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With a week in the books, lets bounce around some of the good and bad of the early NBA season:1. Thabo Sefolosha, showing outFew NBA things make me happier than an emphatic, streaking Thabo Sefolosha dunk. Hes already crammed twice this season, and hes flying all over the court for an Atlanta second unit that is just obliterating people.The Hawks are plus-62 in the 84 minutes Sefolosha has played so far. That is unfathomable -- without fathom! He is shooting 61 percent from the floor, and swiping 3 steals per game in just 21 minutes -- one yoink for every seven minutes of floor time. He looks healthy, and unburdened, and it is awesome.We are about 19 months removed from Sefoloshas arrest by New York City police officers outside a club for obstructing the administration of government and resisting arrest. During his arrest and detainment, Sefolosha suffered injuries that include a broken fibula and ligament damage to his ankle, keeping him out of the 2015 playoffs. Leading up to his trial, Sefolosha rejected all plea deals, even one that would have resulted in a full dismissal of charges after a single day of community service, and fought for his good name. He was acquitted by a Manhattan jury in October 2015. I dont care how rich you are, or how airtight your case is. That takes guts.In April of this year, shortly before the end of the regular season, he also filed a federal lawsuit against the city and five NYC police officers, alleging false arrest, excessive force and malicious prosecution.Sefolosha will plateau, and the Hawks bench has to prove it can sustain against better competition. (Mike Budenholzer will help, as usual, by keeping at least one key starter on the floor at all times to serve as a fulcrum on offense.) But we should rejoice in Sefoloshas play.2. Jusuf Nurkic, wrecking stuffThe Bosnian Bear is back, baby!!After a lost season, Nurkic is in shape, and tossing his giant body around to muck things up on both ends. Hes shooting 50 percent, snarfing down every rebound in sight, and earning heaps of foul shots.Hes nimble again on defense, though the results are spotty; the Nuggets have been worse on that end when Nurkic plays, and opponents have hit 57 percent of their shots at the rim with Nurkic nearby, per SportVU data -- a feast. He has been hit-or-miss switching onto little guys, though it looks great when he keeps a waterbug in front him.But the Nuggets are thrilled with all three of Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, and Kenneth Faried so far; Faried has played some of his best defense in a new bench role he doesnt want. Finding the right pairings and minutes distribution will be tough, especially since Danilo Gallinari needs time at power forward. The slowish Jurkic-Jokic starting combo has bled points, and smaller lineups with Faried at center -- the only way to get Denvers three highest-paid players (Gallo, Faried, and Wilson Chandler) on the floor at once -- have been uneven.Regardless: The NBA is way more fun with Nurkic bulldozing fools, and shouting so loudly around those basket mics that you can make out every Bosnian curse word. It doesnt always go like this, by the way. Nurkic spent last season injured and sulking. Some with the Nuggets were worried the team might lose him. Nurkic deserves credit for digging himself out. Michael Malone and his staff have found a way to be both demanding and inclusive; they have the Nuggets working hard, and pulling in the same direction.3. Golden State, keeping their hands cleanThe Warriors probably started the normalization process when Stephen Curry went supernova in the third quarter against Portland Tuesday night. Klay Thompson and Dwyane Wade havent switched bodies; Thompson, just 3-of-28 from deep so far, will rain fire soon. Theyve won three straight, and theyve now rebounded about 74 percent of opponent misses -- 24th in the league. Thats not great, but its also in the realm of good enough -- and only two percentage points worse than their mark last season. (The revamped Death Lineup is at 71 percent after Tuesday.)Even the panic over rim protection is probably a hair overblown; its not as if Andrew Bogut played 30 minutes per game. He was a valuable security blanket -- a guarantee Golden State would defend at a historically great level for at least 15 minutes a night, and an elbows-out jostler who spared Draymond Green and others some taxing dirty work.The Warriors -- especially Green -- defended with more spunk after halftime in Portland. All those weird blips of miscommunication carry the whiff of nonchalance -- of a team easing its way into the fall, confident of how good it can be when it matters.All that said, the Warriors are going to have to get dirty to reach the apex again. They wont just flit through four playoff rounds, bombing 3s, grinning trash talk, and blowing away teams.Watch Kevin Durant just chill in the right corner as his man, Maurice Harkless, skates in for an easy put-back:There has been way too much of that over Golden States first four games -- from Durant and others. Their centers just arent good enough, or big enough, for the perimeter players to half-ass rebounding. Its easy to say theyll just play harder in the postseason; Durant played the best defense of his life in that seven-game epic against Golden State just six short months ago.But great teams -- teams that come ready for the postseason hothouse -- form habits now. They dont take shortcuts, no matter how much talent they have.4. Fast-break stoppersThe NBA needs to end this scourge now. You know the play: team snags a turnover, starts an exciting fast break, and then some heady defender just standing in the way wraps up the ball-handler -- or clotheslines