mdonnelly1989 wrote:I will say a few other things.
#1.) If Giannis develops more than a respectable jump shot, but even then, I still like the Clippers because Kawhi and PG can take him on the perimeter.
#2.) If Anthony Davis and Lebron James absolutely dominate they can give Clippers a run, but Kawhi has been known to be a Lebron stopper, and AD will need to go Shaq mode for their to be a legit chance if he's limited.
#3.) 76ers if Ben Simmons can go to the next level with a jump shot and Embiid can improve they IMO have the best shot. But that remains to be seen.
What about Golden State when Klay comes back?
Utah, while lacking a superstar, has no weakness and will be one of the top 3 defensive teams in the league.
Houston still has two superstar level players and a decent supporting cast.
Portland isn't an easy team to beat in the playoffs either.
Denver had the 2nd best record in the West last year with one of the youngest cores in the league.
The West will come down to the team that is playing well and healthy at the right time.
Yeah Clippers are the favorites...but players like Kawhi and George have been injury prone. Another question to ask is how will guys like Kawhi, George and Lou Will co-exist as ball-dominant scorers who are not great passers? Kawhi had the benefit of playing on a Raptors team that had Lowry, one of the best facilitators and floor generals in the NBA; Gasol, one of the best passers for a big man in the NBA; Siakim, who was a fantastic complementary piece who was not a high usage player; and Danny Green, the consummate 3 + D player.
We've seen chemistry issues when a team has two ball dominant players who are not great passers: George and Westbrook, Durant and Westbrook etc.
So you are wrong, there is more parity in the league this year.