The beginning of the NBA season brings new emotions to fans every year. Exciting things happen in the off-season, and fans want to know how their teams are going to look. Every off-season gets more interesting and the unthinkable always happens. This off-season was no different from the others, and we finally got to see the hard work, improvements, and downfalls of every team. Here’s how the first week of the new season played out.
Eastern Conference Standings:
- Boston Celtics (4-0)
- Philadelphia (2-1)
- Atlanta Hawks (3-2)
- Indian Pacers (2-2)
- Brooklyn Nets (2-2)
- Milwaukee Bucks (2-2)
- Orlando Magic (2-2)
- Detroit Pistons (2-3)
- New York Knicks (2-3)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (2-3)
- Chicago Bulls (2-3)
- Toronto Raptors (2-3)
- Charlotte Hornets (1-3)
- Washington Wizards (1-3)
- Miami Heat (1-4)
Western Conference Standings:
- Dallas Mavericks (4-0)
- Golden State Warriors (4-1)
- Denver Nuggets (4-1)
- New Orleans Pelicans (3-1)
- Los Angeles Lakers (3-2)
- Los Angeles Clippers (3-2)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (3-2)
- San Antonio Spurs (2-2)
- Phoenix Suns (2-2)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)
- Sacramento Kings (2-2)
- Utah Jazz (2-3)
- Portland Trail Blazers (2-3)
- Houston Rockets (1-3)
- Memphis grizzlies (0-5)
With each new season there are a lot of surprises. One of these surprises is whether teams are having good starts or slow ones. Some of the most surprising teams who are struggling are the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Kings are 2-2 and are struggling to finish out games vs. the Warriors; as they’ve lost two games to them already. The Kings lost the first matchup by eight points and lost the second matchup by just one point off of a buzzer beater by Klay Thompson. The upside is that they are averaging 119.3 points per game which is tied for fifth in the NBA.
The Suns are also 2-2 after the first week. Although they played a very good, competitive matchup against the Warriors for their first game; securing the victory, they have been struggling since. They’ve had struggles keeping Devin Booker on the court, and Bradley Beal has been out the entire season so far with back soreness. Kevin Durant, on the other hand, has been playing very well. Averaging 27.2 points per game, 7 rebounds per game, and 4.8 assists per game, while also shooting 51.3% from the field. The Suns should be a force to reckon with this season as long as their star players can stay on the court. If the Suns key players continue to be hurt and stay off the court, then this team will have a disappointing 78 games.
The Heat are 1-4 and have been struggling to score as they rank 27th in the NBA in ppg averaging just 104.6. Their first game was their only win and it was against a very young, although talented, Detroit Pistons team. 3 of their 4 losses have been single digit losses against good teams including the Boston Celtics, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Brooklyn Nets. They also lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by 16 in a game where Jimmy Butler had sat out, forcing Tyler Herro to play 40 minutes. As long as the team succeeds in scoring, they should be fine thanks to their defense. The Heat defense has been very good, only allowing 111.6 ppg against them.
The Bucks are 2-2 and it appears a pattern is developing within their games. In the games they have won, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antentokounmpo have combined for 58 and 62 points. In the games they have lost in, they have only combined for 32 and 31 points. Their defense also ranks 25th in the league, whereas last year it ranked 6th when they had Jrue Holiday, according to the NBA’s website. For the Bucks to succeed they need to focus on their defense, and Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo need to get the other starters, such as Kris Middleton (averaging 8.5 ppg) and Malik Beasley (averaging 9.6 ppg), involved. If these two are able to rally the rest of the team on offense, point scoring and winning will be much easier for them.
Most of the other teams have been their normal selves and have been doing similar to what they did last year. Of course fans have been overthinking and worrying about the outcome of the season, but they shouldn’t start to worry quite yet. Fans should stay neutral and keep calm. It’s going to be a long year and anything can happen in an 82 game season.
Check out the rest of the standings in the NBA here.
