Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs: Top Contenders for Western Conference Playoffs – NBA Feature (Part 2)
4. Los Angeles Clippers:
After reaching the second round of playoffs last season, the Clippers pretty much removed the tag of the second team from L.A.
The high-scoring duo of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul proved to be a match winning combination and the two of them proved their worth throughout regular season and in the play-offs. But with a relatively weak defense and the potential
distraction of Paul becoming a free agent by the end of this season, make sure that hopes are not to be set too high for the Clippers.
To be honest, the biggest fight in the Western Conference will be for the Number.4 spot which will be up for grabs because of a number of teams having almost similar amount of talent and four. The presence of CP3 makes the Clips
a favourite, but in the West one never knows.
3. San Antonio Spurs:
Talk of the Spurs and the first question which rises is the average age of the squad. The leaders of the pack Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are both in their mid-30s, while Tony Parker is touching 30, and whether they will be able
to keep up pace with other fresh legs in NBA; remains to be seen.
However, this offensive powerhouse remains one of the strongest teams in the Western Conference with players like Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and not to forget the Coach of the Year Greg Popovich.
This season, the competition will be much tighter in the Western Conference with a renewed Lakers side and a more mature and experienced Thunder squad and it will be mighty difficult for the Spurs to close yet another regular season
as the number one seeds, something they have been doing for the last two seasons. There is still a chance, but it will depend largely on how well and how long their “senior citizens” last through the regular season.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder:
Let’s face it, there is not a lot separating the two strongest sides in the Western Conference. The Lakers do have a slight advantage over the Thunder due to experience, but having said that, Oklahoma City Thunder are still one
of the favourites to get to the NBA Finals in 2013 and having the services of all of their main stays from last season in the shape of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, there are not many who can rule out this claim.
Apart from lighting up the scoreboard, they also have a good option in defense in the form of Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins. If there is any question, it is over Westbrook’s willingness to pass the ball around. If he manages
to do that more often this season, OKC are in for a similar if not better season than 2012.
1. Los Angeles Lakers:
The best starting lineup in NBA still has to prove a lot on the court next season. But the kind of promise names like Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol offer, it will be a treat to watch them play in 2013. If
there is one thing which might cast a doubt over their Championship hopes, it is the ability of these stars to gel up in their first season together and bring the home the glory. While they have won the off-season this time around, it might as well take some
time for the likes of Kobe Bryant to adjust with the new teammates and form a winning combination.
But until now, the Lakers are the team to beat in the Western Conference.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
Tags: