The West is strong and the East is the NBA has been recognized in recent years, this season the West is more competitive, there are currently 5 teams aiming to compete for the championship, namely the defending champion Nuggets, the century-old giant Lakers, the Clippers, the Clippers, the Suns, the three-point trendsetter Warriors, these five teams are the favorites to win the championship, with a large number of fans around the world, the new season has been carried out a quarter, but the Clippers and Warriors are not among the top eight in the West.
The Clippers' poor record is because the addition of Harden has disrupted the team's original rotation lineup, the team is on the right track after five consecutive defeats, winning 8 of the last 11 games, and currently ranking ninth in the West with 11 wins and 10 losses, and there is no win difference with the eighth-place Rockets.
The Warriors are the team that is more worrying, the Warriors basically did not strengthen in the offseason, just traded Poole for Paul, the main lineup is more aging, Green played a total of 14 games in injury + suspension at the beginning of the season, Curry is also plagued by injuries, the team's current record is 10-12, ranking 11th in the West, and there is still a big gap from the playoff zone. What is even more worrying is that coach Cole's employment is questionable, and young players are simply not reused.
The two surprising teams in the West are the Timberwolves and the Thunder, the Timberwolves are 17-4 and the top team in the West, the team is impeccable on the defensive end, and has a double champion on the offensive end, which is very similar to the Grizzlies last season. The Thunder are currently ranked second in the West with 14 wins and 7 losses, and now the team is mainly composed of young players, and has formed a new Thunder three-less combination of Alexander + Holmgren + Jalen Williams, and is determined to win a playoff spot.
The Mavericks, Kings, Lakers, and Suns are not a big problem for the four teams to enter the playoffs, and only the Rockets can compete for the top eight positions in the West, but who can enter the top eight in the end between the Clippers and the Warriors, or other teams will give up their positions, all this is still unknown, and Morant, the core of the Grizzlies, is about to return and is likely to become a spoiler.