It didn’t take long for the Golden State Warriors to get their first taste of humble pie. In fact, the Warriors were down double-digits just 12 minutes into their season and the inevetible comeback never came. With a 29-point drubbing at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, there would be no winning streak to start the season this year.
It was just one game, and it took place six months before the Warriors really need to put things together. But that one game, as well as the two underwhelming wins that followed, showed us why the Warriors aren’t a perfect basketball machine.
Defense has been an issue, and it could continue to be an issue all season long. Andrew Bogut is gone, Andre Iguodala is older, and when you have the three best shooters in the world, you don’t need be as sharp defensively every time down the floor as you would if you weren’t so talented.
The Warriors had some defensive slippage last season as they shot their way to 73 wins. If they can treat every defensive possession like they did two years ago (when they ranked No. 1 on that end), it could pay off in the long run.
Despite that first game in Oakland, there was some semblance of order in the first six days. Last week’s top 10 went 12-0 against last week’s bottom 10 and the champs came out strong. They’ll have to stay at No. 2 in the rankings, though, because you can’t put the 4-0 Spurs (with three road wins) any lower than No. 1.
Last week: Warriors, Cavs poised for third straight Finals meeting
This time last year: Warriors just keep on setting the pace — As a whole, the league was playing a lot faster than it did the previous season. Six teams were undefeated and nine (including three eventual playoff teams) were without a win. One of those three was the Rockets, who became the first team in NBA history to lose its first three games by 20 points or more.
Plus-minus stud: Patty Mills (SAS) was a plus-74 in four games last week.
Plus-minus dud: Serge Ibaka (ORL) was a minus-47 in three games last week.
Hero team of the week: San Antonio (4-0) — It doesn’t get any better than beating the SuperWarriors by 29 on opening night, but the Spurs followed up that win with three more, including one on the opposite coast.
Zero team of the week: Orlando (0-3) — The Magic salvaged some pride by making Sunday’s game in Cleveland close, but two double-digit losses to shorthanded teams — Miami and Detroit — in their conference is not a good way to start the season.
East vs. West: The West went 3-2 against the East in interconference games last week.
High jumps of the week: Chicago (+9), Memphis (+7), Sacramento (+7)
Free falls of the week: Indiana (-8), Dallas (-7), Orlando (-7), Utah (-7)
Team to watch this week: Oklahoma City — The Thunder are 3-0, but haven’t beat anybody good. This week brings three tougher challenges, including Russ vs. KD, Part I on Thursday in Oakland.
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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 is averaging 100.2 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 101.8 points scored per 100 possessions this season.
1: San Antonio Spurs
Last week: 3
Record: 4-0
Pace: 97.1 (25) OffRtg: 112.7 (2) DefRtg: 95.2 (6) NetRtg: +17.5 (2)
Gregg Popovich waited only two games before DNP’ing his vets, resting Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili (in the home opener!) on Saturday, and LaMarcus Aldridge in Miami on Sunday. No matter, because Kawhi Leonard played (and was the best player on the floor) both nights. The Spurs’ bench underwent more changes this summer, but still looks like the best bench in the league, with Jonathan Simmons having a huge game against the Warriors and Patty Mills leading the league in effective field goal percentage after Week 1.
This week: vs. UTA, @ UTA, vs. LAC
2: Cleveland Cavaliers
Last week: 2
Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 3-0
Pace: 100.6 (13) OffRtg: 104.9 (11) DefRtg: 92.0 (2) NetRtg: +12.9 (3)
LeBron James’ jumper is still broken (he shot 4-for-20 from outside the paint last week) and it still doesn’t matter. With James averaging 21.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 10.0 assists (and dunking on poor Nikola Vucevic), the Cavs’ starting lineup has been fantastic. Despite some strong starts, they’ve needed big shots late from Kyrie Irving (in Toronto) and J.R. Smith (against Orlando), but their defense has been solid so far. The Rockets and Celtics should both test that defense (in different ways) this week.
