Storyline: The presumably “superior” NBA West has a number of weak links, including the Mavericks and Trailblazers. Written by Jacob Henderson, Melbourne, Australia
Are the playoffs already a lock for the top seven seeds of the NBA’s Western Conference?
Courtesy: RonniesTickets
There’s currently a five game win differential between the 7th-seed Jazz (0.58) and the 8th seed Kings (0.43). Although the season’s tale is currently far from being told, signs should certainly concern the already mediocre bottom half of the supposedly “superior” Western Conference.
One reasons is the struggling Dallas Mavericks, a team that has been plagued by injuries and personnel losses. There’s also dysfunction created by adding new players, like Harrison Barnes.
Then there’s the Portland Trailblazers. The Trailblazers have left fans wondering if they were grossly overachieving at the end of last season with a First Round playoff victory over the LA Clippers. Or it just may be that Portland is going through a slump.
The problem is clear for the Blazers. They have no issue scoring. A 6th-ranked offense is yielding 110.5 points per 100 possessions. The fault lies on defense, which everyone knew was not a strong suit. Portland’s main stars, Lillard and McCollum, are notorious for limited defensive presence. But, still, who could have predicted that Portland would be giving up 114.1 points per 100 possessions? That’s the worst in the NBA–ranked 30th– far below even the Lakers, Nets, and Timberwolves.
