Which NBA teams play the best/worst offense and defense?

Here's my crack at identifying the best performing offenses and defenses in the National Basketball Association to date, based on my PVOA formula. Click on the red words for an explanation of the formula. The numbers next to each team are their per game PVOA averages. Those averages are calculated through yesterday's games, 11-25-07.

Top NBA offenses by PVOA

1. San Antonio Spurs...+6.64

2. Dallas Mavericks...+5.57

3. Boston Celtics...+5.39

4. Los Angeles Lakers...+5.10

5. Orlando Magic...+5.02

6. Golden State Warriors...+3.92

7. Toronto Raptors...+3.50

8. Phoenix Suns...+3.47

9. Memphis Grizzlies...+2.67

10. Washington Bullets...+2.23

11. Detroit Pistons...+1.96

12. Milwaukee Bucks...+1.27

13. New Orleans Hornets...+1.06

14. Utah Jazz... +1.00

15. Indiana Pacers...+0.71

16. Charlotte Bobcats...-0.24

17. Portland Trailblazers...-0.41

18. Houston Rockets...-0.93

19. Cleveland Cavaliers...-1.06

20. Atlanta Hawks...-1.25

21. Sacramento Kings...-2.12

22. Denver Nuggets...-3.02

23. Los Angeles Clippers...-4.36

24. Minnesota Timberwolves...-6.01

25. Miami Heat...-6.28

26. Philadelphia 76ers...-6.54

27. New Jersey Nets...-6.72

28. Seattle Supersonics...-7.05

29. New York Knicks...-7.11

30. Chicago Bulls...-11.21

Top NBA Defenses by PVOA

1. Boston Celtics...-6.62

2. Houston Rockets...-4.97

3. Denver Nuggets...-3.71

4. Utah Jazz...-3.63

5. Chicago Bulls...-3.59

6. New Orleans Hornets...-3.39

7. Orlando Magic...-3.23

8. San Antonio Spurs...-2.65

9. Miami Heat...-2.59

10. Phoenix Suns...-2.12

11. Los Angeles Lakers...-2.10

12. Philadelphia 76ers...-1.71

13. New Jersey Nets...-1.57

14. Cleveland Cavaliers...-1.31

15. Charlotte Bobcats...-0.68

16. Detroit Pistons...-0.66

17. Los Angeles Clippers...-0.30

18. Toronto Raptors...-0.24

19. Indiana Pacers...+0.75

20. Portland Trailblazers...+1.65

21. Dallas Mavericks...+1.72

22. Atlanta Hawks...+1.90

23. Milwaukee Bucks...+2.01

24. Sacramento Kings...+2.08

25. Washington Bullets...+2.21

26. New York Knicks...+3.18

27. Seattle Supersonics...+3.33

28. Golden State Warriors...+3.42

29. Minnesota Timberwolves...+3.52

30. Memphis Grizzlies...+4.26

Comments

I was surprised at how proficient the Spurs are on offense so far this season -- you always think of them as a grind it out defensive squad... Some average and average-to-bad teams are just average all around (Pacers, Cavaliers) whereas other teams are simply unbalanced (Bucks, Grizzlies, Bullets, Warriors, 76ers, etc.)... The Mavericks need to tighten up their defense if they are going to make a run at an NBA championship... The Celtics look like the real deal, because they are getting it done on defense... The Pistons are a funny team, they keep fading on both sides of the court... Seattle was actually playing good defense early on this season, but now that has bottomed out as well... Some teams don't fit their stereotype, e.g. the Nuggets -- my image of them is an offensive team that plays no D, but my numbers say its just the opposite... Chicago is playing excellent defense, which suggests their effort isn't lacking -- they just have no one who can come close to scoring the ball... The Bucks are getting it done with offense -- their last five games have all been above average offensively -- but their defense isn't quite where I think Coach K wants it to be... It's not bad, its just inconsistent.