November surprises aren't just exclusive for election seasons--certainly not in the world of NBA hoops.
Thus far, the defending champion Miami Heat have looked strong, the Knicks have established their Atlantic Division dominance, the Grizzlies are standing tall out West (and the Lakers are still getting it together. Yet, there is one team that has slowly, quietly and steadily crept up in the standings that may have emerged as a new power in the Eastern Conference.
Latinos Post takes a look at November's NBA Dark Horse Team of the Month.
Dark Horse Spotlight: Milwaukee Bucks
In one of the toughest divisions in the NBA--the always stacked Central Division--getting into playoff position is always a dogfight, led alone trying to secure the division crown.
And with the division hosting both the talent-stocked Chicago Bulls, even without Derrick Rose, and the young, athletic, and competitive Indiana Pacers, most analysts have figured that the division would eventually be decided between them.
No one figured that thanks to a 2-0 start, solid play from Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis and timely injuries to the Pacers' Danny Granger and a still-Rose-less, struggling Bulls squad, the Bucks would be sitting at the top of the division with a 7-5 record, a whole 1.5 games up on 6-7 Chicago on Nov. 27.
It's an odd formula. On offense, they're only ranked 15th of the 30 NBA teams, scoring 99.3 points a game. They have the same rank in points allowed to opposing teams (98.3). They're not a particularly great rebounding team, tied with Denver at No. 13 in team rebounds at 41.9 boards per game.
But they've pulled even in their last 10 games with a 5-5 record, including a remarkable 27-point comeback against the Bulls Monday night in a heart-stopping 93-92 victory at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
Part of it has been the ability of their dynamic backcourt of Jennings and Ellis to carry the team. Ellis, the seven year veteran out of Lanier High School in Jackson, Miss., leads the team in scoring with 19.1 points a game. Jennings, only in his third year, is scoring 16.5 points a night and swiping an NBA-leading 3.2 steals per game.
Between the two stars, Milwaukee is leading the league in possessions averaging a whopping 98.59 possessions every game. That's two possessions a minute--two chances to score at least six points or more in a 48-minute span. That up-tempo style has been powering the Bucks as this season's November surprise.
It also doesn't hurt that the team's pass-heavy offense is flourishing--ranked third in assists with 23.8 team assists per game--their shooting has been remarkably efficient (10th in the NBA with .452 field goals a night) and their defense has been causing opposing teams major disruptions, forcing teams to commit 15.2 turnovers, ranked sixth in the league in that category.
Another big surprise?
Larry Sanders.
The two-year, 6-foot-11 center out of Virginia Commonwealth has been playing sold backup off the bench with 7.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots over 12 games to backup Mike Dunleavy, who is averaging a stunning 17.1 points for the Bucks off the bench.
All in all, things are starting to look very promising for the Bucks. With Derrick Rose still out and Granger not due to be back with Indiana just yet, the Bucks have an invaluable opportunity to start building some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack in their division that could help them grab their first division title since 2001.
Granted, that's a lofty goal considering the challenging teams and with more than five months of basketball still left. But at the rate the Bucks are going, Wisconsin sports fans look like they might have more to cheer about than just the Green Bay Packers this winter.
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