On February 7, Beijing time, the regular season of the 2021-22 season continued, and ESPN's latest edition of the strength list was released. The Suns and Warriors continue to be in the top two, with the Nets, already losing eight straight, falling from 11th last week to 12th this week, and the Lakers, like last week, still in 19th place.
The top 10 places in this issue's strength list are in order (the ranking of the previous period is in parentheses):
1.Sun(1)2.Warrior(2) 3.Grizzlies(3) 4.Heat(4) 5.Bucks(6)
6.Bull(7) 7.76 Man(5) 8.Knight(10) 9.Lone Ranger(9) 10.Jazz(12)
The teams ranked 11th-20th are, in order:
11. Nuggets, 12. Nets, 13. Raptors, 15. Timberwolves
16. Eagles, 17. Wasps, 18. Clippers, 19. Lakers, 20. Wizards
The teams ranked 21st-30th are, in order:
21. Knicks, 22. Pelicans, 23. Spurs, 24. Blazers, 25. Pacers
26. Kings, 27. Thunder, 28. Rockets, 29. Magic, 30. Pistons
The Suns lost 2-1 last week, beating the Nets and Wizards and losing to the Hawks. Although their 11-game winning streak came to an end, the Suns' momentum remained strong. Under Paul and Booker, the Suns still have the number one record in the league, and the next three games are new challenges, they will play against the 76ers, Bulls and Bucks three eastern powerhouses in a row.
The Warriors, who lost 3 to 0 last week, have won eight straight games over the Rockets, Spurs and Kings. The former championship team is getting better, and the Warriors can win regardless of whether Curry feels good or not, which also reflects the depth of their current lineup.
The Grizzlies lost 2-1 last week to the 76ers, beating the Knicks and Magic. The Grizzlies are firmly in third place in the West, and Morant is still playing at the MVP level, scoring 30+ in eight of his last nine games.
The Heat, who lost 2-2 last week, still led the East by a narrow margin. Adebayor gradually regained his senses, winning five double-doubles in his last six games. Lowry also finally returned after a nine-game hiatus, and after his return, the Heat won two straight games.
The Bucks lost 3-0 last week, beating the Wizards, Trail Blazers and Clippers. As the overall champion last season, the Bucks are still outstanding. Alphabet Brother has scored 25+ in 19 consecutive games, and Holliday and Middleton are in good form. The Bucks are currently just 0.5 wins away from the Heat at the top of the Eastern Conference.
The Raptors won 4-0 last week, and after VanVleet's comeback, the Raptors have won five straight, two wins over the Heat and Hawks, and also beat the Bulls. He was also named to the All-Star bench. At present, the Raptors have rushed to sixth place in the East.
The Nets have suffered eight consecutive defeats last week, with 0 wins and 4 losses, falling to seventh in the East. Durant and Harden's injury suspension seriously affected the Nets' combat effectiveness, Irving could only play away, and the Nets were in crisis. If they don't turn the tide as quickly as possible, they may face playing in the play-offs.
The Lakers lost 2-1 last week, beating the Blazers and Knicks and losing to the Clippers. The good news is that James is finally back and gets a triple-double as soon as he returns, and the bad news is that Westbrook is still sluggish, and the last game was only 1 of 10 shots.