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Well, well, well! If you told me two months back that the Rockets would be out of the playoff berths in the West after the first four weeks, or that the Kings would be treading water above a .500 record through 17 games of the season, I would definitely have laughed you out of the room.
And yet, here we are, 35 days into the season that has already seen enough drama, clutch shots and spectacular displays than a lot of other seasons I've watched.
The drama that the NBA is today continues to get better, just as the Western Conference goes 13 teams deep into the playoff picture as of the moment.
Obviously, there will be some major changes to this list, but since we're factoring in only the first couple of weeks right now, the following are the power rankings for the Western Conference today:
#5 Los Angeles Clippers
A couple of months back during the offseason, when Lou Williams said the Clippers are still the team to beat in Los Angeles, there was much scoffing around NBA circles about the audacity of the statement.
Fast forward to late November, and the words seem to be about as good a representation of the current reality as any - considering the Clippers haven't faced the Lakers yet.
They currently sit at a 11-6 record following a loss to the resurgent Wizards on the 20th, 1.5 games clear of the Lakers.
While it's clear that their wins against the Rockets (twice), Thunder and the Wolves came in extenuating circumstances (all three teams were missing their best players in the matchups), their core has been in rude form.
Tobias Harris has been playing right up to the max contract offer that he wants next summer, averaging 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds on 51.9% shooting from the field, 44.4% shooting on 4.8 3-pointers per game and 81% from the free throw line on 3.4 attempts per game.
Lou Williams has been unreal clutch, as he is wont to, while Danilo Gallinari has been a great stretch hybrid forward.
The likes of Marcin Gortat, Boban and Montrezl Harrell have been a really tough center matchup with their athleticism and excellence in pick-and-roll, while Doc has placed the rest of the squad in the best possible position to succeed.
Rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has fit right into NBA life like a glove, and this Clippers team looks a good bet to make the playoffs at the moment.
#4 Oklahoma City Thunder
One of the most sluggish teams to start the season off, the Thunder has since recovered from a 0-4 start to post a 10-2 record since the first nine days of the season.
They put together a solid 9-1 streak despite Westbrook missing several games during this spell of games, including a couple of credible wins over the Pelicans, Rockets and the Wizards.
New addition Dennis Schroder has been invaluable to this team, as he allows coach Billy Donovan to run virtually the same schemes with Westbrook off the floor as when he's on it given the German point man's explosiveness.
Nerlens Noel has been pretty great in the backup center role, while Jerami Grant has been amazing in the starting lineup - shooting north of 40% from downtown.
The likes of Terrance Ferguson and Hamidou Diallo have looked pretty great in the role-playing guard roles, but the Thunder have the potential to be a beastly defensive team once Andre Roberson stages his comeback from a knee injury he suffered this January.
With time, Westbrook and George will reach their best form and the Thunder will be the team they were projected to be - a potential banana skin for the Warriors during the playoffs.
#3 Memphis Grizzlies
The epitome of the overlooked team, the Memphis Grizzlies have been the team that always flies below the radar despite a proven track record of excellence for the length of this decade, and they continue to perform much the same way this season as well.
Their 2017-18 campaign went off the rails with a season-ending injury to Mike Conley and the subsequent firing of David Fizdale.
And the result of their tanking was Jaren Jackson Jr, who's currently the most complete big man in the 2018 draft and looks slated to challenge Ayton and Doncic as the best player in his draft class in the years to come if he overcomes his problems with foul trouble.
Conley and Gasol have been their usual, excellent selves, with the Spaniard getting his play back to All-Star levels and the point man playing his characteristic CP3-style of play on both ends of the floor.
Kyle Anderson has been low-key justifying his four-year, $37 million contract with excellent defensive play and offensive awareness, while Garrett Temple has been lights-out during the Grizzlies first 16 games of the season.
The Grizzlies were always a surefire bet to go over on their preseason Vegas odds, and their start to the season just drives the notion home.
#2 Portland Trail Blazers
The preseason Vegas over/under bets are typically right, but this season, they've been on a tear at targeting the wrong teams in their predictions of a slowdown.
The Trail Blazers were slated not to make the playoffs according to their predictions, but that over/under of 43 looks more and more likely to be a seriously foolish bet for those who took the under on that one.
The Blazers sneakily got better in the offseason, adding shooting in the form of Seth Curry and Nik Stauskas, who've both been serviceable thus far, by and large.
The increased spacing benefits the likes of Zach Collins and Nurkic, who've both been playing starter-level basketball to start the season off.
Their backcourt duo of McCollum and Lillard has predictably been the spine of their offence, and thus far, they look good for a top-half finish in the Western Conference standings come April.
Evan Turner's improved play has obviously been a great asset too, although it remains to be seen how sustainable his efforts are through the 82-game grind that the NBA regular season is.
#1 Golden State Warriors
In the ordinary, reactionary world of sports media, the Blazers would have a legitimate case to be No.1 overall on this list, considering the fact that they're leading the Western Conference standings at the moment.
But the realist in me refuses to dislodge the notion that the actual No.1 team for possibly the rest of the season are the Warriors, despite their three-game losing streak during their Texas road trip.
There are rumours of dissension between Draymond and KD being deeper than what they have revealed, but we've seen several superteams in the past having player feuds before they work it all out.
The Warriors, as of now, are reeling from the loss of Curry and the cold shooting by Thompson and Durant from downtown, and getting Boogie and Steph back will be as big a shot in the arm as any in NBA history for a reigning championship team.
Guess the Lakers players!
