The NBA season is only a week and a half young yet some things are already quite noticeable and permanent trends are starting to take shape...

The Boston Celtics are not playing down to their competition and are out to prove that they are the best team in the league. Their 14.7 average win margin is evidence of this. Rajon Rondo is second in the league in assists, first in steals, and is easily among the top five PGs in the league. The additions of Shelden Williams, Marquis Daniels, and Rasheed Wallace make the C's a better and more athletic team than their 2008 championship squad that had James Posey, P.J. Brown, and Sam Cassell. They will easily have the best record in the East this year...

The Cleveland Cavaliers are mediocre and I'm not sold, making last year even more of a fluke.

When Phil Jackson came to the Lakers during the 1999-2000 season, Dr. Jerry Buss knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to take the blueprint for success that Jackson had in Chicago and implant it onto the Laker fabric.

Because there was no longer Showtime and the players who orchestrated the show, it was obvious the system could never be repeated in '99 with Shaq, Kobe, Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, et al. Therefore, he had to bring in the Zenmaster to install a different machine that would eventually capture three more NBA titles.

Although Jackson has always had the best superstars on his teams, the common denominator to all of his championships has always been the triangle system. That's been the constant, and that's the main reason Jackson has the most rings of any coach in the history