Skip to main content

NBA Team Chemistry Rankings: 2012-2013 Closeout

Here is a closeout from last season. Playoff teams are ranked 1-16 and non-playoff teams are ranked 17-30.

RankTeamNotesPrevious
1.Miami HeatThe NBA Champions won it all with clutch play in Games 6 & 7 of the NBA Finals.  (2)
2.San Antonio SpursClutch play by the Heat ruined a possible retirement party for Tim Duncan after a clinching Game 6 victory slipped out of reach. (1)
3.Indiana PacersThe Pacers are a team in waiting in the East. Their bench crumbled in the playoffs, warranting some key offseason acquisitions. (4)
4.Memphis GrizzliesAfter making trades to clear payroll and resetting their mix of role players, the Grizzlies finally advanced to the Western Conference Finals. However, the team was not so kind to now former head coach Lionel Hollins. (9)
5.Golden State WarriorsCoach Mark Jackson has developed a winning culture in Golden State, combining his emphasis on defense with the team's offensive potential.(11)
6.New York KnicksThe Knicks played with as good of chemistry as they have in years, but it was not enough to beat the Pacers. Carmelo Anthony is on track to join the list of NBA Hall of Famers to never win an NBA Championship.(10)
7.Chicago BullsThe spirited play of the Bulls overcame the well-balanced Nets in last season's only seven-game first round series. However, the Bulls can only beat the Heat with Derrick Rose in the lineup.(6)
8.Oklahoma City ThunderThe Thunder could not handle an injury to Russell Westbrook with James Harden lost to a pre-free agency trade. For the first time, they are not in the top 3 of the NBA Team Chemistry Rankings. (3)
9.Los Angeles ClippersThe Clippers played a good series but still lost to the Grizzlies, leading to some bolstering of their bench and the hiring of coach Doc Rivers.(5)
10.Brooklyn NetsThe talented Nets fell to the spirited Bulls in a tough seven-game series. With a ceiling in sight, owner Mikhail Prokhorov added the championship swagger of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in hopes of bringing the NBA Championship to Brooklyn. (7)
11.Denver NuggetsThe steady Nuggets lost a closely-contested first round series to the Warriors. Afterwards, they sent star swingman Andre Iguodala to the Warriors in a three-team trade and did not re-sign head coach George Karl.(15)
12.Houston RocketsThe high octane Rockets solidified their return to championship contention by adding prized free agent center Dwight Howard.(13)
13.Atlanta HawksThe Hawks are in transition but still have enough talent to compete. General Manager Danny Ferry took last season's first round loss as an opportunity to not re-sign star forward Josh Smith or coach Larry Drew. (8)
14.Boston CelticsLet the rebuilding begin. The Celtics managed to take 2 games in their first round loss to the Knicks, but it was clear that it was time to move on from the New Big Three era, especially after Ray Allen had already left town prior to last season.(19)
15.Milwaukee BucksThe under-.500 Bucks sneaked into the playoffs as the other 7 sub-.500 teams in the East were too weak to claim the #8 playoff seed.  (16)
16.Los Angeles LakersThe Lakers were too talented not to make the playoffs last season. However, a season-ending injury to Kobe Bryant and drama surrounding Dwight Howard's pending free agency were too much to overcome against a stacked Spurs team. (20)
17.Utah JazzThe Jazz narrowly missed the playoffs but remain a middle of the road underdog team that got even younger this offseason with the departures of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap.(12)
18.Dallas MavericksThe short contracts/annual free agency strategy has not been kind to the Mavericks since they won the championship in 2011. (21)
19.Minnesota TimberwolvesThe Timberwolves made some necessary front office changes. Hopefully, Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio can finally be healthy and put together a playoff run.(14)
20.Toronto RaptorsCoach Dwane Casey is getting the team to be competitive. Despite only winning 34 games, they were only outscored by 1.5 points per game last season after being outscored by 3.3 points per game during the 2011-2012 season. (25)
21.Portland Trail BlazersThe Trail Blazers rode Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard to a modest 33-win season. The team remains very young heading into next season.(17)
22.Philadelphia 76ersCoach Doug Collins went back into retirement as injured center Andrew Bynum never played a game for the team. Then, the Sixers traded star point guard Jrue Holiday to deepen their rebuilding efforts.(18)
23.Washington WizardsThe Wizards played competitively again once point guard John Wall returned to the lineup. Bigger things are in store for next season.(29)
24.Detroit PistonsPresident Joe Dumars expressed his disappointment with last season by replacing coach Lawrence Frank with Mo Cheeks and acquiring disgruntled stars Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings.(23)
25.New Orleans Pelicans (formerly Hornets)Ownership relinquished the Hornets name in favor of the Pelicans name. Coach Monty Williams is hoping that last season was the last year of their much-needed rebuilding phase.(22)
26.Sacramento KingsThe Kings remain a young, inconsistent team but are turning to respected young coach Mike Malone for his first NBA head coaching job.(24)
27.Cleveland CavaliersCoach Byron Scott's lack of emphasis on defense and rumored lack of office hours led the team to fire him and rehire Mike Brown. Last year's team underachieved but will benefit from this year's draft picks and free agent signings.(28)
28.Phoenix SunsThe firing of coach Alvin Gentry and the protesting walkout of his assistant coaches revealed a franchise in disarray. The Suns were outscored by 6.4 points per game last season. The question now is how long the rebuilding plan will take to execute.(27)
29.Orlando MagicThe Magic had a bad season, getting outscored by 7 points per game. They did not get the #1 pick but got a player with tons of potential at #2 in Victor Oladipo. The youth movement is on, but not in the form of the center-driven eras of Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard. (26)
30.Charlotte BobcatsThe Bobcats never looked good last year, getting outscored by 9.3 points per game. Mike Dunlap's unheralded hiring and firing illustrated the continued struggles of Michael Jordan's transition to a career in the front office.(30)
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Zone Defense: The Rule Change Michael Jordan is Forgetting

