The surprise team of the first week was clearly Toronto. They opened the season with this statement game over the Jazz. The ever-effecient Brandon Roy led all scorers with 28
and returning center Andrew Bynum added 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks. Kevin Durant surprisingly took only four shots, connecting on all of them.
The key to the margin of win was Toronto taking extremly good care of the ball, turning it over only 8 times, compared to Utah's 19. The Jazz also missed 12 of their 16 free-throws.
It was the opening game for both teams and Minnesota turned this one around despite trailing by four points after the third period.
What happened down the wire? Who made the game-winning shot? Who missed it? We'll never know. All we know it that the Wolves took this by a single point and started a 4-0 winning streak.
Both teams were already feature above, but we'll have to go with this one. The Raptors were 3-0, the visting Bulls 0-3. But you wouldn't have been able to tell from the way things went and the way the officials blew their whistles.
Chicago set the tone early and relinquished only one quarter, while going to the line 42 times.
Chump of the Week: Chauncey Billups EFF -1.3, 11.3 mpg
Chauncey Billups was relegated to the bench with Joe Johnson running the point for the Wizards. The team went 1-3 and Billups was re-inserted into the starting five.
But for what? For putting up negative numbers in his short minutes during week one? He shot 2-20 from the floor, putting up exactly 1ppg in 11 mpg. That's not the Mr. Big-Shot we all know. Count on him to redeem himself against my team this week.
Honorable mention: Utah Jazz guards Sebastian Telfair and Marcus Banks. Telfair signed that big contract with the Jazz this summer and oh boy did he disappoint during the two games. A respectable third showing saved him from winning this clearly, but he still finished with an EFF rating of 0.3 in 28.8 mpg.
Marcus Banks had -0.8 in 16.2mpg off the bench.
Jazz fans don't have to look any further to find scapegoats for the disappointing start.
Nailbiter of the Week: