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Welcome to the first installment of Beyond the Arc's Full Court Press, where we will be giving a unique outlook on the 2009/2010 NBA Season. In this edition, you will read about the Celtics' quick start to the season, Carmelo's early MVP talk, the Spurs looking like the team we have all come to know, and much more.
It's roughly seven or eight games into the season for every team in the NBA, which leaves everyone watching in a curious position. There has been enough action so far to give everyone a map of what to expect for the rest of the season, but nothing is set in stone.
Two or three games at this point in the season could dramatically alter the way any team is viewed and any analysis of players or teams is speculation at best. Still, there are some interesting things transpiring in the early stages of the season that should be noted.
The San Antonio Spurs are off to a slow start once again, muddling their way to a 3-3 record to begin the season.
This is rather disconcerting for a team that many felt should be among the elite few competing for a title. However, they've done the same thing the past few seasons so it's become as routine as their midseason rodeo road trip or the fact that they're pretty much guaranteed 50-plus wins as long as Tim Duncan is around.
No one seems to be bothered by this because it's common knowledge that the Spurs always take the early part of the season to round into shape. They even did it last season with a rather pathetic roster (at least compared to this season).
Still, they have some issues that are fairly hard to ignore. Ginobili looks to be back to reasonable health (especially after his dismantling of the Raptors), but Parker and Duncan are not helping the cause by getting themselves banged up. They can't reach their full potential this season without Duncan and Parker, but that's a given. What team is going to do well without two of its three top players?
The holes that have plagued them in seasons past are still there. They're still a rather old and unathletic team. George Hill and DeJuan Blair give them some youth (and in Hill's case, athleticism), but neither of them are playing enough to totally offset those issues. It wouldn't be such a big deal if Richard Jefferson hadn't gotten off to a slow start (although the aforementioned Raptors game might have set him on the right path).
These are things to keep an eye on if the Spurs continue to stumble going into the one-third mark of the season, but like always, it's far too early to count out the San Antonio Spurs.
On the other side of the spectrum of championship contenders are the Boston Celtics, who are storming out of the gate just like they've done since acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. It's not surprising that they're off to such a hot start because they've done so the last few seasons. What is surprising is how they're doing it.
The trend for fast starting teams is usually based around offense. The reason for this is that truly good offensive teams are able to take advantage of teams trying to find their footing in the opening weeks, which magnifies how good the team is offensively and exposes teams that haven't quite found their identity.
Normally, it takes good defensive teams a few weeks to round into shape because of how much time teams need to gel to really be effective. Not so with the Celtics, who have stormed out of the gate, not with a blistering offensive pace (although they haven't been bad) but by bludgeoning teams to death on the defensive end.
Their point differential this early in the season is a staggering 14 points per game, which is a good six points higher than the next closest team (the Miami Heat have a point differential of a little less than eight points per game). This kind of cohesion is typically not the norm this early in the season.
Speaking of teams that are among the tops in the league, the Phoenix Suns are arguably the most surprising of the one-loss teams thus far. (Well, Miami probably has a claim to this title to, but they haven't played any teams of note.)
Steve Nash has been the primary reason for this quick start, as reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. Last season, there were whispers Nash may have been done as one of the top point guards after a relatively underwhelming '08-'09 season. But put the ball back in Nash's hands and speed up the tempo, and all of a sudden he's looking like the Nash of old (or rather the Nash of his MVP seasons).
He's already had two 20-assist games in the early season (and a 17-assist game to boot) and it's been great to see him control games late like an expert puppeteer again. It's far too early to start talking about potential MVPs, but Nash has inserted himself into the second best point guard spot with a vengeance.
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