s tied on the Sharks for most points and became the ninth player in NHL history to score 20 goals before the age of 19 on March 7th. While his optimism isn’t enough to drag San Jose out of last place, the team has improved. The Sharks have played harder compared to March 2024. Even if Celebrini doesn’t win rookie of the year, San Jose has a lot to look forward to the next few seasons.

#31 Chicago Blackhawks (last ranking: 31)

It would’ve been interesting to see how better the Sharks were had they kept center Ryan Donato. Donato leads Chicago in goals scored and is third in team points and assists. Letting go of Ryan Donato cost San Jose a chance of getting further ahead in their rebuild.

#30 Buffalo Sabres (last ranking: 30)

From defenseman Rasmus Dahlin being asked by reporters if he wants a trade, to The Athletic ranking Terry Pegula the worst owner in the NHL, it has been a forgetful year for Buffalo. It wouldn’t be a surprise if both Dahlin and veteran star forward Tage Thompson push to leave this offseason. If former center Dylan Cozens was relieved get out after he felt he lost the love for the game (he’s not the first to say this within the last decade), that says a lot about how awful the organization is on and off-ice.

#29 Nashville Predators (last ranking: 29)

General manager Barry Trotz took the safe option and didn’t deal the franchise stars or top scorers. That appers to be a good decision since the first line of Luke Evangelista-Ryan O’Reilly-Steven Stamkos are finally playing well. It’s too little, too late for the Predators to make a playoff run, but this bodes well for next season if Trotz doesn’t make drastic changes.

#28 Seattle Kraken (last ranking: 28)

Sometimes we should take the inept roster building from the general manager Ron Francis conversation aside and think about what else burdens Seattle. There is good roster depth, but no star player or top end talent who can propel the Kraken into a serious playoff run. If your top goal scorer is Eeli Tolvanen, that’s a serious problem. Francis believed former first round pick Matty Beniers was supposed to be that star. Beniers is average at best and shouldn’t be a first line center.

#27 Philadelphia Flyers (last ranking: 25)

It’s not often you say an in-season trade winds up a quick failure but Philadelphia found a way. Many believed trading veterans Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost for Andrei Kuzmenko was redundant. A veteran forward and center for a struggling forward was an odd swap, but then trading Kuzmenko for a 2027 third rounder looks dumb. The Flyers either have no idea what they’re doing, or they are committed to a longer rebuild. It could be both.

#26 Pittsburgh Penguins (last ranking: 26)

Rest in peace to the hopes that Marc-Andre Fleury would reunite with Pittsburgh to finish his career. Even if Fleury were traded back to the Penguins at the March eighth deadline, the scoring defense is still the league’s second worst. The second all-time winningest goalie in NHL history deserves a better finish. Now if those takes were about the Vegas Golden Knights, that would’ve been more acceptable.

#25 Anaheim Ducks (last ranking: 27)

I don’t know what’s more amazing; the fact Anaheim was somehow in the playoff race this long despite having the second worst offense in the league, or John Gibson with the save of the year. We’re going to look back at both the Ducks season and Gibson’s career and wonder how both lasted this long together.

#24 New York Islanders (last ranking: 21)

The next few weeks will be interesting for backup goaltender Marcus Hogberg. The 30 year old net minder’s had a brief, average career. With Semyon Varlamov out the rest of the year, Hogberg has to play more since New York has a lot of upcoming games. If he can steal some wins before the start of April, general manager Lou Lamoriello could trade him to a team needing goaltender depth this offseason.

#23 Boston Bruins (last ranking: 19)

It’s unfair to pin a lot of the Bruins issues on interim coach Joe Sacco. At the same time, Sacco has done nothing to show he is the coach Boston needs moving forward or a coach who can turn around an NHL team. Don’t be surprised if he’s an assistant somewhere else next season.

#22 Detroit Red Wings (last ranking: 16)

As former coach Rick Bowness said last Sunday on TNT, Detroit has to go 11-3 or 12-2 in their next 14 games in order to make the playoffs. It’s likely they miss the postseason a ninth straight season after self-inflicted losses the last few weeks. The Red Wings also have the hardest remaining schedule in the NHL. It leaves a bitter taste as Detroit heads into their third straight offseason knowing red hot starts fizzled out the last two months of the regular season despite a high caliber offense leading the way.

#21 Calgary Flames (last ranking: 18)

Calgary has to stop taking penalties if they want to make the playoffs. They’re bottom five in penalty minutes and the penalty kill. That helps explain why the Flames have a -24 goal differential.

