Week 21 NBA power rankings: Celtics move past Cavaliers into top four
USA TODAY Sports' NBA power rankings for Week 21 (Sunday, March 19 through Sunday, March 26) of the 2016-17 season.
► MVP race: James Harden holds steady at the top
► ROY race: Suns' Marquese Chriss moves into top three
TEAM (RECORD) MOVEMENT
1. Golden State Warriors (59-14) -
Remember that rough stretch, where the Warriors lost five of seven after Kevin Durant went down and were on the verge of letting up the No. 1 seed to the Spurs? They haven't lost since (seven straight wins) and are now 2 ½ games ahead of San Antonio. And somehow, after all of that, they're on pace for the third-winningest season in franchise history.
2. San Antonio Spurs (56-16) -
The Spurs have a tight grip on the second seed in the West, and barring some sort of unforeseen slip from the red-hot Warriors (who they play on Wednesday), it looks like that's where they'll end up, especially with games against Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Utah (twice), Memphis and the Clippers still on the schedule.
3. Houston Rockets (51-22) -
Essentially locked in as the No. 3 seed in the West, 5½ games behind the Spurs and seven games ahead of the Jazz, the Rockets — who are on pace to finish with the second-best record in franchise history — are in a great spot heading into the postseason. With nine games left on the schedule, they've already won 10 more games than they did all of last season.
4. Boston Celtics (48-26) +2
With Sunday night's win over Miami, the Celtics tied the Cavaliers for first place in the Eastern Conference. Think All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas is satisfied?
"It's just a tie, though, so it's not that cool," he told reporters. "Hopefully we can secure that spot and be No. 1. We've just got to control what we can control and take it game by game. We can't really worry about what Cleveland's doing or what other teams are doing."
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (47-25) -1
The defending champs have hit a fork in the road. Again. Ignore the fact, if you will, that they've lost seven of their last 12 games. That's not the issue. The issue is how they've lost those games, plagued by defensive shortcomings that just won't seem to go away. Since the All-Star break, the Cavaliers have the second-worst defense in the NBA, allowing 113.5 points per 100 possessions, which trails only the Lakers. Most recently, they let up 127 points in a loss to the Wizards, who scored 71 in the first half and shot 59.8% from the field. Two games before that, it was the Nuggets, who shot 53.1% from the field en route to a 126-113 victory. When Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue was asked about his confidence that the Cavs will be able to fix these struggles?
"I'm not confident," he told reporters. "But we've got to."
6. Washington Wizards (45-28) +1
The Wizards, who have won three straight, are back on track after losing four of five, and are now just two wins away from surpassing 46 wins for the first time since the 1978-79 season. That said, they're still 2 ½ games behind Cleveland and Boston, and with seven of their nine remaining games coming on the road — including matchups with the Clippers, Jazz, Warriors and Heat (twice) — moving out of the East's No. 3 spot will be no easy task.
7. Utah Jazz (44-29) -2
For the first time since 2012, the Jazz are headed to the playoffs. Now comes the race for homecourt advantage, which could make all the difference in a first-round series, as Utah's Vivint Smart Home Arena (formerly known as EnergySolutions Arena and the Delta Center) is notorious for being one of the NBA's toughest places to play. The Jazz have a one-game lead on the Clippers, but don't own the season series. They have a fairly tough road ahead, too, with games against the Wizards, Spurs (twice), Trail Blazers (twice) and Warriors all on tap.
MORE NBA:
LeBron says he 'feels great,' but Cavs don't look it
Lakers' family feud ends with Jeanie Buss as controlling owner
Race to the bottom: Making sense of NBA draft lottery odds, protected picks
8. Toronto Raptors (44-29) +1
While the Cavaliers falter and the Wizards and Celtics look to take advantage, there sit the Raptors, riding a five-game winning streak that has them just one game behind Washington and seven ahead of the three-way tie for fifth place. Most impressively, Toronto has continued to thrive with All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry (wrist) sidelined. He's expected to be back for the playoffs, and once he returns, coach Dwane Casey has high hopes.
"Our goal is to play for a championship," Casey told reporters after Saturday night's win over Dallas. "That's our goal in Toronto. Last few years, we've been taking those steps. It's been a little rockier this year just because of injuries, but we still need to continue to take those steps."
9. Los Angeles Clippers (44-31) +1
The Clippers let up an 18-point fourth-quarter lead to fall to the Kings by one point on Sunday night. Point guard Chris Paul called it the worst regular season loss of his career. The Clippers are still in fifth place in the West, still in contention for homecourt advantage and still led by a dynamic trio of Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But is that enough to compete with the likes of Golden State, San Antonio and Houston come playoff time, or could we be nearing the end of this era of Clipper basketball?
