The Five Northwest Division teams jazz, nuggets, trail blazers, Timberwolves, and Thunder. This, which once occupied the last place in the western strength rankings, finally gradually stabilized after the decline of the southwest division, and the relative strength has also been improved to a certain extent. Compared with the past, the chaotic situation has been controlled to a certain extent, and the overall trend is stable, but no one can say how long it can last, and what is more serious is that the starlight in this division has not improved, but has a tendency to aggravate.
The Jazz and Blazers are some of the teams with a deep accumulation here, although the Jazz and Blazers have entered the Finals at different times, and the Blazers have brought great pressure to the Lakers' triple-title career at the beginning of this century, but no matter how hard they work, they will eventually become supporting roles.
The 2021 Jazz lineup
Since Malone joined the Lakers in the summer of 2003, the Jazz team has collapsed, but have to admire the level of Coach Sloan, selected Delon Williams in 2005, plus Boozer, who defected from the Cavaliers, as well as Russia's AK47, Turkish center Oku, actually reached the Western Conference Finals in 2007, and later proved that the glory of this Jazz team is also the Western Conference Finals. With Deron leaving the Nets, Boozer joined the Bulls over salary issues, and the Jazz lingered outside the playoffs. Although the record has been relatively poor, the Jazz team's draft vision of the inside players is really not bad, high picks to choose Favors and Kanter, can not be said to be parallel goods, but at least did not play in line with their status of the level, until the selection of Gobert, Mitchell, O'Neal and other players, the Jazz began to rise, but only in the regular season. In the 2021 playoffs, the Clippers, facing the lack of Leonard, were actually defeated by George alone. Once again, it was proved that this Jazz team is just a team that likes to play the regular season, and its excellence needs to be proved by multiple rounds of playoffs.
The most anticipated trio in league history
Since the Blazers were eliminated by the Lakers at the beginning of this century, the team's Pippen, Rashid, Little Flying Squirrel, etc. have been disbanded, until 06 selected Roy and Aldridge, plus the 07 champion Auden, let people see the hope of the rise of the Blazers, but injuries always like to find the door, first Auden rookie season reimbursement, it is difficult to wait until Auden to play, Roy encountered injuries again, and then Auden reimbursed, the Blazers are left with an Aldridge façade. Lillard was later selected, and it turned out that this was a playoff team, and the six, seven or eight in the West had all appeared, and this state of not being up and down would continue as long as Lillard was still there.
Nuggets 2021 lineup
The Nuggets selected Anthony in 2003, but it was not hot until the summer of 2008, when the trade came to Billups, the Nuggets entered the Western Conference Finals, although they were eliminated by the Lakers after 6 games, but it gave people great hope, but the wish was always good, and soon Anthony ran to New York for money. After 2010, the Blazers selected some young players who could also make the playoffs, but always a round trip. It wasn't until Jokic was selected with a low pick, plus Murray and Porter Jr., that the Nuggets really got the league to value. The 2020 Reverse Clippers reached the Western Conference Finals. The 2021 regular season Western Conference finished third, knowing that this was achieved in the case of Murray's injury. In the offseason, the big contract was renewed for Porter Jr., the future of the Nuggets has been determined, and the value of Jokic plus Murray jr. who got the regular season MVP is more promising.
The Thunder Three Lesser of the Once Mighty Shock Alliance
If the most anticipated and deplorable team in the past decade is except for the Thunder, there should be no other team that can compare. The thunder's management first showed its own accurate draft vision, choosing Durant in 2007, choosing Harden in 2008 and choosing Harden in 2009, and now it seems that all three of them have won the regular season MVP, and from this point the thunder management's vision no team can match. The Thunder did not disappoint everyone, the 2011 Western Conference Finals, the 2012 Finals. But the Offseason Thunder made a faint move, in order to save 6 million to let Harden go, or think that as long as there is Durant and Westbrook, the Thunder can still win the championship. Then In 2013, Westbrook was injured, Durant was injured in 2015, and in 2016 he was reversed by the Warriors with a 3-1 lead and missed the Finals. In the summer, Durant left, and Wei Shao began a solo performance, averaging three-doubles per game in the season, and MVP in the regular season, but he could not pass the first round. Even if you get Anthony and George, you won't be able to do it. In the 2019 offseason trade between Paul and Westbrook, Westbrook arrived at the Rockets. In 2020, Paul joined the Suns, the Thunder team's hard-working results after several years completely collapsed, imagine what kind of superstar the team that can hoard dozens of draft picks has to trade, this is the Thunder.
Downs, Wiggins, Butler trio
The Timberwolves are in a cold city, and the highlight moment is that In 2004 Garnett led the team to the Western Conference Finals, and in the summer of 2007, Garnett left in exchange for players such as El Jefferson, but it proved that Jefferson was a data brush. The result of the perennial poor record is that there are many lottery picks, in 2009, flynn and Rubio were selected, and then Wiggins, Derrick Williams, and then chose Towns, which has two titles, and the worst of the rest is also the top five picks, that is, the team with young talent hoarding has only entered the playoffs once, and then Butler left, Wiggins left, Towns had no desire to win, I don't know how long the Timberwolves will be silent.
Although there are still teams in the Northwest Division such as the Timberwolves and Thunder that have been rebuilding or just starting to rebuild, the Jazz and Nuggets are basically stable and still have an upward trend, and the Blazers, although they have not improved much, will not regress as long as They are good for Rad. The once chaotic Northwest Division has also entered a period of stability, and it is no accident that three teams will enter the playoffs in the new season, which is already the highlight of the Northwest Division.
However, this division can not retain stars, from 2000 onwards to leave the stars are Ray Allen, Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Paul, Anthony, Billups, Aldridge, Garnett, Wiggins, Butler, Delong Williams, Hayward, Boozell and so on, which is also one of the reasons for the perennial weakness of the Western Division.
However, with the decline of the Southwest Division, the strongest division in the West, it was finally the turn of the Northwest Division to have more playoff seats.