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eams. Are the Cavs still a lock to return to the Finals (as most of you predicted back in October), or is this more of a wide-open race now? <\/strong><\/p>\n David Aldridge, NBA.com:<\/a>\u00a0I still don\u2019t see a team in the East that can defeat a fully formed Cavs team<\/strong> with LeBron, Irving, Love and company four times in seven games. Now, that team has yet to take the floor, and there\u2019s no guarantee it will be there in April. But if it does, Cleveland is still the prohibitive favorite to return. I do think Miami has the best chance with its personnel to challenge the Cavs, but the Heat need a healthy Luol Deng<\/strong> to make a real run at Cleveland in the postseason.<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> It will be Cleveland. Book the flights.<\/strong> I didn\u2019t pull off the Cavaliers last year when they were 19-20 and trying to reach The Finals for the first time, so I\u2019m certainly not going to doubt them, their formula and their added experience now. At this stage of his career, LeBron James<\/strong> has earned the right to \u201cmanage\u201d his way to a sixth straight appearance in the championship round, and it\u2019s on everyone else on this team to line up accordingly. None of the other top East teams cries \u201clegit contender\u201d to me at this point, either.<\/p>\n Fran Blinebury, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>There\u2019s a difference between calling the Cavs \u201ca lock\u201d and saying \u201cthey are the team to beat.\u201d \u00a0That\u2019s where I came down prior to the season, and that\u2019s where I remain. The fact is they still haven\u2019t had Kyrie Irving<\/strong> on the court this season. \u00a0If and when he comes back and reaches form, that\u2019s when the Cavs will create separation at the top of the East.<\/strong><\/p>\n Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>Neither. They are not a lock because there is no such thing in December if the conversation is about May and June. And the East is not wide open. The Cavaliers are clearly the team to beat.<\/strong> That\u2019s the best way to put it. Solid favorites.<\/p>\n Shaun Powell, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019d never call a team to be a lock for anything \u2014 even the Warriors winning the title next summer \u2014 but the Cavs remain a very solid pick to emerge from the East<\/strong>. Understand that they haven\u2019t had Kyrie Irving<\/strong>, so when he returns, assume the Cavs will be better in the second half of the season. Haven\u2019t seen anything from the pack to sway me otherwise.<\/p>\n John Schuhmann, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>The Heat are intriguing to me, because they have a top-five defense and have yet to find much chemistry between their three best offensive players. There\u2019s a high ceiling in Miami if they can put it all together. Furthermore, the Cavs have yet to show us that they\u2019re a top-10 defensive team, and I\u2019m not sure that they can be with Kyrie Irving<\/strong> and Kevin Love<\/strong> on the floor. Still, I\u2019m nowhere close to picking the field vs. the Cavs in the East<\/strong>, and I\u2019m pretty sure we\u2019ll be in Northeast Ohio in June. I can already taste the banh mi sandwiches from our favorite Vietnamese spot off 9th Ave.<\/p>\n Sekou Smith, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> While I think things will be far more interesting than expected in the Eastern Conference this season, I still think the Cavaliers will be the team to beat once they get all of their main players healthy and in a groove. Seeing them right now without Kyrie Irving<\/strong> and Iman Shumpert<\/strong> does not give us a clear picture of what this team will look like come April. That said, I don\u2019t know that the Cavaliers will just breeze through a much improved playoff field in the East. There could be serious challenges from Miami, Chicago and perhaps even Indiana and Atlanta. But in the end, I have a hard time seeing a fully healthy Cavaliers team finishing their season anywhere other than The Finals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Ian Thomsen, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>I guess there are no locks anymore, given the increased influence of injuries on the championship race. We saw last year how the Cavaliers were ultimately ruined by the losses of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. Since those things can\u2019t be forecast, I\u2019m going to show faith in LeBron and insist there will be no stopping him short of returning to the NBA Finals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Lang Whitaker, NBA.com\u2019s All Ball blog<\/strong><\/a>: I can\u2019t see anyone in the East beating them in a seven-game series right now<\/strong>, and that\u2019s without Kyrie Irving<\/strong> or Iman Shumpert<\/strong> in the rotation. I also feel like right now we aren\u2019t seeing the Cavs at full health, but we\u2019re also not seeing them go full-throttle \u2014 once LeBron ramps up to full speed, they\u2019re going to be even scarier for the rest of the East. I know the East may have improved from a season ago, but the Cavs are still head and shoulders above the crowd.