Updated Nov. 3
If you believe most of the so-called experts, 25 teams tipped off their NBA seasons last week only because they'd sold tickets. Each had about as much chance of making the Super Bowl as the NBA Finals.
Lakers vs. Spurs and Cavaliers vs. Celtics or Magic. Those were your near-unanimous May matchups. Nobody else was given much of a chance.
|
|
| Jermaine O'Neal averaged 17.3 points and 10.3 boards during Miami's 3-0 start. (Getty Images) |
Speaking of tickets, the Mavericks had Phil Jackson talking Staples Arena refund after a 94-80 drubbing Oct. 30. We all know Dirk Nowitzki can play, and the Shawn Marion acquisition could be potentially huge. But turn-back-the-clock, double-digit efforts by Erick Dampier (10 rebounds) and Jason Kidd (11 assists) also sent a message to the Lakers.
Remember, this was a Dallas club that never got the better of Kobe Bryant last season, yet was strong enough at season's end to wrestle a first-round playoff series from the mighty Spurs. Having lost three nights earlier to Washington, we already see you never know which Mavericks club is going to show up on a given night -- and that's a bit scary.
The Lakers fully awakened, Atlanta ventured into Staples two nights later and lost to the defending champs 118-110. Even in defeat, the point total screamed out something about the revved-up Hawks team that now features Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and an un-Eastern Conference-like assortment of weapons this season.
The last time Lakers fans had witnessed their team giving up 110 points in a home game was in the regular-season finale against Utah. That's right: None of L.A.'s four playoff combatants reached that mark. In fact, the Lakers' Finals foe last year -- Orlando -- averaged 24.5 points less in its two visits, one of which went into overtime.
It's clear from the get-go the Nuggets have an MVP candidate this year. The question is: Which star is it?
Carmelo Anthony lit up the league like no one else in his first three games, firing in 37.7 points in 38.7 minutes per outing. That gave him a slight edge in the I'm-More-Important-Than-You Department over Chauncey Billups, whose 6.7 assists complemented 23.0 points in the three consecutive wins and gave Denver the league's best 1-2 punch.
If not Boston, the best defensive team in the league's first week had to be the Heat. In blitzing the Knicks, Pacers and Bulls by an average of 11 points, Miami never surrendered more than 93 points and permitted the bottled-up trio to shoot just 38.6 percent from the field.
Like the Nuggets, it's more than just a one-man show in Miami this season. Jermaine O'Neal is playing like another guy named O'Neal in his Heat heyday, having averaged a double-double over the 3-0 start.
So, where do the four party-crashers rank in the first NBA Power Rankings of the regular season? Well, a whole lot higher than they did in last week's preseason edition.
But ahead of the league's Big Five? At this point, only the Nuggets can make that claim -- and barely at that.
| Power Rankings | ||||||||||
| Current | Team | Previous | ||||||||
 | 1 | Cavaliers · Trends | 8 | |||||||
| Magic-Heat-Jazz sweep screams, We don't need help. ... Shaq has sore shoulder. Good news: Ilgauskas is still around. | ||||||||||
 | 2 | Hawks · Trends | 9 | |||||||
| Last team to fleece Warriors (Jamal Crawford) is reaping benefits. ... Rare win at Boston comes 19 months too late. | ||||||||||
 | 3 | Nuggets · Trends | 6 | |||||||
| Twenty-six-point blowout of Lakers warrants distinction of No. 1 in West. ... Who says East is least? Denver 4-0 vs. West, just 3-3 vs. East. | ||||||||||
 | 4 | Magic · Trends | 4 | |||||||
| Rashard Lewis suspension ends, regular starting five debuts in win over Bobcats. ... First Shaq-Howard showdown goes to ex-Magic star. | ||||||||||
 | 5 | Lakers · Trends | 2 | |||||||
| Wrath of schedule-maker: Home game, then morning arrival in Denver. Result: Nuggets, 105-79. ... Five home losses all last season, already two this year. | ||||||||||
 | 6 | Suns · Trends | 3 | |||||||
| Team tops 100 first 11 games; first in NBA to do so in 15 years. ... No more double vision: Amare Stoudemire is shooting 53.6 percent. | ||||||||||
 | 7 | Celtics · Trends | 1 | |||||||
| Frustration of back-to-back losses: Three nailed with technicals in loss at Indiana. ... First scare of season: Paul Pierce bruises knee vs. Hawks, is step slow vs. Pacers. | ||||||||||
 | 8 | Heat · Trends | 5 | |||||||
| Dwyane Wade's last-second 3 avoids ultimate embarrassment -- would-be home loss to winless Nets. ... No coincidence: Mario Chalmers injures shoulder, team has worst game (vs. Nets). | ||||||||||
 | 9 | Trail Blazers · Trends | 12 | |||||||