This week: vs. HOU, vs. BOS, @ PHI
3: Golden State Warriors
Last week: 1
Record: 2-1
Pace: 105.6 (4) OffRtg: 103.9 (12) DefRtg: 108.0 (27) NetRtg: -4.1 (19)
Tuesday’s thrashing at the hands of the Spurs may have been a wake-up call for the Warriors, but it’s not like they flipped the switch after that. They weren’t able to put away the Pelicans on Friday and went down to the wire with the Suns on Sunday. Those teams, by the way, are a combined 0-6, with additional home losses to the likes of Denver and Sacramento. The new Death Lineup has scored 82 points, but allowed 74 (on 51 percent shooting) in just 26 minutes. Draymond Green again leads the team in assists, but hasn’t been able to make defenses pay for letting him shoot.
This week: @ POR, vs. OKC, @ LAL
4: LA Clippers
Last week: 4
Record: 2-0
Pace: 97.2 (24) OffRtg: 103.6 (13) DefRtg: 93.4 (4) NetRtg: +10.2 (5)
Two good signs for the Clippers… No. 1: Their five-man bench unit is a plus-22 in 23 minutes (even though the reigning Sixth Man of the Year has been as inefficient as ever) and gave them a huge lift in Thursday’s win in Portland. No. 2: Blake Griffin has taken more shots in the restricted area (20) than from mid-range (9), something he hasn’t done the last two seasons. Doc Rivers has never been a fan of offensive rebounds, but his team grabbed 29 of them (more than they had in any two-game stretch last season) last week.
This week: vs. PHX, vs. OKC, @ MEM, @ SAS
5: Toronto Raptors
Last week: 5
Record: 1-1
Pace: 98.0 (22) OffRtg: 102.7 (15) DefRtg: 93.7 (5) NetRtg: +9.0 (6)
If all the changes that other teams have made has got you out of sorts, just watch the Raptors and turn back the clock to 2015. They can beat up other teams in the East, but can’t beat the Cavs. They have a painfully low assist percentage, they’ve been at their best with Cory Joseph on the floor, and DeMar DeRozan has 72 points (and another early-season Dunk of the Year submission) in two games without a 3-pointer. Jonas Valanciunas’ increased usage rate is a little something new. After getting 15 or more shots in just three of his 60 games last season, he got 15 in both games last week.
This week: vs. DEN, @ WAS, vs. MIA, vs. SAC
6: Atlanta Hawks
Last week: 8
Record: 2-0
Pace: 103.9 (5) OffRtg: 106.8 (6) DefRtg: 80.8 (1) NetRtg: +26.0 (1)
No. 1 defense after Christmas last season. No. 1 defense in the preseason. No. 1 defense after Week 1 (with some help from the Sixers). Bud is the new Thibs and Kyle Korver seems to have put last season’s struggles behind him. Counting the preseason, he’s 15-for-29 (52 percent) from 3-point range. Dwight Howard has been pretty quiet offensively, unless you count his work on the glass. He ranks second in rebounding percentage and as Al Horford’s Celtics have struggled on the boards, the Hawks have been much improved.
This week: vs. SAC, vs. LAL, @ WAS, vs. HOU
7: Portland Trail Blazers
Last week: 10
Record: 2-1
Pace: 102.2 (10) OffRtg: 106.0 (7) DefRtg: 103.6 (15) NetRtg: +2.4 (12)
Damian Lillard’s 35.0 points per game has been more about the paint than the perimeter. He’s 23-for-31 (74 percent) in the restricted area after shooting just 54 percent there over his first four seasons. He scored multiple times over and around Rudy Gobert on Tuesday, sent Saturday’s game in Denver to overtime with an alley-oop, and then got the game-winner over Kenneth Faried. Allen Crabbe is earning his new paycheck off the bench, but the Blazers’ starting lineup hasn’t been as good defensively as it was last season.
