Western Conference breakdown
Image used from Flickr, taken by account name 'flrent' inside of The Chase Center in San Francisco.
By Jon Donohue, editor
The 2022-2023 NBA season has been full of excitement, and at this point, it's still anyone's season to win.
In the Eastern Conference, four teams have pulled away from the rest, those teams being the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers. For the most part, the East has not been full of surprises. However, the Western conference has been a frenzy.
As of Feb 22, 2023, The Denver Nuggets and two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic hold the number one seed with 41 wins and 18 losses. Five games behind them in second is the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the most hated teams in the league. After the Grizzlies, only four games separate the third seeded Sacramento Kings from the 10th seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The West has been extremely unpredictable, with the unexpected rise of the Sacramento Kings; inconsistent play from the defending champion Golden State Warriors; Brooklyn Nets superstars Kevin Durant being traded to the Phoenix Suns, joining Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton; and Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks to join MVP candidate Luka Doncic. And, last but not least, the Los Angeles Lakers were terrible during the first half of the season, but after making solid moves during this trade deadline, they honestly could make a run and contend for a playoff spot. Also, Khawai Leonard has made his return this season and is playing like his former self, so the Los Angeles Clippers will always be a threat as long as they have Leornard and Paul George together, and adding in Russel Westbrook and center Mason Plumlee will only make them better. The tight race to the playoffs this year is unprecedented, and from the third to 10th seed, it's going to be entertaining to watch everything play out over the final six weeks of the season. There’s no telling what will go down.
As the All-Star Break comes to an end, it is time to take stock of the first half of the 2022-2023 NBA season for the Western conference, starting with the Golden State Warriors. The first big surprise of the season has been the inconsistency of the Golden State Warriors. The issues with the Warriors are relatively simple. Starting in the off season, crucial role players Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Damion Lee, and Juan Toscano Anderson were not re-signed during free agency. Golden State put their trust in young players Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and James Wiseman. To start the season, these four players struggled. Poole played well but was unpredictable and inefficient, and Kuminga, Moody, and Wiseman showed that they haven’t been in the league long. The young guys simply struggled to start off the season, and then bench issues caused problems. The starting lineup for the Warriors has been great offensively, and Stephen Curry started out the season hot and was looking like his 2016 MVP self. The next issues for the Warriors have been road games and defense, both connected. The Warriors hold one of the best home records in the entire league with 22 wins and seven losses. However, their road record is seven wins and 22 losses. This home-to-road differential is one of the worst ever for a defending champion team. The home warriors have looked like theri defending championship selves, but the road warriors have been struggling to execute down the home stretch. From missing crucial shots to simply not being able to close out games strong, there have been plenty of games blown in the last minutes of the fourth quarter. The Warriors have blown at least 10 games by either failing to execute or simply throwing them away. Veterans Klay Thompson and Draymond Green started out the season slow, but have improved greatly since then. Thompson is playing at an all star level offensively, averaging 21.4 points per game and shooting 42.1% from the field and 39.8% from three, dropping 54 points in a game during a big double overtime win versus the Atlanta Hawks, and 42 points and 12 three against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Green has been great defensively and continues to be a strong playmaker and veteran leader for the young players on this team. Jonathan Kuminga started the season putting up terrible numbers, but since he returned from injury, he has been a great addition to the bench, showing his potential in a major way. Kuminga has proved since the new year started that it was worth it for the Warriors to invest in his future. The Dubs lie 29-29 currently at the ninth seed, but I think they are on the verge of making a major run before the playoffs begin. Bringing back defensive beast Gary Payton II and Stephen Curry from injury will be key to a deep run. But until then, Thompson, Poole and Green must hold their own until then.
