Oh man.
() Indicates previous ranking; [] Indicates record
1. (3) [6-3] Knicks
The Knicks are the winners of this week in House Ball, taking over a #1 spot that had been dominated by the Raptors and Nuggets from the start. Well, the Knicks actually held the #1 spot during the week of December 22nd, but that didn't last very long. The Knicks have been hot as of late, riding a four game win streak with impressive wins over the Cavs and the Hawks. Schmidt continues to happen, while Charlie Miller and Lee Gardella are running the offensive side of the ball beautifully for the Knicks. But it is the defensive side of the ball that is making this team so dangerous, as the Knicks remain the #1 defense in the league up to this point. As Mark Schmidt said postgame, "defense wins championships." The Knicks look to end the season with a huge win, as they take on the Raptors in the regular season finale.
2. (4) [5-4] Nets
So the Nets have shocked the league, taking down the powerhouse Nuggets by 10 points after Nuggets star Hudson Hamill got ejected. Tyler Grant was apparently right, after telling the press "Hudson's about to get his McNuggets chopped off." The Nets have figured something out, as they are riding an impressive three game winning streak after that heartbreaking buzzer beater lose to the Hawks. In fact, the Nets are 5-1 since starting 0-3, which is a massive turnaround. Much of that is due to the play of leading Big Man of the Year candidate Aidan Coyle, who is a center playing point guard most of the time, which for every team is a nightmare. The supporting cast of Tyler Grant, Brian Peters and Bobby Osborn have also been a vital part of this teams turnaround, oh, and Cord Fox too. Watch out for the Nets come playoff time, as they are riding a wave of momentum right now.
3. (6) [5-4] Hawks
The Hawks are back. Yikes. Well, let's just wait on that statement. This team has been so up and down that is was quite hard to put them here. The team was able to down the #1 Raptors on Sunday, when they were without both Connor Mulliken and Andrew Mathew. Both of them. Against a much bigger Raptors front court, the duo of senior big men John Foley and Jack Baylis were able to grab much needed boards, score some big points late and draw enough fouls to get Raptors star Jack Beatty out of the game. Without both Mulliken and Mathew however, the team turned to the Drake twins, who combined to score 31 of the teams total 45 points. Chris lead the team with 20 points while Matt was able to drop 11 (happy?) and hit some big free throws at the end of the game. With the returns of Mulliken and Mathew, this team is dangerous. With so many scoring options across the floor, this team figures to be a favorite heading into the playoffs. As Foley said when the final buzzer sounded, "We are back."
4. (2) [6-3] Nuggets
The Nuggets had the perfect opportunity to regain their #1 spot in the rankings after the Raptors lost, but they were not able to pull off the win against the Nets. The team lost by 10 on Sunday, scoring 45 in the process, but allowing over 50 points for the third time this season. In fact, the Nuggets are the third worst defensive team in the league behind the Warriors and the Suns. That is not great company to be in. To make matters worse, the team lost Hudson Hamill to an ejection after getting T'd up twice in the second half, which probably caused the downfall. If the Nuggets want to make a championship run, which they probably will, they need to start making friends with the refs before they become the most hated team among the stripes. The one positive? I hear Burke Blatney nailed a half-court buzzer beater. Moral win.
5. (5) [5-4] Cavaliers
The Cavs were able to take out the short handed Celtics while being short handed themselves. The Cavs were without star Jamie Schofield, while the Celtics were without Quinn Fay and Brian Keating. So literally, we had a battle of the secondary players, and it was fabulous. Danny O'Boyle went off, dropping the first 12 points for the Cavs. I'm pretty sure he ended with at least 40 on the day. Peter Ridder continued his underrated season as well, while Matt Meyjes returned and provided solid support all around for the Cavs. The win was big for the team, following a tough stretch of games trading wins and losses. With the return of Schofield coming on Wednesday, the Cavs are looking to head into the playoffs with an above .500 record to give them some momentum.
