Uncontested Shots: Five Things I’ve Learned About This NBA Season So Far

The 2009-10 NBA season is almost two weeks old and already there are some things that have come as a surprise (The Cavs are 2-2 at home) and a few other things that shouldn’t be considered shocking at all (Allen Iverson is unhappy in Memphis).

Be that as it may, here are five things I’ve learned about this season so far:

The Miami Heat Will Bring It Every Night

It’s not just that Dwyane Wade and Co. are 5-1 this season. It’s that they’ve done it by only scoring over 100 points one time this season. They’ve only surrendered an average of 90.7 points per game to their opponents after giving up 98 per game last season.

What that means is your going to have to bring it against the Heat if you want to beat them.

Their lone defeat came 104-96 loss to the Phoenix Suns. No surprise it was the only game this year in which the Heat gave up more than 100 points.

What that means is that the Heat will have to figure out ways to win games against high-scoring teams who can pass the century mark on a bad day or when they go up against defensive-minded teams. It’s no surprise that the Celtics, the league’s best defensive team (84.4 ppg), suffered their lone defeat this season against those same Suns.

As is, Wade is scoring 28 of the Heat’s 98.5 points per game. If he can’t get more help on the offensive end then they’ll run risk of wearing him down before the playoffs.

There are rumors that the Heat might be interested in the Golden St. Warriors’ Stephen Jackson . While Jackson would cut into the Heat’s available cap space for next season his presence could lift the Heat to a first-round playoff victory and give Wade a more optimistic outlook on the future of the team—thus increasing the likelihood that Wade signs an extension to stay in South Beach.

On the flip side, Heat public address announcer Mike Biamonte’s elongated cries of Wade’s name after a made bucket are as irritating as ever. He’s easily surpassed the Pistons’ Mason as the league’s most intolerable.

It’s the NBA. Not the WWE.

There Is Still Plenty of Talent In Phoenix

Say what you will about the Suns giving away Shaquille O’Neal for nothing, but they still have plenty of ammunition with which to go toe-to-toe with the league’s best.

Steve Nash, Amare’ Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa, and newcomer Channing Frye have brought the Suns back to the high-octane, “Seven Seconds or Less” offense, that was so successful under old coach, Mike D’Antoni.

Most impressive about the Suns six wins is that four of them have come on the road. Their lone loss, to the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, came the night after beating the Heat.

It should be noted that the Suns started out 4-1 last season before losing eight of their next 15.

So while this team isn’t necessarily a contender just yet, they have far exceeded expectations of those who expected them to continue their downward spiral after missing last year’s playoffs.

The Artest-For-Ariza “Trade” Has Worked Out For Both Teams

The more this season plays itself out the more people will realize how Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza are both in better situations for themselves and their respective teams and careers.

With Pau Gasol yet to play in a game this season due to a hamstring injury and Andrew Bynum missing the last two games with a sore elbow, Artest has shown the league why the Lakers chose him over the much younger Ariza.

Artest’s ability to play power forward has allowed the Lakers to not only improve their record to 6-1, but has allowed them to be extra patient in bringing Gasol and Bynum back.

Artest is averaging 12 points, 5.4 boards, and 4.6 assists per game. Those additional five assists per game have helped the Lakers to sixth-highest amongst all NBA teams despite not having anyone averaging five or more per game.

The starting point guards on the five teams ahead of them are Rajon Rondo, Baron Davis, Steve Nash, Aaron Brooks, and Deron Williams—all in the leaue’s top-10.

The Lakers’ leading assist man is Lamar Odom at 4.9 apg—tied for 23rd best.

As for Ariza, the Rockets should be thrilled with what they have. They have surpassed expectations with an early 4-2 record and Ariza is leading the team in scoring, averaging 20.2 points per game—up from 8.9 ppg with the Lakers last year.

While Ariza’s shooting percentage is down from last year, that should be expected given the increase in shots he’s taking. He has already taken 100 shots in six games this season after taking only 596 in 82 last season.

The big shocker, as far as Ariza is concerned, is that he’s made 46 percent of his three-pointers—despite making only 32 percent for his career.

Stop Writing Off The Spurs

I know that the Spurs are 2-3 and have lost all three road games they’ve played this season. What surprises me is how many people have already dismissed them and prepared their obituary.

Have any of those people followed this team over the last 10 years?

Anybody who has watched this team play this decade could tell you that they don’t play their best basketball until February.

Sure, it’s nice to get out to a great start and bank some wins in the race for homecourt advantage in the playoffs. But when you have a veteran group like the Spurs do, all you need to do is finish fourth or higher to have a chance to win a championship.

Even if the Spurs were to finish seventh in the Western Conference, would even Vegas consider them underdogs against the Suns, Nuggets, or Blazers in the first round?

The Spurs are begging you to count them out and write them off. They play 12 of their next 15 games at home, with only one back-to-back during that stretch (at Dallas followed by at home to Utah)—a stretch that will give them ample time to gain momentum going forward.

Should the Spurs come out of that stretch with an overall record of 11-9 or worse, maybe then we can take a closer look at their possible demise.

But until then, put down the pen.

I Hate To Say I Told You So About Iverson…But I Told You So.

Allen Iverson was granted a leave of absence from the Grizzlies to tend to a personal matter in Atlanta. But even before he left the team he was already making a fuss about coming off the bench.

Now there are reports that Iverson is mulling retirement .

Here’s what I wrote back on Aug. 29 when talks between Iverson and the Grizzlies were getting serious:

“The Grizzlies are using Iverson to drum up interest in a nonexistent fan-base while Iverson is using the Grizzlies to further his career. This move makes sense for Iverson but makes absolutely no sense for the long-term future of the Grizzlies.

“Some time in March, the Grizzlies will release him so he can sign on with a contender. As a result, the Grizzlies will spend the final two months of the season doing what they should have been doing the first two months of the season.”

And here’s what I wrote on Oct. 23:

“I don’t know if (Iverson) is going to get traded but I do know he won’t be on the Grizzlies when the season ends. In all likelihood, Iverson will be bought out by the Grizzlies in time to sign on with a contender for the remainder of the season and be eligible for the playoffs.”

Just remember where you heard it first.

Andrew Ungvari is a co-lead blogger for the basketball website, SirCharlesInCharge.com .

For up to the minute news on all things basketball and occasionally brilliant thoughts and observations, follow him on Twitter .