him -- before the fun really starts. It doesnt count as a clear path foul, since that heady defender knows there are plenty of players behind him to nullify that rule.Anecdotally, it feels like Ive seen more of this Euro-ball import over the first week of the season than ever before. It is not a basketball play. Its a wrestling move. Its awful. The NBA has an easy solution: just punish these intentional fouls with the clear-path penalty. Yes, that would have unintended consequences; some players would disguise their hacks with reach-ins that look like normal steals, and dare officials to make a judgment call -- one that could require replay.Still: An extreme penalty might deter the lamest offenses. Its worth a shot. Good news: League officials are monitoring the issue, and theyve already fielded occasional complaints from GMs, per league sources.5. Phillys red alternatesThe Sixers: looking great in losses since 2013! Did you see those shiny red duds Philly broke out for their Tuesday defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory pratfall against Orlando? The red is brighter and glitzier than typical NBA jersey red. All the details are perfect: the red stars that run down each side, with thin blue stripes bordering them, and especially that white mini alternate Sixers logo -- a circle made of stars -- at the belt buckle area.6. Dewayne Dedmon, no longer with hooves for handsTwo years ago, one GM explained his lack of interest in Dedmon as a cheapo backup with this zinger: He can block shots, but he has hooves for hands.The Spurs paid for a hand transplant, apparently:Salary-dumping Tiago Splitter to free up room for LaMarcus Aldridge was a no-brainer; Splitter is already injured again in Atlanta. But before last season, R.C. Buford, the Spurs GM, told me he was quietly fretting that the moves left San Antonio without a single big man capable of rolling hard to the basket and making plays -- Splitters speciality. Tim Duncan was aging fast. All three of Aldridge, David West, and Boris Diaw prefer hanging around the perimeter.It seemed like nitpicking from an over-worrier, but Buford was onto something. The Spurs needed more ways to pressure the rim, and suck in help defenders.They took a flier on Dedmon to fill that role, and through five games, he looks like a nice addition to their rotation -- the shot-blocking rim-runner type they havent had in a while. The Spurs expected all Dedmons hoppy activity, but if he starts easing in soft-touch bunnies around the rim, even San Antonio higher-ups will be shocked. That is found money.Dedmon is rebounding at a career-best rate, and he and David Lee have formed a shockingly effective backup big partnership.7. The Magics clogged toilet spacingOrlandos spacing is as bad as advertised. Where in the hell is Evan Fournier supposed to go on this pick-and-roll, with defenders sagging off Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Elfrid Payton?Gordon looks nothing like Paul George, as the Magic promised he might; hes 0-of-6 out of the pick-and-roll across four games, per Synergy. The offense has cratered with Bismack Biyombo on the floor; the Biyombo-Vucevic double-center look has predictably been a disaster, and the vaunted Biyombo-Ibaka combo hasnt worked -- yet.Neither of those two can post up, so teams are fine switching smaller guys onto them if it neuters a Magic pick-and-roll. They arent natural playmakers on the move. By the time they spot a crease for a pass or drive, its already closed.Its early, and the Magic have faced solid defensive teams. They will figure some things out. But all the worries about their lack of shooting have manifested. When youre playing C.J. Watson in crunch time to generate some spacing, and going offense-defense with Gordon, youve got issues.8. Jae Crowder, getting better every seasonThis is what happens when a smart, hard-working player comes in contact with an open-minded coach who lets allegedly one-dimensional guys stretch themselves:The Mavs never imagined Crowder could make plays like this when they tossed him into the catastrophic Rajon Rondo deal. The Celtics probably couldnt, either, but without much playmaking around Isaiah Thomas, they needed everyone else to at least try and keep the machine moving when Thomas swung the ball.Crowder has made the sort of incremental game-by-game progress you barely notice unless you watch Boston a lot. At first, he launched too many contested 3s, or paused just long enough before driving for his defender to close out on him and regain balance.At the start of last season, youd see flashes of a new decisiveness; Crowder would catch the pass, and instantly start his drive -- wrong-footing a defender scrambling back toward him on the perimeter. By midseason, hed finish those drives with the occasional canny pass to the next open man. By the end of last season, he was arguably Bostons best all-around player.Today, you see a few plays like this every game. Crowder has become the do-everything third and fourth banana every team wants alongside its stars. Hell never initiate the offense, but he can slice into a scrambled defense when someone else has done the heavy lifting -- and guard three positions on the other end.9. The Kristaps Porzingis carousel.Yes, yes, yes! More of this trickery, please!This is a genius use of Carmelo Anthony as decoy. The Knicks run Anthony off a standard pindown, and they know most teams will expect Anthony to jack. But Anthony circles right back around, and smacks Zingers man with a nice screen.This set also launches you down the rabbit hole of determining exactly how much pure triangle offense Jeff Hornacek is running. This isnt quite the triangle; its a cool set that pops up around the league. But it also emerges out of something