Community Picks: Orlando Magic 0% vs Golden State Warriors 0%

Let's face it — the best and most powerful teams in the NBA don't really change from week to week. A handful of results in the middle of winter can only mean so much to a franchise's championship hopes. What does shift regularly, though, is how much interest a squad can hold over the course of a season. Every week, BDL's Most Interesting Power Rankings track the teams most worthy of your attention. THE TOP 15 1. Golden State Warriors (55-6; last week : 1): Warriors games matter in a micro sense because they're the 2016 NBA's most exciting nightly spectacle. They matter in a macro sense because, three-quarters of the way through the season, Golden State remains ahead of the pace set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls; each night, watching the Warriors means you might literally be seeing history in the making. They matter when Golden State wins because Stephen Curry and company draw closer to immortality. They matter when they don't because every loss seems a notable upset, especially when it  really is . Warriors games matter because their best ones feel like a beautiful idea realized: that greatness requires discipline and dedication, but doesn't have to be marked by drudgery. Leave the grim, gritty reboots for Zach Snyder and Cleveland. Peak Warriors is Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve promising you'll believe a man can fly , then actually leaving you breathless. Warriors games matter because their worst ones remind you this is unscripted drama, an unbound game teeming with possibility, and that the whole thing about the Warriors in the first place is how Steph renews your belief that anything can happen. Having been reminded of that at Staples Center, I'm eager to see what the Warriors have in store for the Orlando Magic at Oracle on Monday.  2. Oklahoma City Thunder (43-20; LW: 2):  After four losses in five games, with three coming to the Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers after fourth-quarter collapses that have now become all-too-common , how do the Thunder bounce back? Sunday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks helps, but only so much; OKC must re-establish itself as a team capable of beating elites, rather than just "matching up well" with them. Kevin Durant thinks the time for wake-up calls is over , and that this stretch of hardship is "when you've really got to show your character."  Well, there's no time like the present. OKC will renew acquaintances with the Clippers, who now sit two games behind the Thunder for third place in the West, on Wednesday, and on Saturday will visit the San Antonio Spurs, whom they haven't seen since opening night . Continue to Article

March 07, 2016 11:20:am EST

After a shocking road loss to the Western Conference's worst team, the Golden State Warriors hope to rebound by breaking the NBA record for consecutive home wins Monday night against the Orlando Magic - who a suddenly cold Stephen Curry torched less than two weeks ago. It wasn't just the result of Sunday's 112-95 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers that opened eyes, it was the way it unfolded for Golden State (55-6). Curry and Klay Thompson made a combined 1 of 18 3-pointers, and the Warriors finished without a 20-point scorer for the first time since a Nov. 28 win over Sacramento - though six players scored in double figures in that game while Curry and Thompson were the only two this time around. Continue to Article

March 06, 2016 11:38:pm EST

How the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors compare to the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who set the NBA single-season record with 72 wins. Continue to Article

March 06, 2016 6:54:pm EST

All season long, the NBA's been looking for answers. How do you stop the rampaging machine that is the Golden State Warriors? The solution was right there in front of our faces the whole time: a steady diet of Marcelo Huertas and Brandon Bass. [ Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball contest today ] Continue to Article

March 06, 2016 6:41:pm EST

Regardless of how solid the Oklahoma City Thunder's standing in the Western Conference might be, their post-All-Star break struggles have Kevin Durant and company doing some soul searching. Looking to avoid a third straight defeat, the visiting Thunder hope to begin their turnaround Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Third in the West, Oklahoma City (42-20) has a 9 1/2-game lead in the Northwest Division and is set to return to the playoffs after missing last season. Continue to Article

March 05, 2016 12:16:pm EST