Week 17 is in the books and Jose Salviati is back on Run It Back with power rankings, stat monsters, and some honest All-Star Weekend talk. Run It Back – NBA Week in Review 0 Week 17 Power Rankings & All-Star Weekend Reaction Jose walks through the only “objective” top-10 NBA power rankings from thePeachBasket.net for Week 17, highlights the league’s top statistical performers, and reacts to a revamped All-Star format that finally showed some real competitiveness. He closes by spotlighting a few must-watch matchups for Week 18, including Clippers–Lakers, Knicks–Pistons, and Cavs–Thunder. Timestamps & key topics 0:00 – What Run It Back coversWeekly recap show: power rankings, stat standouts, viral news (Full Court Press), and the marquee matchup preview.Note that Week 17 was a short slate because of All-Star Weekend, so movement at the top is limited.0:40 – Top 10 power rankings after Week 17No new teams enter the top 10 for the third straight week; no one drops out.Raptors – 1–1 week, barely hanging on while the surging Cavs sit right behind them at No. 11.Timberwolves – Busy 3–1 week but stay at No. 9.Suns – 2–1 and slide one spot down to No. 8.Nuggets – Also 2–1 but collect a few more ranking points and leapfrog Phoenix into No. 7.Knicks – 2–1 and hold at No. 6.Rockets – 1–1 and remain No. 5.Celtics – 1–1 and stay locked into No. 4.Thunder – 2–1; drop from No. 2 to No. 3, their lowest slot of the season so far.Spurs – Perfect 3–0 week pushes them past OKC into No. 2.Pistons – 2–0 and keep the top spot for the third straight week.3:30 – Stat standouts of Week 17Victor Wembanyama leads the league in scoring for the week at 33.0 points per game over two games, plus posts the top game score at 28.2.Sam Merrill (Cavs) averages six made threes per game to lead all shooters.Nic Claxton hits 12 field goals in his lone outing to top that category.Nikola Jokić pulls down 14.5 rebounds per game across two games to lead the glass.Defensive boards: Jalen Johnson and Alexandre Sarr each grab 12 in single-game samples.Offensive boards “dog work”: four players at 4.5 per game over two games—Justin (Anigwe/Ang), Day’Ron Sharpe, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Igo Dora of the Suns get shoutouts.Playmaking and defense:Assists – LeBron James and Nikola Jokić share the lead at 11 per game (two games each).Blocks – Scottie Barnes and Myles Turner at 3.5 per game.Steals – Jalen Suggs at 4.5 steals per game over two games.6:00 – Marquee matchups for Week 18Clippers at Lakers: fresh chapter in the Battle of L.A.Knicks hosting No. 1 East seed Detroit Pistons in a high-stakes measuring-stick game.Cavs at Thunder in OKC: test of whether Cleveland’s recent surge is sustainable or just a hot stretch.7:00 – Full Court Press (All-Star Weekend one-word reviews)Jose skips his usual “ask the AI” format and gives rapid-fire, one-word verdicts:Dunk contest: “dud” – feels tired, lacking creativity and star power, and maybe past saving unless actual headliners jump in.Shooting Stars: “cute” – family connections (Harper, Brunson) were fun, but the event itself feels low stakes.Three-point contest: “nostalgic” – Damian Lillard’s win and Devin Booker’s late collapse create genuine drama and a classic feel.All-Star Game(s): "improved" four USA vs. World games instead of one traditional contest.Jose sees real improvement: effort, blocked shots, dives for loose balls, and players who clearly wanted to win.Wonders if the format’s success is tied to the Olympic-year USA–World stakes or if it can last beyond 2026.Shouts out Wembanyama for backing up his promise to compete hard even in losses.Overall creator consensus at thePeachBasket Slack: roughly 8–9 out of 10 for the new game format, with plenty still to fix across All-Star Weekend as a whole.11:20 – ClosingWeek 17 and All-Star Weekend are officially wrapped.Jose invites listeners back after Week 18 to once again “run it back.”Pull quotes “The Spurs went 3–0, and that’s better than 2–1—sometimes it really is that simple.”“Offensive rebounds are where the dogs live; I’ve always had a soft spot for the guys who do that work.”“The dunk contest looked tired—creativity and passion feel like they’ve left the building.”“For the first time in a long time, the All-Star games actually felt competitive.”
