The 2016/17 NBA season is now eight days old, and already 25 teams have suffered at least one loss, leaving just five undefeated teams. The Thunder, Clippers, Bulls, and Hawks are 3-0, while the Cavaliers are 4-0.
Of those five clubs, the Cavaliers and Clippers were expected to be title contenders this year, so their hot starts don’t come as a real surprise. However, the other three remaining undefeated franchises had more question marks entering the season. The Thunder and Hawks lost top free agents this summer, in Kevin Durant and Al Horford, and the Bulls’ roster construction led many observers to question whether they’d have enough shooting and spacing to be effective on offense.
While three or four games is hardly enough of a sample size to draw definitive conclusions about any NBA team, it’s worth keeping an eye out for early signs of potential surprises. So today’s Community Shootaround discussion questions center around these five clubs.
Which of the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams do you think will continue to rank among the league’s elite? Are the Cavs and Clippers still the only safe bets among the group, or do the Thunder, Hawks, and Bulls have a good chance to keep up their hot starts and outperform expectations? Are any of these clubs mediocre squads that have been helped in the early going by soft schedules?
Weigh in below in our comments section with your thoughts on which of the NBA’s five remaining undefeated teams are for real, and which ones you expect to come back down to earth soon.
I think the Clippers are overrated just like every year. I think the Bulls will fall. Dwight Howard (who is a big upgrade over the soft Horford) and the Hawks are a team to watch. Look what they have done to teams defensively in the 4th quarter. The Cavs are the champs until someone defeats them. Nor sure about the Thunder but Westbrook is a star.
Clippers overrated seems a bit unfair. They seem to always be undone by injuries to key players. When healthy they are one of the 3 best teams in the west
But they have depth this year. Last year their bench was thin after Jamal, which is the primary reason he won 6th man of the year again.
Dwight is a bum. The Hawks are not a team to watch. Not even a top 5 team in the east.
I disagree
Clippers have are the biggest team in the west and probably the nba. If they get a solid two way small foward they’ll give the undersized west conference a run this year
I agree with some things said here and disagree with others. But who cares? Cubs are the World Champions!