So much for New York being home of “The City Game.”
Instead, the Big Apple has seen a pair of big duds in its two hometown teams so far, with the Knicks and Nets sporting matching 3-8 records, leaving them tied for last place in the Atlantic Division and a half-game ahead of Milwaukee for the worst record in the entire Eastern Conference.
It looked briefly like the Knicks were on the cusp of a big win Wednesday night at the Garden when they took on the Pacers and actually led going into the game’s final moments. But Iman Shumpert’s foul on Paul George’s 3-point attempt in the dying seconds of regulation allowed George to hit three free throws to send the game to overtime, where Indiana went on to win and doom the Knicks to their sixth straight home defeat to open the season.
The Nets, meanwhile, have been a $100 million disaster through 11 games, including dropping to 1-6 on the road with Wednesday’s 95-91 loss in Charlotte, a scoreline that doesn’t even indicate the Bobcats held a double-digit lead for most of the second half of the game — or that Deron Williams was again lost to an ankle injury.
Both teams have dealt with injuries, with the Knicks missing Tyson Chandler with a broken leg and Raymond Felton with hamstring and hip issues. Williams has again dealt with ankle injuries this season while Brook Lopez has missed the past three games with a sprained ankle of his own and Andrei Kirilenko has been limited to just over 50 minutes this season because of back spasms.
But injuries aren’t enough to explain away the terrible starts for both teams, which have each of them vying for status as the NBA’s most disappointing team, instead of competing for the Atlantic Division lead as virtually everyone around the league expected.
There are only two pieces of good news for these teams right now: that the Atlantic Division in particular, and the Eastern Conference as a whole, is pathetic, and Alex Rodriguez is stealing every available inch of headline space.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. Spurs (2): It was going to take quite an effort to pass the Pacers atop this list, and the Spurs have done so thanks to simply motoring out to one of their usual blistering starts to the regular season. When will people stop doubting this team?
2. Pacers (1): They had to lose sometime, which excuses the loss to Chicago on Saturday, but Indiana slips down to No. 2 in large part because of struggling so much against a battered and bruised Knicks team Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
3. Trail Blazers (7): With a beautiful offense, an excellent young point guard in Damian Lillard and a stud big man in LaMarcus Aldridge, the Trail Blazers look like they’re for real. Meaningful games in Rip City in April and May? Sign me up.
4. Heat (5): The Heat are off and running, reeling off one win after another even while Dwyane Wade takes plenty of time off to rest and stay fresh. Every day he can relax now will pay off when this team is toiling through another playoff run in May and June.
5. Bulls (8): With five straight wins — including Saturday’s blitzing of the Pacers in Chicago — it looks as if the Bulls are starting to get themselves to the point everyone expected from day one. Just imagine how good they’ll be when Derrick Rose is back to his old self.
6. Clippers (3): The Clippers should have the league’s best offense by the end of the season. But their defense — ranked 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com — still looks like it will hold them back when it matters.
7. Thunder (4): For the first time in a long time, the Thunder are going to have some serious competition for the Northwest Division title, courtesy of the Trail Blazers.
8. Timberwolves (6): Minnesota has had a pair of chances to beat the Clippers in recent days, and both times came up short. If the Wolves want to make a serious run in the playoffs, they need to turn trade chip Derrick Williams into some bench help.
9. Mavericks (10): Dirk Nowitzki was sensational against the Rockets on Wednesday, and Monta Ellis made several huge plays late in the game. It might already be time for the Coach of the Year award to be prepped for Rick Carlisle.
10. Warriors (9): The basketball world held its collective breath recently when Stephen Curry banged his head. For all of the talent that Golden State possesses, its hopes of a deep playoff run rest on keeping the oft-injured Curry and Andrew Bogut upright for as long as possible.
11. Grizzlies (21): With four straight wins — including yet another win over the Clippers, whom they seem to beat every single time they play — it looks like Grit-N-Grind hasn’t run its course in Memphis just yet.
