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Ti’s Four-Point Play: Fighting For The Middle Of The NBA’s West

By Ti Windisch

Jan 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) drives to the basket on Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) and center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter of the NBA game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) drives to the basket on Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) and center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter of the NBA game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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In this week’s Ti’s Four-Point Play, the bottom two playoff seeds of the NBA’s Western Conference are up for grabs.

Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

Last season, the Western Conference was undoubtedly better than its NBA counterpart in the East. The West sported three teams that didn’t make the playoffs that would’ve been playoff teams in the Eastern Conference, and the obvious best team in the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors (or San Antonio Spurs) might still be the best team in the NBA, but the West in general is weak this year. The tables have turned completely–right now, four teams currently out of the playoffs in the East would be in the eighth spot in the West.

The last two seeds in that conference are really open to four teams. The Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings are all battling for their playoff lives at the moment. Two teams that went to the postseason last year, two that haven’t gone in quite a while.

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Watching games between these four teams will be very interesting going forward. Every time two of these four meet, playoff seeding is at stake. One of these teams really needs to make it, two teams probably should but expectations aren’t quite so demanding, and one team is just happy to be here at the moment.

If you hadn’t already guessed, the four points in this week’s issue of Ti’s Four-Point Play are going to be these four teams. Starting with the team currently holding the seventh seed and working down from there, I’ll go through each of the four teams’ expectations, playoff hopes, and one important storyline from their season so far.

The first team up is the biggest disappointment in the NBA this season, the Houston Rockets.

Next: Houston Has A Lot Of Problems