| Club winning with defense; only one of first 12 opponents reaches triple figures. ... Swept by Hawks -- first time in 13 years. | ||||||||||
 | 10 | Mavericks · Trends | 10 | |||||||
| Dirk Nowitzki 26-for-27 from line, earns weekly Western honor. ... Mark Cuban needles Milwaukee business leaders: Thanks for giving us German star (in 1998 trade for Tractor Traylor). | ||||||||||
 | 11 | Rockets · Trends | 11 | |||||||
| Trevor Ariza receives championship ring, plays worst game in win at L.A. ... Club has alternated wins, losses in November. | ||||||||||
 | 12 | Raptors · Trends | 14 | |||||||
| Team just 4-4 this month, but no bad losses (Magic, Mavericks, Spurs, Suns). ... Chris Bosh has eight 20-10s already this season, including past five games. | ||||||||||
 | 13 | Bulls · Trends | 7 | |||||||
| Fans getting money's worth: All five wins by seven or fewer. ... Not everything has happy ending: Brad Miller's apparent game winner vs. Denver ruled too late on TV replay. | ||||||||||
 | 14 | Spurs · Trends | 13 | |||||||
| Signs of old age: Tim Duncan and Tony Parker return; now it's Manu Ginobili (hamstring) who's hurting. ... Early-season most improved: George Hill has gone from nobody to somebody. | ||||||||||
 | 15 | Bucks · Trends | 19 | |||||||
| Amazing part of Brandon Jennings' 55-point explosion vs. Warriors: Scoreless first quarter. ... Rookies with 55 in a game: Baylor, Wilt, Barry, Monroe, Jennings. | ||||||||||
 | 16 | Pacers · Trends | 24 | |||||||
| Four-game win streak comes without Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy... Dahntay Jones: 11 double-figure efforts last season; six in first seven games this year. | ||||||||||
 | 17 | Thunder · Trends | 15 | |||||||
| Kevin Durant starts week with 37, ends with 40 -- and club loses both games. ... Team effort on boards: Six different leaders first 10 games. | ||||||||||
 | 18 | Jazz · Trends | 17 | |||||||
| Tough schedule: Trips to Denver, Dallas, Boston, Cleveland (all losses) in first 2 1/2 weeks. ... Another impressive rookie point guard: Eric Maynor fills in for Deron Williams, has 11 assists vs. 76ers. | ||||||||||
 | 19 | Pistons · Trends | 22 | |||||||
| Isiah's record survives: He went 1 for 17 in a game. Ben Gordon was 1 for 16 vs. Mavericks. ... Uh-oh: Lakers, Trail Blazers, Jazz, Suns on Western swing this week. | ||||||||||
 | 20 | Bobcats · Trends | 21 | |||||||
| Improvement noted: 82.4 average before trade, 91 in Stephen Jackson's debut at Orlando. ... Last player acquired from Golden State (Jason Richardson) didn't meet expectations. | ||||||||||
 | 21 | Kings · Trends | 25 | |||||||
| Four-game win streak (Nov. 7-13) creepy; team won four of five Nov. 5-12 last year en route to 17-65 debacle. ... Key to surprising surge: Jason Thompson cracks top 10 in rebounding (10.1). | ||||||||||
 | 22 | 76ers · Trends | 16 | |||||||
| Club considering benching underachieving Elton Brand ... Crippling blow: Much improved Marreese Speights out two months with torn knee ligament. | ||||||||||
 | 23 | Hornets · Trends | 18 | |||||||
| How to lose job: Coach a club that loses by 14.3 points per game. ... New man Jeff Bower's first two losses are by 15.5 average. | ||||||||||
 | 24 | Wizards · Trends | 23 | |||||||
| League's biggest disappointment? Nick Young is shooting 21.1 percent after averaging 10.9 per game last season. ... Desperate team brings in Earl Boykins -- he debuts with 20 vs. Pistons. | ||||||||||
 | 25 | Clippers · Trends | 20 | |||||||
| Like old times: Baron Davis' late 3 avenges earlier loss to Thunder. ... Rematches galore: Club faces Thunder, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Hornets twice each in odd 22-day stretch. | ||||||||||
 | 26 | Warriors · Trends | 27 | |||||||
| Bottom line of Stephen Jackson deal: Club saves $20 million. ... Raja Bell is a welcome addition; poor backcourt defenders watch Brandon Jennings go for 55 in loss at Milwaukee. | ||||||||||
 | 27 | Grizzlies · Trends | 28 | |||||||
| It's officially over: Allen Iverson's Grizzlies career lasts 67 minutes. ... Battle of backstrokers: Coach labels victory over Timberwolves "big win." | ||||||||||
 | 28 | Knicks · Trends | 26 | |||||||
| Jordan Hill outscores fan-favorite Stephen Curry 10-0 in first duel of lottery picks. ... Have to wonder: Is front-row seat at next draft lottery good or bad thing in effort to woo LeBron James? | ||||||||||
 | 29 | Timberwolves · Trends | 29 | |||||||
| Club's current form worse than Nets, but T-Wolves have a two-point win over 30th-ranked club. ... Team loses by 23, 41, 23 with Al Jefferson, then by just 12, 10 without him. | ||||||||||
 | 30 | Nets · Trends | 30 | |||||||
| First win of season: Chris Douglas-Roberts (16 points vs. Heat) triumphs over swine flu. ... Team leader (Rafer Alston) has three assists in loss at Miami. | ||||||||||
