NBA Power Rankings: Celtics are No. 1; Clippers rise; what each team should be

It’s time to be thankful!

Well, Canada, you had your Thanksgiving a little over a month ago. Happy belated Thanksgiving! Sorry for being sort of exclusionary here, Canada, but you have plenty to be thankful for with that fun basketball team.

As for Thanksgiving in ye olde USA, it’s a time for reflection and a time to be thankful for the good things you have, be that health, wealth, family or just some cool video games you’re really into. Maybe it’s a podcast about bad movies. Maybe you have some good luck when it comes to buying shoes. Whatever it is, thankfulness is the theme this week, and we’re going to look at all of the teams in this National Basketball Association and assess what they’re likely thankful for.

Of course, it’s the Power Rankings, so we’ll also perfectly rank the teams 1-30 and receive nothing but praise from the comments and social media.

Reminder: The Power Rankings don’t just rank the 30 teams. We divide these teams into tiers, which any of the teams can move in and out of. We have the tiers in the Power Rankings broken into seven categories:

• The hell is happening with you guys? Get it together! — These teams should be winning more and we know they’re not tanking.
• Victor Wembanyama Watch — They’re rebuilding and nothing matters more than development and lottery ping pong balls.
• Looking to make the Play-In — They’ve been rebuilding/retooling and think they can crack the top 10 in their respective conference.
• Play-In Tournament teams Or Better — They should be in the mix unless something disastrous happens.
• Playoff teams — Probably don’t have to worry about dropping down to the Play-In Tournament.
• On the brink of contention — A piece away from us believing they can win the title.
• Contenders — They are contending for the championship, barring a massive injury.

As always, I am sure we will all agree on the placement of all 30 teams, especially your favorite team.

Here’s how the Power Rankings work:

• It’s up to my discretion how the rankings shake out. For some teams, they’ll be hit in the short term. Others will be given the benefit for the long term. Yes, it is entirely subjective.
• If I have a team ahead of another team, there’s no reason to ask why they’re ranked above the team you like. The answer is pretty simple: I think that team is set up better for success.
• Yes, I watch the games. And yes, I watch your favorite team.
• Only 15 teams will be deemed worthy of a GIF or video. That’s to limit how much we eat up your data and computer’s processor.
• This is supposed to be fun, so let’s have fun with it. 

With all that said, let’s dive into Week 6 of The Athletic’s NBA Power Rankings. Stats and records are through Sunday’s games:

Tier 1: The Contenders

1. Boston Celtics (previously second) | 13-3 | +7.7 net rating

Weekly slate: Win over Thunder, Win at Hawks, Win at Pelicans

What are they thankful for? Clearly, Jayson Tatum is the guy on this Boston…