Updates from the West

[Boris Badenov]

I tend to follow the East more closely, but there are some great story lines unfolding in the West:

1. The Spurs have won 17 straight and are running away for home court throughout the playoffs. Just another amazing season by Pop, TD et al.

2. The Clips and Rockets are jockeying for 3-4 in the West. Interesting given the matchups. IF you're HOU or LAC, would you rather play the Spurs or OKC?

3. Tight race for the #8 seed, with PHO, MEM and DAL all within a half game of each other. (There's little incentive to give up either, in contrast to the East where missing the playoffs by a hair improves draft position by 5 slots or more.)

4. Playoff matchups are shaping up to be potentially great. The top 6 teams are all really good and pretty fun to watch. Heck, SAS/MEM could be about as competitive as a 1/8 matchup gets.

Anyway most of you are aware of this stuff no doubt, but I am looking at it as a nice distraction. It's a lot better than thinking about the TOR/WAS or CHI/BKN matchups we could see in the East, or whether the Celts need to go 2-8 or 1-9 in their last 10 to consider the season a "victory."

[Who]

2. The Clips and Rockets are jockeying for 3-4 in the West. Interesting given the matchups. IF you're HOU or LAC, would you rather play the Spurs or OKC?

If I'm Houston, I want San Antonio over OKC. Durant scares me. And their knowledge of Harden scares me. Seem to play well against Spurs. Better chance at an upset.

If I'm LAC, I'm screwed either way. Both teams cause me problems in equal measure. So doesn't matter which one I get. Spurs similar enough team who just seem to play smarter and execute better over the long haul. OKC a different animal. Durant is a terror. No answer for him. Westbrook is trouble for CP3. Don't like Clips odds against either side.

[Boris Badenov]

2. The Clips and Rockets are jockeying for 3-4 in the West. Interesting given the matchups. IF you're HOU or LAC, would you rather play the Spurs or OKC?

If I'm Houston, I want San Antonio over OKC. Durant scares me. And their knowledge of Harden scares me. Seem to play well against Spurs. Better chance at an upset.

If I'm LAC, I'm screwed either way. Both teams cause me problems in equal measure. So doesn't matter which one I get. Spurs similar enough team who just seem to play smarter and execute better over the long haul. OKC a different animal. Durant is a terror. No answer for him. Westbrook is trouble for CP3. Don't like Clips odds against either side.

Looking at it now, I could see HOU getting upset in the first round by either GSW or POR.

I think the Clips could lose to POR as well...but probably not to GSW.

[saltlover]

3. Tight race for the #8 seed, with PHO, MEM and DAL all within a half game of each other. (There's little incentive to give up either, in contrast to the East where missing the playoffs by a hair improves draft position by 5 slots or more.)

I think any team who makes it in the West, even as the 8 seed has a real chance to make the NBA finals, so making the playoffs is obviously preferable for those teams.  However, whichever team finishes 8th will pick 21st, and whoever finishes 9th will pick 14th (with a minute chance of picking in the top 3.)  From a draft position perspective, there's a big difference between 8th and 9th.  (Even moreso for the Mavs, who's pick is top 20 protected).