Kerr's high 5, low 5
by
Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
November 16, 2004
Each week during the regular season, I will rank the five best teams – and the five worst teams – in the NBA.
To view my rankings from the previous week, click
here.
Team records are through games of Nov. 15.
THE HIGH FIVE
1. Dallas Mavericks (7-1) – They have successfully replaced Steve Nash by rotating Devin Harris and Jason Terry at point guard, and they're getting great support off the bench from Jerry Stackhouse. It's been a smooth start to the season for Don Nelson's rebuilt roster.
2. Utah Jazz (5-1) – The Jazz are 5-1 despite being without their first two point guards – Carlos Arroyo and Raul Lopez. They're deep, talented and play well together.
3. San Antonio Spurs (5-1) – Despite a bad loss in Seattle, the Spurs are doing it like they always do – with defense and a steady diet of Tim Duncan.
4. Miami Heat (5-2) – The Heat are adjusting quickly to Shaquille O'Neal's presence in the middle.
5. Seattle SuperSonics (6-1) – Let's revisit this ranking after their six-game road trip.
THE LOW FIVE
26. Chicago Bulls (0-4) – The Bulls are winless and the circus is coming to the United Center, which means the next seven games are on the road. Uh-oh.
27. Atlanta Hawks (1-5) – What else is new?
28. Golden State Warriors (1-7) – Mike Montgomery's team is scoring 83.5 points a game, which is about 10 more than his Stanford team averaged last season.
29. New Orleans Hornets (0-6) – Their winless start includes a home loss to Atlanta, and their next three games are against Phoenix, Utah and Minnesota. Can you say 0-9?
30. Charlotte Bobcats (1-4) – The Bobcats have won only one game but that's OK. They're supposed to stink this year.
Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.