This week: vs. GSW, @ PHX, @ DAL, @ MEM
8: Chicago Bulls
Last week: 17
Record: 2-0
Pace: 96.5 (26) OffRtg: 115.3 (1) DefRtg: 103.9 (16) NetRtg: +11.4 (4)
Oh, those wacky Bulls! They heard our doubts about their floor spacing, so they went out and ranked third in 3-point shooting and first in offensive efficiency in Week 1. But their two wins were very different in regard to the way they scored. Dwyane Wade didn’t attempt a three against Indiana on Saturday after going 4-for-6 against Boston on Thursday. Instead, success came with 30 fast break points (their most since Jan. 1, 2012) and some buckets from Doug McDermott. They’re playing their first 10 games (against eight different teams) within the Eastern Conference
This week: @ BKN, @ BOS, vs. NYK, @ IND
9: Boston Celtics
Last week: 6
Record: 2-1
Pace: 99.9 (14) OffRtg: 109.4 (3) DefRtg: 105.8 (21) NetRtg: +3.7 (10)
After allowing 33 offensive rebounds and 41 second-chance points in their first two games, the Celtics were happy to face a team — Charlotte — that cares not for offensive boards on Saturday. They were also happy to get eight threes from Avery Bradley. Offense hasn’t been an issue. The six Celtics who have taken the most shots have all shot better than 50 percent and they have an effective field goal percentage of 54.9 percent (best in the league) from outside the paint. They’ll try to do a better job of keeping the Bulls off the glass on Wednesday.
This week: vs. CHI, @ CLE, vs. DEN
10: Charlotte Hornets
Last week: 9
Record: 2-1
Pace: 98.8 (19) OffRtg: 103.2 (14) DefRtg: 97.0 (9) NetRtg: +6.2 (7)
Road wins are good wins and the Hornets picked up two of them in the first week. But they couldn’t stop the Celtics on Saturday and lost two rotation guys — Roy Hibbert (knee) and Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) — to injuries in their first three games. The team that had the league’s biggest jumps in 3-point percentage and percentage of shots that were threes last season has yet to find its collective stroke from the perimeter. Only the Wizards, Nuggets and Pelicans have a lower effective field goal percentage from outside the paint than the Hornets (36.8 percent).
This week: vs. PHI, @ BKN
11: Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week: 12
Record: 3-0
Pace: 106.8 (2) OffRtg: 98.3 (21) DefRtg: 92.2 (3) NetRtg: +6.1 (8)
Russell Westbrook is not only putting up crazy boxscore numbers (38.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game), he’s also playing efficiently. His true shooting percentage of 56.7 percent is the highest mark of his career and his turnover rate of 9.3 per 100 possessions is his lowest. You can only play who’s in front of you, but the Thunder’s three wins have come against three of last season’s four worst teams (Philly, Phoenix and the Lakers) and all three games were within five points in the last five minutes.
This week: @ LAC, @ GSW, vs. MIN
12: Memphis Grizzlies
Last week: 19
Record: 2-1
Pace: 95.5 (28) OffRtg: 107.9 (5) DefRtg: 104.7 (18) NetRtg: +3.2 (11)
Some terrible first-half defense put the Grizzlies in holes of 17 and 18 points in their first two games. But they came back to win their opener against the Wolves and fashioned a smaller comeback (from eight down with 3:30 to go) to beat Washington in overtime on Sunday. Marc Gasol hit more threes (three) in the final six minutes of that game than he hit all of last season (two). Zach Randolph, meanwhile, seems to like playing against opposing second units, averaging 18.0 points in less than 24 minutes off the bench.
This week: @ MIN, vs. NOP, vs. LAC, vs. POR
13: Detroit Pistons
Last week: 15
Record: 2-1
Pace: 97.4 (23) OffRtg: 100.0 (18) DefRtg: 95.4 (8) NetRtg: +4.6 (9)
Once again, the Pistons are forcing their opponents to shoot the right shots. Only 51 percent of their opponents’ attempts have come from the restricted area, down from their league-best mark of 56 percent last season. After getting 89 total shots in the restricted area in their first two games, the Bucks got only 28 in Detroit on Sunday. Andre Drummond is swallowing up rebounds and Tobias Harris is off to a hot start (shooting 56 percent), but the defense held the Magic and Bucks to less than 90 points per 100 possessions.
