NBA Western Conference Playoff Race: Odd Teams Out

The 2009-2010 Western Conference playoff race went down to the wire for seeding two through eight.

Expect the same this year.

E xpect a few teams to shockingly be left out of the picture.

Let’s start with the teams that will likely make it past the regular season. Although it is too early to start predicting possible seeding arrangement come playoff time… wait, no it isn’t.

Here is what the playoff seeding arrangement will likely look like come the 2011 playoffs.

1.Los Angeles Lakers
2.Oklahoma City Thunder
3.Houston Rockets
4.Dallas Mavericks
5.Portland Trail Blazers
6.Denver Nuggets
7.Utah Jazz
8.Phoenix Suns
For more on this take a look at the following slide show.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4...s-of-2010-2011

Let’s take a good look at the teams that did not make it to that list, focusing on New Orleans, Memphis, and San Antonio.

New Orleans will have a healthy Chris Paul back next year along with arguably the same roster of last year. This team will win its share of games and like come close to a 50 win season. I n order to make the Western Conference playoffs, it will take more than that.

Chris Paul and David West will anchor the team’s offense along sophomores Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton. T hey will fall just short of a playoff seed and closer to an inevitable life without Chris Paul.

The Memphis Grizzlies have the same team back after re-signing of Rudy Gay. This team gave playoff teams a run for their money with a healthy roster. Once injuries attacked the team, their mediocre bench, to say the least, showed how this team does not have much potential out of the starting five.

After making no significant upgrades to their bench, you can expect this team to once again go on promising runs. Ultimately, another .500 season and no playoff berth.

The surprise of the day, and the reason for plenty of hateful comments to come:

T he San Antonio Spurs will likely miss out on the 2011 NBA Playoffs.

Not only that, they will probably also miss a few more playoffs to come once the Duncan era is over.

It is time for San Antonio to hand the gloves, trade their veteran potential for young potential, and start executing a rebuilding plan.

But it will not happen this season.

This team will come out with a mission.

A mission that will ultimately fail.

The Spurs will go down as one of the best sports dynasties of all time.

All great things come to an end. This is the year it ends for San Antonio.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/4...ams-likely-out


I posted this so all of you can remeber this at the start of the 2011 playoffs and make this idiot eat his words. Also if anyone has account bleacher you can say something now

:bang

Wow...that's kind of amazing...and no explanations given for the seedings...

Something is rotten in the state of the Bleacher Report.

I just wrote to the editor about this idiots posting things without facts.

lol rockets, suns ahead of the spurs? let alone the mavs the spurs defeated in the playoffs...

Mavfan fail.

Despite the "dissappointments" from this offseason, I don't think that last year's team is better than this year's. A rested TP/Manu, Splitter, and hopefully less frequent injuries can surely go a long way when most Western teams had lackluster offseason's too.

Lakers, Thunder, and Mavs (since they always put up a fight against us) are the teams to watch...maybe Houston too, they're well coached. But enought to kick us outta the playoffs? Nahhhhh

haha no

Directed at more than just the OP.....please stop posting stuff from the Bleacher Report.

Pretty please?

Any homer or writer can write a blog in bleacher report, don't think over it too much.

Well, it's difficult to argue with the writer's logic. He says the Spurs will miss out on the playoffs because ... ehm, well:



:lol

LMAO at Rockets getting the 3rd seed

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Lolwut_cat.jpg

:lmao @ bitchreport.

ahahah Jazz & Suns...over us Really!!??
That site is a joke!.

as long as GDP are on this roster
there is no fuck'in way they will miss the playoffs
not to mention this is a better roster than last year

so funny the Suns without Amare over us?

Rockets @ 3rd ? This guy is a clown

We are going to the playoffs again, whether he likes it or not !!

Consider the source and... move on. Spurs will continue their 50 games won streak and playoff appearances. The team is better this year, especially with RJ back with more experience, and the arrival of Splitter.
There. This is just my opinion, or is it? Could it be a Bleacher-Report? :rollin

Replace the Rockets with the Spurs on that list, and I agree with it.

Wow, so a team that improved in it's weakest 2 areas last year--interior defense and outside shooting, has it's main players all rested for the first time in a long time coming into the season, that started to come together the last quarter of last year is going to do worse in a conference that got weaker? Great insight, eh?

http://files.sharenator.com/1644chan...-33680-580.jpg

The league should be hoping the Spurs make the playoffs. Spurs have done pretty damn well with their last several lottery picks (Duncan, Elliott, Willie Anderson, Admiral) ;)

The Suns just are not good enough. Also, I think Portland and Houston are too brittle. Injuries will take them out of contention. The Spurs will not be on the playoff list only if Pop goes small too often and once again wears TD down by the end of the season.

Utah Denver and Phoenix all weaker in 2011

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Originally Posted by TDMVPDPOY

lol rockets, suns ahead of the spurs? let alone the mavs the spurs defeated in the playoffs...

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^This

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Originally Posted by TIMMYD!

http://files.sharenator.com/1644chan...-33680-580.jpg

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LMA0! this.

I kept waiting for a reason.

The Spurs shouldnt' have much trouble being better than the Nuggets, Rockets and Suns.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by coyotes_geek

The Spurs shouldnt' have much trouble being better than the Nuggets, Rockets and Suns.

