NBA Power Rankings: Where all 30 teams stand entering the second half of the season

Welcome back to the world’s most accurate power rankings, where today, as we do every two weeks, we sort all 30 NBA teams into an order so perfect that it will make you rethink your life.

But first: A sidebar.

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As we exit the All-Star break, we have eclipsed the 50-game mark of the 2025-26 NBA season, and in some cases we are nearing 60 games, which means it is time to employ “the 40-20 rule.”

What is that, you say? It is a benchmark wholly manufactured by legendary coach Phil Jackson. Legit contenders, he argued, win a 40th game before losing a 20th. In the modern era, only four teams (all anomalies) — the 1994-95 Houston Rockets, 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, 2005-06 Miami Heat and 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks — won a championship without meeting a 40-20 standard.

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Maybe I could come up with some other criteria that elicits a narrower field of exceptions, but I am not a 13-time NBA champion, so let us stick with what Jackson suggested — or should we?

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By Jackson’s logic, none of the Denver Nuggets (35-20), Houston Rockets (33-20) or New York Knicks (35-20) meet the 40-20 rule, since all of them lost a 20th game before winning their 40th.

Under Jackson’s rule, only the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-14) and Detroit Pistons (40-13) have qualified as contenders. The San Antonio Spurs (38-16) will almost surely soon join them, and the Boston Celtics (35-19), with a five-game win streak, have an outside shot. And that’s the list.

And maybe Jackson is right. You be the judge. Meanwhile, those perfect power rankings …

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration)

Is coach Doug Christie’s job safe? You tell us, GM Scott Perry: “I’m just expecting him to be my coach until I tell you anything different. I’m not even thinking along those lines right now. I want to see us get incrementally better each day, and I want to see him continue to improve as a coach. I expect him to continue to grow and improve and be the coach here for the Kings.” OK?

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As he nurses hand and groin injuries, Anthony Davis, according to multiple reports, will not play…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-power-rankings-where-all-30-teams-stand-entering-the-second-half-of-the-season-135207242.html

Author : Ben Rohrbach

Publish date : 2026-02-17 13:52:00

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