Western Conference: Looking Ahead

1. LA Lakers 53 13
2. San Antonio 44 21
3. Houston 43 25
4. Denver 42 25
5. New Orleans 41 24
6. Portland 41 25
7. Utah 41 26
8. Dallas 40 27
9. Phoenix 36 31

Unofficially, it is a race to see who will finish between 2nd and 8th. The Lakers stand alone at the top of the standings, and though it is very well possible that the Lakers could lose 8 games to close the season while the Spurs don't lose the rest of the way, it is very unlikely that the Spurs will be able to catch up to the Lakers. That being said, where will each team end up? San Antonio could remain in 2nd, but the rest is a toss-up. By mid-April, these standings could be completely different.

NINE.
Phoenix still has a slim chance of making it to the playoffs, if the 7th or 8th teams struggle tremendously. But with a 150 point onslaught last night, maybe they'll score enough points to get into the playoffs. However, a team must also play defense, and this team just doesn't get it. While there is still a small chance, and while Dallas is struggling immensely, Phoenix just doesn't get it, and I don't see them making the playoffs. I truly do hope I am wrong on this, because not seeing Steve Nash and Shaq in the playoffs is an awkward thought.

EIGHT.
Dallas could be one of the most inconsistent teams in the Western Conference this year . If you saw the Dallas-Lakers game last night, there's not a lot you can say about the Mavericks. Had the game only been one quarter, they might have won, but this team has not only struggled in Los Angeles (3-16 at the Staples Center against the Lakers) but they have hit a large roadblock this year, and they will probably stay put as the 8th seed. Which is a nightmare for them, because this is one team that the Lakers would love to face, and Dallas would hate to deal with.

SEVEN.
I don't see Utah dropping lower than seventh. In fact, I am surprised to see Utah so low; but injuries have plagued them all year with Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and even AK47. But they are playing great ball right now, and I only see this team rising. Of all the teams, this might be the one team that can get the Spurs or Lakers number. Deron Williams is a tough guard for anybody, and with Boozer healthy, they have the right roster to match-up considerably well with both the Lakers and the Spurs. This might be the team, but their match up in the first round might hurt them and tire them out. If the playoffs started today, they would play the Spurs in the first round. Should they beat them, they'd play either Denver or New Orleans. Deron Williams is going to take a lot of pounding by dealing with Tony Parker and then Chris Paul or Chauncey Billups. By the time they get to the Western Conference against potentially the Lakers, they might be a drained team. A playoff exit could very well mean the final send-off for Carlos Boozer as well.

SIX.
This team is tough. Especially at home. But they are also young, and I don't know that they have enough to get to that next level. Each big game Brandon Roy plays, he more and more proves why he isn't just the Blazer's go-to player, but rather a franchise player and one of the best guards in the NBA right now. And the team that has been build around him is stunning. But I'm not the only one who now wants to see what it would have been like if it was Roy and Kevin Durant running together, am I? That's frightening. I see them getting possibly to the second round, but no further. Not yet.

FIVE.
What happened to this team? They were so good last year, and didn't they only get better by adding James Posey? This team just didn't seem motivated as they were last year. Aside from Chris Paul, everyone else has had subpar years. David West and Peja Stojokavic had real good years last year, but they have digressed this year. Potentially playing Denver this year, it's tough to say who will win that battle. Both have good, experienced coaches with the necessary pieces to be real good teams. For some reason, both teams aren't. But this just might be Byron Scott's last run with this team as a lot of people are saying that the Hornets have simply tuned Scott out.

FOUR.
This team always has some ongoing issue. Ok, I'll start over. Carmelo Anthony always seems to have some ongoing issue. As good as a player he is, he isn't the player he was supposed to be when he came in with Lebron and D-Wade. Chauncey has guided this team to where they are this year, but they need Carmelo to get through to the playoffs. Sometimes he's there; sometimes he's not. Chauncey is so used to having multiple guys to depend on in the playoffs and some guaransheeds to be motivated by, but this Nuggets team is just trying to get past the first round right now. Nothing more.

THREE.
Could this be the first time Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming get past the first round? Wait. McGrady won't. Yes, they've been playing well without T-Mac this year, but as seen a few weeks ago, no matter how good Ron Artest and Shane Battier are with one-on-one defense, Kobe and the Lakers have their number. I don't see them beating the Spurs or the Lakers in a 7-game series. Maybe a game or two. Yao might make his way into the second round, and this will prove to be a revelation that Houston doesn't need Tracy McGrady anymore (especially after his act in February)...but still, not a team that will be fighting for that title this year.

Houston fans, this is for you:

TWO.
It comes down to the the final two. As much as I said Utah could battle San Antonio in the first round, and make its way to the Western Conference Finals, do you really see the Spurs losing in the first round? I do not, however, Shaq isn't in the playoffs this year. I'm not a big Spurs fan, and to the Spurs fans reading this, I really do apologize for the video above. But it just might be time for the Spurs reign to come to an end. As good as Duncan and coach Pop are, it might be coming to an end. But I am not writing them off yet. If there's one team that can take them in the first round, it'll be Utah.

ONE.
Many people thought Bynum's loss again this year would hurt them. But this team has stuck together and fought through it...by playing offense all the time, and defense a quarter of the time, and it's doing them just fine. Should they play Dallas in the first round, Kobe will be all smiles. The two teams they probably don't want to deal with in the first round is Utah and Portland, two teams they have always struggled with, especially on the road. But this team has had a mission since training camp...home court advantage. And with that, they think that's all they'll need to win the title behind Kobe, Pau and the rest of the Lakers.

The next three weeks will tell a lot about all the teams. Notably seven teams have to figure themselves out if they want to have a shot.

Should be an interesting two weeks in the West. Up until this point, it was about having the good enough record to sustain yourself to get into the playoffs. These teams have done that, and they are almost there. But it's not about making the playoffs for these teams anymore.

It's about June.