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 covers
  • Weekly 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 17
  • No new teams enter the top 10 for the third straight week; no one drops out.
    1. Raptors – 1–1 week, barely hanging on while the surging Cavs sit right behind them at No. 11.
    2. Timberwolves – Busy 3–1 week but stay at No. 9.
    3. Suns – 2–1 and slide one spot down to No. 8.
    4. Nuggets – Also 2–1 but collect a few more ranking points and leapfrog Phoenix into No. 7.
    5. Knicks – 2–1 and hold at No. 6.
    6. Rockets – 1–1 and remain No. 5.
    7. Celtics – 1–1 and stay locked into No. 4.
    8. Thunder – 2–1; drop from No. 2 to No. 3, their lowest slot of the season so far.
    9. Spurs – Perfect 3–0 week pushes them past OKC into No. 2.
    10. Pistons – 2–0 and keep the top spot for the third straight week.
• 3:30 – Stat standouts of Week 17
  • Victor 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 18
  • Clippers 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 – Closing
  • Week 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.”