Get ready for an intense race to the NBA’s Western Conference Championship as we highlight three top teams to watch this season. Will the West reign supreme this year?
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The NBA’s Western Conference is getting stronger, and this year, there are some teams that can take home a championship. The Eastern Conference was on top last season, as the Boston Celtics won the title. Could a West team be crowned this year? Here are three teams to watch in the Western Conference.
1.) Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks were close to getting another championship. This would have been their first championship since 2011. The Mavericks reached the NBA Finals after beating teams such as the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the up-and-coming Minnesota Timberwolves. The addition of Klay Thompson has been a topic since it happened, and with the duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way, this could be the year the Mavericks win. Doncic remains one of the league’s top young players, and adding a championship (and possibly an MVP) to her resume would solidify that. With the Mavericks being so close to a championship, they have to be in the mix of West teams that could win it all.
2.) Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets won their first championship in 2023. They beat the Miami Heat 4-0 to win it all. The Nuggets are a threat (especially when they are healthy) and although they came up short in their goal of repeating, they still showed they are a tough team. Denver nearly reached the conference finals last season, but the Timberwolves stood in their way. This year could be different.
The Nuggets are led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, nine assists and 1.4 steals. There is a strong chance that Jokic will have another MVP caliber season. When it comes to Denver overall, they mostly stood pat. They added Russell Westbrook, who could be a factor off their bench, but otherwise the Nuggets mostly stayed the same. If Westbrook does make an impact, the Nuggets could be on the verge of another championship. But could other teams give them trouble?
3.) Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder were first in the West last season. They finished with a record of 57-25. The Thunder were a surprise last season, and showed that they are a team of the future. In the 2022-23 season, they were a play-in tournament. They improved significantly, and factors like having a healthy Chet Holmgren and the rise of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Holmgren was the second pick of the 2022 draft, but missed the season with a foot injury. His rookie season was the 2023-24 season, and while phenom Victor Wembanyama won Rookie of the Year, Holmgren had an impressive season. He averaged 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season.
Gilgeous-Alexander was an MVP candidate after averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and two steals. Gilgeous-Alexander was a star and he is in for another big season.
The West is stacked. These three teams will be tough to beat, but there are also teams like the Timberwolves and (potentially) the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers who could fight their way to the top. The Western Conference will be exciting, and it will be interesting to see who takes it.
NBA, Western Conference, championship race, top teams, 2019-2020 season
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