If you had to pick the surprise good teams of the first two months of the season, Portland, New Orleans, and the Lakers are the three teams that are really outperforming expectations.  Yes, the Celtics are probably the most outperforming so far, but I don't anyone really expected any of other three teams to break .500, let alone be on paces to break 50 wins.  How realistic is it that any of these three team can keep this pace?  First off, here are their current records and point … [Read more...] about Surprise Squads So Far

In this early season, we always look at the surprise teams, both good and bad.  It's always nice to see a team become great out of nowhere.  Going from the lottery to contention in a one-year period is fun but rare.  Like the 2007-08 Celtics, the exceptions to the rule are usually memorable (e.g., 2001-02 Nets, 2004-05 Suns).  Even intermediate change is rare.  We see that this year that some other younger teams in Atlanta and New Orleans are also poking their heads into the playoff picture.  … [Read more...] about Playoff Turnover