Now, the 2021-2022 NBA regular season schedule is more than halfway through, and the all-Star game voting that has attracted the attention of fans is also in full swing. However, in the first half of the season, these "princes" from the east and west were naturally happy and sad. Before the start of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers were once hailed as one of the strong contenders for this season's championship, but now that they are halfway through the schedule, they can only hover on the fringes of the playoffs. The brooklyn Nets, another favorite to win the championship, have a good record so far, ranking third in the East, but after the big three have gathered, they also need to prove their dominance again in the game against strong opponents. Let's take stock of three teams that were not optimistic at the beginning of the season, but were able to soar.
Third place: Chicago Bulls
Although the overall state of the Chicago Bulls has fluctuated a bit in recent times, they are still able to occupy the first place in the East. Obviously, the addition of DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Caruso has made the Bulls a strong team in the East, especially Azan, who has returned to the East, and has once become one of the strong contenders for the regular season MVP. After the introduction of these strong reinforcements, the Bulls' paper strength must have been greatly improved, but what everyone never expected was that they could grind so quickly, and the patchwork lineup produced a very good chemistry after just half a season. After Azan and Ball joined the team, Raven and Vucevic's personal data can almost be matched last season, which is the terrible thing about the Bulls. Thanks to the flexibility of the overall lineup, the Bulls have completely completed the counterattack, and they will also be one of the strong contenders for the NBA championship this season.
Second place: Golden State Warriors
After being shut out of the playoffs last season, Warriors player Tiffin Curry said in an interview that next season, the Warriors will be reborn and re-establish their original dominance. But at that time, after Curry made this remark, many American media thought that Curry was simply a fool's dream. But after the start of the season, the Warriors have really been reborn, not only did they once soar into the sky and dominate the league's number one throne, but role players like Jordan Pooler, Porter and Looney have gradually cashed in on their value in this team. Although Curry's performance has fluctuated in recent times, Klay's timely return to the team has also allowed this Warriors team to see the hope of winning the championship once again, and after Green's return, the Warriors will once again embark on the road to the championship.
Number one: Memphis Grizzlies
Although the Grizzlies lost to the Warriors in the last game, the team, whose main rotation lineup average is only 23.4 years old, has just won 11 consecutive games some time ago. In the journey of 11 consecutive wins, the Grizzlies have successively cut down the suns, nets, warriors and other strong enemies, which is very gold-rich. In the Grizzlies, the young leader Jia Morant has now become one of the top backcourt players in the NBA league, and his style of play and big heart once let everyone see the shadow of Rose. However, during Morant's absence, both Bain and Jaren Jackson Jr. showed a very positive competitive state, leading the team to a very impressive record in the absence of the main player.
At present, the imposing Grizzlies have achieved a record of 30 wins and 15 losses, ranking third in the West and only 2.5 wins away from the warriors, who are second in the West. This former "fish belly team" soared into the sky, and in the blink of an eye, it became a young force that dared to fight a hard battle, and such an amazing growth rate was probably beyond the expectations of many fans.