Oklahoma City Thunder: Northwest Division still on top

A few weeks ago, we checked out the NBA’s divisions, ranking them one through six, based on combined record.

The Northwest Division, led by the Thunder, ranked No. 1. And nothing has changed.

The Northwest ranks No. 1 by a wide margin, with its five teams collectively 26 games over .500. The Southwest is second, at just nine games over .500. Here are the rankings:

1. Northwest +26: OKC 37-12, Utah 26-23, Denver 26-23, Minnesota 24-26, Portland 23-26. When your last-place team is just three games under .500 and would be in the playoff race if it had any desire to be, you’ve got a heck of a division.

2. Southwest +9: San Antonio 33-14, Dallas 28-22, Memphis 26-21, Houston 26-23, New Orleans 12-36. The Hornets drag down the Southwest. At the top and in the middle, the Southwest trumps the Northwest. But the Hornets are so bad, the Southwest can’t recover.

3. Central +7: Chicago 40-10, Indiana 28-19, Milwaukee 22-26, Cleveland 17-29, Detroit 16-32. A fairly-balanced division. Great team at the top, solid up-and-comer second, a playoff contender in the middle, a rebuilding but interesting team in Cleveland and a routine rumdum at the end.