Welcome back to the world’s most accurate power rankings, where today, as we do every two weeks, we sort all 30 NBA teams into an order so perfect that it will make you rethink your life.

But first: A sidebar.

As we exit the All-Star break, we have eclipsed the 50-game mark of the 2025-26 NBA season, and in some cases we are nearing 60 games, which means it is time to employ “the 40-20 rule.”

What is that, you say? It is a benchmark wholly manufactured by legendary coach Phil Jackson. Legit contenders, he argued, win a 40th game before losing a 20th. In the modern era, only four teams (all anomalies) — the 1994-95 Houston Rockets, 2003-04 Detroit Pistons, 2005-06 Miami Heat and 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks — won a championship without meeting a 40-20 standard.

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Maybe I could come up with some other criteria that elicits a narrower field of exceptions, but I am not a 13-time NBA champion, so let us stick with what Jackson suggested — or should we?

By Jackson’s logic, none of the Denver Nuggets (35-20), Houston Rockets (33-20) or New York Knicks (35-20) meet the 40-20 rule, since all of them lost a 20th game before winning their 40th.

Under Jackson’s rule, only the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-14) and Detroit Pistons (40-13) have qualified as contenders. The San Antonio Spurs (38-16) will almost surely soon join them, and the Boston Celtics (35-19), with a five-game win streak, have an outside shot. And that’s the list.

And maybe Jackson is right. You be the judge. Meanwhile, those perfect power rankings …

30. Sacramento Kings (12-44)

Is coach Doug Christie’s job safe? You tell us, GM Scott Perry: “I’m just expecting him to be my coach until I tell you anything different. I’m not even thinking along those lines right now. I want to see us get incrementally better each day, and I want to see him continue to improve as a coach. I expect him to continue to grow and improve and be the coach here for the Kings.” OK?

29. Washington Wizards (14-39)

As he nurses hand and groin injuries, Anthony Davis, according to multiplereports, will not play for the Wizards at all this season. When asked about Davis’ unavailability for the remainder of the season, Washington coach Brian Keefe said, “I can’t confirm that.” But Trae Young, who is also nursing injuries to his leg, has yet to play for the Wizards, either, and their tank rolls along.

28. Brooklyn Nets (15-38)

The Nets, who kept Michael Porter Jr. and waived Cam Thomas at the trade deadline, quietly picked up two interesting players, Josh Minott and Ochai Agbaji. “We know they’re very good players. That’s why they’re here,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “Show me what you can bring to the group, and if you can be part of this group, you can be a future Net.” Congratulations?!?!

27. Utah Jazz (18-38)

The Jazz owe a top-eight protected pick to the Thunder, and they own the league’s sixth-worst record, which means they cannot afford to win many more games. Which meant Jazz coach Will Hardy benched both Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen in the fourth quarters of recent games. Asked how close he came to putting them in, Hardy said, “I wasn’t.” A March of tanks! The Jazz earned a $500,000 fine for tanking, while Jackson underwent season-ending surgery.

26. Indiana Pacers (15-40)

The Pacers haven’t entirely quit on the season, beating the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. "This was a really important game for us," coach Rick Carlisle said. "With the season that we've had, this environment, the opponent, our guys just had a great collective spirit and collective will tonight." That, and the addition of Ivica Zubac, bode well … for next season.

25. New Orleans Pelicans (15-41)

“You can get lost and discouraged when you’re losing these tough games,” said coach James Borrego, whose Pelicans are 5-4 in their last nine games. “That’s human nature. The beauty in this team is that even within a game, we rise up. There is resiliency in us.” It helps, of course, that they have no incentive to lose, as their front office already traded their first-round draft pick.

24. Memphis Grizzlies (20-33)

The Grizzlies traded Jaren Jackson Jr. for a package centered around draft picks, just as they had done with Desmond Bane over the summer, and Ja Morant is no longer part of the plan. As general manager Zach Kleiman said quite clearly in his post-deadline press conference, “This is about organizational direction now. This is not about Ja in particular.” So, who wants Ja Morant?

