Skip to main content

The West is Wild and the Regular Season Matters Again

We're over a month into the 2018-19 NBA season. The Los Angeles Clippers have the best winning percentage in the West. Last year's Western Conference runner-up is sitting at 13th in the conference now. And the Golden State Warriors aren't currently the top seed. (At least not technically)

Sure, the Warriors will probably remain atop the conference, but after that, the West has more intrigue and storylines than ever. The top seed and the 14th-best team are separated by a mere 5.5 games. In the East, this disparity is 12 games.

Sitting outside the current playoff picture are six teams that have just as good a chance to make the playoffs as the seven teams ahead of them, not counting the Warriors. The conference currently stands:
  1. Los Angeles Clippers (13-6 but technically 0.5 GB)
  2. Golden State Warriors (15-7, technically 0.5 GA)
  3. Denver Nuggets (13-7, 1 GB)
  4. Memphis Grizzlies (12-7, 1.5 GB)
  5. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-7, 1.5 GB)
  6. Portland Trailblazers (12-8, 2 GB)
  7. Los Angeles Lakers (11-8, 2.5 GB)
  8. Sacramento Kings (10-10, 4 GB)
  9. San Antonio Spurs (10-10, 4 GB)
  10. Dallas Mavericks (9-9, 4 GB)
  11. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-11, 4.5 GB)
  12. New Orleans Pelicans (10-11, 4.5 GB)
  13. Houston Rockets (9-10, 4.5 GB)
  14. Utah Jazz (9-12, 5.5 GB)
  15. Phoenix Suns (4-15, 9.5 GB)

The Spurs, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Jazz, and Rockets all made the playoffs last season, but wouldn't if the season ended today. Meanwhile, after narrowly missing the postseason last year, the Nuggets catapult to the 3rd seed. The Clippers, Lakers, Kings, and Grizzlies would also qualify under the current standings.
Of course, these standings won't hold at all, and that's where the excitement comes from. The 8th seeded Kings and 14th seeded Jazz are only separated by 1.5 games, meaning in a few days time the list could be completely flipped.

Home-court advantage still matters in the NBA, so seeding will be everything in the 2019 NBA playoffs. Not only will making the playoffs be a challenge for everyone not named Golden State, but fighting for positioning will give games meaning right down to the end of the season.

There's still about 75% of the season left to play, so again, everything can and will change. That won't stop me from predicting who I see as the eight playoff teams though.

Sak Sports NBA Western Conference Prediction as of 11/27/18 

  1. Golden State Warriors
  2. Los Angeles Lakers
  3. Denver Nuggets
  4. Oklahoma City Thunder
  5. Portland Trailblazers
  6. Houston Rockets
  7. Los Angeles Clippers
  8. San Antonio Spurs
Image result for harden rockets
Header Photo: Associated Press
Photo #2: Via the Sacramento Bee
Photo #3: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NBA Predictions: Playoff Teams, Awards, and Finals Matchup

The 2018-19 NBA season brings some much desired intrigue to the regular season. Without LeBron James, the East will send a new team to the Finals for the first time in eight years. In the West, the Rockets try to close the gap on the Warriors with the addition of Carmelo Anthony. And of course the biggest story: how will LeBron James fare with the Los Angeles Lakers? A new Finals matchup, an exciting MVP race, fresh rookies, and stars on new teams give plenty of reasons to watch the NBA regular season. Here are my predictions for the 16 playoff teams, major awards, and NBA Finals outcome. Eastern Conference Playoff Teams Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers Toronto Raptors Indiana Pacers Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks Detroit Pistons Washington Wizards Outside Looking In: Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks LeBron James is finally out of the Eastern Conference after 15 years. The teams must be rejoicing, and the East is totally up

NFL Week 6 Picks

The standings are beginning to take shape, and bring us some pivotal matchups in Week 6. The NFC East is muddled, and all four teams could be in play with a win this week. The Falcons are fighting for their lives in the NFC South, while the Panthers are fighting for a share of first. And New England looks to establish AFC dominance, but can the Chiefs beat the conference's de facto favorite to improve to 6-0? Week 5 was my strongest of the season so far, going 9-6. The tally brings my total record to 39-37-2, above the .500 mark for the first time. This week does bring a few difficult games but I'm confident in another winning week. (Header photo courtesy of NBC Sports) Thursday Night Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) at New York Giants (1-4) New York has been pretty bad about half this season, and in the other half, the offense has shown signs of aptitude. The loss to the Carolina Panthers was a heartbreaker that sent the Giants to 1-4: but no one in the NFC East has

NFL Week 7 Picks

In Week 6, the Los Angeles Rams stayed undefeated, the New England Patriots handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss, and the Dallas Cowboys blew out the Jacksonville Jaguars. Week 7 sees more important matchups on the field. The Chiefs have another test, against a strong 4-2 Cincinnati Bengals team. The New York Jets can stay in the AFC East win with a third straight home win, but a hot Minnesota Vikings team comes to town this week. And the Jaguars need to get back on track, as a loss to the Houston Texans would put them behind in the AFC South. Week 5 was my strongest picks week of the season (9-6) but I improved again in Week 6, going 11-4. This brings my season total to 50-41-2 Thursday Night Denver Broncos (2-4) at Arizona Cardinals (1-5) The Cardinals are 1-1 over the past two weeks, showing signs of life in both games. The Broncos are winless on the road this season, and are on a four-game losing streak. Signs point in Arizona's favor. Then why is D