<\/p>\n David Aldridge, NBA.com:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>The ball goes in a lot when Steph shoots it. There is that cogent analysis you\u2019ve come to expect from me. Why does that happen? Genes and a lot of hard work, I reckon. Like all great shooters, Curry has great hand-eye coordination and a lightning quick release<\/strong>. But lots of people have that. Steph\u2019s on a different level.<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>No NBA star makes me think of Malcolm Gladwell<\/strong>\u2018s \u201cOutliers\u201d theory more than Curry. I\u2019m not all-in on all of Gladwell\u2019s books or musings, but Curry truly looks like a guy who has grooved\u00a0<\/em>his game with the 10,000 hours suggested by Gladwell<\/strong> as so vital to success. When he barely catches and shoots, when he puts up a heave from 30 feet seeing only a fraction of the rim at an awkward angle, you just know we\u2019re seeing the results of thousands of sessions in mostly empty gyms, his skills honed for prime time. Factor in a little nature \u2014 Dell Curry<\/strong>\u2018s genetics \u2014 with all that nurture and we\u2019ve got a guy who, as long as he\u2019s breathing and on the bright side of 30 years old, can keep getting better.<\/p>\n Fran Blinebury, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>Like getting to Carnegie Hall \u2014 practice, practice, practice. And I mean that. But it\u2019s also Curry\u2019s ability to create space between himself and a defender from virtually any spot on the court that makes any shot \u2014 even seeming impossible ones \u2014 fathomable<\/strong>. And don\u2019t forget a healthy dose of cocksure confidence. If the Warriors and Curry ever get to the point where he has to play entire fourth quarters, his numbers could go off the charts.<\/p>\n Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: This had better be Curry at his best<\/strong> because I\u2019m out of adjectives. But something tells me it\u2019s not.<\/strong> The greatness of Curry is in his intelligence, in the way he sees the game and the court. He doesn\u2019t have the speed to beat defenders to a spot, he doesn\u2019t out-muscle opponents to create separation, yet look how often he gets free on the perimeter and how much he gets into the lane. Basketball IQ, with his work ethic, is the difference between a very good shooter and unstoppable.<\/p>\n Shaun Powell, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>Curry was tutored since birth by one of the best pure shooters ever, so for starters, having Dell Curry<\/strong> as your dad was a nice advantage. He also practices like a maniac. And finally, he\u2019s able to use his tricky dribble to shake his man and create space. Combine mechanics, work ethic and dribble, and\u00a0this is what you get.<\/strong> My hunch says Curry may not get drastically better, but who cares? If he stays this way for 7-8 years, he\u2019ll put 3-point records into the Wilt-isphere.<\/p>\n John Schuhmann, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>He\u2019s got the genes, but you don\u2019t get this good without a ton of work<\/strong>. And it\u2019s not just the work he\u2019s put in on his shot, but also the ball-handling work that allows him to create the space he needs to shoot, as well as the work he\u2019s put in to become of the league\u2019s best finishers at the basket. If you look at his shooting numbers, his 3-point percentage hasn\u2019t increased that much over the years. But his field goal percentage in the restricted area has gone from 54 percent to 60 percent to 67 percent to 69 percent over the last four seasons. That 69 percent is on par with Blake Griffin<\/strong> or LeBron James<\/strong> this season.<\/p>\n Sekou Smith, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong> Stephen Curry has a marvelous mix of shooter\u2019s genes and a relentless work ethic that I believe has led him to the point where he has totally reshaped the conversation about the best shooter in the history of the game<\/strong>. There have obviously been other all-time great shooters that have dazzled us over the years. But I cannot remember seeing anyone do it the way Curry has and is right now. And I think he is in the midst of his physical prime, which means we could see more and more of this over the next few seasons. So no, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ve seen him at his absolute best just yet, which is a frightening proposition for the rest of the league.<\/p>\n Ian Thomsen, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>Everything fits together \u2014 the switching, attacking defense that creates opportunities in transition, the shotmaking of his teammates to space the floor around him and their unselfishness in moving the ball quickly, and the fearless confidence that he has earned by way of his own success. And then there is the skill to release his shots instantly from any distance. There has never been anyone like him<\/strong>, and he is now worthy of these historical comparisons because these skills have been converted into a championship.