23. Dallas Mavericks (19-35)

“It’s been different than what I expected,” Cooper Flagg said of a rookie season that will no longer include Anthony Davis as a teammate, and may not feature Kyrie Irving, either. “Doing the best I can. It was tough at first. Obviously, that much losing. ... It still is. I’m a competitor, but, for me, it’s about learning from the losses as much as I can and trying to take positives away.”

22. Milwaukee Bucks (23-30)

Once Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed put at the deadline, both he and the Bucks acted as if the organization had not actively engaged in trade discussions involving the two-time MVP. Weird. By posting the “I’m not leaving” meme from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” does Antetokounmpo really mean he is staying in Milwaukee? Or are the Bucks, more likely, tabling negotiations until June?

21. Chicago Bulls (24-31)

After trading 25-year-old Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu for, mostly, a slew of second-round picks, “We’re not going to be a finished product,” warned Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “It’s not going to work like that. And we’ll see if we can ever get there.” What an uplifting message. No wonder “we’ve got to sit down as an organization, quite honestly … and just find the direction.”

20. Atlanta Hawks (26-30)

Out went Trae Young, Kristaps Porziņģis, Luke Kennard and Vít Krejčí. In came Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, CJ McCollum, Cory Kispert and Gabe Vincent. What are the Hawks selling to their fans? “Everything’s future forward,” said GM Onsi Saleh. Future draft picks, including one from the Pelicans, and cap flexibility, which has gotten Atlanta how far thus far?

19. Los Angeles Clippers (26-28)

What was it like to lose Ivica Zubac? “A lot of people in the organization the other day was crying,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “It was a tough day for us, an emotional day.” And what was it like to lose James Harden? “You know, players come in and out all the time now. It’s the NBA,” said Kawhi Leonard. “We know why these guys left, and I wish him the best of luck.”

18. Miami Heat (29-27)

The Heat, for all their bluster about being the league’s hardest-working team, lost to the tanking Jazz, and that cannot happen. As Bam Adebayo said, “We got to figure out how to consistently win games. It doesn’t matter if it’s a back-to-back, four games in five nights, whatever it is. We’ve got to find a way to win against teams that are, I guess you can say, trying to lose.”

17. Portland Trail Blazers (27-29)

It is not coincidence that Deni Avdija’s return from injury coincided with a return to normalcy for the Blazers, who play fast and free when they are at their best. And they were at their best in a recent blowout of the 76ers. As coach Tiago Splitter said, “That was the type of basketball that we envisioned from the beginning of the season, to be honest.” The play-in tournament awaits.

16. Golden State Warriors (29-26)

Tanking? “It’s not good for the fans, for the league itself,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. What about in Golden State, where they have lost Jimmy Butler to an ACL tear and Stephen Curry through the All-Star break? “I can tell you that we are in a position where we’re desperately trying to win, not only each game, but put ourselves in position to be healthy for the playoffs.”

15. Orlando Magic (28-25)

“I would contribute that to them being lesser teams,” Paolo Banchero said of Orlando’s short-lived win streak. “Not that good, you know? I think Utah took their starters out, Brooklyn not being very good. Milwaukee, they’re all right. So, I think we’ve just got to lock in and continue to just be who we are defensively and hopefully it translates to when we see some better teams.”

14. Charlotte Hornets (26-29)

The Hornets had their nine-game win streak snapped, but not before they got in a few punches against the Pistons. Charlotte coach Charles Lee, who was also (eventually) ejected from the game, liked what he saw from his charges. “I just loved everything that they brought tonight from a competitive spirit,” he asserted. “[...] We got better, and this was a really good game for us.”

13. Philadelphia 76ers (30-24)

All is right with Joel Embiid’s knee, for the most part … for the time being. “He’s like the fun-loving uncle now,” a Sixers insider told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “We do think it’s sustainable,” Philadelphia executive Daryl Morey added of a recovery from chronic injury that has seen Embiid average a 30-8-5 on 53/39/87 shooting splits over his last 20 appearances.

