NBA Stock Report: The Top 8 Teams and Where They Stand
The race for the NBA playoffs has begun. While the regular season is less than a month old, several teams have already made headway in the chase for crucial postseason seeding.
The goal for any NBA team is to qualify for the postseason but, beyond that, obtaining one of the top four seeds is critical because it determines who receives home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
NBA Stock Report will chart the progress of the top four teams from the Eastern and Western Conference and their battle to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
All rankings are based on the current NBA standings. While there is no room to debate each team's positioning, the course of the future is still in doubt.
Some teams are only separated by percentage points, which will explain the absence of some franchises that will likely populate this list in the future.
And the list is certain to evolve as the season progresses, since some teams will drop due to reasons such as injury and others will rise as chemistry and familiarity improves.
Please feel free to comment with your own opinions concerning the future direction of the teams on the list. Please offer any suggestions on which teams will be the most likely to join it at a later date. Enjoy.
8- Chicago Bulls: 4th East, Up
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The Chicago Bulls may not get as much recognition as some of the other teams in the East, but they have quietly positioned themselves as a true conference dark-horse contender.
The Bulls play solid defense and they have an emerging superstar in point guard Derrick Rose. And an interior that is strong right now will get stronger once Carlos Boozer returns from injury.
Chicago finished the week 2-0 with home wins over Golden State and Washington and it currently stands only percentage points ahead of the Miami Heat for the East's fourth playoff seed.
Most people probably feel that Miami will eventually surpass the Bulls in the standings, but I wouldn't count Chicago out for several reasons.
For one, Miami plays in the much tougher Southeast, home to East powers like Orlando and Atlanta. Those teams will spend much of the season beating on each other and Chicago could benefit from that dynamic.
The Bulls definitely have the look of a postseason contender, but are they ready to take the next step in their development?
7- Atlanta Hawks: 3rd East, Down
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The Atlanta Hawks opened the 2010-11 season by winning their first six games, then promptly lost three out of their next four.
The Hawks may be the hardest team in the Eastern Conference to figure out since they have arguably the most talented roster, but apparently no clue on how to play consistently.
Atlanta completed the week 1-2 with losses to Milwaukee and Utah and a win against Minnesota, with all three games played on the Hawks' home court.
Joe Johnson continues to be one of the more underrated stars in the league. But it's doubtful he will ever truly get the recognition he deserves unless he can find redemption from last season's horrible playoff series against Orlando.
Atlanta and Miami both have four losses but the Hawks get the divisional edge due to having one more win than the Heat.
The Southeast is arguably the toughest division in the NBA, along with the Northwest, and the jockeying for position between Miami, Orlando and Atlanta should be a treat to watch.
6- Orlando Magic: 2nd East, Steady
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The Orlando Magic are, without question, a top contender in the Eastern Conference. But if they wish to hang on to the division lead and their current No. 2 seed, then they have to avoid losses at home to teams like Toronto.
The Magic finished the week 2-2, with a win at home against Memphis and a win on the road against New Jersey, and losses at home to Utah and Toronto.
The loss to the Jazz is understandable considering they are not a conference foe. Utah had already beaten the Southeast's other top teams, Miami and Atlanta.
Harder to explain is the loss to the Raptors. If the Magic want to preserve their slim one-game lead in the division, they can't fall victim to lapses like that.
Center Dwight Howard will give Orlando a chance regardless of who the opponent is. But considering both Miami and Atlanta are breathing down the Magic's neck, beating the teams you are supposed to beat is imperative. Toronto qualifies as one of those teams.
5- Dallas Mavericks: 4th West, Up
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The Dallas Mavericks may have trouble conquering their playoff demons, but they sure do look great in the regular season.
The Mavericks completed a 3-0 week with wins over Memphis, Phoenix, and the previously undefeated New Orleans Hornets.
Dallas' 7-2 record places them right below the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference and within easy shouting distance of the conference's No. 1 seed.
Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd, as always, are the primary reasons for Dallas' success, but the talent of the team has never been in doubt.
The Mavericks, barring injury, will likely spend most of the regular season near the top of the standings, but Dallas' true colors are always revealed in the postseason.
The Mavericks are certainly built to thrive in the playoffs and they have a veteran roster full of talent, size, depth and experience. But, then again, the Mavericks have that every year.
4- Boston Celtics: 1st East, Up
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Someone forgot to tell the Boston Celtics that this was the year that age would make its presence known. Judging from their play, it doesn't look like any of the "Big Three" should seek Social Security anytime soon.
Or maybe it's just easier to look good when you have a point guard like Rajon Rondo directing the offense.
Whatever the reason, Boston has begun this season in the same manner as they finished last season, as the top team in the Eastern Conference. After two early victories over Miami, they have to be considered the front-runner in the East.
Rondo has been spectacular on defense and as a play-maker, and he helped lead the Celtics to a 2-0 record this past week, including victories at Miami and at Memphis.
The Celtics have been poor rebounders but they compensate with tenacious team defense, chemistry and experienced, veteran leadership.
There is a chance that Boston could endure the same type of slump they suffered near the end of last season, but they are one of the few teams in the Eastern Conference with the experience to win in the postseason as a road team.
4- Los Angeles Lakers: 3rd West, Down
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The Los Angeles Lakers started the regular season 8-0 and looked every part of the two-time defending NBA champions. But two consecutive losses has diminished some of the good vibes from their start.
The Lakers finished the week 1-2, with one win coming against Minnesota and the two losses coming at the hands of Denver and Phoenix respectively.
Los Angeles could have very well finished the week 0-3, since their lone win against the Timberwolves was only by a five-point margin and the game actually served as a preview for what was to later come.
The Lakers' average defense has been masked by the early dominance of the offense, but it was hard to hide that issue against teams that were similarly talented on the offensive end.
The strength of the Lakers' team last season was their defense, but it's hard to tell considering the 44-percent average they allow from the field and the 37-percent average from three-point range.
The pieces are in place for the Lakers to have an exceptional year on the defensive end and it's reasonable to think they will eventually find their way.
Most analysts figured the Lakers would cakewalk through a depleted conference but, from the early looks of things, winning the Western Conference this season could be a lot more difficult than some anticipated.
2- San Antonio Spurs: 2nd West, Up
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The San Antonio Spurs are another team that decided to put away the wheelchairs in favor of one more run at a NBA championship, and so far their journey has gotten off to a good start.
The Spurs completed a 3-0 week with wins against the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia and Oklahoma City.
San Antonio's early 8-1 start can mostly be credited to the fact that Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker began the season in relatively good health. If they can remain healthy, the Spurs will be tough to beat.
Despite Duncan's age, he remains one of the NBA's most dominant power forwards. But the success of the Spurs in the future may depend on reducing his minutes and extending more playing time to DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter.
With San Antonio, health is always an issue, and the best way to ensure that Duncan is fresh down the stretch may be to take precautionary measures now.
1- New Orleans Hornets: 1st West, Up
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The New Orleans Hornets have been the surprise of the early season. Until Monday's 98-95 loss, they were the NBA's lone undefeated team as well.
The Hornets finished the week 2-1, with wins against the Clippers and Portland and the loss coming on the road to the Mavericks.
So are the 8-1 Hornets for real?
Well, Chris Paul is still arguably the top point guard in the NBA and the Hornets have two of the more underrated post-players in the league in Emeka Okafor and David West.
And they play really good defense.
The Hornets lead the Western Conference in points allowed and Okafor has been a perfect defensive complement to the more offensively-minded West.
But Paul is still the player it begins and ends with. If he manages to stay healthy, the Hornets have the talent to make a deep postseason run.
Some people may forget New Orleans run through the playoffs in 2007, the season when Paul nearly captured the league's MVP. Paul is playing just as well as he did that season and so is his team.
