NBA playoff race heats up in the West

By Eric Lorenz
West Times Staff

It’s used often to describe the West, but in the NBA, the Western Conference has truly gone wild.

With less than a month left to play in the regular season, exactly zero teams have clinched a playoff spot. Contrast that with the East (four teams), and the disparity starts to take shape. As of April 1, the No. 1 seed (New Orleans Hornets) was separated from the No. 8 seed (Golden State Warriors) by a mere 5 ½ games. Add to that equation that four teams in the West have won 50 or more games and two more are currently sitting at 49, and it’s anyone’s call where teams will find themselves once the playoffs get under way.

It all started to get crazy in the West when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Memphis Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol. Shortly thereafter, Phoenix traded Shawn Marion to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal. Dallas then acquired Jason Kidd from New Jersey for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop and others. The Spurs (Kurt Thomas, Damon Stoudamire) and Jazz (Kyle Korver) also made additions in an attempt to add the final piece to the puzzle.

For some, the additions were terrific. For others, not so much.

The Lakers were loving life with Pau Gasol joining Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum in the starting five, but injuries to Bynum and Gasol have made the road bumpy for the team from Tinseltown.

Phoenix got off to a rough stretch trying to incorporate the Big Diesel into their run-and-gun offense. However, the pieces are beginning to meld together and Amaré Stoudemire is loving life at the power forward position as he and the Suns are just a game out of the top seed in the West.

San Antonio is hitting its stride as the playoffs near – as usual. The additions of Kurt Thomas and Damon Stoudamire haven’t been as major as the return to health of Tony Parker and the rest of the Spurs clan as the currently sit atop the West tied with the Hornets.

But the biggest surprise has been Dallas. After being pressured into doing something to keep pace with everyone else in the West, the Jason Kidd Experiment is floundering. The offense appears disjointed and stale. Couple that with Dirk Nowitzki’s injury, and 2007’s No. 1 seed may spend the 2008 playoffs watching from their couches.

But most impressive would have to be the Hornets. Led by super point Chris Paul, New Orleans is currently battling the battle-tested Spurs for home-court advantage. The Hornets didn’t make a lot of noise during the trading deadline, but the core of Tyson Chandler, David West and Peja Stojakovic provide plenty of support.

Utah has been flying under the radar, but Kyle Korver has given the Jazz a reliable shooter off the bench.

Houston had a 22-game winning streak earlier in the season, but that fell by the wayside and now the Yao-less Rockets face an uphill climb.

As for Denver and Golden State, whichever team claims the No. 8 spot will give the No. 1 a run for its money.

The West is a crapshoot right now. So sit back and enjoy the ride.