1 Los Angeles Clippers (8-3)
Thankful for ... the best backcourt in the league. The Clippers boast an embarrassment of riches at the guard position, leading with MVP candidate Chris Paul, who is anchoring the league's best team to few people's surprise. But the Clippers couldn't have predicted this type of production from their other top two guards, Jamal Crawford and Eric Bledsoe. Crawford has put a gloomy season in Portland behind him to average 25.0 points per 36 minutes this season, the most of his bucket-filled career. He's become L.A.'s top scorer, taking offensive pressure off Paul and Blake Griffin, and making a strong push for his second Sixth Man of the Year award. Then there's the jitterbug, Bledsoe, who is dying for more minutes (19.2 per game). Bledsoe's scoring per 36 is second on the Clippers only to Crawford (19.6), and his perimeter defense might be second to none. If the Clippers' guard play wasn't impressive enough already, wait until Chauncey Billups returns next month.
2 New York Knicks
Last Week: 1
New York Knicks (8-2)
Thankful for ... productive points. The Knicks have so much to be grateful for this season. A wiser, more well-rounded Carmelo Anthony. A red-hot J.R. Smith. A surprisingly effective bench brigade featuring a resurgent Rasheed Wallace. But New York is most thankful for Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd, who have not only guided the Knicks to an 8-2 start, but saved the franchise from endless embarrassment and ridicule after it decided to let Jeremy Lin walk last summer. 'Linsanity' might be a thing of the past at Madison Square Garden, but elite point guard play continues to be a staple for this team. Felton (15.7 points, 6.9 assists) has been a revelation during his second tour in New York and Kidd has produced a calming effect on the offense, which led to a contagious pass-first mentality.
3 Miami Heat
Last Week: 4
Miami Heat (9-3)
Thankful for ... unburdened basketball. A villainous LeBron James was as unnatural an act as Chris Bosh's champagne celebration after winning the championship. LeBron hated being the bad guy, yet tried to embrace the role. America is all about second chances and fans appear to have accepted the good LeBron now that he's won a title and acknowledged that "The Decision" was not a great ... decision. This season, LeBron's smile is back and the results have been stunning. Not only is he genuinely enjoying himself out on the hardwood, he's putting up an NBA-best PER of 28.9 and thriving as a power forward, averaging a career-best 9.1 rebounds. It's good to be The King again.
4 Memphis Grizzlies
Last Week: 3
Memphis Grizzlies (8-2)
Thankful for ... Z-Bo. The burly power forward has taken the Grizzlies' last two postseason exits personally and come out punishing opponents in his first 10 games. After "chameleon training" this summer, Zach Randolph looks as good as ever in this, his 11th season, averaging an NBA-best 13.8 rebounds while putting up 16.7 points on 47.1 percent shooting. The NBA slapped him on the wrist for his confrontation with Kendrick Perkins, but Memphis has to be happy its leader isn't backing down from anyone while it tries to prove that it belongs among the elite in the West.
5 Oklahoma City Thunder
Last Week: 6
Oklahoma City Thunder (9-3)
Thankful for ... pinpoint accuracy. The Thunder's chemistry is still a work in progress, but their shooting hasn't felt James Harden's absence. Oklahoma City ranks first in the league in three-point shooting (44.0 percent) and free-throw percentage (84.4). Much of that can be credited to Kevin Durant (25.4 ppg), who is in the running for his fourth scoring title. But a lot of the praise should also go to Kevin Martin, who is shooting lights out despite coming off the bench exclusively for the first time since his rookie season in 2004-05. The always sharp Martin is averaging career bests in field-goal percentage (49.6), three-point percentage (54.1) and free-throw percentage (95.2) while actually averaging more points (17.8) than Harden did for OKC last season (16.8). Looks like GM Sam Presti knew what he was doing.
6 San Antonio Spurs
Last Week: 5
San Antonio Spurs (9-3)
Thankful for ... the most selfless team in basketball. Has there ever been a group of stars more humble than Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili? The trio continues to impress with their ability and humility with the Spurs off to a 9-3 start and another season where they will be synonymous with success. Thanks to a lack of ego, this team has six players averaging at least 9.9 points and has already used 10 different starters. Gregg Popovich has shown he's willing to dig deep into his bench on any given night, and, at the end of a game, he's just as likely to call a play for Matt Bonner as he will for his future Hall of Famers. You think Kobe is OK deferring to Earl Clark? Me either.
7 Brooklyn Nets
Last Week: 9
Brooklyn Nets (6-4)
Thankful for ... Shaquille O'Neal. The Nets are one of the few teams that Shaq never played for, but he's given them a surprise boost this season. When he said last month that he'd take Andrew Bynum and Brook Lopez over Dwight Howard, we assumed it was his ego, not his brain, talking (especially considering that he referred to Lopez by his twin brother's name "Robin"). But The Diesel fueled Lopez's fire with that statement, which has been more correct than we thought. Howard is still the superior player, but Lopez is averaging 18.7 ppg, third among centers in the league. His 6.1 rpg is still a source of frustration, but Brooklyn has to be happy that it has a franchise center -- even if it's not Howard.
8 Los Angeles Lakers
Last Week: 8
Los Angeles Lakers (6-6)
Thankful for ... options. The Lakers are, in so many ways, the most versatile team in the league. Not happy with Mike Brown's 1-5 start? Choose his replacement: an 11-time NBA champ or one of the most innovative offensive minds the league has ever seen. Kobe having an off night? How about feeding the ball to the NBA's best center (Howard), one of its most skilled big men (Pau Gasol) or a two-time MVP who returns next week (Steve Nash)? And if all else fails, you can always pass to willing-chucker Metta World Peace, who has hoisted the third-most three-point attempts (75) in the league. Luckily for the Lakers, he's also made the sixth-most (27) of anyone, giving them yet another respectable option.
9 Milwaukee Bucks
Last Week: 10
Milwaukee Bucks (6-4)
Thankful for ... new-found maturity. Brandon Jennings has come a long way. During his first three years in the league, he's displayed immense talent, but his ability as a point guard was frequently called into question. Jennings never averaged more than 5.7 assists and he shot under 40 percent from the field in two of those seasons. But this year, he has put the Bucks on his back with impressive results. He's averaging a career-best 7.5 assists and a league-high 3.3 steals while turning into a more efficient player, producing a 20.0 PER through 10 games after averaging a 16.2 PER in his first three years. Jennings has also handed over the leading-scorer reins to Monta Ellis (20.2 ppg), electing to run the offense rather than own it.
10 Philadelphia 76ers
Last Week: 16
Philadelphia 76ers (7-5)
Thankful for ... Jrue Holiday's jump. The departure of Andre Iguodala and prolonged absence of Andrew Bynum has cleared the way for Holiday to take the spotlight in Philly -- and he's starring in it. The third-year guard has seen monumental increases in his scoring average (13.5 to 18.3), assists (4.5 to 8.6) and three-point shooting (38.0 to 43.9). He's the sole reason the 76ers are hovering over .500 without Bynum.
馬刺隊打得很好
隊的打法，非常有效率!
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發表於 2012-11-24 07:44 AM
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