#20 Utah Hockey Club (last ranking: 22)

One of the reasons Utah’s in the playoff race is their top 15 power-play. There are no news stories of relocation, no pressure to close out the season wondering where they’ll play next year, and Andre Tourigny keeps proving why he’s a great coach in the league. It’s fair to pick the Hockey Club to upset both Vancouver and Calgary, and clinch the eighth seed. However, they aren’t the favorite due to another central division foe surging at the same time.

#19 Columbus Blue Jackets (last ranking: 17)

NHL Network’s Steve Konroyd said on Monday night most of Columbus’ regular season success came from playing carefree and not worrying about the playoff race. Now that the postseason is close, the Blue Jackets are starting to show some panic, fatigue and inexperience. It would be a shame if Columbus missed out on the playoffs because they got in their own way.

#18 New York Rangers (last ranking: 20)

The saddest part of New York’s drama-filled season is long-time t.v. play-by-play broadcaster Sam Rosen retiring after the Rangers are eliminated. Don’t expect New York to make the playoffs with their difficult schedule. After all the work Rosen poured in with the franchise, his reward is one of the worst PR disasters of a season from almost everyone in the organization. What an awful parting gift.

#17 Montreal Canadiens (last ranking: 24)

Former 2019 third overall pick Kirby Dach was placed on injured reserve March second because he needed season ending right knee surgery. Dach’s played 60+ games twice in his six year career and missed all but two games last season. What a painful career going from Chicago almost in a full re-build to season ending injuries in Montreal.

#16 Vancouver Canucks (last ranking: 14)

Captain Quinn Hughes is back to full health and center Elias Pettersson has played better this month. While Vancouver still struggles to score, the most important player right now is goaltender Kevin Lankinen. Starter Thatcher Demko got injured again and that means someone has to play their best in net every night if the Canucks have any hope of clinching a playoff spot.

#15 St. Louis Blues (last ranking: 23)

This is a new team since play resumed. St. Louis is 10-2-2 in their last 14 games, averaging four goals a game, 2.7 goals against, and have a 30% power-play. It would be a shock if St. Louis doesn’t make the playoffs with these numbers.

#14 Ottawa Senators (last ranking: 15)

So yes, I was critical of general manager Steve Staios trading forward Josh Norris to Buffalo for forward Dylan Cozens. Norris is a dangerous scoring threat when healthy and also plays center well. After Ottawa’s dramatic 2-1 home win against Detroit March 10th on Amazon Prime, it was easier to see why Staios made the trade. Cozens leads the team in scoring chances and slot shots and is second best in offensive zone puck recoveries and puck battles won (via SportsNet). The Senators have the most goals since December 13th and could upset the playoff picture with a deep run.

#13 New Jersey Devils (last ranking: 10)

The losses of franchise star forward Jack Hughes to a shoulder injury and defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler are big blows to New Jersey’s playoff hopes. The Devils go from potentially taking any eastern playoff contender to a full seven game series to hoping they don’t miss the postseason. Montreal and Ottawa won’t fall out of the race anytime soon, and that easily makes New Jersey the weakest of the top eight eastern teams. Let’s see if they can hang on to any of the lower three spots.

#12 Los Angeles Kings (last ranking: 13)

Andrei Kuzmenko getting to play on a first line with Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar will be interesting to watch the next month. Los Angeles needed another game changing forward who’s confidence will grow among two of the team’s best players. It would be a shock if Kuzmenko doesn’t play better before mid-April on any of the Kings four lines.

#11 Minnesota Wild (last ranking: 8)

NHL Network has kept track of Minnesota’s record their last 38 games and it’s eye-opening. The Wild started the season at 20-6-4, and gave the league best Winnipeg Jets some trouble. Their last 38 games? 18-19-1. Injuries to star players are mostly to blame for the downturn but it’s bizarre how far Minnesota has fallen.

#10 Edmonton Oilers (last ranking: 7)

It’s also eye-opening how average Edmonton has played once the Four Nations tournament ended. Outside of MVP favorite Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers are mediocre and won’t threaten serious playoff contenders. If Edmonton drew Vegas or Colorado in round one today, they’d be eliminated in five games. No one thought this a month and a half ago.

#9 Tampa Bay Lightning (last ranking; 11)

Tampa Bay was bound to be in the top ten at some point since they’ve been 12-3-2 since the start of February (that’s an NHL best .82 points percentage during that span). Between an eight game winning streak, captain Victor Hedman playing some of his most complete hockey the last few months, former team champion forward Yanni Gourde coming back and getting an additional forward with Oliver Bjorkstrand at the trade deadline, almost every team in the eastern conference will struggle with the Lightning once playoffs begin.

