The first major winter storm has blanketed much of the country. But it is in the more mild climes of the Bay Area where an NBA storm is raging. Yes, the Golden State Warriors are plowing through foes like a powerful nor'easter -- making even Don Nelson's straw hair stand up.
After an 0-6 start, Nellie's team had won six straight (and nine of 10 overall) through Sunday. Can the Warriors keep it up? We'll see. They were to face the equally hot Magic on Monday night at Oracle Arena.
This week's high riser: Warriors (No. 9 from 16)
This week's big drop: Bucks (No. 17 from 10)
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Yes, the early-season schedule has been relatively mild (and will continue to be in the weeks ahead). But they have been impressive in sprinting out to an NBA-best 14-2 record, and Boston fans aren't complaining. Last year their team didn't get win No. 14 until Feb. 26, the 56th game of the season. |
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The Spurs received good news Monday on Tim Duncan, who likely will miss only a few games with a sprained right ankle suffered Sunday. Duncan's injury comes at a time when they hit a tough part of the schedule, with games this week against Dallas and Utah followed by matchups with Golden State, the Lakers, Denver and Phoenix. At least Robert Horry (personal reasons) is back to help shore up the frontcourt. |
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Steve Nash is doing his thing, Grant Hill is fitting in nicely and the Suns' key players are all healthy. They are a team that nobody wants to face right now. But with 11 of 15 away from home in December, their mental toughness will be tested in the coming days. |
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Even without Carlos Boozer (ankle) and Mehmet Okur (back spasms), they blew out the Lakers last Friday to make it five wins in their last six games. Andrei Kirilenko led the way with a triple-double (20-11-11) as he continues his strong bounce-back campaign. |
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Dwight Howard has to be included in any early MVP conversation. As of Dec. 1, the 6-foot-11 fourth-year forward had thrown down an NBA-high 81 dunks on the season, more than 25 teams. He had a few more Sunday as the Magic won at the Lakers to run their road record to an NBA-best 10-2. |
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Peja Stojakovic appears to be regaining his shooting stroke in his return from back surgery. The veteran sharpshooter led the NBA in three-pointers made (49) at week's end, including Saturday night's game-winner that helped them defeat the Mavs in OT and kick off a four-game homestand. |
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What happened to the NBA's Road Warriors? Saturday's loss at New Orleans was their third straight away from home and dropped their overall road mark to 3-5. Over the previous three seasons, they were an NBA-best 86-37 (.699) away from home, including a 31-10 (.756) mark last season. |
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They insist they're not worried about Rip Hamilton, who has reached 20 points in just three of his 14 games. The veteran shooting guard is averaging just 16.7 points on 44.4 percent shooting, though he is putting up better numbers in assists (4.6) and steals (1.2). |
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Stephen Jackson's return from suspension has given Baron Davis & Co. another much-needed scorer and perimeter defender. Since "Captain Jack" got back, Golden State's only setback was a 105-82 loss at Boston on Nov. 21. |
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Rick Adelman got a warm reception from Kings fans in his return to Sacramento last Saturday. But his team's poor shooting in that defeat, its eighth loss in 10 games, surely had him feeling grumpy again. It's almost as if some Rockets -- especially Bonzi Wells -- can't make a layup these days. |
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