<\/p>\n Lang Whitaker, NBA.com\u2019s All Ball blog<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>I was watching a Warriors game a week or so ago, and I saw Steph Curry dribble up the right side of the floor, turn to his left and sprint into the lane, and halfway across the paint he stopped suddenly, and then he jumped off his left foot and sank a right-handed jumper. At the time I thought it was such a brilliant improvisational shot, until a day later when I stumbled across a video of Curry and Steve Nash<\/strong> working out, and saw that Curry had been practicing that exact shot<\/a>. My point is, I think Curry is one of the most well-prepared shooters that has ever lived<\/strong>. He\u2019s been shooting jumpers with basically the same form since he was a child. He attempts shots that nobody else attempts, sure, but these are clearly shots he\u2019s practiced in the past.<\/p>\n avid Aldridge, NBA.com:<\/a>\u00a0I love what Scott Skiles has done so far in Orlando<\/strong> with a very young team. They\u2019re not only playing very good defense, they\u2019ve been good on offense. And bringing Victor Oladipo<\/strong> off the bench required expending a lot of capital \u2014 but so far, it\u2019s working.<\/p>\n Steve Aschburner, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: Gotta be Golden State\u2019s Luke Walton<\/strong>. What he\u2019s done is as remarkable as NASCAR\u2019s Kyle Busch flipping the keys of his No. 18 car to a parking valet, only to have the kid veer onto the asphalt of the Talladega Superspeedway and lap the field in the Winn-Dixie 300. Besides, Walton officially has a 0-0 record, which would add a great, bizarre, historical asterisk \u2014 if, that is, first-quarter hardware actually existed.<\/p>\n Fran Blinebury, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>: Luke Walton. \u00a0<\/strong>I assume you\u2019ve seen the standings.<\/p>\n Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>How can it not be Luke Walton?<\/strong> I get that he was handed a championship roster with a proven system in place, and that the Warriors have yet to see a tough part of the schedule, but the guy has handled an unusual situation as well as anyone could have expected. He has maneuvered around injuries to Andrew Bogut<\/strong> and Harrison Barnes<\/strong>, and has faced the pressure of replacing the successful and well-liked Steve Kerr<\/strong> without flinching. Two other names: Steve Clifford<\/strong> and Rick Carlisle<\/strong>. There\u2019s a reason the Hornets and Mavericks, respectively, didn\u2019t fall apart even when their plans did.<\/p>\n Shaun Powell, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>In any year, if your team began the season on a 23-game win streak, then you\u2019d be pretty much a slam dunk to win the award. Therefore, with all due respect to Steve Kerr, shouldn\u2019t this be Luke Walton\u2019s to lose?<\/strong> The only catch is if Kerr\u2019s health improves and he returns to the bench before long. Can we have co-winners of the award, with the two finalists from the same team?<\/p>\n John Schuhmann, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>The Coach of the Quarter is certainly Luke Walton<\/strong>. Now, if Steve Kerr returns in January or February and damages Walton\u2019s full-season candidacy, two coaches who have put themselves in good position with what we\u2019ve seen so far are Steve Clifford<\/strong> and Frank Vogel<\/strong>. Expectations for both the Hornets and Pacers were relatively low, and they\u2019re two of just five teams that rank in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency through Tuesday. Both guys have done a fantastic job of reinventing their team\u2019s offense while staying strong on defense.<\/p>\n Sekou Smith, NBA.com<\/strong><\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0Since Luke Walton<\/strong> doesn\u2019t officially own any of these wins the Warriors have piled up, he\u2019ll have to be excused from this competition. There are a host of coaches in the Eastern Conference who have done fine jobs in the early going, but\u00a0I\u2019m going with Rick Carlisle in Dallas<\/strong>. Once again he\u2019s shown an ability to take whatever group he has and squeeze the best out of them. The Mavericks whiffed on DeAndre Jordan<\/strong> and grabbed Zaza Pachulia<\/strong> as a replacement to hold down the center position and Zaza has been nothing short of fantastic for Carlisle and\u00a0the Mavericks. Carlisle always seems to find a way. Guiding the the Mavericks into\u00a0the top four in the Western Conference standings behind the Warriors, Spurs and Thunder\u00a0at this point in the season is a reflection of the masterful job he\u2019s done.<\/p>\n2.\u05d3\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05d1': \u05de\u05d4 \u05e2\u05d5\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e1\u05d8\u05e4\u05df \u05e7\u05e8\u05d9 \u05e7\u05dc\u05e2\u05d9 \u05de\u05d9\u05d5\u05d7\u05d3 \u05d1\u05de\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05db\u05d6\u05d4?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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