In accordance with the release of the new NBA 2K11 basketball video game, legendary Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan has returned to the media's spotlight. That is, Michael Jordan has caught the sports world's attention by saying that today's NBA rules would have allowed him to score 100 points in a game. No one is questioning Michael Jordan's uncanny ability to make plays, create shots, and score points. Michael Jordan is right in saying that, overall, today's rules favor offensive players, particularly guards. Much less contact is allowed in defensive play; some of what was legal when Jordan played (such as forearms and handchecking) is now deemed personal foul-worthy. Furthermore, with a 30-team league, talent is spread out more than it used to be, and players--while on average are more athletic today--come into the league much less fundamentally sound. However, Michael Jordan has forgotten about the re-emergence of zone defense in the NBA. True,
Read more

Remembering the Last NBA Lockout

Odds are that there will be another NBA lockout this offseason. Previously, there have been three NBA lockouts. In 1995, a lockout lasted three months but did not cut into the regular season. In 1996, the lockout was very, very short - only a couple of hours. However, the third NBA lockout in 1998 was the first work stoppage in NBA history. It ended up cutting out nearly half the 1998-1999 season; the result was a 50-game regular season schedule played in 90 days. There were sequences where teams played 3 days in a row. That is otherwise unheard of in the NBA. A meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday, June 30th) to further discuss NBA labor negotiations. Here's hoping to no lockout in 2011 or, at the very least, no lost regular season games in 2011-2012. Until then, here are some interesting story lines that were going on around the time when the NBA owners locked out NBA players in 1998. **Please be warned that some of the content is more mature in theme.** > Choking A
Read more

2018 NBA Finals Preview: The Evolution of Cavs vs. Warriors

Picture: Front entrance to Quicken Loans Arena on May 30th, 2018. (There were no new decorations yet for the 2018 NBA Finals as the Q renovation project takes place. Decorations were added today.) Cavs rotation Star players who are core players:  F/G LeBron James, F/C Kevin Love Role players who are core players:  G George Hill, G/F J.R. Smith, C/F Tristan Thompson, F Jeff Green, G/F Kyle Korver Role players who are situational players:  G Jordan Clarkson, F/C Larry Nance Jr., G/F Rodney Hood, F/G Cedi Osman, G Jose Calderon Bench players who are secondary backups:  C/F Ante Zizic, C Kendrick Perkins, F Okaro White *Not on playoff roster: Two-way players:  G/F John Holland, G London Perrantes Warriors rotation Star players who are core players:  F Kevin Durant, G Stephen Curry, G Klay Thompson, F/C Draymond Green Role players who are core players:  [G Andre Iguodala], C/F Kevon Looney, G Shaun Livingston, G/F Nick Young, G Quinn Cook  Role players who are situa
Read more

2007: “Believeland” and the Parallels between Sports and Life

The year 2007 has been a great year for Cleveland sports. Regardless of whether or not the Browns make the playoffs today, all three teams of the ‘Big Three’—Cavaliers, Indians, and Browns—have put together winning seasons. One thing that has always fascinated me about sports is seeing parallels between sports and life, and as fans of these Cleveland teams we can definitely carry their winning attitudes into our own lives (whether on or off the field/court) as we turn the calendar to 2008. In Cleveland sports, we have seen our shares of mishaps and disappointments, including times when players or team officials themselves surrendered too early and never gave winning a chance. As fans, most of us at one point or another have written off certain players, coaches, teams, etc. because we did not believe that they could win, whether the reason was internal to the team or external. Regardless, we have come to expect little out of our teams yet still endlessly criticize them w
Read more