12. Hawks (15): With the disastrous starts for the Knicks and Nets, the Hawks have a chance to put a firm grip on the fourth seed in the East. Will they be able to take advantage of the opportunity?
13. Rockets (11): For all their talent, the Rockets have struggled to be consistent. A perfect example came Wednesday night in Dallas, where Houston gave up a big second-half lead to lose to the Mavericks. Those kinds of games could come back to haunt Houston in the spring.
14. Bobcats (17): Steve Clifford has done an absolutely remarkable job with the Bobcats, especially when you consider that Al Jefferson has missed several games with ankle issues.
15. Magic (16): Like so many of the other teams in the East that were supposed to stink, Orlando is beginning to come back down to earth. Still, the future appears bright for the Magic, who have two first-round picks in June’s loaded draft to add to their already promising young core.
16. Raptors (18): Toronto gets this spot basically by default, as the only team in the woeful Atlantic Division that isn’t currently on a losing streak – and that’s only because the Raptors beat the Sixers on Wednesday.
17. 76ers (12): The Sixers gave up the Atlantic Division lead Wednesday night — and may never regain it. But that doesn’t change that this season already could be considered a success in Philadelphia because of wins over the Heat and Bulls this month.
18. Suns (13): They had been at .500 through five games before suffering through two straight losses to the Kings. Still, coach Jeff Hornacek has done a nice job in the Valley of the Sun, including forcing the tempo with dual point guards Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe.
19. Lakers (19): Let’s be honest: No one is thinking about the Lakers in any context besides this one – when is Kobe Bryant going to step back onto a court for the first time? The hope here is he does next Wednesday in Brooklyn against the Nets. His first time at Barclays Center, Bryant did this.
20. Nuggets (22): After a rough start, the Nuggets have begun to right themselves under new coach Brian Shaw, thanks in large part to the play of point guard Ty Lawson (22.0 points, 8.6 assists per game).
21. Pelicans (28): Anthony Davis’ statline: 21 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.9 steals, 4.1 blocks while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 83.6 percent from the foul line in 35 minutes per game. Is it too early to call Davis one of the league’s 10 best players?
22. Wizards (26): Appeared as if they might live up to their preseason billing as the team with the coach most likely to be fired, but wins over Minnesota and Cleveland have begun to cool Randy Wittman’s hot seat a bit.
23. Kings (23): A nice pair of wins for the Kings in a home-and-home with the Suns. DeMarcus Cousins (21.5 points, 9.9 rebounds) is off to a great start despite still shooting too many jumpers.
24. Pistons (27): Clearly need more time for all of their new pieces to fit together, but no matter what, they have to do something about the dreadful free-throw shooting of Andre Drummond, who could be a superstar but is shooting less than 20 percent from the foul line.
25. Celtics (20): So after losing their first four games, winning their next four and losing their next five, does that mean Boston and new coach Brad Stevens are set to win five in a row?
26. Knicks (14): The Knicks have lost four straight games since coming back late against the Hawks last week, including their heartbreaking loss to Indiana on Wednesday. Now a long road trip looms, beginning in Washington before heading to the West Coast.
27. Nets (24): The Nets have one thing going for them: Their win in Phoenix last Friday was the last time an Atlantic Division team won a game outside of its division – a string of 17 consecutive games.
28. Cavaliers (29): It’s hard to be below the Knicks and Nets at this point, but the Cavaliers qualify by coupling struggles on the court with recent locker-room issues. Kyrie Irving is a prodigious talent, but he still needs to learn how to lead.
29. Bucks (25): After splitting their first four games, Milwaukee has dropped its last six in a row, including Wednesday’s loss to Portland. Soon – if not already – the only thing worth watching for in Milwaukee will be when Giannis Antetokounmpo takes the floor.
30. Jazz (30): After winning their first game of the season, the Jazz celebrated by losing their last four in a row. Salt Lake City should see a spike in college basketball ratings this winter as fans scout the top draft prospects.