When the season began, there were six teams that were expected to make up the clear-cut top tier in the cutthroat Western Conference: the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets, Clippers, Warriors and Grizzlies.
Don’t tell that to the Trail Blazers.
Through the first few weeks of the season, there may not be a bigger surprise in the league – except for maybe the matching tire fires in Brooklyn and Manhattan – than the way Portland has ripped through the opening part of its schedule. Behind brilliant play from LaMarcus Aldridge, an innovative offense and newfound depth, playoff basketball seems destined to be headed back to Rip City.
Portland had one of the most underrated offseasons in the league thanks to savvy additions by general manager Neil Olshey to build a much deeper bench than they had last season – which wound up being the thing that kept Portland out of the playoffs.
By picking up Thomas Robinson — a top-five pick the year before — off the scrap heap in a Houston salary dump, signing Mo Williams, Earl Watson, Dorell Wright and trading for Robin Lopez, suddenly the Blazers go a legitimate nine guys deep in their rotation — and that’s before adding rookie C.J. McCollum, who still is recovering from a foot injury.
Portland already has won games over the Spurs, Warriors, Pacers and Thunder – the latter two coming in their last two games – and Aldridge has been playing at a borderline MVP level. With a young supporting cast of Damian Lillard, Wes Matthews and Nicolas Batum plus the deeper bench, Portland can compete not just this year, but should get better moving forward, as well.
Who knows exactly where the Blazers will end up by season’s end? But one thing is for certain: the Blazers are back, and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. Trail Blazers (3): The wins Portland picked up over Indiana on Monday and the Thunder on Wednesday probably form the best pair of wins in consecutive games for any team in the NBA this season, and give the Blazers wins in 13 of their last 14.
2. Pacers (2): So far the Pacers have lost on the road against the Bulls and on the road against the Trail Blazers – not exactly disappointing losses, especially with the Bulls then having a healthy Derrick Rose. Paul George is making his case on a nightly basis to be a top-five player in this league.
3. Spurs (1): Can you imagine Gregg Popovich’s reactions Wednesday night when the generator malfunction inside the arena in Mexico City set to house San Antonio’s game with Minnesota wound up canceling the game? It couldn’t have been pretty.
4. Thunder (5): Oklahoma City had an eight-game winning streak snapped in Portland Wednesday night, but that doesn’t change that the Thunder seem to be getting back to their usual selves as Russell Westbrook rounds into form.
5. Heat (4): Such a strange season for the Heat, who have lost just four games – but those losses have come to the Nets, Sixers, Celtics and Pistons, none of whom are over .500. That speaks to a lack of focus against lower teams.
6. Nuggets (8): Full credit to Brian Shaw, who has Denver playing quite well after a rocky start. The Nuggets had a seven-game winning streak going before they lost in Cleveland on Wednesday night — without JaVale McGee or Danilo Gallinari.
7. Mavericks (10): Big week coming up for Dallas, which squares off against the Trail Blazers in Portland on Saturday before hosting the Warriors on Wednesday. The games give the Mavs a chance to prove their opening few weeks are for real, and they’re legitimate contenders in the West.
8. Warriors (9): The Warriors are the NBA’s most explosive team, hands down. I don’t know if there is another team in the NBA that could be down by 27 midway through the third quarter, as they were against Toronto on Tuesday, and be expected to come back and win (which they did)?
9. Rockets (7): The Rockets seemed like they were rolling … then they suffered back-to-back losses to the Jazz and Suns. Strange team, and strange season so far, but they still have all the makings of a team that can go deep into the playoffs.
10. Clippers (6): With J.J. Redick out for several weeks with a wrist injury, the Clippers’ depth will be tested. While he’s out, they still need to learn how to play defense at an elite level if they want to be a true title contender.
11. Wizards (20): Who knew Bradley Beal getting hurt would be the thing that brought the Wizards together? That’s tongue in cheek, but the Wizards have won seven of 10 and look like the clear-cut No. 3 team in the pathetic Eastern Conference at the moment.
12. Grizzlies (12): Memphis needs to keep contact with the leaders in the Western Conference while they’re waiting for Marc Gasol to get back in the lineup. At 6-4 in their last 10 games, they are managing to do just that.
