A look at the Western Conference playoff picture at the end of the regular season.
With the NBA regular season wrapped up, teams are gearing up for the playoffs to start this weekend.
The Western Conference playoff seeds were finalized Wednesday when New Orleans clinched the No. 8 seed, but the rest of the teams have been focused on the postseason. In fact, the rest of the teams in the Western Conference are either preparing to make a run in the playoffs or preparing popcorn to watch these heavyweight teams fight for a chance to play in the NBA Finals.
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Golden State won the Western Conference with 67 wins and only 15 losses. Not only is that record a franchise best, but the Warriors finished with an 11 game lead over their division rivals, the second place Los Angeles Clippers. With such a commanding lead over the rest of the conference, it’s no wonder Golden State’s point guard, Stephen Curry, is the favorite to win this year’s Most Valuable Player award.
Although the Warriors have been the team to beat, third-seeded San Antonio can never truly be counted out when it comes to the postseason. In fact, the Spurs have represented the Western Conference for the past two years.
Led by future Hall of Famers, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, as well as legendary coach Greg Popovich, the Spurs are the reigning champions in the West for a reason.
Now unlike the Eastern Conference, the first round of the playoffs should be much more exciting. It’s no secret that the competition is tougher in the Western Conference. For instance, four of the top five MVP candidates are from the Western Conference, with LeBron James as the lone Eastern Conference player.
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The Rockets may not posses the same depth that the Trailblazers have, but Houston has James Harden and that’s a solid start to becoming a serious playoff team. Many people see Harden as the only other player that can win this years MVP award over Curry. Harden not only averages 27.5 points per game, (more than Curry’s 23.9 average) he does it on a Houston team where the next highest scorer, Trevor Ariza, only averages 12.9 points per game.
While both the Trailblazer and the Rockets have had their share of injuries this season, expect this to be one of the best opening series in the Western Conference.
Portland is coming off its first division championship since 1999 while James Harden has scored or assisted 42 percent of the Rockets points this year. Both teams have suffered from injuries this year, with stars like Houston’s Dwight Howard and Portland’s Arron Afflalo out for the playoffs, neither team stands a serious chance against Golden State.
While Golden State has been the best team all year, the Spurs are the best team right now. In fact, since Feb. 27 this Spurs team has only lost three of their 24 games. For this reason alone, it’s a safe bet to put Golden State and San Antonio as the best bets to get the Western Conference’s spot in the finals.
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