Every year, there are a few teams who seem to mysteriously appear out of nowhere and take the NBA by storm early on, piling on win after win on their road to shocking the world. There are also the teams expected to be good that dominate the first few games from beginning to end. Although early wins do not define the rest of the season, but they are a good indicator of what has yet to come. With the NBA being one of the streakiest leagues in the world of sports, we bring you the hottest starts of 2014.
Memphis Grizzlies
They say defense wins championships, and the Grizzlies have redefined defense for centuries to come. The Grizzlies. Year after year, Memphis has set a golden standard on the less glamorous end of the court, and it is no surprise that they have done the same this season. Yet, unlike last year, David Joreger has actually began to rely on their team to score, and the team has delivered. Marc Gasol has evolved to a whole new level offensively, averaging 21 points a game.Zach Randolph has also surprised, averaging 17 points per game while also pulling down 11 rebounds a night. The biggest of this years surprises has been Courtney Lee. Once considered an above-average role player at best, Lee has excelled this season, averaging 16 points per game while shooting a jaw dropping 77% from 3 point land as a fourth option in the Grizzlies offense. The 29 year old has also improved other assets of his game, averaging 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while playing elite defense on a nightly basis. If this trend continues, the Grizzlies might even be championship contenders. If not, Memphis always have their outstanding work on the defensive end to lean back on. Either way, they are a legitimate playoff team.
Houston Rockets
No Parsons, no problem. This is what the rockets have proved throughout their 6 games so far this season, a stretch in which they have gone undefeated. After an unsuccessful postseason and an even more unsuccessful offseason, many believed that the Rockets hopes of a championship have been demolished. The Rockets have yet to prove them right, having won every one of their games by double-digits while excelling on both ends of the court. More importantly, James Harden is actually playing defense! Although he has yet to shut a player down, he has been making an effort on the less glamorous end of the court, which is a sign of progress. In addition, the Rockets have filled the void left by Chandler Parsons when he left Houston via free agency. Newcomer trevor Ariza has averaged 16 points per game-a number very close to that of Chandler Parsons- while playing much better defense.Dwight Howard and James Harden have played better than ever, averaging a combined 46 points and 19 rebounds per game, which is insane considering one is a horrendous free throw shooter while the other is double teamed on a nightly basis. While this streak will probably be broken in the near future, the Rockets have permanently placed their name in the championship conversation .
Memphis Grizzlies
They say defense wins championships, and the Grizzlies have redefined defense for centuries to come. The Grizzlies. Year after year, Memphis has set a golden standard on the less glamorous end of the court, and it is no surprise that they have done the same this season. Yet, unlike last year, David Joreger has actually began to rely on their team to score, and the team has delivered. Marc Gasol has evolved to a whole new level offensively, averaging 21 points a game.Zach Randolph has also surprised, averaging 17 points per game while also pulling down 11 rebounds a night. The biggest of this years surprises has been Courtney Lee. Once considered an above-average role player at best, Lee has excelled this season, averaging 16 points per game while shooting a jaw dropping 77% from 3 point land as a fourth option in the Grizzlies offense. The 29 year old has also improved other assets of his game, averaging 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists while playing elite defense on a nightly basis. If this trend continues, the Grizzlies might even be championship contenders. If not, Memphis always have their outstanding work on the defensive end to lean back on. Either way, they are a legitimate playoff team.
Houston Rockets
No Parsons, no problem. This is what the rockets have proved throughout their 6 games so far this season, a stretch in which they have gone undefeated. After an unsuccessful postseason and an even more unsuccessful offseason, many believed that the Rockets hopes of a championship have been demolished. The Rockets have yet to prove them right, having won every one of their games by double-digits while excelling on both ends of the court. More importantly, James Harden is actually playing defense! Although he has yet to shut a player down, he has been making an effort on the less glamorous end of the court, which is a sign of progress. In addition, the Rockets have filled the void left by Chandler Parsons when he left Houston via free agency. Newcomer trevor Ariza has averaged 16 points per game-a number very close to that of Chandler Parsons- while playing much better defense.Dwight Howard and James Harden have played better than ever, averaging a combined 46 points and 19 rebounds per game, which is insane considering one is a horrendous free throw shooter while the other is double teamed on a nightly basis. While this streak will probably be broken in the near future, the Rockets have permanently placed their name in the championship conversation .