2014-15 NBA Power Rankings, third edition

This is the third in a series of NBA Power Rankings for the 2014-15 season.

The first edition can be seen here.

The second edition can be seen here.

The new edition is below:

1. Golden State Warriors (36-6): Steph Curry was the NBA's leading All-Star vote-getter, and is an early MVP candidate. Both he and Klay Thompson will participate in the three-point contest, and Steve Kerr will coach the West All-Star team. Yes, the Warriors are getting acknowledged across the league's landscape, but the mantra for this team remains Finals or bust. They may be the league's deepest and most-balanced team.

2. Atlanta Hawks (37-8): The Hawks have won 16 straight games, and have still only dropped 2 (!) games since Thanksgiving. They play a beautiful brand of basketball, slightly reminiscent of San Antonio's scheme, and they have clearly established themselves as the class of the East.

3. Memphis Grizzlies (32-12): Memphis has won seven out of their last ten games, and the addition of Jeff Green provides them with a player capable of perimeter production to complement Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph inside. Memphis remains efficient, as they possess a top-12 offense and defense, even if they don't generate the same type of hype as some of the other Western Conference contenders.

4. Los Angeles Clippers (31-14): Depth and defense remain the biggest issues for the Clippers, who have won eight of their last ten. The Clips have the league's best offense. When Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and Co. are clicking, the Clippers are as formidable as any team out there. But when they have to dig deep in their bench, they struggle. The addition of coach's son, Austin Rivers, did little to address the existing issues.

5. Houston Rockets (31-14): If they're not playing the Warriors, the Rockets are pretty dang good. Four out of their 14 losses so far this season were at the hands of the league-leading Warriors, who Houston may have to eventually face in the playoffs. Still though, the additions of Corey Brewer and Josh Smith provide some added depth, and James Harden continues to establish himself as an MVP candidate and superstar.

6. Portland Trail Blazers (32-13): Lamarcus Aldridge delaying surgery is a huge plus for Portland's playoff hopes this season. Aldridge is one of only three players averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds this season, and he is central to the Blazers' success on both ends of the floor. Portland boasts the league's third-most efficient defense, and as long as Aldridge is in the lineup, they remain a serious Western Conference threat.

7. Washington Wizards (30-15): John Wall continues to develop into one of the league's most productive points. Paul Pierce and Bradley Beal provide him with excellent offensive options, and their frontcourt is formidable. In an open East, the Wizards remain dangerous.

8. Dallas Mavericks (30-15): Dallas' lack of frontcourt depth is cause for concern, but with the league's second-best offense, and Tyson Chandler protecting the paint, the Mavericks look ready for the playoff push. Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons have helped to take some of the pressure off of Dirk Nowitzki on the offensive end, and the team has reaped the benefits.

9. San Antonio Spurs (29-17): The Spurs aren't that worried about their record, and you shouldn't be either. As always, their emphasis is on the playoff push, and after winning eight out of their last ten, it seems that the defending champions are rounding right into shape.

10. Toronto Raptors (29-15): Point guard Kyle Lowry finally got his due, not only making the All-Star game, but also being selected to start. He is the driving force behind Toronto's offense, which is the league's fourth-most efficient. While the Raptors have cooled off considerably since their 24-7 start, Lowry and Demar DeRozan make them a nightly threat.

11. Chicago Bulls (29-17): The Pau Gasol signing keeps looking better and better for the Bulls, as Gasol became the first Bull to be named an All-Star in his first season in Chicago since Michael Jordan. Bulls fans are hoping he can have similar success to Michael in the playoffs, too.

12. Cleveland Cavaliers (25-20): After six straight wins, the Cavaliers are starting to resemble the team many expected to see when LeBron James announced his intention to return last summer. James has been the catalyst for his team's recent success, but the recent additions of J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Timofey Mosgov may help add some serious depth come the playoff push.

13. Phoenix Suns (26-20): The Suns continue to cling to that eight seed out West, but they can certainly feel New Orleans and Oklahoma City creeping up on them. They have the league's sixth-most efficient offense, which has helped them stack up some wins, despite their propensity to drop games at the buzzer.

14. Oklahoma City Thunder (23-22): The Thunder are finally over .500 after battling through several injury issues throughout the season, and now they look to make their playoff push. Westbrook and Durant are both playing at high levels, and Dion Waiters might work to provide them with another offensive option down the stretch. The question remains for the Thunder how high they can climb, especially with Phoenix and New Orleans doing their best to keep OKC out.

15. Milwaukee Bucks (22-22): Milwaukee is average. Forty-four games in and the Bucks have played .500 ball – a pretty big improvement over their league-worst standing last season, no doubt. They are 10-10 at home, 12-12 on the road, and 5-5 over their last ten. A playoff appearance would be impressive, considering where they were only a year ago, and the fact that they are under a new coach in Kidd. The Bucks' backcourt of the future of Brandon Knight and Giannis Antetokounmpo has been exciting, and could develop into a real force paired with Jabari Parker down the road.