This week: vs. NYK, @ BKN, vs. DEN
14: Utah Jazz
Last week: 7
Record: 1-2
Pace: 93.9 (30) OffRtg: 98.1 (22) DefRtg: 102.6 (12) NetRtg: -4.5 (21)
In each of their first two games, the Jazz were forced to face their biggest problem from last season: their inability to finish close games. Their defense got scorched down the stretch in Portland on Tuesday, but George Hill gave them a big lift late against the Lakers on Friday. They should have good depth when they’re healthy, but with Joe Johnson replacing the injured Gordon Hayward in the starting lineup and with Derrick Favors on a minutes restriction, their bench has been pretty dreadful. Boris Diaw is 1-for-11 and Trey Lyles is a minus-35 in 55 minutes.
This week: @ SAS, vs. DAL, vs. SAS, @ NYK
15: Houston Rockets
Last week: 11
Record: 2-1
Pace: 98.3 (21) OffRtg: 105.1 (10) DefRtg: 106.1 (23) NetRtg: -1.0 (16)
Even when James Harden isn’t shooting well, he gets himself to the line, as he did when the Rockets had only 4.1 seconds to escape with a second straight win over the Dirk-less Mavs on Sunday. Trevor Ariza is the only one of Harden’s targets that has shot particularly well, so Mike D’Antoni’s wish to see his point guard double his assist average might not come true. Houston’s starting lineup has been unexpectedly solid defensively (allowing only 89 points per 100 possessions) so far, though that may change with Tuesday’s visit to Cleveland.
This week: @ CLE, @ NYK, @ ATL
16: New York Knicks
Last week: 20
Record: 1-1
Pace: 101.4 (11) OffRtg: 99.0 (19) DefRtg: 107.9 (26) NetRtg: -8.9 (26)
It was hard to believe that both “superteams” lost by 29 on opening night. It was almost as hard to believe that Jeff Hornacek used a full, five-man bench unit in the first half against the Cavs on Tuesday. He made sure to keep at least one starter on the floor at all times in Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies. The Knicks’ depth is sketchy (they’re a minus-33 in 48 minutes with three or more reserves on the floor), so it was good to see Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah look good in their home debuts. Noah has taken only three shots, but leads the team in both rebounds (16) and assists (10).
This week: @ DET, vs. HOU, @ CHI, vs. UTA
17: Sacramento Kings
Last week: 24
Record: 2-1
Pace: 95.9 (27) OffRtg: 105.7 (9) DefRtg: 107.0 (24) NetRtg: -1.3 (17)
As the Kings embark on a five-game, seven-day trip through the Eastern Conference, Ben McLemore will have nightmares about Kawhi Leonard (who he’ll see again in a couple of weeks) stealing his lunch. They blew a double-digit, second-half lead to the Spurs in their home opener, but they’ll take a 2-1 record with wins over two other West teams — Phoenix and Minnesota — trying to climb out of Lotteryville. And maybe Rudy Gay has boosted his trade value by shooting 51 percent and getting to the line 24 times in the first three games.
This week: @ ATL, @ MIA, @ ORL, @ MIL, @ TOR
18: Washington Wizards
Last week: 14
Record: 0-2
Pace: 99.2 (17) OffRtg: 95.3 (27) DefRtg: 110.1 (30) NetRtg: -14.7 (29)
The Wizards held fourth-quarter leads in both of their games, but their league-worst defense didn’t allow them to close the deal against either the Hawks or the Grizzlies, who shot a combined 52 percent in the fourth quarter and overtime. They lost the two games by a total of 24 points, because the collapses came hard and fast. It’s been an ugly start on both ends of the floor (both John Wall and Bradley Beal are shooting less than 40 percent), but they play five of their next six games (and 16 of their next 24) at home.
This week: vs. TOR, vs. ATL, @ ORL
19: Denver Nuggets
Last week: 22
Record: 1-1
Pace: 108.7 (1) OffRtg: 95.8 (26) DefRtg: 95.3 (7) NetRtg: +0.5 (14)
Nuggets games have been fast but ugly, as they and their opponents have combined to score less than 96 points per 100 possessions. Jusuf Nurkic had 23 and nine rebounds in New Orleans and Nikola Jokic had 23 and 17 against Portland, but the Denver defense has been pretty bad so far with the two on the floor together. Mike Malone obviously needs to give them more time, but also has the roster versatility to play smaller up front with big wings and more mobile bigs. The offense has been awful (13-for-45 shooting) in the fourth quarter.
