It wasn't a great start for them — OK, the Warriors aren't going 80-2 — but Golden State is back at the top of the Western Conference, as expected.

The Rockets, only somewhat surprisingly, are hanging in with them, though perhaps more because Chris Paul hasn't played. The Pistons are a mild surprise, though many expected them to at least make the playoffs, and the Magic are a bit bigger surprise with their fast start. Though perhaps the most interesting question in the first month of the NBA regular season is whether the Cleveland Cavaliers have even the slightest chance of getting back to the NBA Finals again.

The story of the young 2017-18 season has been the Boston Celtics, winning a dozen straight after Sunday. Kyrie Irving didn't play in that game, and, of course, major free agent acquisition Gordon Hayward is out for the season with a fractured ankle. Al Horford did just return from a concussion, and if they lose any more guys the Warriors might just surrender the 2018 title to the Celtics before the finals.