NBA Power Rankings: NBA parity evident through 3 weeks

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Three unofficial weeks are in the books on the NBA's regular season, and the usual suspects head the top of the power rankings. Golden State hasn't lost, Cleveland is rolling and soon will get a 23-year-old All-Star back and Russell Westbrook is doing Russell Westbrook things.

But one glance at the NBA standings and it's clear there's a healthy parity this season. Nineteen of the 30 teams are .500 or better, and 17 teams are between 6-4 and 4-6. On this date last season only 14 teams were at or above .500 and six teams were 3-7 or worse; in 2015 there are only four such teams. They're small differences and may or may not make a difference by season's end, but regardless it shows the talent gap getting a smidgen closer as younger teams begin to see their futures make progress on the court.

On to the power rankings.

Previous power rankings: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2

Rank (LW) Team
Record Comment
1 (1) (11-0) It's beginning to seem a little less crazy to consider this team flirting with 72 wins. Steph Curry: Still ridiculous.
(2) (8-2) All that offseason talk of LeBron pacing himself? He's averaging 27.0 PPG on 50.5 percent shooting. Third in NBA in FGA.
(3) (7-2)  After a slow two-game start, LaMarcus Aldridge has averaged 17.9 points and 10.4 rebounds in his last seven.
4 (8) (6-4)  Russell Westbrook among point guards: 2nd in points (25.2), 1st in rebounds (8.6), first in assists (10.9), 4th in steals (2.1). Simply incredible.
5 (11) (6-3)  Chris Bosh is balling. The Heat power forward is averaging 19.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
6 (9) (7-4)  The Raptors are averaging a league-best 30.7 free throw attempts per game. Kyle Lowry has the Toronto offense humming. 
7 (12) (6-3)  Pau Gasol is averaging a double-double (16.0 points, 10.4 rebounds) since his opening-night dud against Cleveland. 
8 (4) (8-4)  Al Horford and Paul Millsap have quietly turned in spectacular seasons early on. If the former stays healthy, Hawks will remain dangerous in the East.
9 (14) (6-3)  Wins over the Clippers and Rockets (and Lakers) this week. Zaza Pachulia and Dwight Powell have played really well inside post-DeAndre fiasco.
10 (16) (6-4)   They've shaken off an 0-3 start and won six of seven. Paul George (24.3/8.8/4.6) has returned with a vengeance.
11 (6)   (6-4)  Difficult week with Chris Paul (groin) in and out of the lineup but they're still the third most efficient offense behind Blake Griffin's MVP-like start.
12 (10)   (4-3)  Tough sledding on a four-game road trip without Rudy Gobert for two nights, but they finished the week with a nice win over the Hawks.
13 (13)   (4-4)  Always scary seeing Bradley Beal on the injury report. Wizards will need him healthy if they want to contend in the East.
14 (5)   (4-6)  Will the real Rockets please stand up? Losses to Brooklyn, Dallas and Denver this week. James Harden can only do so much.
15 (18)   (5-4)  Jae Crowder leads the NBA in steals per game for the Celtics, who have won four of five after a slow start.
16 (7)   (5-5)  They've lost four straight to end their six-game West Coast trip. Awaiting them at home? A Tuesday matchup with LeBron and the Cavs.
17 (21)   (5-4)  Eric Bledsoe averaged 28.0/8.5/6.5 and 2.0 steals in an important 2-0 week for the Suns to get them back over .500.
18 (24)   (5-4)  They've won five of their last seven, and Nicolas Batum is heating up, averaging 23.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in his last three games.
19 (15)   (5-6)  They pick up two wins before facing this upcoming gauntlet: vs. OKC, vs. HOU, @ SA, vs. DAL, @ HOU, vs. ATL. Godspeed.
20 (19)   (5-6)  Evan Fournier is looking like an early candidate for Most Improved Player. He's averaging 18.8 points in 38.0 minutes per game.
21 (22)   (5-6)  His outside shot still isn't falling - though his near-buzzer beater in Charlotte was pure as it gets - but he's still looking like the steal of the 2015 draft class.
22 (17)   (5-5)  Jabari Parker had a few highlight reel dunks in Milwaukee's 2OT win over the Cavs. Milwaukee adds another dimension once he's back to full-speed.
23 (25)   (5-5)  Emmanuel Mudiay is averaging 9.2 assists in the Nuggets' five wins. In their five losses, he's averaging just 3.2 dimes.
24 (26)   (4-7)  Boogie Cousins making a strong case for first team All-NBA honors. Averaging 26.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and is shooting 43.5 percent from deep.
25 (20) (4-7)  They've now lost five straight since a 4-2 start, and the road doesn't get any easier this week (@SA, @HOU, vs. LAC).
26 (23) (4-6)  Rough five-game week in which they went 1-4. Oddly enough, the T-Wolves are 0-5 at home and 4-1 on the road.
27 (28) (1-8)  Jordan Clarkson's continued improvement is helping hide DeAngelo Russell's invisible rookie season. Lakers have to find a way to get him going.
28 (27) (1-9)  Worth mentioning again this week that the Pelicans are the NBA's least efficient defense by a wide margin. Unfathomable with Anthony Davis in the middle.
29 (30) (1-9)  Going toe-to-toe with the Warriors in Golden State is no small feat. Brook Lopez's missed bunny at the buzzer was crushing.
30 (29) (0-10)  They're the last winless team, and the first in NBA history to begin two straight years 0-10. Trust the process, I guess?
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