We all knew that the NBA Western Conference would be tough, but we had no idea it was going to be this tough. This season has been exceptional in terms of balance, and while the playoff picture should be taking shape, there is instead a tight jumble of nine teams fighting over eight spots. As for picking the seeds, it's anybody's guess.
Currently battling for the last two of the eight playoff spots, the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets all have winning percentages close to .600. The Suns and Timberwolves are tied for eighth, six and a half games back of the conference-leading San Antonio Spurs. Meanwhile, the Rockets are on the outside looking in, three games out of the final spot.
If the playoffs started today, every series would look like a semifinal. The Spurs, up by a half-game on the Jazz, would play the Timberwolves in the 1-8 match up. The Sacramento Kings would take the two seed as Pacific Division champs, and host the Suns in a 2-7 pairing, while the Jazz and Mavericks, with three and a half games separating them, would play in the 3-6 game. Last year's conference championship would be this year's opening round 4-5 match-up, with the Portland TrailBlazers holding on to home court advantage by a half-game over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Rockets, despite a 35-29 record (and 11 wins in their last 14 tries), would be crossing their fingers when the lottery balls are drawn. If they were competing in the East, they would be in a dead heat for the six seed.
This indicates the high potential for upset in the Western Conference playoffs - at least, according to seeding. There is little disparity in winning percentage, let alone talent, among the elite eight, all of which legitimately have their sights fixed on winning the trophy.
But lets be fair to the teams unhappy with their current position. The seeds are tight and are certain to shuffle between now and the season's end. The final seeding could largely depend on who is streaking, and what teams' schedules have in store for them during the stretch run.
Present Western Conference leader San Antonio is in good shape. The Spurs have won seven straight, including road victories over Portland and Los Angeles on consecutive nights. Tim Duncan and guard Derek Anderson have stepped up their games enormously of late, and other contributors such as Sean Elliot are getting healthy. While the Spurs' lead is slim, they are still the favorite to come away with the first spot. They play the T-Wolves tonight on TNT.
The two seed, Sacramento, is also looking sharp. The Kings survived a series of games without star forward Chris Webber, who was out with an ankle sprain, managing a 6-4 record during his absence. Since returning to the line up, C-Webb has been on a tear. Webber poured in 41 points in consecutive games, including last Wednesday's 28-point comeback win over the Suns. The Kings have won four straight since Webber's return.
Utah has been right on pace with the competition, reeling off 11 wins in its last 14 games. Furthermore, the Jazz have a reasonable schedule, give or take a few tough conference matches. The Jazz will face the L.A. Clippers, Vancouver Grizzlies, and Chicago Bulls all in the month of April leading into the playoffs.
The Trailblazers are one of the few West teams in a mild slump. Sitting atop the West just a week ago, the Blazers have lost three straight, following the infamous Rod Strickland acquisition. The Blazers will finish the season with LA and San Antonio, which should keep things interesting if the race comes down to the wire as it well might.
The defending champion Lakers aren't at the top of their game right now, coming off two straight overtime defeats (one to San Antonio). Center Shaquille O'Neal and guard Kobe Bryant have been nagged with injuries all season. The team finally got some good news, though, as point guard Derek Fisher will return to the lineup. What the team really needs, though, is rest. The last nine of the Lakers' 11 games will be against playoff caliber teams, but regardless of the seed, they're the champs until someone proves otherwise.
Going down the playoff board, the Mavericks held on to the six seed, sitting four games out of first. While they have been playing well, winning nine of 12, all of the losses have been at the hands of key conference opponents San Antonio and Los Angeles. The acquisition of Juwan Howard may start to pay off down the stretch, but the Mavs will face a number of other conference opponents in ten of their last 13 games from late March until the end of the season.
The last two teams on the list of eight, the Suns and T-Wolves, have been playing .500 ball lately, which isn't enough to advance them into the upper echelon. The T-Wolves have been more aggressive, however, and may pull ahead in the coming weeks.
Despite the abundance of questions, though, there's still a month left before the book is closed on the 2000-2001 regular season, which leaves plenty of time for more excitement.
