The NBA West is more competitive than ever. .600 NBA teams could be out of the NBA Playoffs before they even get in. Some of the best players in the world reside in the NBA West, but only one team can explode to play for an NBA title.
The NBA West will be a huge mountain to climb for any NBA team looking to go all the way. Whichever NBA team gets promoted, they will have earned their trip to the NBA Finals through blood, sweat and a little luck. Whichever NBA West team wins will need to stay very healthy. Yao Ming has already taken down the Houston Rockets with his injury.
On paper, there are several teams that look very good. The New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz, and Dallas Mavericks all seem ready and willing to mingle in the NBA Playoffs. If the NBA Playoffs have taught us anything, it’s that experience and the best players often survive to play well into the spring. These three teams have yet to prove they have the skills to withstand the heat.
For me, it’s all going to come down to the big three, the real big three, in the NBA West. The Los Angeles Lakers have prevailed and have come in very strong this season. Buoyed by Kobe Bryant’s run for his first NBA MVP award, coupled with the addition of Pau Gasol, he has supercharged the Los Angeles Lakers near the top of the NBA West. Phil Jackson has done a masterful job at the helm, keeping egos in check and getting players to accept his system. All they have been doing is winning and winning.
The San Antonio Spurs are the defending champions. Like the Indianapolis Colts, who were defending NFL champions, all they do is mind their own business, like a factory, and win, too. Tim Duncan again leads a group looking to repeat for the first time in his dynamic and dynastic career.
Tony Parker will need to be at full strength if the San Antonio Spurs are prepared to make a serious run for the NBA title. Greg Popovich, as always, is also doing a great job with the San Antonio Spurs. He is the most underrated and underrated coach in all of sports, and one day he will be destined for the hall of fame.
The Phoenix Suns, with the addition of Shaquille O’Neal, are on the hunt for the best record in the NBA West. Every NBA game is critical, as one loss can drop a team several places in the standings. The addition of Shaquille O’Neal has been the most intriguing move of the NBA season as the Phoenix Suns have gone all-in, pushing all the chips into the middle of the table in hopes of clinching an NBA title, while Just like Shaquille O’Neal. he helped the Miami Heat and Pat Riley do it in Miami.
The Phoenix Suns are old and this is their window of opportunity. Steve Nash, Grant Hill and O’Neal are in the twilight of their careers, and this is the last round for everyone, with maybe this and 1-2 more years with the core group in NBA Championship capacity. The need will be for Shaquille O’Neal to stay healthy and be able to give the Suns an excellent 25 minutes per playoff game. This, perhaps, can keep Tim Duncan and the others at bay.
It takes time for a presence like Shaquille O’Neal to mesh with Amare Stoudemire, Nash and company. Is there enough time? Probably, as long as Shaq’s health holds up.
Right now, it looks like the trio of San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Los Angeles Lakers have the best chance to make it out of the NBA West. If another team from the NBA West makes it to the NBA Western Conference Finals, I’d be surprised. I still have to go with my pick in November, the San Antonio Spurs to break the NBA West and beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, in 6 tough games.