Meanwhile, the Cavs and Bulls are off to slower starts than expected but I don't believe that it will stay that way for long. Over in the West, early injuries to key players are messing up the standings and the rankings.
The standings are current up to November 4, 2014.
The rankings from Last Week refer to the Pre-Season Edition.
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| Chris Bosh is the top dog in Miami and so far, it has been working. (Image from: slamonline.com) |
1. San Antonio Spurs | 1-1 | Last Week: 1 | Same
One loss to a good Suns team cannot knock down the Spurs from the top. Everyone seems healthy too especially Kawhi Leonard who came back from an eye infection. Tim Duncan is already in vintage form, averaging 15 and 11.
2. Golden State Warriors | 3-0 | Last Week: 8 | +6
The best shooting back-court cemented their place at the top after Klay Thompson delivered 70 points over 2 games right after he signed a huge contract extension with the Dubs. They also have the highest point differential at +15.
3. Dallas Mavericks | 3-1 | Last Week: 6 | +3
The Cavs would have been 0-2 to start the season if Tristan Thompson did not corral 12 offensive boards vs the Bulls. Cleveland needs to extend Thompson's contract if they don't want to upset LBJ. LeBron James appeared jittery in his 1st game back in Ohio, evident by his 8 turnovers.3. Dallas Mavericks | 3-1 | Last Week: 6 | +3
Dallas rattled 3 straight wins after falling in a close loss vs the Spurs in the season opener. They could easily have been 4-0 if Parsons made that last second three. They have 5 guys averaging double figures with Dirk and Parsons leading the way.
4. Houston Rockets | 4-0 | Last Week: 9 | +5
Great start for the Rockets who sit atop the West together with the Grizzlies. They will continue their quest to remain unbeaten versus the undefeated Miami Heat. James Harden is already the best SG in the NBA even if playing defense is optional for him.
5. Miami Heat | 3-0 | Last Week: 10 | +5
How many here imagined Miami to be the last unbeaten team in the East with home win over Washington and Toronto, teams that were generally projected to be better than them? Chris Bosh has been spectacular so far, averaging 26 and 11 plus Player of the Week honors.
7. Los Angeles Clippers | 3-1 | Last Week: 3 | -4
Chris Paul already has the first triple-double of the young season as the Clips beat the Jazz a day after falling to the improved Sacramento Kings. Blake Griffin already has two 30+ point games this early but his rebounding numbers have plummeted.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers | 1-1 | Last Week: 2 | -6
4. Houston Rockets | 4-0 | Last Week: 9 | +5
Great start for the Rockets who sit atop the West together with the Grizzlies. They will continue their quest to remain unbeaten versus the undefeated Miami Heat. James Harden is already the best SG in the NBA even if playing defense is optional for him.
5. Miami Heat | 3-0 | Last Week: 10 | +5
How many here imagined Miami to be the last unbeaten team in the East with home win over Washington and Toronto, teams that were generally projected to be better than them? Chris Bosh has been spectacular so far, averaging 26 and 11 plus Player of the Week honors.
6. Memphis Grizzlies | 4-0 | Last Week: 14 | +7
They are leading the league in least points allowed and remain unbeaten. Marc Gasol looks slimmer and his offensive game has improved. After 4 games, he is leading the team in scoring while Zach Randolph is doing the dirty work in the post.7. Los Angeles Clippers | 3-1 | Last Week: 3 | -4
Chris Paul already has the first triple-double of the young season as the Clips beat the Jazz a day after falling to the improved Sacramento Kings. Blake Griffin already has two 30+ point games this early but his rebounding numbers have plummeted.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers | 1-1 | Last Week: 2 | -6
9. Chicago Bulls | 2-1 | Last Week: 4 | -5
Derrick Rose is not totally back yet because he went down already with a sprained ankle. It's not a major problem but anytime D-Rose gets hurt, the city of Chicago holds their breath. The Noah-Gasol tandem hasn't been getting a lot of playing time together because Gasol gets benched often in the 4th.
