The unpredictability of Western Conference

nba-western-conferenceIf you would have told someone before the beginning of the season the 1st ranked and the 14tha ranked on the Western Conference have a difference of 6 games, they would have laughed right at you. But here we are, with seeing teams that were not even in playoff contention last season, play like champion and teams that were close to winning it all last year, now trying their hardest just to qualify for playoffs. The Western Conference hasn’t been this interesting in quite a long time, with every team having the opportunity to qualify or risk not getting into playoffs. The best part is that you have some dark horse teams that have no superstars in their squads and yet they are playing like a contender.
We can start by talking about the Los Angeles Clippers, they have been a joy to watch this season. With great performances from Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams etc. you can’t just rule them out from any game. It’s quite amazing when you think that in a very short period they lost DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and Chris Paul and yet they are playing like a team that has 3 all-stars. At the moment they sit 4th on the Western Conference, with a losing streak of two games, but they have one of the best records when playing at home, with 9 wins and 2 losses. The way things are going right now, we can definitely expect them to get into playoffs and do some real damage to the contenders.
Memphis Grizzlies have also been surprising people with their game. When you see them playing now, you are reminded of the grit & grind playstyle that has worked well for them in the past. It’s great to see a team doing what they do best instead of trying to imitate everyone, they are sticking with their own game and so far, I got to say that it has been working quite well for them. They are 6th with 15 wins and 10 losses. Simply put, they don’t have the identity to play run and gun while shooting threes every opportunity they get. Good defense is what separates them from the rest of the teams and through that, they are causing a lot of headache for many teams.

Copyrighted by: The Big Lead
If you haven’t been watching Luka Doncic this year, then I am afraid you are missing out on a kid that has been playing like a seasoned vet since the beginning of the season. I am sure that Atlanta Hawks are regretting their decision of drafting Trae Young instead of Doncic when they had the chance. His performance has had a huge impact on the way the Mavericks are playing. They are sitting 8th at the moment, but with these performances, I would definitely not rule them out of the playoff race.
Now it’s time to talk about the negative surprises. Let’s start with the Western Conference finalists of last year, the Houston Rockets. You can’t blame Carmelo Anthony for the Texan teams’ woes, he played in only 10 games and what happened after that is hard to believe. James Harden is nowhere near his MVP form, Chris Paul is playing like an average point guard and Eric Gordon stated that at the moment he is not enjoying the game due to the tough times that the team is going through.
San Antonio Spurs are in complete disarray, and not because of the Kawhi Leonard – DeMar DeRozan trade, it’s just that they can’t adapt to how the game is being played at the moment. The legendary coach, Greg Popovich has publicly stated that he doesn’t like how everything is based on 3pt shooting. However, this isn’t the only problem that Spurs are facing, the injuries are making things a lot harder for them. While they are sitting 12th ar the moment with 13 wins and 14 losses, they still have great chances to get into playoffs, since the season is still young.
New Orleans Pelicans have been a tough team to figure out this season, with 14 wins and 14 losses. At home, they have 10 wins and 4 losses while playing away they have 4 wins and 10 losses. Besides Anthony Davis playing like a machine, Julius Randle seems to have been a great signing for them. He is putting some solid numbers lately and I am sure that if they get into playoffs they will cause some serious damage to whoever they face.
With only a third of the games being played so far, only Phoenix Suns don’t have any realistic chances of getting into playoffs, while the other teams have every opportunity to qualify or fall from grace. Earlier on this season, we saw that even giants like the Golden State Warriors have their weaknesses and that LeBron James is a man that can lead a Western Conference squad into performing like a contender at times. While it is still not clear, who will qualify for the playoffs, one thing is for sure, the rest of the season will be fun to watch.