NBA: Western Conference Contenders And Pretenders
The 2015 NBA Playoffs begin in 19 days! Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen contenders rise and fall, we’ve mourned the loss of Kevin Durant and we’ve celebrated the overwhelming dominance of the league’s most fun spectacle, the Golden State Warriors.
But as we enter the home stretch of the 2014-15 season, the question that’s come to the forefront for NBA fans everywhere is: Can my favorite playoff team win it all this year?
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In order to answer that question, we must start with the West. We could go through the formality of separating the Eastern Conference playoff teams into “contender” and “pretender” categories, but let’s be honest. Other than the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and maybe the Chicago Bulls, does anyone in the East really stand out as a “contender”?
I didn’t think so.
In the West, however, all eight playoff spots are stacked with teams that, at their best this season, have looked capable of winning the conference. Think about it: If we put any one of these eight teams in the East, wouldn’t we be mentioning them alongside Atlanta and Cleveland as favorites to win the conference? It’s true.
In that spirit, the 2015 Western Conference Playoffs have something of a March Madness feel to them. In a seven-game series, the best team usually wins, but with so much flip flopping in the Wild West, how do we know which team is “best?”
In order to make some sense of it all and separate the powerhouses from the imitators, here’s a look at the contenders and pretenders of the Western Conference.
Next: No. 8