like the spacing setup that kicks off a lot of pure triangle possessions.The triangle soap opera will proceed as long as Phil Jackson hangs around, peeping in on coaches meetings and making a show of tutoring guys in specific triangle actions. But on some nights -- their weekend win against Memphis, for instance -- the Knicks run very little of the real thing.10. A design upgrade in HoustonWhat an upgrade -- from this......to this:Houston took the no-paint look to an extreme, and they were the last holdout after everyone else -- Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Portland -- refilled their painted areas. What we had -- it worked back then, but looking at it today, it just looked kind of blah, said Jose Lopez, the Rockets creative director.Houston experimented with dozens of designs starting last fall, including some that featured much more black along the baselines and sidelines. They concluded red was their primary identifier, and demoted the black to the 3-point lines and other markings. This is red nation, Lopez said.They toyed with shading Houstons skyline into the bottom half of the floor, as both the Cavs and Nuggets did last season. But this isnt New York and Seattle, with iconic buildings where you can tell what everything is, Lopez said. Its a nice skyline, but its not as recognizable.One thing they didnt consider: scrapping that R logo, with those gorgeous jets of smoke dripping from the bottom, in favor of a more literal representation of a rocket. The days of garish space-aged cartoons appear to be over, even though the Rockets know fans are lukewarm on their current mark. We are not changing the logo, Lopez said.Youll also notice Houston ditched the two-toned style in which the wood inside the 3-point arc is a different shade than the wood elsewhere. That was not planned; Houston is not sure how the two-toning vanished from the final product. That was an accident, Lopez said.Its better this way. The court is sharp and clean, and that red looks great.Fake Vans Shoes . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Fake Vans SK8 . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. http://www.fakevans.com/ . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Fake Vans Slip-on . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. Fake Vans For Sale . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup.COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Turning to the leading scorer and overall driving force on a team is always a smart move when struggling, and Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff did just that.Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points and No. 9 Ohio State went on a 22-0 run in the third quarter in an 80-38 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday.The 5-foot-8 guard helped spark the run with the Buckeyes (6-3) trailing 28-27 with 3 minutes left in the first half. She finished 7 for 11, with four baskets from 3-point range.Early on, Ohio State appeared sluggish, and struggled to make shots.We just didnt have a lot of energy, McGuff said. We looked like we were a little tight coming off of two loses. Just had to get our mojo back and get our confidence back going.Shanice Johnson led the Bearcats (6-2) with 10 points and 17 rebounds, and Ana Owens added nine points.Cincinnati held Ohio State to 9-of-34 shooting in the first half, while the Buckeyes missed their first seven shots. The Bearcats led by as many as 11 in the first half.Ohio State ended the first half on a 10-0 run to bring the game to within one at the midway point, and continued the streak for 11 more points to earn a 38-28 lead. The biggest downfall for the Bearcats in the second half was on the inside, as Cincinnati picked up just two points in the paint after halftime.Ohio State outscored the Bearcats 36 to 12 in the paint and held them to 14 of 72 shooting (19.4 percent) overall. The Bearcats went 4 of 32 (12.5 percent) from 3-point range. Alexa Hart picked up 10 points, and pulled down 12 total rebounds, and played 26 minutes in the absence of Stephanie Mavunga.(Mavungas absence) just gives us an opportunity to go out there and work hard and be effectivve on the court, she said.ddddddddddddCincinnati failed to make a single field goal in the fourth quarter. Overall, the Bearcats were outscored 53-10 in the second half.Ohio State combined for 42 defensive rebounds, and did not allow second chance opportunities for the Bearcats.BIG PICTUREOhio State: Ohio State was able to attack the hoop and outrebound Cincinnati with the larger lineup, and looked to be unstoppable with Mitchell hitting her marks.The Buckeyes benefited from another hot night from the guard, and scored more points in the second half than the Bearcats scored all game. The Buckeyes are now 4-2 at home, with nine players registering a score.Cincinnati: The first ranked team to meet the Bearcats this season proved to be too much. Cincinnati was outscored 53 to 10 in the second half and 29 to 1 in the fourth quarter after holding a lead at halftime. Johnson fell hard with under six minutes left and was removed from the game when two Ohio State players fell on her upper body and head. She is the teams leading scorer and did not return.MCGUFF MAKES BIG ADJUSTMENTSI thought we just settled for too many threes early in the game, McGuff said. In the second half, we started to get a little more balanced. We attacked the zone in the middle, and we were able to get the ball in the basket.The move from outside to under the rim allowed big point totals for Ohio State, and eventually opened up the long ball from Mitchell, who ended the game 4 of 6 from deep.UP NEXTOhio State: Host Southern University on Wednesday nightCincinnati: Host Xavier on Dec. 11. ' ' '