HOOPSAHOLIC

Two teams that reside on complete opposite ends of the United States, could be the two surprise NBA teams through three games in the 2014-15 season. Both the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings are 2-1 on the season and have wins against legitimate title contending teams. The two teams each lost on opening night, opening the door for increased criticism on teams that are all too used to hearing the negative feedback. Now with two consecutive wins, the Knicks and Kings have people wondering if they're here to stay. 

Even with Carmelo Anthony returning to this team by re-signing a long-term deal over the summer, not many people thought the Knicks were a top team in the Eastern Conference coming into the season. Those doubts about the Knick's legitimacy were heightened after their blowout loss to the Bulls on opening night, in a game where Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah only needed to play about twenty minutes apiece to sure up a 24-point victory. The Knicks looked stagnant on offense in that loss, and they really didn't seem to have a grasp on the new triangle offense. The next night they shocked the world and spoiled LeBron James' homecoming to Cleveland by beating the Cavs 95-90 led by Melo's 25 points. The Knicks held LeBron to only 17 points on 5-15 shooting with a whopping eight turnovers. Then after a couple of days rest, the Knicks were able to take down Charlotte, beating the Hornets by three points. How they won this game is more important than the fact that they won. Melo looked to really get in a rhythm late, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch, finishing with 28 points. Iman Shumpert added 15 points, and hit a three late in the game to tie it up. Amare Stoudemire came off the bench to add 17 points and ten rebounds, showing flashes of his younger self. I know it's early in the season, but Derek Fisher's squad seems to play well under his guidance, and this Knicks team might just be a playoff team after all. 

With one of the toughest schedules to start the new season, the squad from Sacramento were able to sneak away with a 2-1 record in three games after losing to the Warriors opening night, then beating the Trailblazers and Clippers in the Kings' next two games. In the loss to the Warriors, the Kings struggled to get in an offensive rhythm and Demarcus Cousins shot just 4-14 from the field and totaled 20 points off of 18 free throw attempts. The Warriors are a hard team to beat, especially if you can't match them offensively. The Kings then bounced back nicely and defeated a solid Trailblazers team behind 40 points from Rudy Gay. New point guard Darren Collison really seemed to get in a rhythm as well, adding 17 points and eight assists. They followed that win up with another one, in a heated game against the Clippers. Blake Griffin and Ben McLemore almost got into a scuffle after McLemore was called for a flagrant foul on Griffin in the first quarter. The Kings ultimately outscored the Clippers 28-18 in the games' final frame to get the victory. Cousins had his best game of the season with 34 points and 17 rebounds. We've always questioned if this Kings team could make the playoffs with the notoriously immature Cousins leading the way. There's still a long way to go before they make the postseason, but the early season confidence against three Western Conference playoff teams shows that this Kings team has come a long way. Both Cousins and Gay played for team USA at the FIBA World Cup over the summer and that experience is priceless for an NBA player. They're able to learn with the best players on the planet, while being coached by some of the best coaches. I like what I've seen out of this Kings team through three games and I'll be keeping an eye on them to see if it continues.