The second weekend of action in the NBA is over, and teams have played between five to seven games in their schedules. The divisional leaders at this point are as follows:
Toronto at 5-2 in the Atlantic
Cleveland at 6-1 in the Central
Atlanta at 7-1 in the Southeast
Utah at 4-2 in the Northwest
Golden State at 7-0 in the Pacific
San Antonio at 4-2 in the Southwest
There is not really a surprise in that group of division leaders with the exception of the Jazz. Pre-season it was thought that the OKC Thunder would run roughshod over the Northwest and perhaps they will over the long term. However, at this point, Kevin Durant‘s squad is just 4-3 and off to a slow start.
Individual players making injury headlines this past week include Chris Paul. Paul, a guard on the Los Angeles Clippers, suffered a groin injury midweek that caused him to miss a game on Saturday. However, the injury seems to me a mild one, which is a contrast to Darren Collison’s hamstring injury that has him out indefinitely (Sacramento).
One player making major headlines for performance is Andre Drummond. The Detroit Piston, who is the far and away league leader in rebounds, has played a major role in getting his team off to a great 5-1 start. Through six games, Drummond has an incredible 20.3 rebounds per. The 22-year old is also averaging 20.3 points per game, no doubt in large part due to his offensive rebounding abilities.
Steph Curry, the leader on the undefeated Golden State Warriors, is also off to an amazing start. It’s hard to talk about being surprised by his play, based on the fact that he won the MVP last season. But with 33.9 points per game thus far, Curry and the Warriors appear to be making a strong early statement that his club will not be resigned to win just one championship.
On that note, one very interesting game coming up is Detroit at Golden State. The 5-1 Pistons, with a win in Oakland (or maybe even a close loss), would turn a lot of heads for those that have not already raised an eyebrow at them. The two teams will collide on Monday night with the Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers set to play on Tuesday.