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The Indiana Pacers have gotten off to an incredibly hot start, thanks to a defense that has been stronger than ever, Paul George’s shooting touch and a few key additions contributing in ways that few expected so early this season.
About that defense, though — it is completely stifling.
Center Roy Hibbert has no problem carrying his own banner. He promoted himself as Defensive Player of the Year on Twitter earlier this week after his five blocks and countless altered shots against the Chicago Bulls. Self promotions aside, I have to give the man his due.
The dude has been an absolute beast in the paint on the defensive end. He’s tied for the lead in blocks, averaging 4.3 of them a game. Hibber also does so many of the things that don’t show up in a box score, such as help defense, altered shots, defending the pick-and-roll, and general intimidation.
With Hibbert holding down the paint and Paul George (can we get him a fantastic nickname already?) providing smothering defense on each team’s best perimeter player, as well as Lance Stephenson just being Lance Stephenson, this team fears no offensive dynamo.
Aside from his defensive achievements, Paul George has also, of course, been lighting it up offensively. He is third in points per game so far on the young season, with 25.1 per through his first seven games. This last week, he shot nearly 44 percent from distance, a full seven percentage points higher than his career average.
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The team on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Pacers would be the Utah Jazz. The only team remaining without a victory to their name, the Jazz were preseason favorites to “win” the draft lottery, and man do they look keyed into that pursuit.
At 0-7, they are not only the worst team in the league by record, but also statistically. The Jazz score only 87.7 points per game, putting them dead last in the league in the category and clear of the second lowest-scoring team, the Sacramento Kings, by almost five points.
Their average point differential is -13. That means that, on average, they are being outscored by 13 points per game. That is a little misleading, as the Jazz have lost from ahead in several games this year, including this week's game against the Houston Rockets when they actually held a lead in the second half before folding like origami saxophones down the stretch.
The Jazz are bad, but they are also a victim of a bad early schedule. Five of their first seven games have been on the road, so look for their play to improve as they benefit from the energy of their always eager home crowd.
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The New York Knicks added injury to their already insulting performance, and then added a little more insult on Sunday. The Knicks suffered a home loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night, and the fans at the newly-renovated Madison Square Garden did not take it too well.
On the back end of the home-and-home with the Bobcats, the Knicks had their revenge, but it was costly as Tyson Chandler left the game with a small fracture in his lower leg. Early reports have Chandler out of action for 4-6 weeks. The defensive stalwart was a bright spot on the spoiled pumpkin that is the early part of this Knicks campaign.
In their first game following the Chandler injury, the Knicks looked absolutely demoralized. They fell at home to the San Antonio Spurs, 120-89. After the game, Mike Woodson called the team out for their listless play and addressed the their, “lack of pride”.
The super surprising thing about the Knicks play thus far has been their lack of offense. The Knickerbockers are 25th in the league in scoring, coming in at only 93.8 points per game. That ranking undoubtedly changed as JR Smith made his season debut against the Spurs on Sunday.
Though he went 1-9 from the field in the game, when asked how he felt afterward, Smith indicated that he feels 100 percent. If Smith is 100 percent and still shooting 1-9, that PPG ranking might be changing for the worse before it changes for the better.
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In a match-up of teams firmly in the middle of the spectrum so far this season, the Los Angeles Clippers faced off against the Rockets twice this week. The first match-up occurred in LA, and it gave the Staples Center crowd their first glimpse of Dwight Howard as a Houston Rocket.
The crowd booed Howard during the player introductions and every time he touched the ball. Who knew Clippers fans felt so strongly about Dwight Howard? I thought they might be a little pleased with Dwight, seeing as his departure scorched the psyche their chief rival. Alas, it might take a few more seasons of winning basketball before Clippers fans can disassociate from the Lakers completely.
The game itself was never in doubt. The absence of Patrick Beverley was felt, as the Rockets had no answer for either/any of the Clippers guards. From the tipoff, JJ Redick asserted his dominance as only JJ Redick can... with catch-and-shoot 3 three-pointers.
In the second contest in Houston, Beverley was back as he harassed Chris Paul into several uncharacteristic turnovers with his energetic defense. Though close until the end, the Clippers prevailed on the strength of Blake Griffin’s shooting and DeAndre Jordan’s rebounding.
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News and Notes
- Game of the Week honors go to the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, who battled to two overtimes in Cleveland on Saturday night before Kyrie Irving slashed his way to the basket and a score to put the Cavs ahead for good with .6 seconds left. Irving missed a shot at the end of regulation that could have won the game, as well as a shot at the end of the first overtime that could have done the same. Irving finished the game with 39 points (5-12 from 3) and 12 assists. Michael Carter-Williams had himself a game as well (21 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds), as did Evan Turner (30 points and 10 rebounds).
- Andrew Bynum returned to Philadelphia, as the Cavaliers took on the Sixers on Friday night. He was booed lustily and frequently. Prior to his return to Philadelphia, Bynum was quoted as saying, “I’m a shell of myself on the court right now.” You can’t help but feel bad for the poor guy, whose body is betraying him at the age of 26.
- The Spurs extended their streak of regular season victories over the Golden Warriors in San Antonio to 30 straight, as they won a tight one 76-74. The Warriors did manage to win Game 2 of last year’s Western Conference Finals in San Antonio, but that didn't help them put an end to one of the weirdest streaks in sports.
- Michael Carter-Williams is the second player ever to have at least 130 points and 50 assists in his first seven NBA games. The other player? Oscar Robertson. MCW still has a lot of work to do in this league obviously, but it’s pretty promising to share space with The Big O.
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By Blake Hamilton
