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NBA Pacific Division Predictions

Will the Pacific be the champions again?

By Shandon PendletonPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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This division is led by two former champions. The Warriors and LeBron James. No question that this division is gonna be one of the best… well… kind of. And no question that we are gonna see one of these teams in the Finals this year. Question is, who?

Golden State Warriors

I don’t think I really need to say much here. These guys are gonna win the championship. Steph Curry, 2x MVP; Klay Thompson, All-star; Draymond Green, All-star and DPOY; Kevin Durant, MVP; and now they added Demarcus Cousins. While Boogie won’t be able to play until later in the year, they are still already favorites to win the title. Adding Boogie just confirms it. The Warriors one weakness last year was the center position with Zaza Pachulia starting and then JaVale McGee coming in, but now with arguably one of the best centers in the league on their team, they got nothing to worry about.

One thing I think people need to realize is the importance of Draymond Green. Dray is a BEAST. He may not be the best scorer but who cares when you 3 of the best scorers in the world on your team? Who else can guard all 5 positions? Not just guard but do it well too! Draymond can lock down any point guard to center player. Plus he can pass the ball and is a great floor general. Quit complaining whenever he makes the All-star team or gets recognition. You can argue that he’s a system player and outside the Warriors he wouldn’t be that good, but he’s not outside the Warriors, so shut up.

And Steve Kerr is a remarkable coach. I know a lot of y'all are giving all of the credit to Mark Jackson but no. Its Steve Kerr. Before Steve Kerr, the Warriors were a team that barely made the playoffs. When Kerr jumped into the picture and implemented his system, they became the best team in the league and won the Finals. Yes, Mark Jackson deserves credit for helping the development of some of these All-stars, but it wasn't until Kerr that they broke out. Quit saying he doesn't do anything, because you don't know basketball if you think so.

Prediction: 60+ wins. 1 seed. Championship.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers made a hard fight for the playoffs last year with the last few games deciding their fate. They weren’t able to make it and I think that the competition has gotten even tougher in the West and will push them out of the competition.

Losing CP3 and then Blake Griffin too basically killed this teams core. Now I’m not saying the Clippers are a bad team. If they were in the East, I could see them making the playoffs but not here in the West. Lou Williams, last years 6MOY and All-star snub, will do great but he’s not enough. Even with good pieces like Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and Danilo Gallinari, they don’t have what it takes to lead this team to the playoffs in the West.

Prediction: 35-40 wins. Miss the playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers

I’ve talked a lot about the Lakers already so I’ll be brief but they have the GREATEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD: LeBron James. Him plus a young and talented core, will take the Lakers far.

The only real problem is outside of LeBron, Stephenson, and Rondo, they don’t have too much experience and with this new team, not yet know how to work together. I expect to see some struggles at the beginning of the year, but towards the end, they’ll get it together.

Prediction: 50-55 wins. 4 seed.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have a few pieces with bright futures including De'Aaron Fox, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Buddy Hield. They even picked up a really good player in the draft in Marvin Bagley III. Only problem is, THEY HAVE NO LEADERS OR EXPERIENCE. This team literally has no clue where they're going and who to lead them. They don't have a definite floor general or scoring option. This team NEEDS to figure it out before they want to get good.

They did have Vince Carter and Zach Randolph last year, but with those two sooooo old, they got some good mentors but couldn't go anywhere. This year will be no different. Expect MB3 to put in some work though.

Prediction: 25-30 wins. Miss the playoffs.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns are literally in the same boat as the Kings. But the Suns actually made moves this off-season which will help them. Plus, they already have their designated main option: Devin Booker and a good help, Josh Jackson. I'm gonna say it. D-Book is overrated. Yes, he is a great player and pure scorer, but he wouldn't be dropping 25 PPG if he were on a playoff contending team. Yes, he dropped 70 points in a game, but they also got KILLED that game. If it were a close game, there's no way the coach would have let him take the shots he was taking. Overrated. Future All-star, but overrated.

DeAndre Ayton seems like a good pick in the draft but I don't feel good about him. I don't see him being the player the Suns hoped he would be when they drafted him. We'll see.

Two good moves were made though with Ryan Anderson and Trevor Ariza. Ariza won't be their main but he provides fantastic defense and brings experience and leadership to the team. But Ariza and Anderson aren't players that can take these Suns to the next level. They will provide great mentoring which will help these young guys get better, but eventually they will need another piece.

I see the Suns being bad, BUT overcoming the Kings for worst record in the West. Hey even a little improvement is good.

Prediction: 25-30 wins. Miss the playoffs.

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Shandon Pendleton

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