16. New Orleans Pelicans (24-21): Anthony Davis continues to be a beast to keep the Pelicans in the playoff picture, even if not a lot of people believe they are actually going to stay there. Davis is very close to becoming dangerously dominant, and the Pelicans will reap the benefits.

17. Miami Heat (20-24): The Heat have lost as many games at home so far this season (13) as they did over the past two seasons combined. The recent emergence of Hassan Whiteside has been a pleasant surprise for a Heat team still trying to overcome the loss of LeBron. Another playoff appearance seems certain, or at least likely, but that may well be as far as they get.

18. Charlotte Hornets (19-26): The Hornets have been playing much better basketball as of late, and finally pushed themselves into playoff positioning, currently holding down the East's eighth spot. But, just as things were starting to look up in Charlotte, the Hornets lost their leader, Kemba Walker, for the foreseeable future. The Hornets have been hit hard with injury issues this season, and it is a testament to the team that they have been able to remain (somewhat) relevant. It will be a real test to see if they can stay afloat without Walker for a while.

19. Detroit Pistons (17-28): The Pistons have cooled off a bit after their initial post-Josh Smith hot streak, going 5-5 over their past ten games. The injury to Brandon Jennings hurts, as he was starting to play very well under Stan Van Gundy. The Pistons have pushed themselves into the playoff picture, but with Jennings down for the season, Detroit will likely land in the lottery, and have to give a true playoff push another shot next season.

20. Brooklyn Nets (18-26): After dropping eight of their past ten, the Nets find themselves out of playoff positioning, looking up at the Hornets. They don't feel like a team that has the fight, or the health, to push back into the picture. Trades may be in play as deadline day approaches.

21. Denver Nuggets (18-27): Denver has dropped seven straight, and just can't seem to stop anyone. The team has largely lacked an identity post-Carmelo Anthony, and that continues to show this season. Some major moves may be in order in the offseason.

22. Sacramento Kings (16-27): The Kings have dropped six straight, and eight out of their last ten. Their solid start to the season continues to feel further and further away, as the team continues to slog through the season. Demarcus Cousins is a beast, and the organization clearly needs to surround him with some more talent in order to compete in the Western Conference.

23. Boston Celtics (16-27): It would not be shocking to see Avery Bradley and/or Evan Turner dealt by the trade deadline. The Jeff Green trade started what could be the Celtics clearing contracts. They have done an impressive job of stock-piling picks (look out Sam Hinkie), and should look to develop some of their younger guys with the remainder of this season.

24. Indiana Pacers (16-30): Only Philadelphia has a less-efficient offense than Indiana. Defense was their calling-card last season, but they at least had Paul George and Lance Stephenson to contribute on the offensive end. Without them, Indiana is obviously struggling, and will likely need to look to re-tool in the offseason.

25. Utah Jazz (16-29): While they are middle of the pack offensively in terms of efficiency, they are fourth-worst defensively, and you are just not going to win too many games that way. The emergence of Rudy Gobert, and continued development of some of the younger pieces are the main storylines of the season for Utah.

26. Orlando Magic (15-33): Although Orlando wasn't expected to be a real part of the playoff picture, they have underperformed at times this season, given the roster of young talent they have assembled. Losers of six straight and eight out of their last ten, the Magic are in the bottom third of both offensive and defensive efficiency, and again have fans focusing on the future.

27. Los Angeles Lakers (12-33): Things just keep getting worse in Laker-land. With Kobe Bryant now (again) sidelined for the season, not only is this season a wash, but the immediate future is now up in the air. In the meantime, wins for the rest of the season will be hard to come by.

28. New York Knicks (8-37): Though, on the court, the Knicks are just about every bit as bad as the Sixers, they get the edge because they beat the Sixers in both of the team's meeting so far this season, and as long as Carmelo Anthony is out on the court, they still possess one of the league's most explosive offensive options.

29. Philadelphia 76ers (8-37): The good news: The Sixers are only one win away from tying their own record for franchise futility, meaning that they likely won't go down as the worst Sixer squad ever. The bad news: No Tony Wroten for (likely) the rest of the season will make any more wins that much harder to come by. Wroten was the team's leading scorer, and the Sixers can ill-afford to lose a main offensive option.

30. Minnesota Timberwolves (7-37): In fairness to the Timberwolves, they have not been at full strength virtually all season, and they might have a few more wins if Ricky Rubio was around to run an offense flanked by Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine. As it stands though, Minnesota has the league's worst record, and outside of the play of Wiggins, little to be excited about this season.

Follow Michael Kaskey-Blomain on Twitter @therealmikekb