Another team I believe will make a deep run throughout the last six weeks of the season is the Phoenix Suns. Pre-trade deadline, the Suns honestly weren’t that scary. Luka Doncic proved in last year's playoffs how to beat this team, and the Suns performance was embarrassing. However, bringing Kevin Durant onto this team makes the situation a whole lot different. Looking at the new lineup of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton is scary. The bench did get weaker, but that starting lineup will be incredibly hard to stop. Paul won’t have to score as much now as Durant and Booker and facilitate the offensive side, he can solely be a playmaker to help set up his fellow star teammates. Ayton will crash the boards and give them size in the paint as well. This team looks dangerous for the next few weeks, but it is hard to say what will happen and how this team will work together and if the chemistry will all work out.
The next team that deserves some attention is the Dallas Mavericks. Luka Doncic alone is one of the best players in the entire league, and is definitely in the race for the MVP trophy at the end of the season. Now that you add Kyrie Irving to the roster, this has to be considered the best backcourt in the league. Both are insane on offense, and Irving has incredible ball handling and shot creation. Doncic and Irving will bring the offense, but the issue for the Mavericks will be defense. It’s hard to say how they will do considering they have gone 0-2 in games that both stars have shared the floor, but the more they play together, the better that they will play together, and that is a threat for the entire league to worry about.
One of the biggest surprises of the years by far has been the impressive rise of the Sacramento Kings. They have been historically one of the worst teams in the NBA, and last year they traded Tyrese Haliburton, Tristan Thompson and Buddy Heild to the Pacers for Domantas Sabonis and two players and a 2023 second round pick. This trade has proved helpful to both teams, especially the Kings, who surprised the entire NBA by securing the third seed in the West going into the all star break. I don’t think they will hold the third seed by the end of the season, due to other teams like the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers potentially making a run, but I believe that this team has the ability to make the playoffs. However, they haven’t been to the playoffs since 2006. Their lack of experience will hurt them come playoff time, but they should be incredibly proud of what they have pulled off this season.
Another dangerous team is the Los Angeles Clippers. Anytime Khawai Leonard is on the court and healthy isi a dangerous time for the NBA. Leonard is back in full swing, playing like his normal self, averaging 22.1 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 49.% shooting from the field and 38.0% from three. Now that Leonard and Paul George are sharing the floor once again, they also will stand a chance come playoff time. They also recently picked up former MVP Russel Westbrook and center Mason Plumlee that will only make their roster better and more prepared for the playoffs.
Last, and certainly not least, the Los Angeles Lakers have had quite the season, not in a good way. Their roster coming into the season looked pretty good, with Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. But this team did not mesh together well, and Davis got injured every other day. However, they let go of Russel Westbrook, Patrick Beverly and Thomas Bryant for solid players D'Angelo Russel, Mlaik Beasely, and Jarred Vanderbilt, which now make them a real contender for a play-in spot and potentially a playoff spot. This team has been very inconsistent and confusing throughout the season, but these new additions could be exactly what they need to go on a run over the last six weeks of the season, and I think they have a good chance to make a run as long as AD and LeBron stay healthy.
The Western Conference is so airtight right now and will make for a great postseason. As for the final standings going into the playoffs, here is where I think the teams will match up. I believe that the Nuggets are the team to beat right now and will continue to be so. The Grizzlies have a major target on their back, but I see them retaining the second seed till playoffs. The Suns are set to make a run, and I think they will. I see the Clippers holding the fourth seed and the Kings dropping to the fifth seed because these other teams just got a lot better. The Dubs will make a run at some point once Curry returns, and I think they are ready to compete after a rough season. I wish I could put the Mavericks higher, but I think the depth of the Mavericks will cause issues for them against these teams that picked up multiple solid players. Finally, I believe that the Los Angeles Lakers will win the eighth and final playoff spot in the play-in tournament.
So that's:
Denver Nuggets
Memphis Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns
Los Angeles Clippers
Sacramento Kings
Golden State Warriors
Dallas Mavericks - Win 7 seed in Play-In Tournament
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Los Angeles Lakers - Win 8 seed in Play-In Tournament
This NBA season has been exhilarating and entertaining to watch as a fan. The incredibly close records of these talented teams will make it fun to witness how everything plays out. I can’t wait to see what happens, and I think at this point, it could be any team's championship to win. Only time will tell which teams rise to the occasion and which teams crack under pressure.