10. Phoenix Suns | 2-1 | Last Week: 12 | -2
The Suns made the right decision by getting Isaiah Thomas. He leads them in scoring (19 ppg on 56% shooting) even though he does not start and gets less than 25 minutes. Dragic and Bledsoe have been quiet offensively but if they get started, the Suns are one heck of a scoring team.
11. Toronto Raptors | 2-1 | Last Week: 11 | Same
The Raptors have a very good back-court with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry Their penetrating style attracts a lot of contact and fouls. The Raptors lead the NBA in foul shots taken but they missed crucial FTs during their last game.
11. Toronto Raptors | 2-1 | Last Week: 11 | Same
The Raptors have a very good back-court with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry Their penetrating style attracts a lot of contact and fouls. The Raptors lead the NBA in foul shots taken but they missed crucial FTs during their last game.
12. Washington Wizards | 2-1 | Last Week: 15 | +3
Bradley Beal has yet to play this season, so the ball is on John Wall's hands and he knows what to do with it. Wall is currently averaging 22 and 11 and his lesser known teammates, Garrett Temple and
Otto Porter are having excellent starts to their season due to Wall's playmaking ability.
13. Portland Trailblazers | 1-2 | Last Week: 6 | -7
Portland is supposed to have a better bench but Coach Stotts is only deploying a primary 7-man rotation. Chris Kaman and Steve Blake are getting more than 20 minutes while the rest of the bench rarely sees significant minutes. The starters are playing at least 35 minutes a game.
14. Sacramento Kings | 3-1 | Last Week: 22 | +8
14. Sacramento Kings | 3-1 | Last Week: 22 | +8
The Kings have a sparkling 3-1 record and their most impressive win was over the Clippers. DeMarcus Cousins dominated that game with 34 points, 17 boards, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Oh by the way, Rudy Gay had 40 points in a win vs Portland.
15. Charlotte Hornets | 2-1 | Last Week: 14 | -1
15. Charlotte Hornets | 2-1 | Last Week: 14 | -1
Lance Stephenson is having a slow start offensively. However, his rebounds and assists are high. They don't need him to score a lot if Jefferson and Kemba Walker are taking over offensively. Meanwhile, MKG will miss games due to a chest injury.
16. Atlanta Hawks | 1-1 | Last Week: 16 | Same
16. Atlanta Hawks | 1-1 | Last Week: 16 | Same
So far, so good for Al Horford who played in both games. His numbers (16 and 8) are solid and those should improve during the season. Horford is a former All-Star who is still capable of playing in that level. As a bonus, Mike Scott and DeMarre Carroll have also improved their scoring.
17. New Orleans Pelicans | 1-2 | Last Week: 19 | +2
17. New Orleans Pelicans | 1-2 | Last Week: 19 | +2
Anthony Davis was a monster during the 1st week of the season. However, his 24 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks could not lift the Pelicans to a winning record yet. It's great to see Ryan Anderson playing again after having that back/neck problem that sidelined him last season.
18. New York Knicks | 2-1 | Last Week: 18 | Same
18. New York Knicks | 2-1 | Last Week: 18 | Same
Carmelo Anthony surpassed 20K points last week and he added an early season win over LBJ. However, the Knicks look disjointed when running the triangle and Melo has been the main culprit. That was expected early on from a guy known as Iso-Melo.
19. Brooklyn Nets | 1-1 | Last Week: 17 | -2
19. Brooklyn Nets | 1-1 | Last Week: 17 | -2
Brook Lopez is healthy again and he had a good debut. The Nets hope that he won't have another foot injury again because the next one might mean the end of his career. Meanwhile, Deron Williams is off to a decent start with 17 and 8.
