The Golden State Warriors are 11-0, the Philadelphia 76ers are 0-10, and everybody else is kind of lumped in the middle.
Through three weeks of the 2015-16 season, six teams are at .500, another five are within a game of .500, and another six are within two games of .500. Beyond the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, no team has had a start that’s beyond some criticism.
On the other end of the spectrum, only four or five teams have had truly ugly starts, and one of those came a few inches from beating the Warriors on Saturday. In both conferences, the 13th place team has one fewer win than the sixth place team.
That’s somewhat to be expected with every team having played about 10 games. But in general, the 2015-16 season has been 20 days of parity. Some early surprise teams, like the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves, have come back down to earth. Some early disappointments, like the Miami Heat, have found their footing. Other teams have already had a lot of ups and downs.
It’s fair to even question just how dominant the Warriors have been. Yeah, they’re 11-0 and have outscored their opponents by 16.5 points per 100 possessions, but they’ve played just one game against the other 12 teams that currently have winning records.
They’ll play three more games against that group this week, when we might get a little more separation elsewhere in the rankings.
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? Last week: Pistons leading an East revival
? This time last year: Spurs, Cavs look stronger — Ryan Hollins may or may not have tipped Vince Carter’s inbounds pass that turned into a game-winning alley-oop to Courtney Lee. The Mavs led the Sixers 54-14, Trey Burke had his Madison Square Garden moment, and the Knicks and Thunder had the same record (3-8).
? Plus-minus studs: P.J. Tucker (PHX) was a plus-52 in two games last week.
? Plus-minus dud: T.J. McConnell (PHI) was a minus-75 in four games last week.
? Hero team of the week: Boston (3-1) — Despite a couple of injuries in their backcourt, the Celtics have won four of their last five games, and the only one of the wins that wasn’t against a 2015 playoff team was in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
? Zero team of the week: Houston (0-3) — The roller coaster continues and there’s no easy explanation for why there’s been more lows than highs.
? East vs. West: The East is 27-25 (0.519) against the West in interconference games and was 13-13 (0-3 against the Kings) last week.
? Toughest schedules through Sunday: 1. New Orleans, 2. Philadelphia, 3. Charlotte
? Easiest schedules through Sunday: 1. Golden State, 2. Dallas, 3. San Antonio
Schedule strength is based on cumulative opponent record, and adjusted for home vs. away and days of rest before a game.
? High jumps of the week: Boston (+8), Charlotte (+6), Dallas (+6), Denver (+6)
? Free falls of the week: Houston (-16), Detroit (-12), Minnesota (-8), Portland (-8)
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Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
OffRtg: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
DefRtg: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
NetRtg: Point differential per 100 possessions (League Rank)
The league has averaged 99.4 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 100.8 points scored per 100 possessions this season.
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NBA.com’s Power Rankings, released every Monday during the season, are just one man’s opinion. If you have an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, send him an e-mail or contact him via Twitter.