6. (1) [7-2] Raptors
I don't know what happened. I went to watch the Raptors in person, and instead watched the Hawks pull off one of the biggest upsets in House history. The Raptors were in full force on Sunday too, as both Jack Beatty and Emmet Sheehan were in attendance, combing to form a wall in the paint. Still, even with Sheehan blocking anything in his way and Beatty have an all-around good performance, the Hawks were somehow able to pull it off. Now, this #6 ranking is not what the Raptors deserve at all. They are still one of the best teams in the league, but following a loss to a team without its two best players, the drop is somewhat necessary. The team gets a chance at redemption on Wednesday night, as they play the new #1 team in the league, the Knicks, in a game which might determine the #1 seed heading into the playoffs.
7. (8) [4-5] Warriors
The Warriors put up 75 against the Suns on Sunday, solidifying themselves as one of the best offenses in the league. Yet, the team still has massive trouble defending their own basket, as they are allowing on average a total of 49 points per game. Ew. On the bright side, both Burke brothers were in attendance, which is probably why they scored 75 points (even without star Cary O'Brien). Christian Fiorenza led the team with 0 points as well, keeping himself in contention for Junior of the Year. The Warriors have a chance to end the year at .500 as they take on struggling Spurs on Wednesday night. As for the win, O'Brien, who wasn't even there, said, "got the ball, did the jumps, circle in the hoop, we did the dirt, let's play ball."
8. (7) [4-5] Celtics
The Celtics lost to the Cavs on Sunday, as both teams were without their star players. Still, the Celtics got solid production out of Peter Marren, who hit some big shots to keep the Celtics in the game all the way until the end. The Celtics can still be a dangerous team, especially when both Quinn Fay, Brian Keating and Peter Marren are all in scoring mode. Supporting members including Ryan Corcoran and Dillon Jones will also be huge for this team, especially in the paint and on the boards. The Celtics have a huge chance at gaining incredible momentum as they get to take on the Hawks on Wednesday.
9. (9) [2-7] Spurs
The Spurs could not handle the Knicks on Sunday, losing their third straight and sixth game out of their last seven. In fact, that one win in the past seven is against the Suns, the leagues worst team. I am still utterly confused on why this team isn't good, since they have some of the best players on the team. Do I have any advice for the team? Feed Jack Wells. Give him the ball. Let him work. Oh, also shout out to James Crafford. Didn't even know this kid played House.
10. (10) [1-8] Suns
Eight game losing streaks are cool. Letting up 75 points to the Warriors is cool. Allowing 55 points per game is cool. Getting my sarcasm? This team is awful right now, with Charlie Dean being the only bright spot on this team besides Timmy Graham. Still, 65 points is pretty good offensively for this team, as reportedly, Jack McCann and David Voigt combined to score like, 35. Watch them pull off the greatest playoff run in history. You heard it here first.
Game Predictions:
#3 Hawks vs. #8 Celtics
With the Hawks hoping to have their big time players back, expect them to feast on the Celtics to close out the season. Hawks win.
#2 Nets vs. #10 Suns
I'd call for the upset, but I can no longer trust the Suns. Nets win a relatively close one, but drop at least 60.
#7 Warriors vs. #9 Spurs
The Warriors are coming off a big win against the Suns, only being big since they scored 75, but I'm calling upset. Spurs win.
#4 Nuggets vs. #5 Cavaliers
Tie.
*Game of the Week*
#1 Knicks vs. #6 Raptors
This is more like a #1 vs. #2 battle, especially since the winner of this game has a chance to grab the #1 seed heading into playoffs. The Raptors fell hard in the rankings after losing to the short handed Hawks, but are looking to return back to their dominant ways. The Knicks are on fire as of late, riding a four game win streak and sporting the best defense in the league. How the Knicks plan on handling Sheehan is a big question mark, but the Hawks were able to do it just fine, so they can probably figure something out. In a very close game, the Knicks will be able to pull it off.
Oh, by the way. This is probably the last set of power rankings for the year. How sad. I'm really emotional right now. So instead of power rankings during playoffs, I'll do some playoff predictions before each round. Everyone should be happy with that.
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