About a half dozen games or so remain for each NBA Western Conference playoff contender. Where do the top teams in the conference stand with a couple weeks left in the regular season? What would the matchups be if the playoffs started today? Would the two top dogs in California take on one another in what might be a bloodbath?
Are the Oklahoma City Thunder in danger of losing out on the No. 2 seed to the upstart Los Angeles Clippers? What teams earn the final two playoff spots? These are all questions that will be answered in the next couple of weeks. As it is, let’s check in on the NBA Western Conference playoff matchups as they stand now.
1. San Antonio Spurs (59-17) vs 8. Memphis Grizzlies (45-31)
Justin Ford, USA Today: Duncan against Randolph would make for an interesting matchup.
Coming off a 19-game winning streak that was snapped Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, this veteran-laden San Antonio Spurs roster possesses a 3.5 game lead in the Western Conference for the No. 1 overall seed and home court throughout the playoffs.
With nine players averaging eight points or more and 13 players averaging 10 minutes-plus per outing, this has to be considered the deepest unit in the Association. Tony Parker leads all scorers at just under 17 points per outing. It’s this type of balanced attack that enables San Antonio to rest its aging players, including Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Parker.
As of right now, San Antonio would be taking on a 45-win Grizzlies team that is tied with the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot, but holds the tiebreaker due to a 3-0 lead in the season series. If Memphis finishes tied with Phoenix, it will grab the final spot. In addition to that, the Grizzlies are just a .5 game behind the Dallas Mavericks for the seventh spot and two behind the Warriors for the sixth seed. Dallas boasts the tiebreaker for the seventh spot with a 3-0 season series lead over Memphis. The two will close up the regular season a week from this upcoming Wednesday.
Zach Randolph is leading the Grizzlies in both points and rebounds, while averaging a double-double each outing. Meanwhile, point guard Mike Conley is adding 17 points and six boards per. Memphis has lost all three of its meetings against the Spurs by an average of just over eight points per game.
4. Houston Rockets (50-25) vs 5. Portland Blazers (49-28)
Troy Taormino, USA Today: Two 50-win teams against one another in the first round? It might happen more than once in the West.
As one of the four teams in the Western Conference that has clinched a playoff berth, Houston is going to be a team to watch out for when the postseason comes. With that said, this James Harden-led team is just 7-6 in its last 13 outings after winning 45 of its first 64. James Harden has been downright dominating through the regular season, averaging 25 points and nearly six rebounds per game. Center Dwight Howard, living up to what we already knew about him, is putting up over 12 rebounds on average.
Interestingly enough, it’s the performances of Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, Terrence Jones and Patrick Beverley that have the Rockets among the best teams in the conference. They are combining for 50 points and 20 boards per game. Houston boasts a two-game lead over the Blazers for home-court advantage in the opening round. This is huge considering that it owns a 30-8 regular season record at home this year. The Rockets also hold a tiebreaker here with a 3-1 season series lead.
For their part, the Blazers aren’t exactly set in stone to be the No. 5 seed. They boast a 1.5 game lead over the Golden State Warriors and play the upstart Northern California team in the second-to-last game of the season. Golden State holds the tiebreaker with a 2-1 season series lead.
Portland is led by LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, who are combining for 44 points, 15 rebounds and about eight assists per game. It’s this awesome inside-out game that has many believing the Blazers could make a run in the second season. Unfortunately, the young team is 9-10 since the start of March. They need to get it together down the stretch to be considered serious contenders to make a run in the playoffs.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (55-20) vs 7. Dallas Mavericks (46-31)
Matthew Emmons, USA Today: Unfortunately for Dirk, the changing of the guard is right now.
Fresh off snapping the Spurs 19-game winning streak, Kevin Durant and the Thunder are looking to end the season strong. They know that the No. 1 seed is out of the question, but that statement against the best team in the NBA could give them some confidence heading down the stretch. With a 32-7 record at home, Oklahoma City has to believe it should at the very least roll to the conference finals.
Durant is putting up a league high 32.1 points per game while adding 7.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists. It’s those numbers and Oklahoma City’s record that indicates he will walk away with the MVP award. Equally as important, Russell Westbrook appears ready to start playing more minutes. He’s started each of the last four outings after being considered a “healthy scratch” in two of his previous three games. Fortunately for the Thunder, they play just one back-to-back in the remainder of the regular season, which means Westbrook will likely sit out against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second-to-last game of the year.
Dallas is in the middle of a dogfight for both playoff positioning and a playoff spot. Just 1.5 game out of the No. 6 seed and a .5 game from missing the postseason altogether, these final five games will be make or break.
The bad news first. Dallas will be taking on playoff contenders in its final three outings, including games against the two teams directly behind it in the race for the final two spots. Dallas has split its season series with both teams thus far.
The good news. Dallas is 20-10 in its last 30 games and Monta Ellis is playing the best basketball of his career. He’s putting up 18.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per outing. Meanwhile, future Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki is still playing at an All-Star level. Add into the equation surprising seasons from Vince Carter, Jose Calderon, Shawn Marion and even Brandon Wright and the Mavericks have shocked the Western Conference. Will it be enough to maintain a playoff seed? If so, does Dallas stand any type of chance against either San Antonio or Oklahoma City in the first round?
3. Los Angeles Clippers (54-23) vs 6. Golden State Warriors (47-29)
Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA Today: Potentially the best new rivalry in the NBA?
Let’s just all get down on bended knee hoping that this is one of the four first-round series in the Western Conference. Outside of the bad blood on the court, these are two of the most exciting young teams in the entire NBA.
The Clippers are led by the dynamic inside-out game of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, two of the most dominating players in the NBA at their positions. Paul is putting up 18.9 points and just under 11 assists per outing, while Griffin is averaging a surprising 24 points and nearly a double-double per. Jamal Crawford, J. J. Reddick, Darren Collison, DeAndre Jordan, Matt Barnes, Danny Granger and Jared Dudley round out one of the deepest units in the conference.
Los Angeles currently sits with the third-best record in the conference, a position that it likely won’t give up prior to the end of the regular year. Interestingly enough, the Clippers are just two games out of the second seed with five remaining. In order to avoid having to play the Warriors, they will have to match the Thunder’s record and win at home against Oklahoma City on Wednesday, which would give them the tiebreaker. Stranger things have happened.
For Golden State, it’s rather simple. Mark Jackson’s squad is two games ahead of Phoenix for the final playoff spot and boasts the tiebreaker with its division rivals. With just six games left, the Warriors are likely headed for a second straight postseason appearance. It’s all about where the Warriors will be seeded. They’re 1.5 games ahead of Dallas for the seventh spot and two games ahead of Memphis for the eighth seed. Even better news, Golden State holds the tiebreaker against both teams.
Since falling to 27-19 after a loss to the Washington Wizards in late January, the Warriors have won 20 of their last 30 games and continue to play excellent ball on the road, putting up the third-best road record in the conference. Despite this, Golden State would love to hang on to the sixth seed in order to take on a Clippers squad that its split with this season. That sounds like a much sexier option than going up against San Antonio or Oklahoma City in the initial round.
Stephen Curry is the team’s anchor. He’s averaging 23.4 points and over eight assists per game. Meanwhile his “Splash Brother” in crime, Klay Thompson as well as David Lee are both putting up over 18 points. The key here if consistency and health. Both Lee and Andrew Bogut have missed time recently, which can’t be the case come playoff time. In addition, youngster Harrison Barnes will have to add to what is a deeper bench if the Warriors want to surprise come the second season.
Photo: Kelley L. Cox, USA Today