Portland Trail Blazers Hold the Top Spot in the NBA
The NBA has to be relieved that the Western Conference is not like the Eastern Conference. The West at this point of the season, just as it was last season during the regular season, rules the NBA.
While the East has only three teams above .500, out West the conference is full of contenders for the NBA title. In the West, the overall quality of basketball is very high, teams are bunched together at the top and on any given night, one team can beat another.
In the East, just three teams have winning records, while in the West the top 9 teams in the conference are playing over .500.
Of course, the Miami Heat has won two straight NBA titles, but this year it seems the Western Conference has the league’s elite teams.
Sitting at the top of the heap out west is the surprising Portland Trailblazers who have a league best record of 21-4. The Oklahoma City Thunder is one game back at 19-4 and the San Antonio Spurs 1½ games back at 19-5.
Portland has jumped out of the gate to lead the league overall with its 21-4 record. The Trail Blazers have a record of 11-4 in the Western Conference. Portland is also leading the league in scoring average at 113.8 points per game.
No one in the NBA saw Portland coming. Even those who had predicted they would make the playoffs, could not have predicted their strong start.
With just over a quarter of the season behind them, Portland has the best record in the entire NBA.
Offensively, the Trail Blazers are led by LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, who both are averaging over 20 points per game.
The biggest surprise is how big their turn around is this season. Last season, Portland won just 33 games. After 25 games this season, the Trail Blazers are on a pace to reach 69 victories.
Reaching 69 wins looks somewhat of a difficult task, as the season is long and makes it difficult for teams to be so consistent. However, winning 60 games is not out of the question for Portland.
The Trail Blazers do have a concern or two going forward. The Portland bench is No. 25 in scoring average per game. Four players average double figures and just six players more than 24 minutes per game. Those kinds of stats prove a team could wear down through the course of the regular season.
Defense is also an issue with Portland. The team has given up 90 points or more in 22 of its 25 games.
During the regular season, defensive is not as important if you have an explosive offense, just as Portland does. However, come playoff time, the game slows, the scores are lower and defense is what wins.
It is not out of the question however for Portland to compete during the entire regular season for the top spot in the conference and the NBA.
However, due to the West being so strong, teams out west will face tougher opponents much more often than teams in the Eastern Conference.
This will affect how a team plays during the postseason and in the NBA finals.
The strength is definitely out west. However, will the best in the west have it left in their gas tank to defeat the Heat or Pacers after battling against so many elite teams in their own conference?
