Power Rankings

It's only three games into the season, but we've learned a few things

Three games into the 2003-04 NBA season, and what have we learned? LeBron James can play. The Lakers can still withstand controversy. And some teams (Bucks, Jazz) might not be as bad as advertised.

Of course, it's still just three games. With 11 new coaches and plenty of major roster changes, it's going to be a while before we can get a true read on the competition. Also, several major injuries (Chris Webber, Jamal Mashburn, Ray Allen, Jerry Stackhouse, Elton Brand, Wally Szczerbiak, etc.) figure to keep their respective teams down a few pegs for at least the first month.

Still, we've seen enough now to get an idea of how each of the league's 29 teams are playing at the moment. For now, we're not going to take too much stock in head-to-head results. For example, the Raptors might have the same 2-1 record and have beaten the Nets, but they are not a tougher foe right now. Just ask the T'wolves, an otherwise good team that got crushed by New Jersey but then turned around and embarrassed Toronto the next night.

Three games. Not a lot to go on. But here's how we see it.

SI.com's Marty Burns Rank LW   Team 1 1 Los Angeles Lakers (3-0) So far, the Mailman has delivered and the Glove has fit. Thanks in large part to those two veterans, they had season-opening victories over the Mavs, Suns and Warriors -- and a lot less Shaq/Kobe controversy. 2 2 San Antonio Spurs (2-1) All those new players and an injured Tony Parker? No problem for Tim Duncan, who keeps them up here even with journeymen Jason Hart and Shane Heal sharing point guard duties. 3 5 New Jersey Nets (2-1) They beat the Wizards on Saturday to give Byron Scott his 129th Nets victory, tying him with Kevin Loughery for most all time. Now if Scott can just get 10,000 more technicals, he can pass Loughery on that list, too. 4 6 Detroit Pistons (2-1) Like the Nets, they're basically healthy -- and that puts them above some otherwise better Western Conference clubs. But how long before Joe Dumars forgives Larry Brown for losing to Rick Carlisle's Pacers in the home opener? 5 7 Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1) No Szczerbiak? No problem -- at least not on defense. Led by Latrell Sprewell's lockdown on Vince Carter, they held the Raptors to a franchise record-low 56 points in Saturday's victory. 6 3 Sacramento Kings (2-1) They beat LeBron James and the Cavs on Wednesday, but lost to Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets on Saturday. What does it mean? Nothing. But they're going to be real good when Chris Webber gets back. 7 4 Dallas Mavericks (2-1) Dirk Nowitzki's buzz cut. Those new metallic road unis. Poor 3-point shooting. For a while there, Dallas, we hardly recognized you. Until Saturday, that is, when you racked up 127 points in a win at Utah. 8 10 Phoenix Suns (1-2) Yes, they're 1-2. But they've lost to the Spurs and Lakers, and both were close. With Stephon Marbury, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion all healthy, few teams want to play them right now. 9 11 New Orleans Hornets (3-0) Maybe it WAS the players. Even without Mashburn, they won their first three games for new coach Tim Floyd, matching his longest win streak during his Chicago tenure. Let's see if they can keep it up. 10 12 Portland Trail Blazers (1-1) After a ghastly loss at Utah in their opener, they bounced back with an impressive home win Saturday over James' Cavs. They have talent, but with five of the next six at the Rose Garden, they need to get off to a good start. 11 8 Indiana Pacers (2-1) They lost to Milwaukee and needed OT to survive the Hawks. But who cares, right, Rick Carlisle? Go ahead, light up a cigar and enjoy the afterglow of that season-opening win at Detroit. 12 9 Houston Rockets (1-1) Don't mess with Texas? Like the Mavs, they have new uniforms (with a Blair Witch logo) and a star (Moochie Norris) who shaved off his trademark hairstyle. At least these guys still have Yao and Franchise. 