13. Hawks (13): Nice win for the Hawks against the Clippers on Wednesday. They continue to get brilliant play from Jeff Teague (17.4 points, 8.1 assists) and steady production from Paul Millsap (15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds) and Al Horford (17.1 points, 7.9 rebounds).
14. Timberwolves (11): The Timberwolves were predictably tripped up by a brutal string of games, losing to the Clippers, Rockets, Pacers, Nuggets and Thunder in their last seven games. But as the schedule eases again, Minnesota should get back on track.
15. Pistons (17): Big win for the Pistons against the Heat on Tuesday night, snapping Miami’s 10-game winning streak and further establishing them as a team that has to be paid attention to in the East, thanks in large part to the improvement of Andre Drummond.
16. Suns (15): They continue to motor along, sitting at 10-9 when many people thought they would struggle to reach 10 wins for several months. Question now is whether they’ll consider moving point guard Goran Dragic, who is very good and on an affordable contract.
17. Pelicans (14): Basketball not just in New Orleans but around the league was worsened when Anthony Davis was ruled out for 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his hand. Davis had been an absolute beast, and even after a couple nice wins without him, it’s hard to see how New Orleans can stay in the playoff race.
18. Celtics (25): Jared Sullinger talked tough about how the Celtics aren’t tanking this week, but sorry, Jared, the Celtics are definitely tanking — or at least trying to. The problem is the East is so lackluster, they’re could win the Atlantic Division anyway.
19. Lakers (19): For the fourth straight week the Lakers clock in at No. 19, as they continue to wait for Kobe Bryant to return. There was some thought he would be on the floor Friday in Sacramento, but that’s been ruled out. It should happen sometime soon, which will be a fun moment for any basketball fan.
20. Bulls (21): It shows you just how bad the East is when the Bulls, already without Derrick Rose, lose six of seven and actually move up one spot in this week’s rankings.
21. Bobcats (16): Tough break – pun intended – for Charlotte in losing Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for several weeks with a hand injury. Still, incredible job by Steve Clifford to get this team as far as he has – especially when you consider Al Jefferson has missed much of the season with ankle issues, though he’s now back and healthy.
22. 76ers (22): Like the Bulls, the Sixers benefit from the awfulness around them in the East, holding their same spot despite having lost eight of 10.
23. Magic (24): With Jameer Nelson injured, rookie Victor Oladipo has gotten a chance to start, which will benefit the Magic down the road. It also will benefit them right now: If they sink in the standings, they can look forward to striking it rich in June’s incredibly deep draft.
24. Cavaliers (27): With wins in their last two games, including over the streaking Nuggets, perhaps the Cavaliers are finally turning the corner after a truly dismal start. Mike Brown is a good coach and there is plenty of talent on this roster, so an upswing should be coming eventually.
25. Raptors (18): The Raptors nearly stole a game they shouldn’t have won from the Warriors on Tuesday night, but remain a half-game ahead of the 76ers for the honor of being the leader of the abomination that is the NBA’s Atlantic Division. For how long? That remains to be seen.
26. Nets (26): With wins in two of their last five, the Nets are practically on a hot streak! Of course, Jason Kidd also just dumped Lawrence Frank, they are riddled with injuries and have the incredibly desperate Knicks coming to Brooklyn on Thursday for a truly dreadful nationally televised game. Just like they drew it up this summer.
27. Kings (23): The Kings made a smart trade recently, bringing in Derrick Williams and giving him a chance to play and see if he can capitalize on a fresh start. It’s likely just the first of many moves in Sacramento, as the new regime begins to overhaul a long dormant franchise.
28. Jazz (30): After getting off to a brutal start, the Jazz have begun to stabilize after getting Trey Burke back healthy and playing. Utah is going to struggle this season, but have a bright future with Burke, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and multiple first-round picks in the upcoming draft.
29. Knicks (28): Having lost nine games in a row, the Knicks could arguably be the last team on this list, but are saved by the fact that the Bucks exist. Still, things will get a lot worse for the Knicks – particularly for Mike Woodson – if they fail to beat the Nets on Thursday night.
30. Bucks (25): The Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo. They don’t have a lot else, besides continuing legal issues for center Larry Sanders. At least they seem well-positioned to capitalize on this loaded draft class.