Several NBA teams off to slow starts

Now that the NBA lockout is over, and most teams have played more than 15 games, it is time to ask which teams have showed up, and which have stayed home. Through the first month there are no surprises in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls in first place, and the Miami Heat in second. If I were a betting man I would say that these two teams would appear in the Conference Finals this May.

The Western Conference is loaded with all sorts of surprises. The top two teams in the West are the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets. However, many spectators are wondering if either of these young squads can stay strong for the remainder of the 66-game season.

While the season is shortened there is still plenty of basketball to be played this year. Surprisingly, the real shock of the NBA season thus far is not what teams are performing; it is what teams aren't performing.

Would you believe me if I told you that after the first month of the season the New York Knicks would have four more losses than wins? Would you call me crazy if I said the Dallas Mavericks would have the eighth best record in the West? That Kobe Bryant's Lakers would have the second best record...in Los Angeles? Would you stop reading if I told you that a month into the season the Nuggets had the second best record in the West (3rd in League)? What would you say if I told you that the Pacers and 76ers would have better records than the Magic, and the Celtics? It does not matter what you would have thought about these statements this summer because now, a month into the season these thoughts are actually facts.

While disappointed in my Boston Celtics, I cannot say that I am surprised with their mediocre start. "The Big Three," sometimes referred to as "The Big Four" may have had their last chance at a Finals run last season. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have all seen their better days.

While the cartilage between the Big Three's knees is wearing down, things are only made worse with this year's schedule. The Celtics, who can barely run up and down the court for a complete four quarters, now have to play more games in a shorter time span.

While only having played 17 games, the Celtics have had back-to-back games four times this year, and on four separate occasions have played three games in just four days. Although I am not ruling out a possible Celtics appearance in the post-season as a seven or eight seed, it safe to say that the 66 game schedule may be a bigger headache for Boston than the defending East Champs in the Miami Heat.

With another NBA season comes more hype about the New York Knicks. After snagging Carmelo Anthony last season and failing to make it out of the first round of the playoffs the Knicks went shopping and landed themselves Tyson Chandler, a solid interior defender. Coming into the season there was plenty of positive publicity surrounding the Knicks.

Last year, New York's biggest issue was their interior defending, and with the addition of Tyson Chandler they would become a completely stacked team right? Wrong.  As of Sunday, they sit at 7-13 (the same record as the New Jersey Nets) and are not in the playoff picture. While this is not the worst record in the league many will argue that with the lineup that the Knicks have their record should be far better.

With all of this being said, there are still plenty of hoops to be played. Lets be realistic, the Knicks will make the playoffs, The Mavericks will not be an eight seed, but as far as the other surprising story lines we can only watch to see if the Nuggets, Pacers, and 76ers can keep up their outstanding play.

This NBA season has potential to be very exciting with a new set of top teams in each conference. The only thing we NBA fans can do now is sit back, relax and watch the ball go through the hoop.