This week: @ TOR, @ MIN, @ DET, @ BOS
20: Miami Heat
Last week: 23
Record: 1-2
Pace: 98.4 (20) OffRtg: 98.9 (20) DefRtg: 103.3 (14) NetRtg: -4.4 (20)
The Heat were successfully aggressive (to the tune of 74 points in the paint) in Orlando on Wednesday, but their bench really struggled in losses to Charlotte and San Antonio over the weekend. Their offense has been bad (93 points scored per 100 possessions) with Goran Dragic off the floor and the defense has been bad (111 points allowed per 100 possessions) with Hassan Whiteside off the floor. With just three games in the next 10 days, Erik Spoelstra has been able to go with a short rotation, but it hasn’t been short enough.
This week: vs. SAC, @ TOR
21: Indiana Pacers
Last week: 13
Record: 1-2
Pace: 101.4 (12) OffRtg: 102.0 (16) DefRtg: 110.0 (29) NetRtg: -8.0 (25)
The Pacers’ defense, the Pacers’ bench and the Pacers’ point guard (Jeff Teague) have all been bad to varying degrees. The latter two issues are complicated by injuries to Aaron Brooks and Rodney Stuckey. Paul George is a star, but his team has been outscored by 31 points in 46 minutes with him on the bench. Myles Turner had a big game (30 points and 16 rebounds) and a big shot in Wednesday’s overtime win over Dallas, but couldn’t follow it up two nights later in Brooklyn, getting pushed around by Brook Lopez in the post.
This week: vs. LAL, @ MIL, vs. CHI
22: Minnesota Timberwolves
Last week: 18
Record: 0-2
Pace: 94.3 (29) OffRtg: 108.4 (4) DefRtg: 108.4 (28) NetRtg: +0.0 (15)
The Wolves got off to two hot starts (16-1 and 28-15), but had both games go down to the wire. And they lost them both because they couldn’t get the needed stops down the stretch, with the Grizzlies and Kings shooting a combined 9-for-13 on clutch shots. Andrew Wiggins has averaged 27.0 points and 12.5 free throw attempts per game, but missed critical freebies in both games and has zero potential assists in 71 total minutes. So it’s not good that the team’s most willing passer — Ricky Rubio — suffered a sprained elbow on Saturday.
This week: vs. MEM, vs. DEN, @ OKC
23: Dallas Mavericks
Last week: 16
Record: 0-3
Pace: 99.2 (16) OffRtg: 101.9 (17) DefRtg: 105.8 (22) NetRtg: -4.0 (18)
When it comes to fighting for a playoff spot, last week’s games will count as much as those played in April. So losing Dirk Nowitzki to a stomach bug for two of the first three was some rough luck for the Mavs. The good news is that Harrison Barnes put his preseason woes behind him and shot 21-for-37 in his first two real games, scoring a career-high 31 points against Houston on Friday. The defense hasn’t been great in general, but Wesley Matthews kept James Harden (8-for-23) in check on Sunday.
This week: @ UTA, vs. POR, vs. MIL
24: Los Angeles Lakers
Last week: 28
Record: 1-2
Pace: 103.2 (8) OffRtg: 97.9 (23) DefRtg: 104.9 (20) NetRtg: -7.0 (23)
While we’re looking for D’Angelo Russell to take the next step and for Brandon Ingram to compete for Rookie of the Year honors, we can’t forget about the development of Julius Randle, who had two big games last week. Randle (at 43.5 percent) ranked 169th in effective field goal percentage among 175 players who took at least 500 shots last season, so just average shooting from him would be a huge step forward. Luke Walton is spreading minutes around, with only Russell averaging 30 per game so far.
