NBA West: Jockeying for Position

Photo courtesy the NBA.

The NBA season is winding down and teams are scrambling for playoff position. The Western Conference is wide open while the Eastern Conference bottom half is up for grabs. And with less than 10 games remaining, teams are running out of time to make their playoff push. Today is the Western Conference teams' turn, tomorrow the East.

You'd think the sky is falling in Lakerland with all the worried fans calling the local radio stations. Many are saying they wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers get knocked out in the first round. They're in the midst of a tough road trip that's been marked by inconsistency. Wins against San Antonio and Houston have been shadowed by ugly losses to Oklahoma City and New Orleans. But despite this trip, the Lakers are still the number one seed in the West and would have home-court throughout the western playoffs. Is there cause for concern? Maybe. Time to hit the panic button? Nope.

Photo courtesy the Bleacher Report.

With the Lakers all but assured the top spot in the West, it's a frenzy for the last seven spots. The Dallas Mavericks, propelled by a 13-game winning streak earlier this month, are in the 2 spot, but have consistency issues of their own. They got blown out by the lowly NY Knicks in Dallas plus recent road losses to playoff contenders leaves lots of questions for the Mavs. The other problem for the Mavericks is that there are three teams right behind them. The Utah Jazz (still the weirdest team name, even after knowing the team originally came from New Orleans) are playing well and have the makings of a team capable of a deep playoff run. The Jazz are, prior to tonight's games, in the 3 spot.

The Phoenix Suns are playing like their city's namesake. After nearly trading superstar Amare Stoudemire and being a dysfunctional unit in February, they're on fire with 8 straight wins, including victories over rival Utah and playoff contender Portland. The Suns aren't at full strength and can have trouble playing defense, but the run-and gun offense still has plenty of firepower and the Suns are still one of, if not the most entertaining teams to watch in the NBA. Another chink in the Sun's armor has been their difficulties playing the Lakers (LA won the season series 3-1), and until further notice, the road to the title runs through the City of Angels.

The Denver Nuggets, the team Lakers fans once feared most, has fallen from the 2 seed to the 5, largely because of the absence of coach George Karl, who has had to undergo throat and neck cancer treatments this month. Denver has the weapons to jump back to the 2 spot, largely on the backs of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, but it will be a struggle with both Utah and Phoenix ahead of them.

Photo courtesy the USA Today.

There's also a fight for the 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds. The Oklahoma City Thunder, led by young superstar Kevin Durant, is hanging onto the 6 spot by a thread, with the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs in 7th and 8th, respectively. The Spurs have the veteran experience to make some noise in the playoffs and could scare the Lakers, should they play each other in the first round, which would happen if the playoffs started today.