Last season, the Golden State Warriors earned the best record in the NBA and beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals. Throughout the first eight games of the 2015-16 season, they have looked even more dangerous.
With their 109-95 win over a tenacious Detroit Pistons on Monday, the Warriors remained the only unbeaten team in the league. The victory improved their record to 8-0, their best start since the franchise was in Philadelphia and Wilt Chamberlain could average a ridiculous 50.4 points per game over laughably inferior opponents.
At times, these Warriors have been similarly almost unfairly dominant. Last week’s 119-69 merciless deconstruction of the Memphis Grizzlies proved to be so demoralizing that the losing team became the laughing stock of the league – and have yet to recover.
The biggest part of the Warriors’ success has been reigning MVP Steph Curry, who is playing like the man many think could end up being the best shooter in NBA history. Curry went off for 53 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on Halloween, including 28 points in the third quarter. Curry seems so in the zone at times that even when he misses it looks like he did everything perfectly, and it’s the basket that’s made the mistake.
That’s not to say that Golden State hasn’t had its struggles. Despite the final score of Monday’s game, the Pistons were in the game until its final minutes. Saturday’s 103-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings was similarly fraught.
Yet even in struggle, they impress. While past Warriors teams were perpetually in danger of late-game collapses, this team has shown an ability to turn it on when the game is on the line. In the last few years we’ve seem them develop into the league’s lovable comic relief into the game’s biggest heavy.
If they feed on disrespect, and all sports teams at least think they do, it’s easy to think that those predicting that the Warriors would have a difficult time repeating as champions in the Western Conference gave them an extra boost. More likely, though, the Warriors are just this damn good and it doesn’t really matter what anybody thought of them.
Either way, the 2015-16 season has begun much like the 2014-15 season ended: with the Warriors the clear-cut best team in the NBA. It’s now the responsibility of the rest of the league to prove otherwise. If their first eight games are any indication, that may be no easy task.
Gif of week
This Russell Westbrook pass seems to defy the laws of physics. https://t.co/f7yZItJo44 pic.twitter.com/dyhECgGwyw
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) November 3, 2015
It’s impossible to believe that there’s not some form of teleportation involved in this play. There’s a magic to how the Oklahoma City Thunder play when Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are both healthy at the same time. Hopefully we appreciate this incarnation of the Thunder now, Durant’s free agency looms over this season like the Grim Reaper primed to mow them down.
How much did LeBron carry the Cavaliers this week?
Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers are battling the Atlanta Hawks for first place in the Eastern Conference with Kyrie Irving still on the sidelines. James, the team’s leading scorer – because of course he is – keeps insisting to the media that Kevin Love is going to be the focus of the offense, but don’t expect the title of this feature to change to “How much did Love carry the Cavaliers?” unless the NBA switches genres and becomes a romantic comedy.
Quote of week
It will be a players-only meeting, but just to make it clear, I believe in every single person in this room. We just got to stay together. That part I’m not worried about, but it is issues we got to figure out.
Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, addressing the media after a 106-88 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday
It took eight games, only one of them a win, before the Kings had to hold their first players-only team meeting. That’s not encouraging, not after an offseason where rumors about tension between Cousins and head coach George Karl persisted, and the team’s most notable free agent signing was “somewhat combustible” (Karl’s words) point guard Rajon Rondo.
There’s a lot of talent on this Kings team, but the worry was that things could get ugly very quick if that talent didn’t start translating to on-the-court wins. How quickly? Well:
Can report there is concern internally over the style and effectiveness of George Karl. Very important 48 hours. Nothing off the table.
— Carmichael Dave (@CarmichaelDave) November 10, 2015
Power rankings
Now, from a rational perspective, it would seem too early in the regular season to start constructing power rankings, and seven or eight games out of 82 means something close to nothing statistically. But damn, sports are irrational things, and talking about them in general is a foolish undertaking. That’s the fun of it, so without further ado:
1. Golden State Warriors
Here’s one of the exceptions as far as the meaningfulness of win-loss records: the team with zero losses deserves to be first here. This isn’t college football, after all. Did you realize we managed to spend the first half of this column praising the Warriors without even mentioning that they’re doing all this despite Klay Thompson playing below his level?