This week: @ IND, @ ATL, vs. GSW, vs. PHX
25: Milwaukee Bucks
Last week: 27
Record: 1-2
Pace: 99.4 (15) OffRtg: 97.1 (24) DefRtg: 104.8 (19) NetRtg: -7.7 (24)
Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists, but he’s the only guy on the Bucks who can really generate offense consistently and can’t carry the team by himself. The Bucks needed six threes from Rashad Vaughn and a buzzer-beating tip-in from John Henson to beat Brooklyn without its best player on Saturday, and couldn’t hang with either the Hornets or Pistons. Jabari Parker has had his highlights, but is 1-for-14 from outside the restricted area when he hasn’t been able to attack the basket.
This week: @ NOP, vs. IND, vs. SAC, @ DAL
26: Brooklyn Nets
Last week: 29
Record: 1-2
Pace: 103.9 (6) OffRtg: 105.8 (8) DefRtg: 104.1 (17) NetRtg: +1.8 (13)
The Nets will shoot themselves in and out of games. They went down double-digits in all three games last week, but came back each time (though they missed on both opportunities to make it all the way back from 23 down in Boston), averaging 34.0 points (133 per 100 possessions) in the fourth quarter. But even if they’re a better team than we all expected, they won’t deviate from their Spurs-esque plan to limit Brook Lopez’s workload. He played just 47 total minutes in their first two games and didn’t make the trip to Milwaukee on Saturday.
This week: vs. CHI, vs. DET, vs. CHA
27: Phoenix Suns
Last week: 25
Record: 0-3
Pace: 103.7 (7) OffRtg: 96.5 (25) DefRtg: 101.0 (10) NetRtg: -4.5 (22)
The Suns have had some good quarters and some bad ones, yet to put together 48 minutes of decent offense. They came out flat in their opener against the Kings, blew leads of 18 and 13 points to the Thunder and Warriors, and scored less than point per possession in all three games. T.J. Warren (23.3 points per game on 53 percent shooting) has looked like a Most Improved candidate, but Devin Booker and Brandon Knight have shot a combined 35 percent and Jared Dudley has taken just six threes in 78 minutes.
This week: @ LAC, vs. POR, @ NOP, @ LAL
28: Orlando Magic
Last week: 30
Record: 0-3
Pace: 99.0 (18) OffRtg: 93.6 (28) DefRtg: 107.8 (25) NetRtg: -14.2 (28)
A team with such a (seemingly) strong frontline should not get destroyed in the paint (by a count of 134-72) in its first two games. Serge Ibaka and Nikola Vucevic are jump-shooting bigs, but the bigger problems came on defense, where the Magic couldn’t stop the Heat’s quick-hitting actions or the Pistons’ pick-and-roll game. They made a late run in Cleveland on Saturday, but are off to an 0-3 start for the third straight season. If things don’t get better with this week’s schedule, something is seriously wrong.
This week: @ PHI, vs. SAC, vs. WAS
29: New Orleans Pelicans
Last week: 26
Record: 0-3
Pace: 105.9 (3) OffRtg: 92.7 (29) DefRtg: 103.2 (13) NetRtg: -10.4 (27)
Basketball is supposed to be the sport where one star can make the biggest impact. But the Pelicans are 0-3 with a guy — Anthony Davis — averaging 37.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 blocks. With Jrue Holiday out, Buddy Hield (6-for-24, 0-for-8 from 3-point range) not yet finding his shot, and Omer Asik still not bringing the defense he came to New Orleans to provide, Davis’ supporting cast is pretty dismal. Hield isn’t the only one who hasn’t been able to make a jumper. The Pels have shot 19 percent from beyond the arc.
This week: vs. MIL, @ MEM, vs. PHX
30: Philadelphia 76ers
Last week: 30
Record: 0-2
Pace: 102.5 (9) OffRtg: 81.8 (30) DefRtg: 101.7 (11) NetRtg: -19.9 (30)
Every Joel Embiid bucket — threes, athletic drives, spin moves — is a vision of the future. The one thing that stands out is his Hakeem-esque touch, in the paint and from the perimeter. Those visions of the future are just too few and far between. The Sixers’ offense has been dreadful, especially with Sergio Rodriguez off the floor. In 35 minutes sin Chacho, Philly has scored a putrid 67 points per 100 possessions. Tuesday’s game against the Magic defense will be the stoppable force vs. the moveable object.
This week: vs. ORL, @ CHA, vs. CLE
