The Top Five NBA Teams - November, 2017

As we close in on the first month and a half of the 2017-18 NBA season, there has been some highly entertaining games. This seasons' rookies have shown us just how talented this draft class really is, with some standout performances. Warriors are (with no surprise) still the most elite team in the league, with some other top teams that have come to fruition this season. This post will detail the top five teams, as of this month, with some interesting insights and opinions. Lets get started!

1. Golden State Warriors

Courtesy gq.com

Last season's champs are back at it again this year. After a rocky 1-2 start in October, the Warriors have moved forward to win six in a row in the month of November. Durant is still a nightmare to anyone guarding him and Curry has put up numbers that are better than any other point guard in the league, at this moment in time, with 25.2 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and 6.7 assists per game. Klay Thompson continues to be the elusive side-kick for Steph Curry, while Draymond Green is the glue behind this historic NBA team. Their deep bench has a lot to do with just how complete this team is, with players like Andre Igoudala, Shaun Livingston and recently added hot-hand, Nick Young. On top of it all, the Warriors have the superb coaching staff with head coach Steve Kerr and assistant Mike Brown (whom last season did an excellent job taking over the team due to Kerr's back problems). Setting the pace of almost every game, the Golden State Warriors will really be considered one of the greatest teams of all time (if not the greatest) if they continue the outstanding play each and every game.

2. Boston Celtics

Courtesy celtics.com

The Boston Celtics did take a loss game one of the NBA season when their newly added star forward Gordon Hayward suffered an ankle injury. This team most certainly has not suffered because of it, though, being the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. The addition of Kyrie Irving was for sure a good move by Boston,  Irving being a major factor for the outstanding play by NBA rookie Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum leads all rookies in clutch scoring and effective field goal percentage at 56.5%. Celtics will continue to be the top team in the East for their outstanding defense and effective offense lead by Irving. Check out these full-game highlights from their game against the Golden State Warriors, in which they won 92-88.

Courtesy NBA Channel on Youtube

3.  Houston Rockets

Courtesy rockets.com

Losing Chris Paul to injury for every game after their first season game until just last night proved no problem for the Houston Rockets. The Rockets' starters have outscored their opponents by close to 26 points per 100 possessions, the best out of any other team in the NBA. MVP candidate James Harden continues to be to thrust the Houston Rockets putting up the crazy numbers of: 30.7 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game and 10.3 assists per game.  Last season's sixth man of the year, Eric Gordon, continues to be the spark off the bench that adds another offensive element to this high-scoring team. Check out just how the Rockets managed to score 142 points last night verse the Phoenix Suns in Chris Paul's return.

Courtesy NBA Channel on Youtube

4. Detroit Pistons

Courtesy pistonpowered.com

Yes you read that right, the Detroit Pistons, with the second-best record in the East, are one of the top five teams this NBA season. The addition of Boston Celtics' Avery Bradley couldn't have been a better move by the Pistons with 17.8 points per game with 3.1 rebounds. Tobias Harris has greatly increased his talents this year and Andre Drummond has improved on his free throws! Winning on the road against teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors, the Detroit Pistons have moved up to be one of the NBA's elite teams so far. Hopefully my hometown team can keep up the excellent play, and become one of the higher ranked teams when entering the playoffs, and my hopes are high for a playoff series win this year! Check out this interesting take on how Andre Drummond has improved this year.

Courtesy AFunkyDiabetic's Youtube Channel

5. San Antonio Spurs

Courtesy spurs.com

The team that won't seem to go away, the San Antonio Spurs, are having a decent season so far (and I say "decent" due to this teams elite reputation for the past twenty years and this season pales somewhat in comparison). It is easy to tell that Kawhi Leonard is sorely missed by this squad, and I'm sure they'd probably be ranked at number two if he was out of the injured list. The Spurs' passing and assist numbers have recently gone up, which is somewhat of a throwback to the Spurs' old "teamwork makes the dream work" type of play. Their 3-point percentage also has gone up to 44% which is second best in the league. LaMarcus Aldridge has stepped up to fill the spot of Kawhi, averaging 22.0 points per game with 8.3 rebounds. I'm sure once Leonard returns, this Spurs team will shoot up the rankings. Take a look at this breakdown of the Spurs' offensive tactics.

Courtesy By Any Means Basketball Youtube Channel

This 2017-18 NBA season holds many surprises down the road, and I'm excited to see how this season's playoffs pan out!

Are the Cleveland Cavaliers still a championship contender?

Courtesy NBA.com

Courtesy NBA.com

In a loss to the Indiana Pacers last night, (moving their record to a meek 3-5), Cavs' starting center Tristan Thompson suffered a left calf strain which will sideline him for the next month. Seems like its only been bad news for the Cavaliers' first few weeks of the NBA season. The 3-time consecutive NBA finalist Cleveland Cavaliers are looking down so far with four straight losses, leaving many Cleveland fans with their hands over their heads.

Can the Cavaliers maintain a season trip to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year?

Courtesy House of Highlights channel and Inside the NBA

Detroit Pistons legend Isaiah Thomas claims that the Cavaliers are deeper, and a more versatile team than seasons past. He believes there will be some chemistry issues though with the addition of Dwayne Wade. Kevin McHale sees a more aggressive team defensively with players like Jae Crowder. I do agree that J.R. Smith may be unhappy with losing his starting lineup spot, being used to starting with Lebron and spreading the floor.

With Tristan out for the next month, I feel the Cavs need to see a big leap in productivity from players like Kevin Love and Channing Frye. Protection inside the paint and around the rim needs to be the top item on the Cleveland's checklist, now missing out on Thompson's six or so rebounds per game. The Cavs need to realize that every team is going to come at them with everything they got, and that every player in the NBA has talent to some extent. 

Since Tristan is not out there banging bodies like usual, Cleveland needs to take their efforts to a new level and I'm sure Lebron's effort will be taken to new heights. It's been awhile since Lebron has had to put the team on his back, being surrounded by at least one other superstar on his squad, but this year the greatest of all time candidate might have to. Seeing an NBA Finals without Lebron would be very eerie, due to the fact that he's made seven straight appearances! With that being said, I know that making all those appearances can drain a player not just physically but also mentally. Cleveland is desperate for the return of Isaiah Thomas, and I'm almost certain we'll see a turn around once he's back on the floor.  I know it is still early in the season but if Cleveland continues to have lackluster performances I feel that the Finals may be out of the question. We can only wait to see how Cleveland operates with Isaiah as starting point guard.

Some interesting numbers to keep in mind around the Cavaliers 3-5 season start that I pulled from an article from NBA.com:

• Last night's defeat marked the Cavs' third straight loss by 15 points or more. This is only the second time in LeBron's career that his team has lost three straight games that he's played in by 15-plus points (per Elias Sports): Oct. 28, 2017 to today March 21, 2004 to March 26, 2004 (LeBron's rookie season)
• The Cavs are off to their worst start since 2013-14 (the season before LeBron returned to Cleveland), when they finished 33-49.
• Per Elias Sports, this is only the second time a LeBron James-led team has been under .500 after the first eight games of a season. The other time it happened was in 2003-04 (James' rookie season). The Cavs started 2-6, finished the season 35-47 and missed the playoffs.
• Per Elias Sports, only seven teams have reached The NBA Finals after beginning a season 3-5 or worse through their first eight games. The last team to do so? The 1990-91 Los Angeles Lakers, who lost to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls 4-1 in the series.

If you want to hear more surrounding the rocky start for Cleveland check out what the Gametime crew had to say last night here.

Please leave your comments below on what you have to say about this Cavaliers team!