Lesson Learned from ESPN Baseball Tonight's Pitchers' Roundtable Last Night

With Major League Baseball finishing up its All-Star break yesterday, ESPN's Baseball Tonight aired a special "Pitchers' Roundtable" on TV last night. Having watched some of this program, I was thoroughly impressed by the knowledge and wisdom shared by the five former pitchers. The most important lesson I took away from the program applies not just to baseball players and coaches, but to all players and coaches as well as all students and teachers. The lesson, namely, is: "Different people have different learning styles." There is a lot in society and pop culture about "different strokes for different folks". Yet, out on the court, in the classroom, and out in the workplace, there tends to be a focus on doing things one way. As this cliche goes, "there is one right way". Personally, I dislike such a philosophy, although I understand the practicality of it. If there is one "right" way of doing things, then evaluation of perform
Read more

560-342, 95-51 & counting

Picture: The sun shines on the LeBron James billboard across the street from the Q on Monday, April 17th, 2017. In 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron Raymone James Sr. has helped lead his team to a 560-342 regular season record (average of 51-31 per season) and a 95-51 playoff record thus far. Prior to the two LeBron eras in Cleveland, the Cavs had compiled a modest playoff record of 28-49 with two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. It's been quite the ride. However, many analysts, fans, and other NBA conspiracy theorists are calling this weekend the end of the second LeBron-Cleveland era. If this is true, making four Conference Finals in a row, three NBA Finals in a row, and winning one NBA Championship will never be forgotten in Cleveland. No matter how many championships James ends up winning in his career, the 2016 win will always stand out. The Cavs defied all odds by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat a team with a historic 73-9 regular sea
Read more

NBA Team Chemistry Rankings: 3rd Quarter of Season

Here are the updated NBA Team Chemistry Rankings for the 2011-2012 season. Noted preseason contenders --Oklahoma City, Chicago, San Antonio, Memphis, Miami, Dallas, and Boston--all find themselves in the current playoff picture. Of these 7 teams, only the Grizzlies at 4-6 have played sub-.500 ball in their last 10 games. Overall, the Western Conference remains the stronger conference, with 13 of 15 teams at 20 or more wins this season; in comparison, the Eastern Conference has only 9 of 15 teams at 20 or more wins. Regarding team chemistry, there appears to be balance across the conferences, with 5 teams from each conference currently ranking in the top 10. It will be interesting to see how the final month of the season goes and where teams end up in the playoff seeding. Rank Team Notes Previous 1. Oklahoma City Thunder The Thunder continue to look like 'the team of the future'--i.e. the championship team of the next defining era of NBA basketball, a la Magic and B
Read more

The New Cavalier Era

The 2021-2022 NBA season has been quite the ride for the young Cleveland Cavaliers team. There have been ups and downs with multiple winning streaks but loads of injuries and illness. After the New Year’s Eve loss, the Cavs stand at 20-16 and 5th in the Eastern Conference. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was rewarded for helping guide and teach the team with a Christmas Day contract extension through 2026-2027. Rajon Rondo joins to help fill the void left by Ricky Rubio and Collin Sexton, who both suffered from season-ending injuries. Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley are showing up as big-time players, with Isaac Okoro leading other up-and-coming players on the roster. Trade rumors continue regarding other big-name talent. Regardless, the Cavs are finding their stride this year. 2022 brings much basketball hope to Cleveland, including the NBA All-Star Game in February and hopefully a return to postseason play for the first time in 4 years.
Read more

A New Day in Believeland: A 2nd 'Season Opener' vs. Kyrie & the Celtics

Video credit: Fox Sports Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate LeBron James's  game-winner vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 7, 2018.   From the outside looking in, numerous analysts and fans had watched the past month of basketball and made a distinct observation: the 2017-2018 Cleveland Cavaliers ( prior to the trade deadline ) do not like each other. Wednesday night's victory celebration seemed quite fitting as a farewell party to any spoken or unspoken drama in the locker room. As I stated a month ago: With the trade deadline a month away (February 8th), how the team adjusts or doesn't adjust with IT, TT, DRose, and Shumpert back will help determine if anyone needs to be brought in--and if any of these four players or anyone else ends up getting traded. As it turned out, the suspicions many of us had in Believeland were correct: guys needed to get traded in order to adjust the rotation. TT stayed, but IT, DRose, and Shumpert were all traded away. C
Read more

Will the Cavaliers retire the jersey numbers of Z or Free? Yes for Z, Unknown for Free

Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers have six former players' jersey numbers in the rafters. They are: #7 (Bingo Smith), #22 (Larry Nance), #25 (Mark Price), #34 (Austin Carr), #42 (Nate Thurmond), and #43 (Brad Daugherty). Retiring radio broadcaster Joe Tait's 39 seasons with the team was also honored with the raising of a banner at the end of last season. There is a chance that #23 can be retired to the rafters someday, but that will require either the contrition of one star player or the emergence of another star player who goes on to wear that jersey for the Cavs. As it stands, the two most likely former Cavaliers to have their jerseys retired in the near future are #11 Zydrunas Ilgauskas and #21 World B. Free . In drafting up the idea for this article over the past month and a half, it has since been learned that the team INTENDS to retire Ilgauskas' #11 sometime in the future. The secret was uncovered when it was revealed that #1 draft pick Kyrie Irving's reques
Read more