13 14 Orlando Magic (1-2) One step forward, two steps back: They rallied from 10 down late to win at New York in OT, but then kicked off a five-game homestand by dropping consecutive games to Eastern rivals New Orleans and Detroit. 14 16 Toronto Raptors (2-1) They scored just 56 points in a loss Saturday at Minnesota. Didn't Vince Carter used to score that many in a game by himself? And wasn't Jerome Moiso (one game, 11 minutes) supposed to be a big part of this team? 15 19 Boston Celtics (2-1) Vin Baker had 24 points (on 10-of-14 shooting) and eight rebounds in Friday night's win at Memphis. With Eric Williams (knee) and Jumaine Jones (hamstring) ailing, Paul Pierce needs him more than ever. 16 13 Philadelphia 76ers (1-2) Glenn Robinson, fresh off a three-game suspension, hopes to make his Sixers debut Monday night at Portland. But will Big Dog add any bite to a defense that got shredded last week by the injury-ravaged Warriors? 17 20 Denver Nuggets (2-1) They beat the Spurs and Kings last week at Pepsi Center to kick off the Carmelo Anthony Era. Now 'Melo turns his sights to Wednesday's showdown with LeBron and the Cavs at the Gund. 18 23 Golden State Warriors (1-2) They lose their three top scorers from a year ago, then start the season without Nick Van Exel, Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson (suspension). But they've held up OK so far -- and they play their next five at home. 19 15 Seattle SuperSonics (2-0) Take that, Ichiro! Rashard Lewis shows he can be big in Japan, too, scoring 50 points in the second of a two-game Tokyo sweep of the Clippers. But with Ray Allen out six to eight weeks (ankle), things figure to get tougher. 20 17 Memphis Grizzlies (1-1) They won at Houston on Saturday to make it 1-1 on the season, the first time they've been .500 or better since Nov. 16, 2000. But Grizz fans shouldn't get their hopes up yet. They wound up winning only 23 games that season. 21 28 Milwaukee Bucks (2-1) Like the Jazz, they have looked surprisingly competitive so far, with wins over the Pacers and Bulls to go with a narrow loss to the T'wolves. T.J. Ford and Joe Smith each have dazzled at times. 22 22 Washington Wizards (1-2) Eddie Jordan would have loved to have beaten Byron Scott and his former teammates in Saturday's home opener. But with Jerry Stackhouse (knee) expected out as long as two months, he's got bigger problems. 23 29 Utah Jazz (1-1) Even without Keon Clark (ankle), they began the post Stockton/Malone Era with a rousing home victory over the Blazers. Hmmm. You don't suppose Jerry Sloan could actually make these guys a decent team, do you? 24 18 Chicago Bulls (1-2) Losing to the Wizards and Bucks, teams they expect to battle for a final playoff spot in the East, is not the way to start the season. Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford have been as inconsistent as ever. 25 25 Cleveland Cavaliers (0-3) LeBron can play, but their team defense can't handle good Western teams like the Kings, Suns and Blazers. They're looking forward to getting home, starting with Wednesday's clash against Carmelo's Nuggets. 26 21 New York Knicks (0-2) Latrell Sprewell says there was too much religion in their locker room last year. Yeah, that and not enough centers. Meanwhile, Don Chaney can only hope that Magic meltdown in the opener doesn't set the tone for the season. 27 27 Los Angeles Clippers (0-2) They lost two games to the Sonics and star forward Elton Brand (broken foot) for six weeks. They have now started 0-2 for seven straight seasons. Other than that, how was the trip to Japan, Mr. Dunleavy? 28 24 Atlanta Hawks (0-3) Not a good start for Terry Stotts. Three losses to start the season, and no Jason Terry (suspension) for Monday's home contest with the Hornets. After that, they head West for a five-game road swing. 29 26 Miami Heat (0-3) "Gee, thanks, Pat Riley." New coach Stan Van Gundy must be thinking something along those lines after three straight losses to start the season, and road games ahead at Dallas and San Antonio.