The season so far !

Standings

East  
1.Indiana  
2.Miami  
3.Atlanta  
4.Toronto  
5.Washington  
6.Charlotte  
7.Boston  
8.Detroit  

West
1.Oklahoma City
2.San Antonio
3.Portland
4.L.A.Clippers
5.Houston
6.Phoenix
7.Golden State
8.Dallas

Things that turned out as expected:

• The eastern conference is less competitive than the western conference. Already the Pacers and Heat are 7 games ahead of the rest whereas 7.5 games separate the top 8 seeds in the west.
• The San Antonio Spurs are still good. Age just doesn’t seem to catch up with this team. Backed by the Big 3 and Pop, the Spurs continue to play smart basketball.
• The impact of Dwight Howard: The Houston Rockets are the 5th seed right now and have the makings of going further up once Howard feels more and more comfortable.
• Paul George and Roy Hibbert are playing beautifully and the results are showing. Hibbert has improved his post-up game and Paul George, his outside shooting. The Pacers seem like the only team that can cause problems to Miami from the Eastern Conference.
• Lebron James is still Lebron James. He keeps getting better every summer. This year he has added 3 point shooting to his arsenal of skills. The best player in the NBA right now and by a margin.

Things that didn’t turn out as expected:

• Derrick Rose: After so much hype of his return and about dethroning the Heat, Derrick Rose got injured again and will miss the rest of the season. With their All Star out, the Chicago Bulls find themselves fighting for that playoff spot.
• Kobe Bryant: Just 6 games back from his injury, Kobe fractured his knee and will be out for at least 6 weeks. The Lakers have been struggling this year after trading Dwight Howard and injuries to Steve Nash, Kobe and Steve Blake have just worsened it. Also, Pau Gasol looks totally out of place and seems a shadow of the player he was few years ago when he helped the Lakers to consecutive championships.
• New York Knicks: They are 9-21 right now and everything seems to be going wrong for this team. J.R.Smith’s five-game suspension and horrible shooting to Mike Woodson’s terrible rotations to Tyson Chandler’s injury, the Knicks seem to falling apart.
• The Brooklyn Nets: After signing Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, the Nets were predicted to be a strong contender of the Eastern Conference championship. Instead, they are the 12th seed in the East. Injuries have wreaked havoc on the supremely talented roster and it still remains to be seen how well they will be when they are at full strength.
• Portland Trail Blazers’ surprise rise: Lamarcus Aldridge has been remarkable and is sure to be an All-star this year. Damian Lillard has been better. With so many clutch plays this season, he is making a strong point for the MVP. The Trail Blazers just 1.5 games behind the Thunder in the West and seem like the real deal.