NBA Power Rankings: Sparkling Spurs

The New York Knicks may not have any cap space this summer, but that surely did not stop the team from making what may be the biggest acquisition that the league sees this year.

On Tuesday, Phil Jackson will officially be announced as the president of basketball operations for the Knicks and that is the major storyline after 20 weeks of the 2013-14 NBA season. Interestingly enough, though, as Zen-mania took over Gotham City, the Knicks have quietly pieced together a season-high six-game win streak and have kept their playoff hopes alive. With the longest current win-streak in the Eastern Conference, they need some help from the Atlanta Hawks to get into the postseason, but impossible is nothing.

Out West, the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs have risen to the top of our hearts as the Houston Rockets seem to have run out of fuel. After the Rockets posted a very impressive 4-0 week during Week 19, an 0-3 road trip last week has James Harden’s team licking its wounds.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Miami HEAT have been doing a fair amount of wound-licking themselves. Losers of five of their last seven, the HEAT still trail the Indiana Pacers, who visit Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

With the sprint toward the playoffs officially underway and an unfortunate injury to Kyrie Irving this past week, we can almost safely say that nine teams have emerged in each conference as teams realistically in the playoff hunt, though seeds are still to be determined.

And in the end, it is all likely to come down to the match ups. Even after 20 weeks, there is much to be decided.

Have a question or comment on Moke’s Weekly Power Rankings? Feel free to ask him a question in his Weekly NBA Chat, held each Friday afternoon.