Behind the Golden State Warriors, in the Western Conference, there is always the usual big fight, with an average level higher than that of the Eastern teams, thanks to the presence of teams like Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, as well as obviously Steph Curry and comrades. Unlike the last few seasons, however, this year the gap seems to be much less wide, this is due to the improvement on the other side of teams such as Boston and Detroit, the return, at least in part, of Chicago, Miami and Indiana and the confirmations from Toronto and Atlanta, all of course chasing the Cleveland Cavs.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
As mentioned, the incredible Golden State Warriors of the Martian Steph Curry are always in the lead, but rivals are certainly not lacking immediately behind, starting with the usual San Antonio Spurs, the most solid and continuous ones, defined by many as the real candidates for a place in the Finals in June. Considerations that can make you smile, just a few days after the clamorous debacle suffered by the Texan team at the hands of the Warriors (120-90 the final, with 37 points from Curry, now the norm for him, who remained on the bench for the entire last quarter seen the large advantage).
Even if it was only one of the 82 games of the season, the first meeting between the two teams was awaited with curiosity by many fans, to put the reigning champions to the test once again against an opponent among the top ones, and in the end the result , but above all the progress of the whole meeting was sensational and frankly unthinkable on the eve. Reiterated for the umpteenth time that two shots that take the iron and go out in the final of a playoff game are enough to nullify everything done in the previous months, Curry and his partners sent another clear message to the whole league after humiliating LeBron too James and his Cavs, they are the strongest at the moment, and if their percentages do not drop it is difficult to think of who can beat them four times in a playoff series.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Ko with the Warriors aside, the excellent judgment on San Antonio cannot change (in the night they gave the Houston Rockets 31 points), given that we are talking about a team that has had an extraordinary regular season so far, which came to a clash with Golden State back by just two losses and now sitting on a 39-7 record, impressive numbers only partially overshadowed by what the band of phenomena up front are doing. The exit in the first round of the last playoffs at the hands of the Clippers could have seemed the conclusion (this time for real) of the era of the Big Three, aka Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, however this year too the rivals will have to deal with them and with their desire to make history again.
But, although the trio continues to give its decisive contribution, it is clear and essential that the future victories of the Texans will depend a lot on the performances of the other big names, from Leonard (as he has already shown in the 2014 Finals and who travels to 20 points per game) to Green, and above all Aldridge, the coup last summer to try and take back the title. First part of the season in which the Spurs also showcased Boban Marjanovic, a Serbian giant of 223 centimeters (the tallest ever in the history of the franchise), taken in the summer after the last two excellent years with the Red Star shirt and all The start seen by the fans more as an attraction than anything else, but who instead, match after match and with the increase of the space granted to him on the pitch by Popovich, is proving to be a player of value, with important points in his hands and a technique and unusual agility for one of his size.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Firm in third position are the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have arrived at this point of the season without too many peaks and with some rather too painful victories, but called for the umpteenth year to take the decisive step and turn their enormous potential into something much more concrete. Let's face it clearly, not winning a single title with Durant and Westbrook in their ranks would be too great a waste and a shame for the two players, both of whom arrived in Oklahoma in 2008 and therefore in their eighth season together in the Thunder shirt. For the twenty-seven-year-old couple, however, time begins to pass and so far the most important result remains the 2012 Finals, when LeBron James' Miami Heat got between them and the ring. Then "only" two more conference finals (in 2011 and 2014) and last season literally thrown away, without even reaching the playoffs, with relative disappointments, controversies and the change of coach (when in reality the explanation was simply in the 55 games Durant missed due to injury).
Also this season the two leaders are maintaining their very high averages, with 27 points per game for the 2014 mvp and 24 for Westbrook, with the latter who, on evenings when the teammate in jersey 35 is absent, charges the team on his shoulders and becomes totally unstoppable for the opposing defenses. But in addition to the two of them, and the third fiddle Ibaka, the Thunder can have enormous offensive capacity in practically all elements of their roster, with many points in the hands also in the bench players, Kanter and Waiters above all (while Morrow , an often important element in the past season, in recent months has seen its use drastically drop and consequently also its confidence (similar discourse for the other shooter Singler). Often times it has proved not to be the most reliable team and where it can arrive is always difficult to predict, certainly a Warriors-Thunder conference final would be the most spectacular.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
In fourth position we find the Los Angeles Clippers, always poised between the belief that it could be a good year and the sensation of another season with the usual final flop waiting for them. Paul and his teammates have so far not impressed as could be expected and against rivals of the same level they have almost always gone knockout, this despite the fact that the Californian team has a second quintet available which would be the starting one in half of the other teams in the league and in general a roster formed by a mix of athleticism (Griffin and Jordan), shooters (Redick and Crawford) and experience (Pierce and Prigioni), without forgetting Austin Rivers. Among the problems there is certainly Lance Stephenson, potentially a factor, but who after his farewell to the Pacers has begun a worrying involution that has led him to experience another very negative season so far.
The fate of the Clippers who will once again pass through the plays of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, with CP3 turning 31 this year and the frustration of finishing his career without ever having even come close to that much-dreamed-of title which is starting to rise, while the teammate who, in addition to being devastating on the pitch, also saw fit to be devastating off the field, punching a warehouse worker (his friend) of the team during a fight during the away match a few days ago in Toronto. All consumed first inside and then outside a restaurant, with the result that the warehouse worker obviously had the worst and ended up in hospital, but also for Griffin the insult of a fractured hand (already operated on immediately after the incident) which will keep him out of action for 4-6 weeks (waiting if there will be measures also by the club which has already issued a rather harsh press release on the matter), thus lengthening his absence from the parquet which began after Christmas due to a problem with the thigh. But beyond a few too many problems on and off the field, the Clippers remain one of the best teams in the league and definitely one to avoid at all costs in the playoffs, even if your name is Curry, Durant or Parker.
