Western Conference Playoff Predictions

Western Conference Playoff Predictions

Yesterday, my playoff predictions for the Eastern Conference were posted, and I said that that on today I would post the same for the Western Conference. Now, this conference has improved significantly, and will be extremely competitive, especially for the top 10 or so teams. That being said, here are my picks.

1.Clippers (Record Prediction: 68-14)

This is a lot of wins. Like, a crazy amount of wins for a team to have in a season. However, once you take into consideration how good they were last season, without two of the top 10 players in the NBA on the team, then it doesn’t sound so crazy anymore. This is going to be the best defensive team in the NBA, especially with Leonard, George, and Beverley on the floor at the same time. With the bench of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, too, this team could be, and should be, the best team in the NBA.

2. Lakers (Record Prediction: 61-21)

A team who failed to make the playoffs in the previous season, should almost never reach 60 wins in the following season. However, the one exception to this rule, is adding a generational talent as good as Anthony Davis. Davis has never played with a player as close to as good as LeBron, and LeBron has never played with a big man as good as Davis. There was some concern about the depth on the team, but adding Danny Green, Quinn Cook, and Dwight Howard to the team has silenced some of those doubters. 

3. Nuggets (Record Prediction: 55-27)

Nikola Jokic is my pick for the MVP next season, as you would know if you have read my previous articles. He is due for a breakout year in, even in a season with so many talented players on so many different teams. Jokic is the best passing big men in the league, and one of the best passers overall, for that matter. He has an extremely talented team around him, with Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Torrey Craig (possibly) and Paul Millsap rounding out the potential starting lineup. Will Barton could start, but I feel like he would do very well off the bench. This along with the potential comeback of Michael Porter Jr., should make for an interesting, and successful season.

4. Jazz (Record Prediction: 54-28)

This Jazz team is so much better on paper this season, but the conference has improved so much, that I only have them winning 4 more games than in 2018-2019. Mike Conley is a vast improvement at the point guard position, and while Bogdanovic may not be the traditional power forward, he will most likely get the start and complete a very well-rounded starting five. Take into consideration the very talented bench (Ed Davis, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jeff Green, and Dante Exum), and this team should see nothing but success this season.

5. Rockets (Record Prediction: 51-31)

Now, many people may have this team as a higher seed than the Jazz and/or Nuggets, but I disagree. I think that the chemistry of the team, while it will grow eventually, will take a while to build up. Harden carried his whole team to the playoffs last year, and now he will have the help of Russell Westbrook to do so. The bench is not very deep, but the starters should be able to carry the load offensively, while PJ Tucker and Clint Capela lead the defense. This should be a very interesting season for the Rockets, and one that may determine the future of the franchise.

6. Trailblazers (Record Prediction: 49-33)

Damian Lillard single-handedly dismantled the entire Oklahoma City franchise last year, and led Portland to the Western Conference Finals. With the key additions of Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore, you would think this team should have more wins than last year. However, with Jusuf Nurkic out, and the other teams improving their rosters as well, I think this team will actually win less games. This is not a knock on how talented this group of players is, but more so a statement of how great the rest of the conference is. I love Dame Dolla, so I hope he proves me wrong, but I think this is about where this team will finish next year.

7. Warriors (Record Prediction: 47-35)

I think that Steph Curry will return to his MVP form in the upcoming season, but I don’t think the roster is as talented as the rest of the Western Conference. Curry and D-Lo will be enough talent to lead the team to the playoffs, and even a respectable 47 wins, but I doubt it will be enough to be at the top of the conference. If Klay comes back sooner than expected, and actually gets a chance to make an impact on the team, this may be a completely different story, but other than that, this is about how good I see the team doing.

8. Spurs (Record Prediction: 42-40)

This is where the huge gap in talent begins. Even though Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches of all time, his team is not as talented as all these other teams. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge are a very talented duo to lead the squad, with Rudy Gay and Derrick White as great players behind them. San Antonio also is going to see the return of Dejounte Murray and have their first chance to see Lonnie Walker IV play. So, as far as we know, these two could go out and really play well, improving the team as a whole. However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this is about the record I predict the Spurs to have.