sports: In the first part of this post I covered the Eastern Conference. Now it is time to talk about the West. So lets dive right in by talking about the Lakers. The Lakers have spent most of the season being nothing short of a disaster. They are five games under 500 and up until their past few games have been struggling mightily under new coach Mike D'Antoni. His high paced style seemed thoroughly exciting with the group of stars he has. People like me who were looking forward to the D'Antoni era forgot that this team lacks some of the necessary pieces, such as a stretch player and some great outside shooters that would make his style work, not to mention the fact that age and fast paced styles typically don't go well together. Dwight Howard has not been himself to this point in the season. He still doesn't seem healthy and lacks the explosiveness to make a great impact on games, particularly on defense, despite his still solid numbers on offense (18 ppg and 12 rpg). Pau Gasol has been taken out of his natural position as a post player and has been given the task of being their stretch player. Along with his brother Marc, Pau may be the best passing big man in the league but that still doesn't change the fact that Pau is a center at heart (see the USA vs. Spain gold medal game when Pau torched the US for proof) Up until the past few games there seemed to be little hope for the Lakers even making the playoffs despite their star studded lineup. Unless they can acquire some depth before the trade deadline that may still be the case despite Kobe Bryant's new found willingness to play the role of distributor. Bryant has posted double digit assists in three straight games. Whether this trend continues for Bryant or other changes that seem necessary get made, it is a long road to reaching the early season expectations for this team that seem destined now for no better than a first round exit at the hands of the West's number one seed.
That seed appears to be going to one of three teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder have proven to be maybe the best team in league up to this point. With the loss of James Harden in the trade to Houston, it was clear that Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook would have to pick up a lot of the slack not just in their scoring but in other facets of their games as well. They certainly have. Durant and Westbrook have improved their assist and rebounding numbers to help fill out the team. The continued growth of Serge Ibaka has also helped. Ibaka has gone from a raw shot blocker to a reliable third scoring option and has remained stout on defense. The addition of Kevin Martin, who came over in the Harden trade, has also helped. His spot up shooting has provided the off the bench scoring that was going to be sorely missed in Harden's absence. And with Durant and especially Westbrook willing to take on the roll of passers more often now, having a spot up shooter like Martin has filled out their roster in a very positive way. I think it fair to say as well that the Thunder seem to have a different look to them last year. Not only does the team look different, but they look different. Gone are the affable smiles of young superstars. Now we watch a team that has no interest in mercy as they keep a more serious tone between themselves as they make their way back to the match-up they in the finals they seem destined for.
The second team fighting for the top seed in the West is the Los Angeles Clippers. With Chris Paul playing at an MVP level, he is leading this team to legit top flight status. The addition of the bench players such as Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes and Eric Bledsoe have also added to the ferocity of this team. With those three, along with Lamar Odom playing a more serviceable game than the one that got him kicked out of Dallas last year, the depth of this team has been one of its biggest advantages. Their depth could also be the difference maker moving forward. While DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin are fun to watch and very talented players, the Clippers lack depth on their front line. This especially shows late in games when you have Jordan, one of the leagues worst freethrow shooters, and Griffin, who is below average, which leaves Odom as their lone big late in close games. I wouldn't be surprised if the Clippers use their depth to acquire a serviceable big to come off the bench alongside Odom by way of unloading from their plethora of scoring guards. Make no mistake that this team is as good as any, but if that hole gets filled and the chemistry remains, this is a team that can win this year. Unlike last year when they felt a year or two a way, now they are just a player away and then there might not be anymore waiting in Lob City.
The third contending team in the West is the San Antonio Spurs. It is really hard to talk about the Spurs despite their greatness. The Spurs have the second best record in the West but have done so in their typically quiet way. As people continue to question their age and stamina, Tim Duncan is having one his best statistical years in recent memory. Tony Parker is once again playing as well as anybody in the league while being largely overlooked as the league's MVP. With Manu Ginobli recently back from injury, the growth of untradable young talent like Danny Green and Kawaii Leonard, Greg Popovich (the best coach in the game and a top five or six coach of all time) has his team showing they aren't too old to make another title run. The one concern for the Spurs is that in recent years they seem to have run out of steam in the playoffs. That may happen again. But no one will know till we get there.
The only team in the West with a real chance to make waves against the top three teams seems to be the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite the fact that Rudy Gay has regressed this year, shooting in the low 40s, this team does pose a huge match-up issue for teams. With Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph down low and Mike Conley and Gay on the outside, this is a team that is very difficult to stop. They have proven this with wins at one time or another this season against just about every good team in the league from Miami to New York, to Chicago to Oklahoma City. All it would take for this team to strike fear into their opponents as they head into the playoffs would be some dominant play from Gasol and Randolph (which they have been getting most of the year anyways) and Gay to get hot at the right time and carry the scoring load. If that happens they are capable of beating anyone. But until they show they can do it consistently, they appear to be on the outside looking in.
Beyond that the West is riddled with middling teams like the Rockets who are still growing and looking to improve and the Timberwolves who had a chance to be this years darlings untill their injury problems snowballed. The Denver Nuggets have proven to be a tough out on most nights, but in a playoff series where the game always slows down, they lack a player they can go to and a defense that can lock down on command. The top heavy Western Conference will surely be a great race for the top seed and home court advantage. With such great talent atop the conference that could prove to be the difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment