Seven of the eight playoff teams in the Western Conference are repeat attendants. The lone team that missed the postseason last year was the Oklahoma City Thunder, who narrowly failed to qualify with Kevin Durant sidelined for much of the season.
The top four teams in the West have been decided for some time. The Golden State Warriors closed out their historic season with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
(1) Golden State Warriors vs (8) Houston Rockets
In a rematch of the 2015 Western Conference Finals, the Rockets will be the first to try to dethrone the defending champs. They were swept by the Warriors in three games during the regular season. Game 1 will start at Oracle Arena, where the Warriors went 39-2 during the regular season, the second-best home record of all time.
Last year, the Warriors went on the win the Conference Finals in five games over the then two-seeded Rockets. This season, the Rockets (41-41) fired head coach Kevin McHale after seven games and barely squeaked into the playoffs with J.B. Bickerstaff as interim head coach. James Harden was second behind Stephen Curry in scoring during the regular season, averaging 29 points-per-game. Dwight Howard seems to have fallen out of favor with the Rockets, but finished with the second-highest field goal percentage in the league. His 11.8 rebounds-per-game was fourth in the league.
Curry might be the first ever unanimous MVP. He finished the regular season averaging 30.1 points and 2.14 steals, both league-highs. Draymond Green will, again, be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. The Warriors are in the postseason for the fourth straight year, their longest such streak since the franchise was established. They are seeking to become the first back-to-back Finals winners since the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.
The Rockets are also entering their fourth consecutive postseason. They will try to avoid losing in the first round for the third time in that span.
Keys to the series
This matchup will feature the highest scoring offense in the NBA against one of the league's worst defenses. The Warriors shot a league-leading 41 percent from three-point range in what was the best three-point shooting season by a team. The Rockets shot 35 percent from deep and allowed opponents to shoot 36 percent. Meanwhile, the Warriors also had the second-best three point defense in the NBA. Even with the lackadaisical Harden on defense, the Rockets forced the most turnovers in the West. Both teams were top-five in most turnovers in the conference. But Howard was no help on the boards and the Rockets had a negative rebounding differential during the regular season.
For the Warriors, it will be about keep on keeping on. The Rockets, well, they need to focus on not going quietly.
Prediction: Warriors in 4
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs (7) Memphis Grizzlies
In a matchup between two division rivals, the Spurs will look to redeem themselves from last year's early exit. It was just their fourth opening series loss amidst a remarkable stretch of 19 straight playoff appearances. What has become one of the best teams in NBA history, the Spurs have only missed the postseason five times in their 49 seasons.
The Spurs tied the 1986 Boston Celtics' 40-1 home record this season, but had a great chance to become the first team to finish the regular season undefeated. Their overall record of 67-15 is the best in franchise history. Kawhi Leonard could become the first back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year since Dwight Howard from 2008-2010. But it was the typical balanced attack that was so successful all season for the Spurs.
The Grizzlies, on the other hand, dealt with a mountain of injuries, including the loss of star players Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Mario Chalmers for the season. They also made several trades at the deadline, sending away Jeff Green and Courtney Lee in separate deals that brought in Lance Stephenson, P.J. Hairston, and Chris Anderson. While the dust never settled, David Joerger did a phenomenal job with this roster. Although they lost hold of the fifth seed down the stretch, it is a credit to him for clinching their sixth consecutive playoff berth.
Keys to the series
The Spurs swept the season series, winning by at least ten in three of the four occasions. Gregg Popovich had the best defense in the NBA all season, holding opponents to 92.9 points-per-game.
It is tough to top the Spurs, but to finish second in the division two straight years is a marvel. Still, the Grizzlies no longer have the depth to hold up in the playoffs.
Prediction: Spurs in 4
(3) Oklahoma City Thunder vs (6) Dallas Mavericks
It once looked as though the Mavericks were doomed for the offseason, but a late-season run allowed them to clinch their third straight playoff berth. After a 6-10 March, the Mavs finished 5-2 and got some help to clinch the sixth spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. It is their 15th playoff appearance in the last 16 years.
The Thunder, meanwhile, are back in the postseason after missing out on the festivities in 2015. With Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant fully healthy, the Thunder proceeded to finish third in the West behind two of the best teams in NBA history. It is their sixth playoff appearance in seven years.
In his first year in the NBA, Fred Donovan coached the second-highest scoring offense in the league. Some would debate it doesn't take much coaching when a team has two of the top scorers in the NBA. On the flip side, the longstanding duo of Rick Charlisle and Dirk Nowitzki cannot stay out of the postseason. Dirk moved to sixth on the all-time scoring list this season and, at age 37, led the Mavs in scoring.
Keys to the series
The Thunder shot 47.6 percent from the field, third in the league behind the Warriors and Spurs. Neither the Thunder nor the Mavericks shot particularly well from deep. Their three-point defense was equally successful during the regular season, but the Thunder defense has the edge. The Thunder were the best rebounding team in the league. Their 8.4 rebounding differential was far and away the best. The next closest was a 3.8 differential. The Mavs were in the minus in that category and ranked third-worst in the West.
Prediction: Thunder in 6
(4) Los Angeles Clippers vs (5) Portland Trail Blazers
The Clippers held steady at the four seed without Blake Griffin for most of the season. DeAndre Jordan shot an NBA-high 70 percent from the field with Chris Paul doing the facilitating as usual. Paul averaged 10 assists-per-game for the third straight season. But J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford were the X-factors. Redick led the league in three-point field goal percentage. His 47 percent success rate was the highest of his career. Crawford, meanwhile, submitted his candidacy for Sixth Man of the Year. As usual.
As for the Blazers, they have several award-winning candidates as well. After losing all but one starter from a season ago, Terry Stotts not only led his team to the postseason, but finished just one spot lower in the division. Damian Lillard remained part one of the Blazers' duo, but part two now belongs to should-be Most Improved Player C.J. McCollum.
In Stotts' fourth season with the team, this is the Blazers' third consecutive postseason appearance. Doc Rivers has coached the Clippers to three straight as well, but the team's streak stands at five stretching back to the final seasons with Vinny Del Negro. These two teams have not met in the postseason in the 2000s.
Keys to the series
These two teams were third and fourth in three-point shooting in the West. The Clippers had the second-fewest turnovers in the conference during the regular season The Blazers forced the third-fewest turnovers in the West, implying that they will need to eliminate turnovers in the series to keep pace with the Clips. The Clippers had one of the top defenses in the NBA during the regular season and held opponents to the lowest shooting percentage in the West.
The Clippers took three of four from the Trail Blazers in the regular season. The lone Blazers win came in the first meeting in Portland. Only one game was decided by fewer than 11 points.
Prediction: Clippers in 6