20. Minnesota Timberwolves | 1-2 | Last Week: 20 | Same
20. Minnesota Timberwolves | 1-2 | Last Week: 20 | Same
Minny lost 2 close games that they could have won. In addition, Kevin Martin is off to a great start and Thad Young has fit nicely with his new team. However, Andrew Wiggins has struggled early with 7 ppg and below 40% shooting.
21. Denver Nuggets | 1-2 | Last Week: 21 | Same
For a team with aspirations of making the playoffs, the Nuggets cannot afford to lose games early especially against a depleted OKC Thunder. Ty Lawson is off to a slow start and so is Danilo Gallinari. They are struggling to score (95 ppg) for a team with a bunch of scorers.
22. Oklahoma City Thunder | 1-2 | Last Week: 24 | +2
21. Denver Nuggets | 1-2 | Last Week: 21 | Same
For a team with aspirations of making the playoffs, the Nuggets cannot afford to lose games early especially against a depleted OKC Thunder. Ty Lawson is off to a slow start and so is Danilo Gallinari. They are struggling to score (95 ppg) for a team with a bunch of scorers.
22. Oklahoma City Thunder | 1-2 | Last Week: 24 | +2
OKC is having major bad luck with injuries to key players. Russell Westbrook could be out a month or more. Those missed games together with Kevin Durant could mean missing the playoffs because as we all know, the West is too competitive.
23. Indiana Pacers | 1-2 | Last Week: 25 | +2
23. Indiana Pacers | 1-2 | Last Week: 25 | +2
24. Utah Jazz | 1-3 | Last Week: 26 | +2
Gordon Hayward is showing the Jazz that he deserved that huge contract. So far, Haywars is at 19,7 and 5. Too bad his awesome numbers have yet to translate into more wins. Rookie Dante Exum is not getting a lot of minutes and his poor numbers reflect that (6 ppg).
25. Boston Celtics | 1-2 | Last Week: 27 | +2
Rajon Rondo did not miss any games due to his injury and his numbers are breaching triple-double levels (8 ppg, 9 rpg and 12 apg). Jeff Green is off to a great start scoring (24 ppg) and the Kelly Olynyk as starting center has worked so far.25. Boston Celtics | 1-2 | Last Week: 27 | +2
26. Milwaukee Bucks | 1-2 | Last Week: 29 | +3
Jason Kidd notched his 1st win with the Bucks by beating the Pacers. Brandon Knight is averaging 20 and 9 while rookie Jabari Parker has been solid with 11 ppg and 8 rpg. Larry Sanders is also healthy but his focus is still a question mark. He almost took a shot on his own side of the court.
27. Detroit Pistons | 0-3 | Last Week: 24 | -3
GM and Coach Stan Van Gundy is still searching for his first win with the Pistons after 3 games. Scoring is a big problem as the Pistons are the only team averaging less than 90 points (86.7). Also, Brandon Jennings is already becoming a headache by complaining about minutes.
28. Orlando Magic | 0-3 | Last Week: 28 | Same
Victor Oladipo is expected to be out for a month due to a facial injury. Orlando's chances of winning just dwindled by a huge margin even with Nic Vucevic rebounding like a demon. Vucevic is the current leader in rebounds.28. Orlando Magic | 0-3 | Last Week: 28 | Same
29. Los Angeles Lakers | 0-4 | Last Week: 22 | -7
Kobe is back and playing great for the Lakers. On the other hand, fans are already booing Carlos Boozer. Consequently, the Lakers are playing awful. Season-ending injuries to Steve Nash and prized rookie Julius Randle definitely play a major role in their poor start.
30. Philadelphia 76ers | 0-4 | Last Week: 30 | Same
No 3-0 start for the Sixers this season unlike last year. The Sixers are a solid 36-minute team but this game is played by 48 minutes so they always fade around the 4th quarter. It also hurts that MCW is yet to play because he is still recovering from a shoulder injury.
Biggest Jump of the Week: Kings +8
Biggest Drop of the Week: Lakers and Blazers -7
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