Grounding the competition

Sonics' new commitment to defense suggests hot start no fluke

By Kelly Dwyer, Special to SI.com

We readily admit that, outside of some Swedish runway-model finishing school, there is nothing hotter than the Phoenix Suns right now. The team boards, runs and scores, rinses and repeats to the tune of 108 points per game and a sparkling 13-2 record. The Suns are so white hot, so prolific in their production, it's a wonder they haven't cracked the 150-point barrier every night out.

Putting the ball in the hoop seems to be the path toward the top right now as the Suns duke it out for supremacy in the West with their high-scoring neighbors to the north in Seattle. While the SuperSonics possess the same ability to drop 110 points with one contact lens in and a case of bed-head, Seattle doesn't have the same versatility the Suns boast. Still, the Sonics are sizzling at 14-3 and coming off an impressive come-from-behind overtime win against Utah's Jazz.

Seattle's ability to pull up on a dime and nail a remarkable 39 percent of their 3-pointers may be gaining headlines for the Sonics, but it's their commitment to defense that suggests this year's club might have longer legs than last year's 37-win team. The 2004-05 Sonics are giving up nearly six fewer points a game than last season's squad. They're slowing the pace, not allowing their opponents to shoot as much and they're really enjoying the rebounding talents of Danny Fortson (6.6 per game) and Reggie Evans (nine a contest).

Of course, one should be skeptical of statistical trends created over a 17-game sprint, but the difference is clear: coach Nate McMillan has his team giving more than a lick and a promise to the idea of staying in front of their opponents.

Danny Fortson has helped Seattle hold opponents to fewer than 94 points a game, the eighth-best mark in the NBA. Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Seattle's hot start was unexpected, to be sure, but this is no fluke.

Champs

The 10-6 Los Angeles Clippers continue to beat the teams they should, taking care of the undermanned Pacers at home on Wednesday. Elton Brand (who scored 27 on a mere 16 shots) is again dominating down low, averaging 27.3 points on 60 percent shooting over L.A.'s last three games -- all wins.

With Chris Wilcox playing well (14 points and seven boards a game, with nary a play run for him), you have to wonder if a frontcourt-clearing trade wouldn't be the best thing for the Clips. Of course, because owner Donald Sterling rarely has the best interests of the Clippers in mind, he'd probably be in favor of shipping Brand away for some cheaper parts instead of the superfluous Wilcox. If Wilcox provides 70 percent of Brand's production at one-third the price, why not see what the more expensive part could fetch, especially if winning comes a distant second to turning a profit? And because NBA GMs (at least the ones who still have jobs) actually appreciate Brand's ability to help a team, there are few squads that wouldn't want to take a chance at a legit superstar?

Minnesota's Sam Cassell hasn't been much to look at this season, or for the overwhelming majority of his life I reckon, but he came through with a solid effort against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night and in a win over the Kings last Sunday: 25 points on 15 shots, with six assists against Sacto, and 26 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists against Golden State. Cassell looks increasingly comfortable as he rounds into shape.

Chumps

It wasn't Pau Gasol's finest two hours and five minutes on Wednesday, as he fouled out against the Knicks after a 4-of-12 shooting performance. The reeling Grizzlies lost to the Atlantic Division leaders in New York, Gasol turned the ball over five times and he had to be restrained by interim coach Lionel Hollins from a conflict with referee Leroy Richardson as he left the court.

Philadelphia's Willie Green was supposed to provide the in-between offensive game needed to ease Allen Iverson's transition to the point guard position. Instead, he's watched as Kyle Korver took over his starting off-guard position, and may have seen his season bottom out with a 3-of-12 shooting night in a 33-point 76ers loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Green's shooting only 37 percent on the year while averaging 8.4 points per game for the 6-8 Sixers.

Ruminations

Much has been written about how those 6-8 Boston Celtics are playing a lot better than their record indicates. Wednesday's one-point win over the Bucks illustrated why. Mark Blount shook off a sluggish start to put up 16 points and pull down 16 rebounds while Raef LaFrentz contributed 14 points, seven boards and a pair of blocks.

Nazr Mohammed? Naw, not buying it yet. But the Knicks keep finding ways to stay in games and have carved out an 8-6 mark despite that mismatched roster.

How does Quinton Ross play 35 minutes for the Clippers against the Pacers and score just two points, you ask? Because he's Quinton Ross, we answer.

Houston is fading as a 6-10 record portends a hideous waste of talent and potential.

It's good to see Antoine Walker still plays fast and loose in a contract year. In an overtime loss to the Knicks on Tuesday, Walker chalked up nine turnovers, four assists, two steals, two blocks, 13 rebounds, and 36 points in a loss to those Knicks.

New Jersey shot 31 percent against those noted defensive stalwarts in Washington on Wednesday, scored 68 points and may have lost rookie center Nenad Krstic after he landed awkwardly on his left knee late in their loss to the Wizards.

You can't take a week off in the West. Utah looked like a home-court lock after they stormed out of the gate in November. Now they're stuck with a .500 clip and looking forward to a month without Andrei Kirilenko.

With Baron Davis already out and Jamaal Magloire on the shelf for three months with a busted finger, it's hard to imagine life getting much worse for New Orleans. Then again, this time last year, their coach was Tim Floyd. Perspective, people, perspective.

Danny Fortson is one flagrant foul away from earning an automatic one-game suspension. Let's cross our fingers! Go, Danny, go!

Bulls rookie Ben Gordon is averaging close to 16 points off the bench over his last five games. At some point during Chicago's disastrous seven-game road swing, he just "got it." It reminds me of the morning I woke and determined that there wasn't enough Philip Bailey in my life.

Quoted, Unfortunately

"By far, they are the best team in the NBA right now. Just their ability to score, that's an amazing system that their coach has got them in."
  -- LeBron James, on the Phoenix Suns, and their coach Mike D'Antoni. Of course, LeBron doesn't know the name of Phoenix's coach, and there's no shame in that. I had to spend five minutes tooling around on the Internet just to make sure it wasn't Bill Hanzlik.