The NBA's Eastern conference

The 76ers take the cake so far

Yesterday, Coach Thorpe offered observations on the first week from every team in the NBA’s western conference. Today the East:

Three games into sharing the 76ers’ backcourt, V.J. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey are averaging a combined 62 points a game, and are undefeated. EMILEE CHINN/GETTY IMAGES

Philadelphia 76ers 3-0

The Sixers won the NBA’s first week. They surprised everyone by going undefeated without their stars doing much (Joel Embiid) or anything (Paul George). In the process, their future has taken a surprising turn for the better. “Undefeated, untied, and unbelievable”–it’s my favorite headline from childhood, when the hometown Tampa Bay Buccaneers started the season 5-0 and made the cover of Sports Illustrated. The Bucs had been horrible for three straight seasons, then suddenly, not! It’s the same story in Philly, so full of bad news, injured stars, a murky future at the very least.

Now, with Joel Embiid barely playing and no Paul George at all, the Sixers have the best offense in the NBA, and their backcourt is made up of two sweet-shooting speed demons. We knew Tyrese Maxey was good, but he is at another level one week in. Will he continue to take nine 3s a game and make 52 percent of them? Of course not, but his shot mechanics look as pure as can be. Will rookie V. J. Edgecombe, who reminds me of rookie Russell Westbrook, keep making 40 percent of his 3s? Not this year, I wouldn’t expect.

But who cares? The post-Embiid world is coming, and Maxey will be its high scorer. Edgecombe is the high intensity competitor who will out-athlete nearly everyone, if he’s just a decent shooter it’s going to be enough. Maxey turns 25 in a week, Edgecombe turned 20 this past summer. It’s going to be a dynamic backcourt for years to come. Quentin Grimes is a 25-year-old sharpshooter. Dominick Barlow is a 22-year-old Swiss army knife of a talented athlete who reminds me of a young Pascal Siakam (who played very well for Nick Nurse). The Sixers are flying down the court in transition and killing the O boards, a classic Nurse-look from his Raptors days. The Sixers finally have a bright future.

Chicago Bulls 3-0

A prominent NBA agent asked me recently to name the top coaches in the league. I threw out the names everyone else would (Erik Spoelstra, Mark Daigneault, Rick Carlisle, Tyronn Lue) then added “I think Billy Donovan is probably there too.” His 3-0 Bulls team is once again outperforming the roster. They have suffered mightily from bad luck injuries and poor roster choices, and they still feature a less athletic team than many. But the Bulls are “Team Solid” in so many areas, ranked in the middle tier in many advanced metrics while dominating the defensive boards, a good thing as teams are shooting worse from the perimeter against Chicago than everyone else. That’s part luck, but they lead the league in contesting 2-point shots and running guys off the 3-point line. That does not happen by accident. I’m not sure how good this team can get. 35-year-old Nikola Vučević is their best player but surely won’t improve. But they’ll be OK. Coby White has been out injured and will help a lot when he returns in three weeks or so. Josh Giddey is scoring a career-high 19 points per game and getting to the free-throw line more than twice as often as ever before. Billy D is doing his thing, and the early result has been wins against the Pistons, Magic, and Hawks, who were all ranked ahead of the Bulls in the preseason predictions.

Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1

On opening night, the Cavaliers’ loss to the Knicks on national TV seemed like a statement about who was the team to beat in the East. Since then, the Cavaliers have rattled off wins at Brooklyn, at home against Giannis and the Bucks, and then in Detroit where they destroyed the Pistons and reminded everyone who the team to beat in the East is.