NBA Western Conference, Tips and Previews
Pacific Division
Clippers
The most stacked division in the NBA has won the western conference for the past eight years and the championship in five of those years. There is every chance that is the case again this year, with Golden State in good shape to defend their crown. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are experienced veterans, and their roster has plenty of depth. The rumours of getting Kevin Durant back have been prominent and may well turn out to be true, which would just about have them unbackable favourites to take out a fifth title in nine years.
But they face some solid competition from the Clippers, who have added John Wall to a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. If they jell early, they will be a force to be reckoned with and be primed to shed their little brother tag finally.
Phoenix will challenge again but almost had to do so without Deondre Ayton, who was set to join Indiana until the Suns matched their offer. Chris Paul is going around again and will be in hot pursuit of that elusive title.
You can never write off the Lakers, but they have had some massive issues of concern in recent times, and as great as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook have been throughout their careers, it is a line-up that doesn’t quite work and lacks serious support.
Sacramento should improve on previous seasons and may make the finals, but it won’t be as Pacific division winners.
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Northwest Division
Nuggets
Plenty of intrigue surrounds this division that Denver and Utah have dominated in recent years. The Nuggets look the pick here with a fully fit and healthy Jamal Murray in the line-up, joining Nikola Jokic, who has won the past two league MVPs.
The Jazz look set for a bit of a decline, losing stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in the off-season. Much of their fortunes rest on Colin Sexton, who has risen up the ranks in the new-look Jazz team.
Expect big things from Minnesota after securing Gobert in the off-season to complement Karl- Anthony Towns. They are a dominant force in the paint now, with DeAngelo Russell and Anthony Edwards running the show in the backcourt and could scale new heights this season.
Portland was busy in the off-season with a readjusted team taking the court. Star Damian Lillard has recently battled with injury, and his durability will be a factor here, while Oklahoma City is still off the pace despite assembling a talented young roster.
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Southwest
Mavericks
Some of the most scintillating young basketball talents sit in this division, but with youth, there often come rebuilds, and plenty is to be found here too.
Houston and San Antonio won’t be eyeing off any great success this season, but it’s a different story for Dallas, Memphis and New Orleans. Maverick Luka Doncic is the MVP favourite and has a slightly different team around him this season, the most interesting being Christian Wood, who looks set for a significant impact off the bench. After reaching game 7 in the Western Conference semi-finals last year, Dallas is building some momentum and could go further this season.
Their biggest challenger in this division is Memphis, who will have Ja Morant at full throttle after finishing seventh in MVP voting last year. Morant went on some unstoppable runs last year and will be even better with another year under his belt.
New Orleans has shown glimpses over the past few years, and if the reports around Zion Williamson’s health are to be believed, they may be set for big things in 2022-23. They need others around Williamson to improve too, and we could be set for rookie Dyson Daniels and Jose Alvarado to play a big part in their fortunes.
