Early Playoff Picture (Part 1)

Although the playoffs are not until June, each conference is beginning to take shape. So let us break down the postseason picture in the West to get a better idea of what to expect.

The Favorite- Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant has been doing amazing things this year, and if LeBron James had not been playing out of his mind, Durant would be the unanimous MVP. Russel Westbrook, the question mark coming into the season, has cut down his turnovers and been able to mesh more cohesively with Durant and company than last season. The Thunder's weakness is they could get pushed around by a team with a dominant big man (see the 2011 Western Conference Finals against Dallas), but Durant and Westbrook should be able to overcome any weakness with their dominant scoring. I would be shocked to see the Thunder lose before the NBA Finals.

This dynamic duo should lead the Thunder into the NBA Finals.

The Pesky Veterans- San Antonio Spurs

These guys will not go away. With a team average age of 57 (I didn't do the math), the Spurs continue to find ways to dominate in the regular season and get a high seed in the playoffs. The most interesting aspect for the Spurs is the trade for Stephen Jackson. I am not sure if Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Jackson can keep it up for a seven-game series, but if they can, they could give the Thunder a run for their money.

Age has yet to affect these three Spurs veterans.

The Hollywood Dramas- Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers

Both the Lakers and Clippers have extreme positives and negatives. The Lakers have been in a groove since the acquisition of Ramon Sessions. The Clippers are a high-flying, scoring machine. But the Lakers have been beaten by inferior teams and have looked slow during some games. The Clippers seemingly imploded last week, cannot make free-throws and turn the ball over in critical possessions. The two LA teams will make for fun drama in the playoffs.

These big men will battle for their teams come June.

The Dark Horse- Memphis Grizzlies

I would venture to guess the casual NBA fan has no idea that Memphis is currently the projected six seed in the West. The Grizzlies have quietly won games all season, and are starting to get healthy at the right team. Memphis has proven it can beat any team, but they have alos had recent losses to lowly teams like Toronto. With Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dominating the post, Mike Conley running the offense, Tony Allen continuing to be one of the best perimeter defenders and Rudy Gay scoring everywhere on the court, Memphis is my team to watch in the West.

The Grizzlies need to rally together and build some momentum going into the playoffs.

The High-Energy, High-Risk Teams- Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets

Only two of these teams will make the playoffs. The Nuggets are the top scoring team in the NBA, and, with the return of Wilson Chandler from China, will probably have enough to get into the postseason, but I doubt they will go far. Along with their top offense, the Nuggets have the worst defense, giving up 103 points per game. The Jazz shot off to a fast start to the season, but have slowed down. Utah is one of the most balanced teams in the NBA, but when Al Jefferson is shut down -- which is no easy task -- the Jazz usually get outscored. I think Utah will be the odd-man-out at the season's end. The Rockets are currently on the outside looking in. But they have started to gather momentum, and when Kyle Lowry returns to the lineup, Houston should be able to squeak into the eight seed.