#8 Toronto Maple Leafs (last ranking: 9)

I don’t know how many other people caught this but Toronto’s February 25th 5-4 comeback overtime win in Boston was poetic given the Maple Leafs past struggles against the Bruins in the playoffs. The urge to say it was a regular season win was valid until Boston traded captain Brad Marchand and made it clear there’s an incoming rebuild. How fitting Toronto got karma for their 2013 game seven blunder to end the Bruins reign of playoff consistency in almost the exact same way.

#7 Colorado Avalanche (last ranking: 12)

It’s almost unbelievable this is the second time Colorado’s been in the top ten for this seasons power rankings. General manager Joe Sakic turned a stale roster into a dangerous team few contenders want to face in the playoffs. How much longer can Sakic get away with this?

#6 Carolina Hurricanes (last ranking: 5)

A lot of regular season stats are eye-roll worthy, but some stick throughout the season. A team’s record at home versus on the road is one of them. Carolina has the NHL’s best home record at 27-7-1. Outside Raleigh they’re 14-15-3. The Hurricanes can’t afford to lose home ice advantage especially to a team like Tampa Bay.

#5 Dallas Stars (last ranking; 4)

Trading forward Logan Stankoven to Carolina for forward Mikko Rantanen screams all-in for winning a championship this year. There are four teams in the western conference that could both go to the finals and win the championship. Only Dallas has all the pressure to win or see the season as a failure.

#4 Vegas Golden Knights (last ranking: 6)

For everything said about Boston this season, one imagines somewhere in a dark corner of Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy’s mind, he’s sitting back and laughing with his 2023 championship ring. While the Bruins flounder in mediocrity, the Golden Knights lost their first home game to a division rival this month and had three shutout wins the last two weeks. Vegas has a case they’re the best team in the western conference, the NHL, and are the biggest postseason threat.

#3 Florida Panthers (last ranking: 2)

Had Florida not lost to Montreal and the Islanders back-to-back, they would’ve had the number one spot on these rankings. Despite getting former Bruins captain Brad Marchand and goaltender Vitek Vanecek at the trade deadline, this is where the loss of star defenseman Aaron Ekblad hurts most. Fortunately, Ekblad will miss only two postseason games. If the Panthers dip in the standings, it leaves the Atlantic division race open for Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Toronto to steal one of the top seeds.

#2 Washington Capitals (last ranking: 3)

Last ranking I lauded Washington’s top line for leading the team to first place in goal scoring. This month it’s the Capitals second line stepping up. Since play resumed, the line of Connor McMichael, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson has scored 13 goals, and scoring chances v. chances allowed is 3-1 in their favor. Washington’s rising at the best time and they will be one of the hardest teams to eliminate in the playoffs.

#1 Winnipeg Jets (last ranking: 1)

Originally I swapped Florida and Winnipeg because of consistency until last weekend. The Jets dominated the win-now Stars and shook off a trap game in Seattle two days later. If their only lull of were losses to Philadelphia and New York, that says how great Winnipeg’s been this season.

Josh Morrissey (44) and Kyle Connor hug after a dominant home win against Dallas last Friday. Connor’s two goals and an assist helped make Winnipeg’s win look easy.

March 2025 NBA Power Rankings: Texas Held ‘Em- The Probability of Why Dallas Dealt Away Luka Doncic

March 6, 2025 jminx946 Comments

There’s still shock over Dallas trading franchise star Luka Doncic (77) to the Lakers.

There’s irony in the biggest trade of the NBA season taking place less than a week after I published the last power rankings. For those who read the January rankings, you knew something was off after Dallas lost to Charlotte and New Orleans. These were the same Mavericks who beat Houston, Cleveland, Memphis and Denver before those losses. Everyone assumed Dallas had to make a minor move near the trade deadline and adjust their mindset given the opponents on the late February and early March schedule. The Mavericks made changes all right, but not the expected ones.

By now, you’ve heard Dallas traded face of the franchise and star point guard Luka Doncic and forwards Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris late night February first to the Los Angeles Lakers for former league MVP center Anthony Davis, shooting guard Max Christie, and a 2029 first round pick. Utah was involved and got point guard Jalen Hood-Schifano and two 2025 second round picks from each team.

