Why Each Team Will/Will Not Win the NBA Championship: Western Conference
Photo from NBA.com
While the East is extremely top heavy in the postseason, the West is insanely deep.
It’s going to be a tough, tough road for whoever wins the West.
But someone has to, so let’s see who will.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Why They Will
The Thunder are well coached, deep, and have an excellent pair of stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren.
There’s no reason to think the Thunder couldn’t win it all this year.
Why They Won’t
It feels just a little bit too early.
There’s no doubt in my mind that SGA and Holmgren are a duo that can lead a team to a championship, but SGA is 25 and Holmgren is 21.
The veteran teams they need to face that have loads of playoff experience and success in the West makes it seem like it’s just too much too soon for the Thunder.
Denver Nuggets
Why They Will
When they are healthy, there isn’t a single team that can beat them in a playoff series.
You can beat them once. Maybe twice. But you aren’t going to win 4 of 7 against them when they are at full strength.
Nobody can.
Why They Won’t
They aren’t healthy.
Jamal Murray is back, but he’s coming back from an injury that’s plagued him for a while and may not be fully healed.
If he’s not, that leaves an opening for another team to smash the door down and upset the Nuggets.
Maybe an 8 seed that is playing excellent basketball right now…
Minnesota Timberwolves
Why They Will
As I said when discussing the East, the NBA playoffs are when things get meaner.
The Timberwolves have Anthony Edwards, an aggressive star in the backcourt, and Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, two excellent defensive players in the frontcourt.
It’s a trio that could truly send them to the promised land.
Why They Won’t
Well, it would take them the promised land, if it wasn’t very obvious that Gobert and Towns weren’t liabilities come playoff time.
Maybe this year will be different, but I’m at the point now where I’ll believe it when I see it.
Los Angeles Clippers
Why They Will
The Clippers have James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George.
Add in Russell Westbrook, who has been extremely valuable off the bench, and head coach Ty Lue who has established himself as a great coach in this league, and you have the entire foundation for a title team.
Why They Won’t
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard aren’t healthy, and even if they are healthy, Harden and George have not shown anything in the postseason previously to make me believe they’re going to win the Clippers their first ever championship.
Dallas Mavericks
Why They Will
Luka Doncic is arguably the league’s MVP, he’s playing excellent basketball with Kyrie Irving, and the Mavs were 16-2 down the stretch before clinching a spot and resting stars.
They’re playing great, great basketball.
Why They Won’t
The West is hard, man!
It’s not easy to get through this gauntlet, and it really doesn’t help that Luka and Kyrie are not exactly excellent defenders.
You can get away with that in the East, but the West is an entirely different ballgame.
Phoenix Suns
Why They Will
In an NBA dominated by the 3 point shot, a trio of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant is one of the best in the league.
When they’re hot, good luck stopping that.
Why They Won’t
They have either not played together as a trio, or not been hot from the floor.
It’s an excellent team on paper.
On the court?
Completely underwhelming.
New Orleans Pelicans
Why They Will
The Pelicans are good! Zion Williamson is finally starting to live up to the expectations set for him, and Brandon Ingram is playing great basketball as well.
And who knows? Maybe they have a second gear we haven’t seen yet.
Why They Won’t
They likely don’t have a second gear, and their play in game matchups are likely going to be the Lakers and then the Warriors if they lose to the Lakers.
That’s the worst possible spot to be in.
Los Angeles Lakers
Why They Will
If the Mavericks were playing the best basketball down the stretch, the Lakers weren’t far behind.
And as I discussed earlier with players who underperform come playoff time, LeBron James is the exact opposite and always finds another level.
Add in defensive player of the year Anthony Davis, and the Lakers are absolutely a title threat.
Why They Won’t
That is, if LeBron takes total control of the squad (as he has before) and leaves it out of coach Darvin Ham’s hands.
Because if a playoff series comes down to who has the better coach, the Lakers are absolutely done for.
Ham is in way too far over his head.
Sacramento Kings
Why They Will
Well coached. Solid roster. Great depth.
This is a really, really good title contender.
Why They Won’t
Or it would be if it was NBA 2K and you could score with anyone while playing a video game.
Unfortunately, this is real life, and the Kings lack of star power means they don’t have anyone to take over a game and flip it in the Kings favor.
You might win a series with a solid roster but no stars.
You won’t win a title.
Golden State Warriors
Why They Will
Are you going to be surprised if Steph and Klay turn nuclear from three point range?
And even though I think he’s overrated as a whole, are you going to be surprised if Draymond Green plays great defense?
Would you at all be surprised if they made a title run?
I sure won’t.
Why They Won’t
Steph is still amazing, but he’s not what he used to be. Neither is Klay. Neither is Draymond, and there’s times Draymond can’t even stay on the floor due to technical fouls.
It feels as though the Warriors title runs are in the rearview mirror overall.
