Piston Powered NBA Power Rankings: Week 5

110. The Miami Heat dropped two of their three games this week, but they’ve won seven of 10 overall. They’ve held their opponents to exactly 78 points in their last two wins, both against the New York Knicks, and they boast the second-best defensive rating in the NBA, tied with the San Antonio Spurs giving up 95.5 points per 100 possessions. The Heat’s upcoming schedule is tough, though, as their next four games are against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets, so we’ll soon see just what this team is made of.. 10-6. Previous: 5th. Miami Heat. 5. team

11-5. Previous: 8th. Indiana Pacers. 4. team. 100. Nobody other than the otherworldly Golden State Warriors is hotter than the Indiana Pacers right now, winners of seven of their last eight and 11 of their last 13 since starting 0-3 on the season. Paul George is putting up MVP numbers that seem barely believable, and while it stands to reason that he and the Pacers are playing over their heads right now, it’s hard to picture George falling out of the MVP chase.

Cleveland Cavaliers. 3. team. 156. The Cleveland Cavaliers are proving to be an Eastern Conference juggernaut, winning five of their last six since dropping a close 104-99 loss at the Palace of Auburn Hills to the Detroit Pistons. That sole defeat was a hard-fought 103-99 road loss to the Toronto Raptors. LeBron James is still doing LeBron things, averaging 25.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, while shooting 49.8% from the floor. He’s no stranger to MVP chases, and this year looks to be no different.. 13-4. Previous: 3rd

Ho hum, the San Antonio Spurs are one of the best teams in the NBA again. They have the eighth best offense and are tied for the second best defensive rating, and have the second best net rating in the NBA at +9.1. Kawhi Leonard is quietly assembling a powerhouse season, averaging 22.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, and his shooting splits are stellar with .516/.471/.860. With the exception of the field goal percentage, every one of those numbers would represent a career high. Keep an eye on Leonard in MVP rankings as the season goes on.. 14-4. Previous: 2nd. San Antonio Spurs. 2. team. 29

19-0. Previous: 1st. Golden State Warriors. 1. team. 41. Another week in the books, and nobody has beaten the Golden State Warriors yet. The Warriors faced perhaps their stiffest challenge yet on Monday night, downing the feisty Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City by a 106-103 margin, but nobody has solved the Dubs’ formula for success yet. As long as Steph Curry is just plain awesome, it’s likely that nobody will. Interim head coach Luke Walton was named the Western Conference’s Coach of the Month on Monday, which is just further proof that this team is an unstoppable machine.