Since the trade happened on a Saturday night, regular sports programming was disrupted. Everyone in the U.S. found out about it in different ways and each one left the announcers, reporters, fans, and even Utah Jazz general manager Danny Ainge in shock. Why and how could the Mavericks decide to trade their franchise cornerstone star to the LeBron James-led Lakers? Was general manager Nico Harrison as dumb as fans first thought? What happened behind closed doors that made Dallas decide to give up not just one talented star, but two talented forwards not even a full season after reaching the NBA Finals?

There are still no clear answers to any of these questions despite what Harrison and majority owners Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont publicly said. Many speculated Adelson, a big donor to the State of Israel, needed to recoup personal funds after the year and a half long war. That meant giving up the Mavericks’ biggest asset. When asked about the trade, Harrison remained adamant that Luka’s health and eating regimen were detriments and could no longer be tolerated. If that’s the case, Harrison shouldn’t have let go of the team doctor almost two seasons ago after forward Jalen Brunson was traded to New York. (The doctor reunited with Brunson shortly after.) Regarding the weight issue, one could reasonably argue that New Orleans’ Zion Williamson should be traded, and he’s never led the Pelicans to a conference championship.

Perhaps the main reason Doncic was traded stems from legal battles taking place between Miriam Adelson versus the state of Texas. Many were confused when one of Adelson’s responses about Nico Harrison trading their star point guard was, “the team isn’t moving to Vegas.” Not only was Adelson not asked about the status of the team, but the answer was at an inconvenient moment. It turns out the reason she said it stems from an ongoing lawsuit with state authorities over planned casinos in Dallas’ home stadium, American Airlines Center. Miriam Adelson has a point saying legalized gambling brings massive profits to professional basketball. She wants to make more money by adding the “Vegas experience” and two casinos within the stadium. Texas however still has laws in place that prohibit this despite the recent pushes by the state legislature and governor Greg Abbott. It was reported as far back as 2023 that Adelson and former majority owner Mark Cuban (who helped push the campaign) wanted to expand gambling within the state. Casinos were seen as an option.

Despite these pushes, the Texas judiciary hasn’t budged. The most likely reason for the Luka Doncic trade might be because the trio of Miriam Adelson, Patrick Dumont and Nico Harrison decided to force the public’s hand. That meant making a radical decision. If that meant trading Doncic to the league’s most popular team, so be it. It would throw the Dallas-Fort Worth area in chaos, but it would also let the state know how serious ownership is about making more money than it is about winning. Legalized gambling would make fans feel upset if the team gets worse, but the opportunities to win more money tempts other residents.

While this theory (and court case) may hold up as the main reason, it’s also possible Harrison thought the roster would be more balanced with bigger forwards and needed center depth. Kyrie Irving could go back to playing point guard while Klay Thompson returns to his starting role at shooting guard. It’s not a bad idea and there’s enough talent to make the postseason. However, the loss of Doncic and two talented forwards while getting an injury prone center may very well eliminate any chances the Mavericks have of returning to the NBA finals for at least a decade. Players now know the organization doesn’t reward nor respect loyalty despite their constant messaging for over 25 years. Miriam Adelson could be the real winner in the end, but the team and fans are the biggest losers.

Luka’s now the new stunning face of Los Angeles.

Here are the second power rankings of the calendar year. This will be the third and last time you see this notification in the regular season. Like the NHL rankings, some have tiebreakers based off how teams perform on a neutral site.

#30 Washington Wizards (last ranking: 30)

This is starting to be a destination players go to end their careers. First Khris Middleton was traded to the Wizards, then Marcus Smart. The veteran leadership could help younger talent develop but it’s more likely one of the two retires once the regular season ends.

#29 Utah Jazz (last ranking: 29)

The oddest part of the Dallas-Los Angeles-Utah trade might have been when general manager Danny Ainge said he only knew the specifics of the trade 30 minutes before it happened. There are league rules that can override and veto trades if they aren’t seen as fair or well-balanced. Ainge could have let the league know even by text ahead of time but chose not to.

#28 New Orleans Pelicans (last ranking: 27)

It is unfortunate Dejounte Murray suffered another serious leg injury this season. Murray’s season ended after he tore his achilles February first versus Boston. It’s been a brutal season of injuries for New Orleans.

#27 Charlotte Hornets (last ranking: 28)

Charlotte became the first team in NBA history to lose three straight games by 35+ points. One factor in those losses is the lack of talent the Hornets have outside star point guard LaMelo Ball and forward Miles Bridges. Charlotte sports fans should turn their attention to the Carolina Hurricanes the rest of this season.