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Rockets are pretty tough to predict IMO. (Yao, chemistry, development of the young players etc.). could be a big surprise and be in the top 4, could miss the PO as well.

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Originally Posted by mountainballer

Rockets are pretty tough to predict IMO. (Yao, chemistry, development of the young players etc.). could be a big surprise and be in the top 4, could miss the PO as well.

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Fair points. If they stay relatively healthy I can see them making the playoffs, but I just can't see them finishing with a better record than a relatively healthy Spurs team.

Going to be real interesting to see what they do with Yao. Brooks, Ariza and Martin all like to get up and down the court and Yao is the polar opposite to that style of play. I'll stop short of saying that the Rockets would be better off without Yao, but I think it's a fair question to ask.

It really isn't a question of talent as to who makes the playoffs, but rather health and bench strength.

That's an almost straight up retarded article. Bleacher Report can do good stuff but that was idiotic.

Phoenix??? Lol.... they lost Amare... he was Our Matchup nightmare on the pick N roll.... Now what Are they gonna run the pick N Roll With Robin Lopez..... Sun Will not be in the Playoffs next year.... they relied way to much on Nash and Stoudamire in the pick N roll....

Pop really can't take 40 games to experiment. He needs to be decisive. Otherwise the other teams are going to leave us in the dust. After 10 games we really need to go full pore. If we are not in the top 4 at All-Star time The Spurs should cash in.

funny thing is everyone is overrating the mavs. they essentially have the same team that got bounce in round 1. Except with older Kidd, Nowitki, Marion and Jet

:lol

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Originally Posted by quentin_compson

Well, it's difficult to argue with the writer's logic. He says the Spurs will miss out on the playoffs because ... ehm, well:



:lol

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Exactly he gave no reason y the spurs won't make it. A real spurs fan would smile and move on to the next hater.

lol @ getting Splitter then falling out of playoffs.

This is a case of someone (like all the rest) wanting to be the "You heard it here first!" guy and predict the end of the world for the spurs....

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Originally Posted by Methodmusicman

This is a case of someone (like all the rest) wanting to be the "You heard it here first!" guy and predict the end of the world for the spurs....

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Well, we should get used to it because pretty soon they're going to be right.

Kevin Garnett's 35 and just helped the Celtics go to the Finals last year, I'd venture to say we're not done.

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Originally Posted by coyotes_geek

Well, we should get used to it because pretty soon they're going to be right.

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Yep, just like they've been right since '05.

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Originally Posted by weebo

Yep, just like they've been right since '05.

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They get closer to being right every year.

we made it to the playoffs with Duncan, Manu, Parker, Hill, Mcdyess, Bonner, Finley, & Mason missing games due to injury. im pretty sure we will make it again this season.

From the author in the comments:

Quote:

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Anyway they will not be a lottery team but definetly not in the top teams in the West. Now with Hill and Splitter, they at least have a future.

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lol

he lost me at
3. Houston Rockets

let's say this jackass is right.....spurs will be faced with a reality check...wondering WTF happened.....

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Originally Posted by hater

funny thing is everyone is overrating the mavs. they essentially have the same team that got bounce in round 1. Except with older Kidd, Nowitki, Marion and Jet

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Yup Yup! let's not forget that the Lakers are getting older as well...how many years till you see Kobe losing a noticeable step

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Originally Posted by Phila_Chamberlain

The guy gives decent reasons to why Memphis and NOLA don't male the playoffs yet he just says the spurs won't make the playoffs without listing one reason.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phila_Chamberlain

I might as well say that Bleacher Report is useless and there are better websites to visit.

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It is useless, just a shitty forum basically. Here's the author of the "article", basically a Dirk/Mavs fan so its no wonder why the Spurs got left out without so much a sentence why :lol:

Quote:

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http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images...jpg?1267716505


Hi, my name is Andrew, and I am a die-hard NBA fanatic. I have been following the NBA since my early years and hope to keep following it for years to come.

I commonly follow underdog teams with young talent. I like to make bold predictions and explore trade scenarios that would benefit all teams involved.

I hope you enjoy my postings as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Andy
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Favorite Athletes
Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Peyton Manning

Favorite Sports Teams
Dallas Mavericks, OKC Thunder, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers

Most Memorable Game Attended
Dirk Nowitzkis buzzer beater March 20th against Pacers for 94-92 win

http://bleacherreport.com/users/9217-andrew-pierluissi

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:flag:

:lmao

Oh....He's a MAVS fan....explains a lot

This article is a joke. For the first time in 10 years, the Spurs have a young core. Four good young rotation players; Hill, Bliar, Splitter, and Anderson.

LOL@bleacherreport.com :ihit


The joke rag of the NBA...:lol:rollin:lol

Not yet!!!!

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Originally Posted by Obstructed_View

Mavfan fail.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Supreme_Being

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Lolwut_cat.jpg

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by silverblackfan

Consider the source and... move on. Spurs will continue their 50 games won streak and playoff appearances. The team is better this year, especially with RJ back with more experience, and the arrival of Splitter.
There. This is just my opinion, or is it? Could it be a Bleacher-Report? :rollin

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you sir, are correct.