Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE

The early portion of the NBA season is always filled with surprises. Remember the start of the 2010 season, after 3+ months of wondering whether the Miami Heat might challenge the ’96 Bulls and their record 72 wins, we saw the Heat start 9-8? People wondered whether LeBron James and Dwyane Wade could ever figure out how to play together.

Six months later, they were playing in the NBA Finals.

So, with only a few teams having yet played 10 games this season, perhaps it’s worth taking a look at the various surprises from the early part of the season. I’ll even throw in whether I think they mean anything, although I’m very sure I’ll be wrong on at least three-quarters of them. Let’s get to it.

Boston Celtics: Defense

Ever since Kevin Garnett and Tom Thibodeau arrived in Boston in the summer of 2007, the Celtics have been known for their defense. It’s what they hang their hat on. HoopData.com places them first, second, fifth, second and second in defensive efficiency since 2008. This year, HoopData places them 21st.

The Celtics are still 5-3, so maybe it’s not that big a deal. And they did just overhaul a good chunk of their roster. But it’s weird that they’ve struggled to the extent that they have.

The problems, from a cursory glance at the data, appear to be twofold. One problem appears to be transition defense. 82games.com notes that 35% of opponent shot attempts have come within 10 seconds of the shot clock. Their effective field goal percentage on such attempts is 55.2 percent, well above the total mark of 49.4 percent.

The other problem is that Kevin Garnett has to leave the floor from time to time. 82games informs us that Boston’s defensive rating with Garnett on the floor is 96.5, which is mildly ridiculous. When KG leaves the floor, that number balloons to 118.6. For reference, the historically awful Charlotte Bobcats of last year had a defensive rating around 108.  So…yeah.

Will the problem persist? I doubt it. Doc Rivers is too good a coach to allow this to continue for a full season. But as long as Kevin Garnett still can’t play all 48 minutes every night, that’s going to be an issue.

Charlotte Bobcats: 4 wins, 3 losses

The Bobcats are inexplicably over .500 and have won more than half as many games so far this year as they did all of last year. As much as I’d love to buy into the Bobcats this year, they’re still not very good. Their four wins have come against the Indiana Pacers, who are reeling without Danny Granger, the Dallas Mavericks, who are without Dirk Nowitzki and also ran Charlotte out of the gym a week before they lost, the Washington Wizards, without John wall and Nene, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are without Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love.

That said, Charlotte’s most utilized lineup — Kemba Walker, Jeffrey Taylor, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Byron Mullens and Brendan Haywood — has produced a sterling 110 points per 100 possessions on offense, while allowing just 89 points per 100 on defense. If those five players were their own team in the NBA, they’d rank first in defense by 4.5 points and third in offense, just a point behind the Miami Heat. (more…)