#26 Toronto Raptors (last ranking: 26)

Toronto won three games in February. That is not a surprise given how hard the schedule was for the Raptors. What’s surprising is how that didn’t affect their postseason odds. Philadelphia and Chicago are awful and Brooklyn is inconsistent. Toronto has an easier month and a half left and could sneak into the play-in.

#25 Philadelphia 76ers (last ranking: 23)

Speaking of Philadelphia, this has to be one of the most disappointing teams we’ve seen. Former league MVP center Joel Embiid is shut down the rest of the season with lingering knee injuries, forward Paul George is still whining about mediocrity and having to stop side hustles from interfering with his play, and the 76ers have lost eleven of their last 12 games. The Trust the Process era is over.

#24 Brooklyn Nets (last ranking: 25)

It doesn’t help that despite a good February, Brooklyn lost to lowly Washington twice. Injuries and suspensions played a part in four of the five losses to end last month and could cost the Nets a play-in spot. Losing close games to Oklahoma City and Cleveland because De’Angelo Russell’s injured or Nik Claxton is suspended one game adds up after a while.

#23 San Antonio Spurs (last ranking: 21)

Outside of trading for Sacramento star forward De’Aaron Fox, February was one of their worst months in franchise history. San Antonio lost both sophomore star center Victor Wembanyama to blood clots in his right shoulder and future Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich to health setbacks after suffering a stroke in November. Then starting point guard Chris Paul said he was retiring after this season. The Spurs will miss the play-in, but it’s a rare time most viewers are relieved given the serious issues holding back San Antonio’s improvements.

#22 Chicago Bulls (last ranking: 22)

The Bulls kept Nikola Vucevic despite rampant trade rumors but dealt Zach LaVine to Sacramento when there’s no solid option at power forward. This again proves why Chicago’s one of the worst run teams in the NBA. It’s no wonder the Spurs see them as a great trade partner.

#21 Portland Trailblazers (last ranking: 24)

Don’t be fooled with this placement. Portland has improved as I talked about in the last rankings, but that doesn’t mean they’re close to being a top 20 team. If anything, this says more about the teams behind them and how far some have fallen.

#20 Phoenix Suns (last ranking: 20)

Hilariously, Miriam Adelson wasn’t the worst owner or loser at the trade deadline. That honor goes to Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia who relentlessly told the media all of 2024 there was no way star forward Kevin Durant would hit the trade market. When reports broke out days before the trade deadline that Ishbia was trying to see what he could get for Durant, it was understandable Durant’s reaction would be negative. Kevin Durant now wants out due to Mat Ishbia’s two-faced guarantees. The Suns might lose a lot more talent in free agency because their owner doesn’t know when to shut up.

#19 Atlanta Hawks (last ranking: 12)

Thankfully the Hawks came back to earth. Though they’re 28-34, Atlanta’s back in the play-in and the east has stabilized. We can all breathe relief.

#18 Miami Heat (last ranking: 18)

Jimmy Butler getting traded refreshed the locker room and let the players get back to playing hard. Yet Miami is 5-8 since trading Butler to Golden State (the Warriors are 9-2 with Butler). It might take a while for the team to fully move on from owner Pat Riley’s tantrum.

#17 Orlando Magic (last ranking: 13)

New Orleans gets a lot of heat for how poorly they’ve played despite injuries. Orlando is in a similar position, but they still won a lot of games due to great coaching and how younger stars like Paolo Banchero don’t want to lose. It may not look like it right now due to current struggles and inconsistency, but the Magic have improved. They’re just learning the hard lessons many teams go through before making deep playoff runs.

#16 Dallas Mavericks (last ranking: 14)

I originally wrote the Mavericks would be fine in the short-term due to how the current guard tandem of Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson would be enough to get them into the play-in, but after Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in a blowout home loss to Sacramento, I don’t know if Dallas can hang onto the last play-in spot. Imagine being a Mavericks fan since the Luka Doncic trade and seeing the series of events that have taken place after January. The first two months of 2025 must feel like two different years for Dallas.

#15 Sacramento Kings (last ranking: 19)

I’m also not sure pairing DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine is a good idea considering how things didn’t work out in Chicago. More importantly, LaVine isn’t better than De’Aaron Fox. At some point the Kings front office must decide if this roster is enough to get back to the second round of the playoffs.