12. Toronto Raptors (32-23)

“It is probably harder for the high-end teams, or in this case, the high-salary teams, to keep adding,” said Raptors GM Bobby Webster. “That’s probably what we’re seeing. It’s just hard for them to keep adding salary. Maybe that’s the natural order of the new CBA, which is the dispersal of talent, parity, which I think in many ways is great for the overall health of basketball.”

11. Los Angeles Lakers (33-21)

“That’s a championship team right there,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said of the Thunder. “We’re not. We can’t sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes, and they can. That’s why they won the championship.” Wait, did he just admit that his Lakers are not contenders? “Sorry if I sound irritated, but I’m 41. My [patience for] irritation is being very, very low as the days go on.”

10. Phoenix Suns (32-23)

"I don't think we ever had what expectations are supposed to look like,” said coach Jordan Ott, whose Suns continue to overachieve, even despite the absences of Jalen Green and Devin Booker. “We just wanted to bring guys in here that played and went about their business the right way. And they continue to get better, and I think that's the part where we're at right now."

9. Houston Rockets (33-20)

“We’re in good shape. Everybody needs to chill out,” Fred VanVleet said of Houston’s up-and-down season. “I’ve been on Twitter a lot more this year than ever before since I’m not playing. I just think everybody needs to chill out and take the growth and the development of this team. We’re in good shape going into the break and the real basketball starts after the All-Star break.”

8. Cleveland Cavaliers (34-21)

Could it be, following a comeback road win over the Nuggets, the Cavs (10-1 in their last 11 games) are peaking in time, just as they have swapped Darius Garland for James Harden? “It’s a testament to who we have on the team and what we have going,” said Donovan Mitchell. “We’re just hooping on vibes right now." James Harden and vibes. Go with God, Cleveland.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (34-22)

What are the Wolves getting in Ayo Dosunmu? He tells us, “When you’re a player like me who gives it your all each and every night, the only way you can pay back the fans is by going out there and giving your all on a night-in and night-out basis. You can’t control making shots, but you can control effort. You can control playing hard, and that’s just what I’m hanging my hat on.”

6. Boston Celtics (35-19)

Jayson Tatum returned to practice last week, joining the Maine Celtics for some real work on Tuesday, when he told reporters, “It was the next step. Doesn’t mean that I’m coming back or I’m not. It’s just following the plan.” The plan, as best as we can tell? Check every milestone until he feels 100%, which, barring any setbacks, should make him available sooner than later.

5. New York Knicks (35-20)

It is one thing to be the newest spark plug to Madison Square Garden for the Knicks. It is another to be from the streets of New York. “Playing for the Knicks is a huge thing, but I’m literally a kid from the same streets the fans are, and to be part of everything here, it’s a blessing,” said Jose Alvarado. “It’s something I had to get used to and get out of the way.”

4. Denver Nuggets (35-20)

Cameron Johnson, who returned from injury, only as other players left the rotation, always has a way of putting things into perspective: “You don't want to peak too early and hit the downslope of it. So if these injuries happen now, it's better than them happening in April. And who knows what the future holds, but hopefully we get to the other side of this and ride that positive wave.”

3. Detroit Pistons (40-13)

When will opponents learn: Detroit is not to be trampled with. “People have tried to be extra aggressive with us, talk to us and whatever the case may be,” said All-Star center Jalen Duren, post-brawl. “As a group, we’ve done an OK job handling that energy and intensity, but at the end of the day, emotions got high, everybody’s being competitive, we’re all men, so things happen.”

2. San Antonio Spurs (38-16)

Everything Victor Wembanyama says sounds menacing when you read it in the voice of the villain in a French noir film. Following a 40-point masterpiece in 26 minutes of work against the Lakers, Wemby said, “These kinds of games, you have to have the greed. You have to want more every time.” Greed! More! Exactly what you want from your 22-year-old rising superstar.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (42-14)

“We have a team that we have a lot of confidence in,” coach Mark Daigneault said of his Thunder, the real winners of the trade deadline, who added Jared McCain. “With good reason, these guys have a lot of time and equity together with a lot of success. When you add somebody, you never take that for granted. The idea is to hope he can strengthen our team.”

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