NBA: Previewing Western Conference First-Round Playoff Matchups

This is part two of the playoffs preview, this time focusing on the Western Conference. San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers seem to have locked up the top three seeds. There is still a battle for home court advantage between Houston and Portland. Golden State, Dallas, Memphis and Phoenix are the four teams battling for the last three spots. Who is going to be the odd team out?

Here’s a preview of the Western Conference first-round matchups if the playoffs began today.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1- San Antonio Spurs vs. 8- Memphis Grizzlies, Spurs lead season series 3-0

Jan 7, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley (11) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) during the fourth quarter at FedExForum. the San Antonio Spurs beat the Memphis Grizzlies 110 – 108 Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /

A rematch of the 2013 Western Conference Finals, with Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter squaring off against Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. The Spurs have the best record and share the basketball better than any other team (ranked 1st in assists per game) but could be tested in a seven-game series by a physical Grizzlies team. The Grizzlies aren’t an elite offensive team but in the playoffs when the game slows down, they will have to rely on their defense which ranks third in points allowed.

4- Houston Rockets vs. 5- Portland Trail Blazers, Rockets won season series 3-1

Mar 9, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez (42) grabs the rebound during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports /

All four regular season meetings were high scoring affairs. The Rockets rank third in scoring and have a plethora of perimeter shooters surrounding James Harden and Dwight Howard. The Trail Blazers could opt to play small ball and slide LaMarcus Aldridge over to center to drag Howard away from the hoop and reduce his effectiveness on the defensive end. Another key thing to watch: the Trail Blazers bench (or lack thereof).

3- Los Angeles Clippers vs. 6- Golden State Warriors, season series tied 2-2

March 12, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) controls the ball against Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) and forward David Lee (10) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Blake Griffin has brought his game to an MVP-caliber level but the premier matchup in this series is between Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, arguably the top two point guards today. Paul is more of the traditional pass-first point guard, while Curry does a little bit of everything offensively and is notorious for being a sniper from three point land. Griffin will have his work cut out for him going against David Lee and Andrew Bogut on the inside. Between the shooting of the Splash Brothers (Curry and Klay Thompson) and the alley oops thrown to Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, you can expect each game to be an offensive shootout.

2- Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 7- Dallas Mavericks, Mavericks won season series 2-1

Mar 25, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) drives in the post against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

Does the old timer Dirk Nowitzki have one last deep playoff run in him? The only problem is that he has the MVP leader Kevin Durant waiting for him in the first round. Surprisingly, the Mavericks won the season series, in which one of the games was a blowout. A healthy Russell Westbrook will give Jose Calderon, Devin Harris and the crew plenty of problems, and you can expect Westbrook to play with a chip on his shoulder as he missed all of last year’s playoffs. The Mavericks rank 23rd in points allowed and 26th in rebounding, while the Thunder are top 10 in both categories.