#14 Minnesota Timberwolves (last ranking: 17)

Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards improved some of his play last month. However, the rest of Minnesota isn’t doing well. The Timberwolves turn the ball over a lot and have struggled against most playoff contending teams with better records. They didn’t have consecutive wins until this past week. It’s a bit surprising given some of the roster improvements, but general manager Tim Connelly has more work to do in the offseason.

#13 Los Angeles Clippers (last ranking: 10)

That was a disappointing month for Los Angeles. Losses to Toronto, Detroit and both the Pacers and Lakers (twice) knock them into the play-in. That’s a shame given how well they’ve looked most of the season.

#12 Golden State Warriors (last ranking: 16)

Golden State getting Jimmy Butler was the best, immediate impact trade at the deadline. The Warriors go from a play-in team to top five in the west. Golden State now has to make the decision of what seed they want. Some analysts believe the seed opposite of where Memphis lands in the first round. The Warriors should at least try for a top four seed and draw a team like Houston. It’s a better choice than drawing Denver on the road to start round two of the playoffs.

#11 Detroit Pistons (last ranking: 15)

Nobody could’ve predicted Detroit just outside a top ten power rankings or close to having a top ten league record to begin March. Not only is J.B. Bickerstaff a great choice as coach of the year, but Cade Cunningham could get some league MVP votes. He’s in the top three for almost every team stat.

#10 Indiana Pacers (last ranking: 9)

Their lethal offense is back. Indiana put up at least 110 points in all but one game in February and show no signs of letting up after their routs against Chicago and Houston. The defense has faltered but there’s still time to get back to the late 2024 improvements before the postseason.

#9 Milwaukee Bucks (last ranking: 7)

There was criticism over Milwaukee trading a veteran star like Khris Middleton to Washington for forward Kyle Kuzma. Before February ended, the Bucks had the highest scoring trio in the league with 72 points per game from Kuzma, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. If Milwaukee keeps this production the next two months, there may not be a team that can stop them in a seven game series. That’s big for a team that lost forward Bobby Portis Jr. to a 25 game suspension.

#8 Houston Rockets (last ranking: 4)

I flipped Houston with Denver on this list because March is where veteran playoff teams start to distance themselves. The Rockets are a young, rising and well-coached team, but let’s keep in mind the teams listed below would win a best of seven series against them. Houston’s inexperience shows at times and that’s ok. Growing pains were predicted.

#7 Los Angeles Lakers (last ranking: 11)

For anyone who’s read this blog over the years, you know there’s caution exercised against teams (no matter the sport) that add at least one super-star. Just because Los Angeles added Luka Doncic, doesn’t mean they’ll go to the NBA Finals. The Lakers have a lot of holes on defense with Anthony Davis now in Dallas, though the Doncic-led offense cancels out most of those issues. Despite the winning streak, the Los Angeles has a lot to work on. Let’s see how things are in April.

#6 Memphis Grizzlies (last ranking: 6)

Memphis didn’t have a great February, but it wasn’t enough to knock them out in the rankings. The Grizzlies need to bounce back after some questionable losses. March will say more about where Memphis is headed than any month the last year and a half.

#5 New York Knicks (last ranking: 5)

It’s possible I leave New York at five in the next rankings too. Via ESPN, the Knicks are 0-7 against the Thunder, Cavaliers and Celtics. New York is stuck as the third best team in the eastern conference. While that says how good they are, it also says how high their ceiling is with this current roster.

#4 Denver Nuggets (last ranking: 8)

Every loss Denver took last month was against a really good or improved team. Playoff experience makes the ranking swap with Houston logical. The Nuggets will be hard to beat the next two months.

#3 Boston Celtics (last ranking: 3)

As a matter of fact, the first to third spots could stay the same next month too. The Celtics had some struggles last month and it’s more confusing than the previous ones. Sometimes teams get bored before the playoffs, but this isn’t a team that looks bored. It leaves one to wonder what’s going on behind closed doors.

#2 Oklahoma City Thunder (last ranking: 2)

The NBA Network had a great discussion after Oklahoma City’s overtime loss to Minnesota on February 24th. The Timberwolves found ways the last quarter and a half in regulation and all of overtime to constantly double-team MVP candidate point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It slowed down an offense that scored 102 points in three quarters, to 26 the last two. Watch for this to be the new method on how to stop the Thunder, especially in the playoffs.

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers (last ranking: 1)

Not only was Cleveland the first team to lock up a playoff spot, they’re the most fun team to watch every night and currently have a 12 game winning streak. Shooting guard Donovan Mitchell should win league MVP this year for how he has both elevated his game and made everyone around him better.