Miami Heat (8-1) Heat absolutely DESTROY the Pacers, but Bron bangs up his ankle in a blowout, Wade already sitting and listed as day-to-day due to a foot injury. No Wade, no LeBron, NO problem in the road-rematch with the Hawks. The Heat displayed just how deep and determined they were with a gutsy 3-OT road victory over the Hawks. West coast roadie will permit LeBron to showcase his talents against the Warriors, Clippers, and Nuggets before next week’s BIG home stand (Spurs, Lakers, 76ers).
Chicago Bulls (7-2) Bulls looked impressive, in their come-from-behind victory over Atlanta. DRose goes for 17 of his 30 points in the 4th, but shows why I’m starting to truly love him as a player by being willing to act as the decoy on the final play of the game. The “me-first” attitude many of us may have assumed was the simple reality of the modern-day athlete looks to have skipped over a majority of the current crop of budding young stars. Players like Rose, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, and CP3 are refreshing to root for. Should be noted: The Bulls have only played 2 home games.
Oklahoma City Thunder (8-2) They started the week by dropping 2 consecutive games @Dallas and vs. Portland. No shame in that, as all three teams will be vying for the top seeds out West when all is said and done. They finished the week by beating up with the rest of Texas (Rockets [2], Spurs). With Eric Maynor’s season-ending injury (torn acl), the Thunder may be in the market for another ball-handling guard.
Portland Trail Blazers (6-2) This may be one of the more complete teams in the league….even if The Camby Man is about to be 38 y/o. Given his injury history, they may have to address that position at some point. Surprising road blowout loss to the Suns aside (in this compressed season, anomalies like that are going to happen), the Blazers have looked strong. Just ask the Lakers, whom the Blazers ran out of the Rose Garden (Thursday night). LaMarcus has grown-man game to go with the size, Matthews is filling BRoy’s scoring role, and Gerald Wallace is still nasty when he wants to be. Big tests ahead: Clippers, Magic, Spurs, Rockets this week.
Orlando Magic (6-3) Games like those Dwight Howard turned in against the Wizards and Bulls are D12’s way of reminding all of us Andrew Bynum enthusiasts that not only can he give you a 20-20 game any time he wants, but he will make it look easy. Performances like the stinker (5pts, 4 rebs, with as many personal fouls as rebounds) he provided on Sunday vs. the Kings combined with the consequential “Nothing has changed” (in response to inquiries on his current trade request status) remind us all that unless GM Otis Smith can pull off some sort of miracle, D12 will be wearing another team’s jersey at some point this season.
Atlanta Hawks (6-3) As per usual, with these Hawks, the week started with an impressive road victory over the Heat, only to be followed by a 4th quarter collapse at Chicago and a demoralizing defeat at the hands of a shorthanded Miami Heat squad. They followed that roller coaster ride with an overtime victory in Charlotte, only to close the week out on a blowout win over the Bulls. Put simply, the Hawks have what it takes to beat any team on a given night, but not enough to maintain it for an extended period of time. What’s new?
Philadelphia 76ers (5-2) Regardless of the competition, a 4 game winning streak for a young team is always significant. Although the level of competition could be brought into contention, Doug Collins has this team playing some pretty good defense. They’ve only given up 100 points twice (both road losses), and have held their last 4 opponents to an average of under 77 total points. Still early.
Indiana Pacers (6-2) The most telling thing about a young team, is how they respond to true adversity. On the heels of an embarrassing 35-point defeat at the hands of the Heat, the Pacers responded with a gutsy road win over the Celtics (with Pierce) and a blowout of the Bobcats, for good measure. Match-ups with Philly, Atlanta, and a rematch with Boston this week.
San Antonio Spurs (6-3) You can no longer look at this team, as the “Same Ole’ Spurs”. Tim Duncan has gladly taken on the David Robinson role of being a ‘willing contributor’. That may be an understatement, as “Father Time” (still) remains undefeated, evidenced by Duncan’s sub-24% shooting on post-up opportunities so far this year. Names like Gary Neal, Richard Jefferson, and Daniel Green are filling up the box score on most nights. The Spurs have yet to win on the road.
Los Angeles Clippers (4-2) Yes, NBA fans, those would be your Los Angeles CLIPPERS in this week’s top 10, and not their building co-tenants. Fact is, the Clippers look like the better team at this point. For those looking to argue, take a look at how much differently the two teams looked against the same opponents (Portland, Houston) last week. This week should tell us plenty about the state of the Clippers (and LA, for that matter) with meetings @Portland, vs. Miami, and a home game vs. the LAL.
Things to watch for:
Flip Saunders is definitely on the hot seat, as his Wizards have fallen to 0-8. New GM, Ernie Grunfeld (previously the GM of Milwaukee) has a major task on his hands. I expect an complete overhaul over the next couple seasons.
Lakers fans, stop panicking, and cursing me for simply being honest. Does this mean I think the Lakers are not going to be in the mix once the dust settles? Of course not. There is simply too much talent remaining on this roster to completely write them off. Thing is, anyone being truly objective and honest about an assessment of this team would tell you these Lakers are no longer title contenders. Aside from the obvious hole at the point guard position, Lakers still don’t possess the athleticism and consistent scoring presence outside of Kobe/Andrew/Pau.
Apparently, Ricky Rubio is not just a flashy ball-handler. The kid actually looks like he can play, and has Minnesota fans feeling as positive as they have in nearly a decade. Charles Barkley, Kevin Love (himself), and I agree on one thing: KLove has ascended to the top player at his position. Their record might not speak towards it, but the Timberwolves are no longer a doormat. They are competing in every game, and if Derrick Williams can continue to emerge, the Wolves may be a fun team to watch during the second half of the season.
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