With the Clippers beating the Blazers 117-109 at home, they consolidated their seventh place in the West with a five-game winning streak, which dropped below 50 percent to tenth in the West, and the current rankings for the Western Division are as follows:
1-8: Warriors 9-1, Jazz 8-3, Lone Rangers 7-3, Suns 6-3, Grizzlies 6-4, Nuggets 6-4, Clippers 6-4, Lakers 6-5;
9-15: Kings 5-6, Trail Blazers 5-6, Thunder 3-6, Timberwolves 3-6, Spurs 3-7, Rockets 1-9, Pelicans 1-10.
Looking at the entire ranking, it is not difficult to find that the top eight in the West have a winning percentage of more than 50%, while the Kings and Blazers are hovering on the edge of the playoffs, as for the Thunder, Timberwolves, Spurs, Rockets and Pelicans, the five teams are properly arranged teams, early withdrawal from the playoff quota competition, the Thunder and Timberwolves are in the stage of talent but can not cash in on the record, the Spurs even if popovich strategize, it is difficult to cook, the only hope is to wait for the arrival of the next Duncan.
The Rockets' objective lineup strength should be the first in the West, they do not have superstars to sit, but also lack a sufficiently threatening tactical system, when Harden was there, the boss and management were still cutting and searching to lead to failure, and now do not know when to complete the rebuild, in contrast, the Pelicans are plagued by injuries, Zion has not yet played, Ingram is also slightly injured, in the absence of a veteran leader on the team, their prospects will not be much better than last season.
After excluding the above five teams, the remaining ten teams are potential contenders for playoff spots, according to the current momentum, los Angeles two male Lakers and Clippers, will compete with the Blazers, Kings into the playoffs, although the Clippers lost the core Leonard, but Paul George played a role as a leader perfectly, so that the Clippers maintain a good mental outlook. The Lakers due to James's injury relationship, is currently in a state of chaos, Wei Shao and thick eyebrow brother did not produce the ideal chemical reaction, especially the former, the average of 5.1 mistakes per game ranked first in the league, but fortunately in the last game they narrowly defeated the Hornets with a 3-point advantage, somewhat reversed the unfavorable momentum, if James wants to extend the recovery time, the Lakers' final ranking probability can not be significantly improved.
After looking up, the Nuggets, Grizzlies, Suns and Mavericks all have a common feature, that is, they all have excellent young leaders, Mr. Yo has become the undisputed league's number one center, Morant is leading the team to create his own legend like his predecessor Iverson, Booker has obviously matured after the Finals baptism last season, and Doncic, who has adapted to the new rules, is still the all-round ball-holding core, and their team will be a playoff regular, both now and in the future.
If the Jazz just look at the record, it is the team that is most likely to challenge the Warriors in the West, but their fate has never been improved, that is, the lack of a real superstar, Gobert's strength ceiling is a senior blue-collar worker, Mitchell's height talent restricts his evolution into an outside supergiant, the Jazz will inevitably be beaten back to the original shape when they get to the playoffs, and the ceiling is indeed too low.
So the 9-1 Warriors are expected to open the "one super strong" pattern again, Curry maintained a good feel, Green also regained the passion to play and defensive enthusiasm, Kerr has re-created a set of offensive and defensive tactical systems, in addition, they have the league's deepest bench lineup, the most harmonious atmosphere and strict execution discipline, when Thompson returns, you can't imagine what kind of height they will reach, if there is no serious injury, The Warriors are the most dominant team in the West, and as for how to sweep the league, we have seen it in the years 2015-2018.
Of course, there may be minor changes in the final regular season rankings, but in the absence of trades and injuries, the top ten in the West are generally out of suspense, and I don't know who can be the ultimate big winner of the season?