3 Big Surprises of the 2012 NBA Season So Far

(Sam Sharpe / US PRESSWIRE)

The 2012-2013 NBA campaign is about 20% completed, and there are some things that haven’t been changing. The Thunder and the Heat are two of some of the best teams in the NBA, Washington is one of the worst.

Throughout these unsurprising events and results, there have been some surprising things that have happened. Let’s see three big surprises of this year so far.

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The Charlotte Bobcats

While another historically bad season was unlikely, no one thought that the Bobcats were actually a legitimate team. The general consensus coming in to the season was that the Bobcats would be towards the basement of the NBA this year.

Boy, were they wrong.

As of today, the Bobcats are 6-5 and 3rd place in the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs started today, they’d be the 7th seed in the playoffs, facing the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

Kemba Walker has carried the team this year, along with unlikely heroes such as Byron Mullens (yes, BYRON MULLENS) stepping up to the plate and playing very well.

The Toronto Raptors

The Raptors weren’t supposed to be a great team, but they were a legitimate pick for the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs.

It hasn’t gone as planned. Following a loss to the Pistons tonight, Toronto’s 3-10, second-to-last in the Eastern Conference. DeMar DeRozan has played well, but the rest of the team has underperformed and Kyle Lowry hasn’t played very well.

The Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies were supposed to get better and maybe make it farther in the playoffs this year.

What no one expected was a 9-2 team that has crushed pretty much every team they have played. At this point, the Grizzlies look like the best team in the NBA.

Led by Zach Randolph (16.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG), the team’s only losses are to the Clippers and the Nuggets and they’re tied with the 10-3 San Antonio Spurs for first place in the Western Conference.

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What are the biggest surprises to you guys?