I’m a little bit behind in posting the latest NBA news, so I decided to do a quick update on the standings in this post. As of this morning (1/25), here are the leaders of their respective conferences:
- Eastern Conference – Atlantic: Philadelphia 76ers
Can this really hold up? I’m as big a fan of Doug Collins as there is, but I’m not yet sold on the long-term staying power of this young team. The Celtics look old in second place, and the Knicks are dramatically underperforming expectations in third place.
- Eastern Conference – Central: Chicago Bulls
Can the Bulls hold up with their injury issues? First, reigning MVP Derrick Rose sat out a few games with toe issues. Now, Luol Deng (pictured below) has a more serious injury with a torn ligament in his hand. It’s a good thing the Bulls are deep, but when their top two players are ailing, something’s gotta give —- and I say that being a Bulls fan.
- Eastern Conference – Southeast: Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are currently leading this division, but are closely followed by the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat — both are only a win back in the standings. There will be a lot of jockeying in the standings between these three teams all year long.
- Western Conference – Northwest: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are currently leading this division, but they’re packed in at the top — with the Nuggets, Jazz, and Trail Blazers not too far behind.
- Western Conference – Pacific: Los Angeles Clippers
The battle of Los Angeles has the Clippers in first place, and the Lakers following in second. The Clippers are still trying to gel with all their new bodies, and the Lakers are trying to adjust to Coach Mike Brown’s new system.
- Western Conference – Southwest: San Antonio Spurs
They surprise me every year on how Tim Duncan’s team continues to outperform — this year after losing Manu Ginobli for awhile to injury for 6-8 weeks. They’re followed closely by the reigning champ Mavericks (who rebounded from a rough start to the season), Grizzlies and Rockets.
Lots of jockeying left to do in the season, but it has all been exciting to watch thus far. Thank goodness that lockout finally ended.
Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/3317315846/sizes/m/in/photostream/
