Hello everyone, this is Jesse here! We are all big fans of the NBA so we thought it would be good fun to start a blog. So with no further ado.......Welcome to the R7 NBA blog. I will be starting things off with my top 10 power rankings for the first two weeks of the season. It's early on so I expect these to change quite a bit.

1) Los Angeles Lakers (7-2)
The Lakers big men have been hit with the injury bug early on. Even still the Lakers are 7-2. Mostly due to Kobe Bryant playing like the MVP he is. In my opinion still the most dangerous player in the game. Pau Gasol has become arguably the best all around power forward in the west since Tim Duncan's knee problems began last year. Add Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, an improved Bynum and Phil Jackson..... when healthy, this is the team to beat.

2) Boston Celtics (8-2)
The Celtics have the # 2 defense in the league allowing just 90.9 points a game. There offense is # 10 scoring 106.2 a game. Making them the only team in the top 10 in offense and defense. This is a deadly combination. A healthy Garnett and Rasheed Wallace at the 5 spot makes them the best defensive team in the league at four out of five positions, Ray Allen being the only weak point due to chronic injuries. Their gonna lose a few games from fatigue but I expect them to make it to the finals out of the East.

3) Orlando Magic (7-3)
The Magic have the #3 offense in the league at 104.2 per game. This is without Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter. Since they have the best defensive player in the game in Dwight Howard, when this team gets all it's pieces together it should be scary. The questions for this team, can a team that relies so heavily on the 3 ball win a championship? Can Carter stay healthy? And can Van Gundy coach to a title?

4) Denver Nuggets (7-3)
Carmelo Anthony is off to the best start of his career. He is averaging 30.2 ppg to, plus 7 boards and 4 assists this season. Can anyone say MVP? He averaged 37.7 ppg the past week earning player of the week honors. Ty Lawson has been a really nice addition for them, giving them speed and scoring at the 1 spot off the bench. With JR (Earl) Smith back from suspension the 3 point shooting will improve as well. George Karl is not my favorite coach due his lack of player discipline, so I still don't see them getting past the Lakers in the West.

5) Pheonix Suns (8-2)
The run n' gun Suns are back, finally!! Despite a bad loss to the Lakers last night the Suns have been very impressive with road wins over Boston and Miami. Steve Nash is having his best start in years at 17 ppg and 12 apg. Stoudamire is happy and Channing Frye has been a nice addition for them. I never thought the Suns should have traded for Shaq and they were one or two questionable calls from making it to the finals under coach D' Antonio, so I'm glad they are back to what they do best. Unfortunately I think the lack of consistent defense will keep them out of the finals again.

6) Cleveland Cavs (6-3)
I wish I could say that the Cavs got better by getting Shaq, but they haven't. Shaq is a nice player off the bench but at his age he slows down an offense that was already stagnant. What the Cavs really needed to pick up was an athletic 2 guard that can shoot to run along side James and speed up the offense. Lebron needs a Pippen! Some offense from the power forward position would be nice too. Lebron has been amazing as always, averaging 28.2 ppg as well as 7 board and 7 assists. His talent will carry them far but without real help I predict another disappointing playoff exit.

7) Atlanta Hawks (7-2)
The Hawks are coming off a big win over the Celtics last night. Their youth and athleticism make them dangerous to older teams in the league. Joe Johnson is great on both ends of the floor and Jamal Crawford is huge off the bench averaging over 18 ppg. Unfortunately with young players you get a lack of consistency on defense, and that will cost them big in the playoffs. But they can beat anyone in the regular season....

8) Portland Trailblazers (7-3)
Since moving Andre Miller to starting point guard in game 6, the Blazers have been great. In fact they've one 4 in a row including a dominating win over the Spurs at home. Greg Ogden has played well on defense averaging 2.22 blocks a game (8th in the league). Brandon Roy is a reliable floor leader in crunch time and Aldridge is a solid and athletic forward. If this team continues to gel they could scare some teams out west.

9) San Antonio Spurs (4-3)
On paper this team is a title contender. So far they've looked downright mediocre at times. The reason? Bad defense. The Spurs are near the bottom of the league in defense, allowing a dreadful 99.8 ppg. Ever since the decline of Bruce Bowen the Spurs have struggled to find a defensive personality, but the problem is not their perimeter defense. It's their rebounding, they are near the bottom of the league in rebounds per game yet they have two players in the top five in rebound rate in Duncan and Blair. The problem is that starting Matt Bonner (3.4 rpg) at center is not gonna get it done. Coach Popovich needs to start Antonio Mcdyess and give their bigs more minutes in general to right this ship. When did Popovich become obsessed with small ball!? The good news is that Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobli have looked great in wins over Dallas and Toronto. With Duncan and Parker coming back this week, I expect the Spurs to make adjustments and get a lot better by mid season to make a run in the west.

10) Miami Heat (6-3)
Dwayne Wade is carrying the load with MVP type numbers at 30.6 ppg. Surprisingly he is getting a little help too. Jermain O'neal even has some pep in his step and Micheal Beasley has been solid despite offseason debauchery. Their defense, anchored by Udonis Haslim's 10 rpg, has played really well allowing only 91.4 ppg. This team could surprise some teams in the east and make a playoff run. However, their lack of a reliable second and third scoring option makes them vulnerable and will keep them out of the finals.

Honorable mention to the Houston Rockets. If I wasn't a die hard Spurs fan, they would have cracked the top 10. Better luck next week!

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