The NBA All-Star break is here, and that means that we are well on our way to the 2015-2016 playoff push. In the Western Conference, there is a clear hierarchy of teams that paint a pretty clear picture of the contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.
For the first time ever, we enter All-Star weekend with two teams having 45 or more wins. The top of the West is loaded with potentially historically great teams, and it’s a shame that only one of them will get to play for the NBA title.
Nonetheless, there’s still quite an interesting playoff race happening in this conference, so let’s take a look at how it breaks down so far.
The Contenders
Golden State Warriors
Surprise, surprise, the Warriors lead our list atop the contenders in the western conference. Really, right now they simply look unstoppable. There’s a reason why they’re being compared to the greatest teams of all time, as right now they are on pace to become one of them. Stephen Curry is gunning for a second MVP award, and is the NBA’s leading scorer despite not playing in 15(!!!) fourth quarters.
That’s how good this Warriors team is, and if there was any doubt, the beat downs they put on San Antonio and Cleveland put those questions to bed. They are the clear favorites to win not only the west, but also the NBA Championship.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are no slouches themselves. While the Warriors started 48-4 this year, the Spurs sport a 45-8 record of their own. It’s remarkable how the Warriors have started so historically well and yet they are still being chased by another team for the top spot in the West.
Kawhi Leonard might be the MVP if Curry wasn’t playing out of this world right now, but he is still the leading force on one of the best defensive teams of all time. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili need to come back healthy for this team to really have a shot, but they are playing well together right now and look like an elite contender yet again.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Don’t sleep on the Oklahoma City Thunder either. OKC gave Golden State a game on the road in their only meeting so far, and they have two legitimate superstars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. For all the talk about the future of KD and Russ, they are focused on the present and are also quietly a 40 game winner so far. The supporting pieces are starting to come together, but ultimately star power wins out in the NBA, and the Thunder have plenty of it.
The Undecideds
Los Angeles Clippers
What exactly should we make of the Clippers? With Blake Griffin in the fold, the team was hovering around .500. Without him, they’ve won 18 of 22, and Chris Paul looks like the superstar point guard he is once again. The Clippers still aren’t particularly deep, but a career year from J.J. Redick has helped keep this team churning. Does the team trade Griffin before the deadline? Do they hope he comes back from his hand injury and rejoin the fold? There are many questions to be asked here, and until we have an answer it is hard to say where this team fits in the playoff picture.
Memphis Grizzlies
Just a week ago the Grizzlies were trending towards contender status in the west. Now, after news that Marc Gasol has a broken foot and is out indefinitely, it’s hard to imagine this team getting there. To their credit, the Grizzlies have still been on a roll, as Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Jeff Green have all stepped up. However, Gasol is such an important piece of this team that it’s hard to imagine Memphis making a deep run without him. Let’s reserve judgment until he returns healthy, if he even does so this season.
Dallas Mavericks
Predicting how Dallas would fare this year in the preseason was like closing your eyes and throwing a dart at a dartboard. With so many new pieces in the fold, there was no telling what would happen. Deron Williams has been resurgent, Chandler Parsons finally is starting to look healthy again, Zaza Pachulia looks like a perfect fit, and let’s not forget that Dirk Nowitzki is another ageless wonder.
However, they’ve been in a rut lately and can’t seem to figure out how to close out games. This team has overachieved given the complexity of integrating so many parts, both healthy and injured, but it’s hard to say whether they are capable of competing at the top or not.
The Pretenders
Utah Jazz
It’s true that the Utah Jazz have closed out the first half by winning 8 of their last 10 games. It’s also true that this current run has only gotten them to the .500 mark. Gordon Hayward has been outstanding, but the Jazz aren’t particularly deep, and their point guard situation has been a nightmare. As the team is currently constructed, the playoffs are still not a certainty. Should they make a move, however, we’d have to reassess what this team is capable of. Until then, they don’t seem like a team that would make much noise should they make it to the postseason.
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland is another team that has greatly overachieved so far this season. After their team was basically gutted from the inside out, losing 4 of its 5 starters from last year, they were expected to rebuild and look to the future. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have ensured us that the future is now in Portland. Right now, Portland is the perfect storm of youth and development, and that has been a recipe for success. If they keep up this current level of performance, they’ll ascend these ranks as well. For now, though, they are still just a .500 team in a conference that has historically proven that mediocrity just won’t cut it.
Houston Rockets
Last, and apparently least, the Houston Rockets have been perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season. They’re currently ninth in the conference, and are talking about trading Dwight Howard before the trade deadline. James Harden continues to put up numbers, but the team isn’t winning anymore.
Their defense is among the worst in the league, and they already axed Kevin McHale along the way. The team is in disarray, and they don’t seem like a group that can realistically challenge the top teams in the conference. 2015-2016 has been a far cry from the team that fell just a few games shy of the NBA Finals last season.