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As we close out Week 7 of this NBA season, it's safe to say that no one saw things panning out this way, especially in the Western Conference. We've seen a seismic shift in the balance of power as some of the playoff teams of last season are currently on the outside looking in.
The Jazz, Rockets, Pelicans, Spurs, and Timberwolves have all had underwhelming starts, while the likes of the Grizzlies and Clippers have made significant improvements. With the quarter mark of the season having been passed, we can make a relevant assumption that the teams currently on top will most likely have some say in the proceedings come playoffs. Here are the top 5 teams in the Wild Wild West after 7 Weeks.
#5 Memphis Grizzlies
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The Grizzlies are back in business after a disastrous 2016-17 Campaign. It's not quite the Grit and Grind Grizzlies of old but they're not that far off. They continue to defy the modern NBA standard by having the slowest pace in the league and not shooting a truckload of 3s, but hey it's working and the Grizz are rolling.
The two veterans have led the way as Mike Conley Jr and Marc Gasol have had strong starts to the season. The X-Factor in this equation has been the Rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. The youngest of the elite prospects in this draft, many felt Jackson would take a while to settle in, but he's blended in perfectly.
Jackson exploded for 36 Points against the Nets this week, becoming the 3rd youngest player after LeBron James and Kevin Durant to score over 30 points in a game. That Nets game was, however, the only highlight of the week for the Grizz as they lost to the Knicks and the Raptors previously.
#4 Golden State Warriors
It'll probably take a couple of weeks, but no one would be surprised even a little bit if the Warriors climb back to the top spot, now that Steph Curry is back. The debut didn't go quite as well as hoped with a loss to the Pistons, which made it back to back losses for the defending champs.
They went 1-2 this week, beating the Magic after which they lost an overtime thriller to the Raptors, despite Kevin Durant going en Fuego. Staying competitive with the best team in the East without Curry and Draymond was a positive for Golden State, considering some of the brutal losses they'd suffered without Curry the past few weeks.
Now, with the 2 time MVP back in the fold, expect the Warriors to run over the Cavs and Hawks next week before a big showdown with the Bucks.
#3 Oklahoma City Thunder
Remember the time when everyone was freaking out about the Thunder struggling? Well, they are right back on track now. Since starting 0-4, the Thunder have gone 13-3 and went 2-0 this week, with wins over the Hawks and Cavaliers.
Acquiring Dennis Schroder in the Carmelo Anthony trade has made a big difference to the team and has provided them with an additional playmaker who can handle the ball when Westbrook is off the court.
The main reason why the Thunder are winning right now though is their defense. OKC ranks 1st in the league in Defensive Rating and this is without Andre Roberson who unfortunately suffered a setback in his recovery and is expected to be out for at least 6 more weeks.
Fortunately for OKC, Hamidou Diallo's injury was not as serious as it seemed and they have depth at the SG position despite Roberson's absence. If OKC can keep up this level of defense without their best on-ball defender, one can only imagine how good they'd be once he's back.
#2 Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets started off the season in red-hot form, then cooled down and are now seemingly cruising again. They started off 9-1, stumbled to 10-7 and have now won 5 straight games. That winning streak includes wins over the surging Thunder, Timberwolves and the Lakers.
They went 2-0 this week, crushing the Lakers and then withstood a furious late rally from the Blazers to win 113-112. Rather surprisingly, it's been the Denver defense that's been the catalyst for their great start to the season. They rank 3rd in the NBA in Defensive Rating and 8th in Offensive Rating which makes them one of 3 teams along with the Raptors and Bucks to be in the top 10 in both Offensive and Defensive Rating.
The Nuggets seem to have steadied the ship after that rocky stretch, but they'll face their biggest challenge in a while when they go up against the Raptors next in Toronto.
#1 Los Angeles Clippers
Well if anyone told me before the season that the Clippers of all teams would have the best record in the West at some point, I'd have laughed at their face, but boy have they been impressive.
They went 3-0 this week, beating the Blazers, Suns, and Kings, which made it 9 wins in their last 10 games. Tobias Harris is leading the way and is having a career year which could potentially lead him to become an all-star this season.
He is getting plenty of help too from Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, and Montrezl Harrell. This might well be the best coaching job Doc Rivers has ever done, leading a team with no big names to the top of the Conference. I doubt they would be able to keep this up, but if they do then kudos to him and the team.
