NBA Power Rankings: Cavaliers rise, Lakers fall as top of rankings stays largely unchanged

The Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns split their two meetings last week, maintaining their positions as the top two teams in the league power rankings. The Brooklyn Nets are the top team from the East in the latest rankings, but there are two Central division squads making some noise heading towards the end of the 2021 calendar year.

The Chicago Bulls registered a big win over the Nets, cementing them as a contender in the conference. The Bulls might not have the most recognizable stars, but they’re a cohesive group that plays solid basketball on both ends of the floor. Speaking of cohesive groups, the Cleveland Cavaliers have to be one of the biggest surprises of the season. Despite missing Evan Mobley and Collin Sexton, the Cavs have maintained their course as a a playoff contender. Cleveland’s rise has been so crazy that there was speculation of LeBron James going back to his hometown franchise this summer.

James’ current squad takes a small tumble in the rankings. The Los Angeles Lakers would be in the playoffs as a .500 group if the postseason started today, so not all is lost. The team has four very winnable games this week against the Celtics, Grizzlies, Thunder and Magic. If Los Angeles can go 4-0 and look good doing so, there will be significantly less noise surrounding the team.

Let’s take a look at Chinmay Vaidya’s power rankings for Week 8 of the NBA season.