*FAN SUBMISSION by Jack Bolesta of College Park, MD. Follow him on Twitter @JackBolesta.*
As tip-off for the 2013 NBA playoffs is underway, there is no telling how the Western Conference will unfold. Many teams in the West seem to have a fair chance at making it to the 2013 NBA Championship. Also, many teams seem to have an un-trusting quality of their performance. There is no guarantee a safe or easy road to the NBA Championship for any team in the Western Conference. The biggest factor will be, who wants it more?
Let me start this off with the Los Angeles Lakers, the “Lakeshow;” a show everyone has been question and criticizing but can’t seem to turn away from. The Lakers can give the Spurs a close series if they Lakers continue to play defense, like they did against Houston. If the Lakers want to win, they will need a strong performance from their bench players; along with an even stronger performance from Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace. Getting through the first round of the 2013 playoffs could be a make or break point for this franchise. This also could play a strong role in Howard’s decision of where he will play ball next year.
Courtesy: Denver Post
The Houston Rockets have been an awesome spectacle this season, with their high energy of offense being conducted by Jeremy Lin and James “the Beard” Harden. The Rockets have their work cut out for them in the first round facing the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder dominated the Rockets all season but this series could end up going 5-6 games before the Thunder knock the Rockets out. The Thunder should take this series 4-2, contingent on how they play in Houston. If the Rockets want to keep their season going, there defensive prowess will need to match (and maybe exceed) their offensive output.
The Golden State Warriors are currently seeded at the 6th seed and facing the Denver Nuggets in round one. Though the Nuggets are currently the 3rd seed in the West, due to the recent loss of Danilo Gallinari, the Nuggets chances of making a long playoff run are slim. The Warriors will beat the Nuggets in the series 4-3, with their offense propelling their advancement in this series.
For the Warriors to continue on the road to the NBA Championship, they will need Steph Curry to light it up, night in and night out. Andrew Bogut and Jarrett Jack will all need nightly star performances to make the playoff push, especially with David Lee’s recent injury in Game 1. The Warriors though will probably end up meeting their demise to the San Antonia Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round series 4-1, where they are clearly outmatched.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a powerhouse lineup with Zach Randolph, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Conley, and Marc Gasol. There was some skepticism about trading away Rudy Gay, but since then the Grizzlies’ offensive numbers have not diminished. The first round match up between the Clippers and the Grizzlies will be a close one and with the Clippers pulling it out, 4-2.
The roles have been switched in LA; the Lakers could go home early, but the Los Angeles Clippers will make a solid playoff push. With players like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan, among others, the Clippers have the horses to be contenders. Once they move past the Grizzlies, the Clippers will have to face the Thunder or the Spurs. Against either of these teams, it will most likely lead to a series going 6 or 7 games. The biggest factor that could hurt the Clippers chances is their inexperience, where their young core have only played in playoff pressure cooker just once; last season. Hopefully, some veteran leadership from Chauncey Billups will be enough to help the Clippers take down the Spurs or Thunder.
Courtesy: Bleacher Report
The San Antonio Spurs are probably the best basketball team that no one talks about. Though they ended their last 20 regular season games at .500, the Spurs play fundamental basketball, which never seems to fail. Their biggest challenge will come in the Western Conference Finals, if (and more likely when) they match up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last year, with the help of James Harden, OKC eliminated the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals. If these two teams meet again, this will be another long series. Either way the Spurs will need to shut down KD and make an offensive push; road performances will be a deciding factor for this matchup.
Can the Oklahoma City Thunder make a push back to the NBA Championship? The Thunder have the strongest chances in the West of making it to the NBA Finals; even though they face many tough opponents on the way. For OKC to get back to (and win the NBA Championship), Kevin Durant will need to vocalize that the Thunder is his team. Russell Westbrook needs to pass the ball more and in no games, should Westbrook take more shots than Durant (in the last two games of the regular season, Westbrook has taken more shorts than KD). During their win versus Utah, Westbrook took 21 shorts while KD only took ten. During their lose to New York, Westbrook took 27 shots and KD only took 17. Westbrook needs to share the ball, taking more shots against subpar teams like Utah may be okay, but in situations like the playoffs the Thunder will face a lot of challenges if Westbrook doesn’t realize he is on the same team as the current scoring champion. If Durant can establish his dominance come playoffs the Thunder should make a repeat appearance in the Finals.
