Upstarts Join Best of the West
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If somebody had told you before the season that the Clippers, Suns, and Sonics would be grouped together in the Western Conference standings, you wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. But if you were told the three teams would be joining each other at the top of the standings – well, that’s another story.
As if making the playoffs in the Western Conference this year wasn’t going to be hard enough, now these three upstarts are unexpectedly pushing their way into the mix. Just two weeks into the new campaign, three teams that most pundits expected to be doormats in the Western Conference have instead combined to go 17-6.The lowly Clippers are off to a 5-3 start that included an eye-opening destruction of the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse; the Suns are now 5-2 after an impressive road win at Dallas Tuesday night, and the Sonics emerged from the Meadowlands last night sporting the NBA’s best record at 8-1.
How are they doing this when their prospects seemed so glum? In each case, it starts with wise personnel moves that have been complemented with unexpectedly strong individual performances.
Let’s start with the Sonics, who looked like they might be the league’s worst team after losing their opening game by 30 points to the Clippers. My, how things have changed. The Sonics haven’t lost since, and in retrospect losing to the Paper Clips isn’t such an embarrassment this year. Most of the attention for Seattle’s start has focused on the addition of pigtailed pugilist Danny Fortson. But Fortson has only played 115 minutes, so it seems a bit rich to credit him with the team’s 8-1 start.
The strong play of the team’s two stars is the real catalyst. Ray Allen has been spectacular, averaging 27.4 points per game while shooting an absurd 60% on 3-pointers entering last night’s game. At small forward, Rashard Lewis has snapped out of a two-year funk and played with renewed energy. He’s no longer content to hide in the corner waiting for a chance at a 3-pointer; as a result, he has nearly doubled his free-throw attempts a game, and is averaging 21.1 ppg.
Despite their struggles last season, the Sonics were the league’s fourth-best offense – it was the defense that killed them. The increased production from Allen and Lewis has made them easily the best offense this year, and has enabled them to win seven straight despite below-average defense. But the Sonics have improved on that end too, thanks in part to Fortson but also to Lewis’s renewed commitment and an unexpected improvement from Vladimir Radmanovic.
In Phoenix, all eyes are on Steve Nash, especially after Tuesday’s win in Dallas during which he handed out a season-high 18 assists. It’s true that Phoenix’s off-season moves – signing Nash, Quentin Richardson, and the surprisingly productive Steven Hunter – have been a big help. What’s been lost in the hubbub over the newcomers has been the MVP performance of Amare Stoudemire.
The third-year forward is living up to his potential as a dominant performer in the paint, averaging 26 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks a game. He’s also paying more attention at the defensive end, where his efforts were significantly lacking a year ago. Thanks to his play at center – a position he said he didn’t want to play – the Suns have been crushing teams offensively with a small ball lineup that uses wiry Shawn Marion at power forward. And they still have enough heft at the defensive end to rank in the upper half of the NBA.
As for the Clippers, they might be the most surprising of the trio. Given that two projected starters, Kerry Kittles and Chris Kaman, have yet to play a game, it’s amazing to see the Clips above the Kings and Lakers in the Pacific Division. But astute roster moves have helped offset the duo’s absence.
At center, Mike Dunleavy’s decision to roll the dice on undersized Chris Wilcox has worked out brilliantly. Wilcox (17.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) has provided multiple highlight-film dunks each night while proving surprisingly competent at muscling opposing big men. At Kittles’s spot, the Clippers’ inexpensive re-signing of Bobby Simmons solidified the spot until the ex-Net returns next week.
Add in what looks to be a career year from point guard Marko Jaric, who was a mess last year, and the usual All-Star efforts from Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, and the Clips look to have one of the NBA’s best starting fives. Better yet, after paying little attention to defense a year ago, Dunleavy has the team energized at that end of the floor.
The one danger for L.A. is Kaman’s impending return. He was absolutely horrendous as a rookie last season but somehow kept a spot in the starting lineup all year. One hopes that Wilcox’s inspired play will convince Dunleavy not to repeat that experiment.
So we know after two weeks that these three clubs are going gangbusters, but let’s move on to the bigger question: How do we know if they’re for real? One thing I look for in early season results is not just wins and losses, but three indicators of real quality: road wins, blowouts, and wins against quality opponents. On all three tests, the teams earn high marks:
* All three have had success on the road, sporting a combined 9-4 record.
* In terms of blowouts, Phoenix has won twice by 30 and once by 22. The Clippers have won games by 30 and 34. Seattle was blown out by the Clips, but also has wins by 21, 20, and 30.
* Each has knocked off multiple quality opponents. The Clips beat Seattle and Indiana and took the Pistons to double overtime. Seattle beat the Kings and trounced the Spurs by 19 points. Phoenix has beaten up some Eastern Conference lightweights, but also won at Dallas and has played only two home games thus far.
Based on early-season results, the Clippers, Sonics, and Suns each are among the top six or seven clubs in basketball. It seems optimistic to assume this will hold up all season since each club is getting superstar performances that may not last. Nonetheless, the trio’s wins have been of such an impressive quality that I don’t expect them to fall far. It wouldn’t be far-fetched for all three of them to make the playoffs, which means the already crowded Western Conference race just got a whole lot tougher.