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
Tempted to drop them down just for the sin of playing in the East, but they’re the defending Eastern Conference champions, Kevin Love is showing signs of being the player he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves and, oh yeah, they have that LeBron guy.
3. Atlanta Hawks
Maybe this season’s Atlanta Hawks will be this season’s Atlanta Hawks? They made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, why couldn’t they do it again? They’re 7-2 to start the season and have kept the same core of players.
4. San Antonio Spurs
The rest of the team is starting to show its age. LaMarcus Aldridge has yet to make his presence felt. It dosn’t matter. The Spurs have started their season 5-2 mostly because Kawhi Leonard has found another level to his game and has fully made this his team.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
It’s says a lot that every team absolutely hates these guys. Beyond the fact that they’re an assemblage of personalities that rub people the wrong way, they’re also just a great team. Their biggest worry is Chris Paul’s health: a lot may be riding on his sore right groin.
That may not have come off right.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards was all about Kevin Durant’s future, but for the Thunder, they have to think about the present, because that’s all they’re guaranteed. After the disastrous James Harden trade and the injuries to Durant and Westbrook, this is still this team’s last best chance at a return to the finals.
7. Houston Rockets
The Rockets worried fans after they started off in an 0-3 hole, but they should have known that James Harden wouldn’t let that continue much longer. Harden is scoring 29.7 points per game, the biggest reason why they were able to bounce back and win four straight.
8. Detroit Pistons
Yes, those Detroit Pistons. They have started off the season 5-2, with one of those being a respectable loss to the impossible Warriors, Andre Drummond looks like a serious two-way threat, and Reggie Jackson has been showing signs that he may not, in fact, be the most ridiculous signing of free agency. It’s been a good November for the Notorious SVG’s crew.
9. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls have started 5-3 and Jimmy Butler continues to look like he’s the franchise icon. Still, the “Derrick Rose trade is imminent” narrative won’t die unless the team goes on a major run, Rose is out for the season with an injury, or Rose gets traded.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves
Who knows if it’s going to last, but the Timberwolves have had a hot start thanks to the phenomenal sophomore/rookie combination of Andrew Wiggins/Karl-Anthony Towns. They’re not going to make the playoffs this year, of course, but contention is coming soon.
11. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are at the top of the Atlantic Division, which would be more thrilling if divisions meant anything any more.
12. Utah Jazz
If they can get some consistent offense, Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz could be absolutely frightening.
13. Miami Heat
The Heat traded Mario Chalmers to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, leaving them with a huge hole in the “person everybody yells at” position.
14. Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo and a healthy Jabari Parker make this a League Pass worthy team if maybe not a postseason-bound one.
15. Portland Trail Blazers
They dismantled the team around him, but Damian Lillard is still gonna hit the big shots.
16. Washington Wizards
At least, Lillard will hit all the big shots that Bradley Beal doesn’t make.
17. Dallas Mavericks
Don’t be shocked that Dirk Nowitzki is in limbo for yet another season. Thanks a bunch DeAndre Jordan.
18. Indiana Pacers
If the borderline MVP candidate version of Paul George sticks around, the Pacers could make the East a whole lot more interesting.
19. Boston Celtics
They would be lower if they didn’t have the Brooklyn Nets’ first round draft pick.
20. New York Knicks
Oh, here’s Kristaps Porzingi, come to retroactively ruin all of our snarky draft day jokes.
21. Phoenix Suns
22. Denver Nuggets
23. Orlando Magic
24. Memphis Grizzlies
25. Charlotte Hornets
26. Los Angeles Lakers
27. Sacramento Kings
28. New Orleans Pelicans
29. Philadelphia 76ers
30. Brooklyn Nets
