The title run is about to start and the western conference has been dominating the NBA Rings over the last decade. Is this another year of the west? The strength in the east since the trades have become stronger. Could the age of the west be deemed as experience? The Lakers, Mavericks and Spurs have the experience. Will the Thunder roll with the youth movement to carry the west?
San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs took a huge hit last year when the lost to the
Phoenix Suns in four straight in the second round. They look to take the best record in the west regular season to the title game. A healthy
Tim Duncan is the key to this team as he has for a decade. The middle will be solid if he stays on the court. Well,
Manu Ginobili may be out game one due to elbow, but look for the usual player when he returns. With his absence Manu,
Tony Parker needs to light up the scoreboard with his talents to get it to the basket. Will they get one more for Hall of Famer Duncan?
Los Angeles Lakers - Looking to 3peat to help fill their fingers with rings.
Kobe Bryant will be on the stage he loves. Millions of fans and the glamour of the NBA finals. Legacy is what his new goal is since winning a title. To help him get there
Pau Gasol will bang the boards as well as take the pressure off the double team. Gasol will need to really fight for every board since the injury of
Andrew Bynum has not been fully defined. The bench with
Lamar Odom will need to be thinking rebounds and not
Kim Kardashian.
Phil Jackson has the target on his back, so his greatness will need to be at his best to get the 3peat.
Dallas Mavericks - Did
Mark Cuban finally pay for the best team on the court?
Dirk Nowitzki wants to get this ring and he has some talent around him to now take the shot. The trade to get
Tyson Chandler has finally given them a presence in the middle.
Shawn Marion helps to give the Mavericks an outside threat that can also take it to the rim. The tandem of
Jason Kidd and
Jason Terry give a one two punch that gives the defense a little what ifs on the court. They have not had their luck in the playoffs maybe this year will be the year to get it done. They need to keep the
dancers involved by exciting up and down basketball!
Oklahoma City Thunder - Not having to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round might help this young team if they win and get to the second round some confidence. Last years 4-2 loss in the first round was a learning experience for the MVP candidate
Kevin Durant. His 27.7 points per game in the regular season will need to surface in the often defense laded playoffs. Will
Kendrick Perkins be able to grab enough rebounds to get the feed out to see the fast break finishes?
Russell Westbrook and
James Hardin could really help out if they get time to show their skills. With a Kevin Durant show game after game the Thunder needs to share the rock to keep the defenses honest.
Denver Nuggets - Out of the shadows and ready to make their mark.
Danilo Gallinari and
Wilson Chandler will be sharing the load on scoring.
Nene' and "The Birdman"
Chris Anderson will be banging the boards as a twosome that could have success if they manage their time on the court.
Kenyon Martin is the x-factor. Will he show up and provide an all-star performance and get some recognition. Can a team talent overlook the missing star power lacking in this team. If they shoot lights out we should see some true basketball greatness.
Portland Trailblazers - Can't say it enough the boards will be the domain of the Trailblazers big men. Halfcourt basketball is the way the Trailblazers win ball games by offensive and defenses rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge,
Marcus Camby and
Gerald Wallace will be banging the boards and swatting the balls on the block. Aldridge and
Wesley Mathews will be stretching the defense by shooting for the bottom of the net swish style. What about
Brandon Roy? Will he be ready to step up his game or will the injury bug keep him down. If Roy is healthy it will help the whole team find ways to create offense.
New Orleans Hornets - Will
David West be the difference? The playoffs could have used him. The center spot of
Emeka Okafor will have his work cut out for him. His 9.5 rpg game regular season could be exploited in the tough trenches of the playoff games.
Chris Paul hopes that the outlet pass gets to him often in each series to work his magic. A true all-star and creative scoring genius he can carry any team for game on his back, but can he do it for a series?
Carl Landry will be put on the spot to find his way to stardom, a great playoff can propel him to greatness in the NBA.
Memphis Grizzlies - Defense wins games in the playoffs and the Grizzlies are #1 in steals in the regular season. If they keep the pressure on the strong offenses of the western conference with stellar defense we could have some low scoring pressure basketball.
Rudy Gay,
Mike Conley Jr. and
Tony Allen will be putting the pressure on to leave room for
Zach Randolph to play his game. Zach has put his game together this year and leads the team in rebounds and points per game. So if the Grizzlies storm thru the playoffs look for Zach's stock to rise rapidly along with the Grizzlies. The lowest seed going into the western conference playoffs would love to be the cinderella to the ball...on the trophy.
Oklahoma City Thunder 2011 Nba Playoffs Stacked To Win T-Shirt 