10. Oklahoma City Thunder (41-31) -2
If the postseason started today, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder would have a date with James Harden and the Rockets, who they went 1-3 against this season and most recently lost to on Sunday, 137-125. They've been playing better basketball as of late, winning six of their past eight, but with a 2-8 record against the top three teams in the West (Golden State, San Antonio and Houston) this season, it's in their best interest to try and steal the No. 5 seed from either the Clippers or Jazz, who they're a combined 5-3 against this season.
IN PHOTOS: Week 21 power rankings
11. Memphis Grizzlies (40-33) -
What a month it's been for the Grizzlies, who started off with a five-game losing streak, then won four straight, then lost three more. The good news? They're still only 1 ½ games behind the sixth-place Thunder and have a five-game cushion between themselves and the No. 8 seed. Did you really expect a postseason without the Grit 'n' Grind?
12. Milwaukee Bucks (37-36) +1
Don't look now, but here come the Bucks. Led by budding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo — who leads the team in scoring (23.1 points per game), rebounds (8.6), assists (5.3), steals (1.7) and blocks (1.9), among other categories — Milwaukee has the fourth-best record in the NBA (11-4) since March 1, and could very well find themselves as the fifth seed in the East come playoff time.
13. Indiana Pacers (37-36) +3
The Pacers, tied with Milwaukee and Atlanta for fifth in the East, have a brutal stretch of games to end the season. Left on the schedule: at Memphis (March 29), at Toronto (March 31), at Cleveland (April 2), vs. Toronto (April 4), vs. Milwaukee (April 6) and vs. Atlanta (April 12), with games against Minnesota, Orlando and Philadelphia sprinkled in.
MORE NBA:
Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant share heartfelt moment at statue unveiling
USA TODAY Sports' NBA triple-double tracker
Warriors fly young Steph Curry fan in for a game after family bought invalid tickets in Atlanta
14. Miami Heat (35-38) -2
After an 11-30 start, the Heat looked poised to sneak into the eighth spot in the East after one of the biggest in-season turnarounds in NBA history. But now, after losing three of their last four, that No. 8 spot isn't exactly Miami's for the taking, as the Bulls sit just a ½ game behind, while the Pistons (who they play on Tuesday) are just one game back. What's more, Miami must end the season with a four-game stretch against Toronto, Washington (twice) and Cleveland.
15. Portland Trail Blazers (35-38) +2
After last year's heroics — y'know, making it to the second round of the playoffs despite losing four of five starters from the season before — you had a feeling the Blazers (who have underperformed for the majority of the year) would eventually sneak into the playoff picture. Winners of seven of their last 10, Portland is now tied with Denver for the eighth spot in the West, and they have a chance to lock up the season series against the Nuggets on Tuesday night.
16. Denver Nuggets (35-38) -1
Speaking of Denver, the Nuggets have held onto that eighth seed for the majority of 2017, but after a 25-point beatdown by the Pelicans on Sunday, are on the verge of falling to ninth. You'll want to keep an eye on the bottom of the West.
17. Atlanta Hawks (37-36) -3
The Hawks, plagued by injuries to All-Star forward Paul Millsap and swingman Kent Bazemore, among others, have lost their last seven games, and are now in a three-way tie with Milwaukee and Indiana for fifth place in the East, while the Heat sit just two games behind. At this point, the Hawks aren't only in serious danger of letting up the fifth seed that they've hold onto for most of the season. They're in serious danger of missing the playoffs entirely.
18. Chicago Bulls (35-39) +4
The schedule makers were kind to the ninth-place Bulls, who pulled off a much-needed win over Milwaukee on Sunday night and now have a fairly easy stretch of games to close out the season. Of Chicago's eight remaining games, six come against sub-.500 teams, including two of their final three against the 16-win Nets. Do they have enough to grab the eighth seed?
19. Charlotte Hornets (33-40) -
Just when we thought a postseason absence was a foregone conclusion, Charlotte won four of five and are now just two games out of eighth place. But is it too little too late?
"We don't have much room for error, but we're still here," forward Marvin Williams told reporters after Sunday's win over Phoenix. "We're still in it. We've just got to take care of our own business and hopefully we can get a little bit of help from some of those other teams. We have an opportunity to play some of those teams."
Of Charlotte's nine remaining games, seven come against Eastern Conference foe, including two games against Milwaukee, one against Miami and one against Atlanta, who are all fighting for the East's bottom few seeds.
20. Dallas Mavericks (31-41) -
Anything's possible, of course, especially for a team led by Rick Carlisle and Dirk Nowitzki. But with 3 ½ games separating the Mavericks from the eight seed, combined with their remaining schedule — which features games against Oklahoma City, Memphis (twice), Milwaukee, the Clippers and San Antonio — sneaking into the postseason will be one tall order.
21. New Orleans Pelicans (31-42) +2
New Orleans is four games out of eighth place in the West, which is actually 1 ½ games further back than they were when they brought in DeMarcus Cousins. Barring some sort of miracle, coupled with a whole lot of help from Portland, Denver and Dallas, Boogie and The Brow will have to wait another year to try and get over that postseason hump.
GALLERY: DeMarcus Cousins through the years
22. Detroit Pistons (34-39) -4
Despite losing six of their last seven, the 10th-place Pistons are still in the playoff picture, just one game out of eighth place. According to point guard Ish Smith, who recently replaced $80-million dollar man Reggie Jackson in the starting lineup, Detroit's spirits are still high.
"I think the effort's still there," Smith said after Sunday's practice, per the Detroit Free Press. "When you play for coach (Stan Van Gundy), you have no choice but to bring 110% effort. You go through lulls where you're down, but ... we're still playing hard. Throughout all this, we're still having fun. The locker room is upbeat."
23. Sacramento Kings (28-45) +1
The highlight of Sacramento's week (maybe their season, too) came against the Clippers on Sunday night, when they rallied from 18 down in the fourth quarter to win on a game-clinching basket from second-year big man Willie Cauley-Stein.
24. Minnesota Timberwolves (28-44) -3
In the grand scheme of things, the Timberwolves' current six-game losing streak is nothing compared to their 12-straight losing seasons. The future is still undoubtedly bright, but good things take time. The rebuilding process is a marathon, not a sprint. Rome wasn't built in a day. You get the gist.
25. Philadelphia 76ers (27-46) +1
Rookie of the Year frontrunner Dario Saric continues to shine as the 76ers gear up for yet another trip to the lottery. In 14 games this month, the 6-10 Croatian is averaging 19 points (on 45% shooting), 7.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He put up a career-high 32 points (on 12-of-19 shooting) to go along with 10 rebounds in Friday night's win over the Bulls.
26. Orlando Magic (27-46) +1
The Magic — who still aren't technically out of playoff contention with nine games left and eight games between them and eighth place — have won three of their last four games, including a commanding 115-87 rout of the Pistons on Friday night. It's only a matter of time before the clock strikes midnight, but nonetheless, coach Frank Vogel is making the most of this final stretch.
"This was our best win of the year, our most complete game," Vogel told reporters after the win. "It's important that these young guys learn to play the right way and that we find some chemistry within our group here going into next year. How we finish is important."
GALLERY: NBA photo of the day
27. New York Knicks (27-46) -2
Surprise: The Knicks — who have lost five straight and are now eight games out of eighth place — are headed to the lottery. The good news? This means more playing time for young, unproven players like Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Willy Hernangomez, Ron Baker and Maurice Ndour, while veterans like Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose see more time on the bench. The bad news? We're not sure where to begin.
28. Phoenix Suns (22-52) -
In the midst of all the losing (eight straight games, to be exact), the Suns had something to smile about on Friday night when Devin Booker — their 20-year-old, second-year shooting guard — poured in a record-breaking 70 points in a loss to the Celtics.
29. Los Angeles Lakers (21-52) -
The highlight of the Lakers' week came on Friday night, when Shaquille O'Neal was honored with a 1,200 pound, nine-foot bronze statue outside of the Staples Center. The Lakers, who had lost six straight and 14 of their last 15, went on to win that night, too, beating the Timberwolves 130-119 in overtime.
30. Brooklyn Nets (16-57) -
The Nets, still feeling the ill-effects of that 2013 trade with the Celtics, won't be able to cash in on this 16-win season — a wound that has been reopened this NCAA tournament, as some of the top prospects like Lonzo Ball, De'Aaron Fox and Josh Jackson have left the NBA world anxious for their arrival. But thanks to the trade-deadline deal with Washington for Bojan Bogdanovic, the Nets at least have the Wizards' first-rounder to look forward to.
List of voters: USA TODAY Sports' Jeff Zillgitt, Sam Amick, Kevin Spain, AJ Neuharth-Keusch and Michael Singer; The Arizona Republic's Doug Haller; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery; Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis; Indianapolis Star's Nate Taylor; The (Bergen) Record's Steve Popper; HoopsHype.com's Jorge Sierra and Raul Barrigon; USA TODAY Sports Weekly's Howard Megdal; For The Win's Adi Joseph.