Once again an L.A. team will reign supreme in this division and once again it won’t be that ONE L.A. team. Yes, the Clippers are the toast of the division. There are two teams in this division who will battle for lottery glory, two teams that will battle for conference supremacy and one team ready to prove last year was no fluke. Let’s see who goes where and what motivational speech each team is dying to hear as the season starts.
5. Sacramento Kings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Soe8ayi3ScE
One day, it will all be OK again for the Sacramento Kings; one day they will see the light and a new day will come. The key to their salvation is with DeMarcus (Boogie) Cousins, a talented yet sometimes volatile big man on the cusp of stardom. Boogie showed signs of renewed life during this year’s World Cup as he showed himself to be one of the best big men in the tournament. Cousins may finally be on the verge of a breakout season if he can control his temper and ego. Besides Boogie, who signed a four-year, $62 million dollar extension this year, there is not one player on this roster who isn’t expendable. With a new owner who is hopefully more into winning than the last, watch for this team to make at least one move during the season. However, with all the uncertainty surrounding this team, this will be another down year for Sacramento that will unfortunately test Boogie’s resolve once more. But maybe he can find solace in the clip above that never giving up can lead to the greatest of victories.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Kings?
The Blazers have long had their problems winning in Sacramento and that is where they may need some extra words of wisdom. Other than that, knowing that losses to teams like Sacramento might hurt your playoff standing is the only piece of motivation the Blazers need. Instead of a speech, only one word will do for Stotts: Focus. The Blazers have 2 road games against the Kings this year and one in Portland. Given their shaky history in Sacramento, the Blazers go 2-1 this year against the Kings with absolutely zero chance these two teams meet in the playoffs.
4. Los Angeles Lakers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMwmqp3GLMc
OK, so this isn’t exactly a motivational clip but it may be the most accurate clip of all the motivational speeches I have posted so far. Samuel L. Jackson represents Kobe Bryant and the shark represents Kobe’s last contract he signed with the Lakers that has doomed the franchise for the foreseeable future. No matter what words of wisdom or motivation Kobe has to offer the Lakers, this team has been swallowed whole by the superstar’s greed. The Lakers added Carlos Boozer from the Bulls and Jeremy Lin from the Rockets this offseason and while they may be an entertaining group to watch, they will not be any good. Jeremy Lin can create around the basket and Kobe may still be able to put up big numbers, but nobody can play defense on this team. But, this may be a blessing in disguise. This year it be would absolutely in the best interest for the Lakers to tank. They have a top 5 protected pick this coming draft as part of the deal that sent Steve Nash to the Lakers from the Suns. The Lakers are not going to the playoffs. But, if they don’t lose enough games they will lose their lottery pick as well and have nothing to show for a year of losing. The Lakers need to be a bottom 5 team this year and lucky for them that shouldn’t be hard to do, unless Kobe’s greed strikes again.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Lakers?
Just whispering the word ‘Lakers’ should be inspiration enough for the Blazers. These two teams are long time rivals. Clearly, Portland is the better team now and this should be the year they make the Lakers pay for some past heartache. Look for Portland to take at least 3 of 4 with a real potential to sweep all 4 games from the Lakers who will not sniff the playoffs this year.
3. Phoenix Suns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep-xgd_eETE
The Suns were the surprise team of the NBA last year that nobody is paying attention to this year. But, the Suns want you to know that it’s not over yet, that they are not just lying around, content on being outsiders to the playoff picture. They are here to make some noise again this year! Many pegged this team to be a bottom 5 team last year, but these loveable underdogs nearly made the playoffs in a crowded Western Conference. This year, they bring back most of their young and talented squad. They added Isaiah Thomas, a talented offensive player, to an already talented roster including Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. Jeff Hornacek proved himself to be a coaching force last year and will only be better this year after his successful learning curve the year before. Maybe it pays to have odd routines. The bad news for the Suns this year is that they will catch nobody off guard this year. They bring back pretty much the same roster as last year while much of the conference as tried to improve. This again will a fun team to watch, whether they can make the playoffs is another story but this team is ahead in its trajectory towards relevancy.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Suns?
This Suns team gave Portland fits last season. The Blazes just couldn’t seem to beat this team and it’s easy to see why. They are almost a mirror image of Portland; young, talented and hungry. However, like the rest of the league, the excuse of the Suns just sneaking up on you is no longer valid. Portland knows this team is dangerous and all Stotts needs to do is remind them of last year and the beat down the Suns gave the Blazers for a couple games. That being said, some teams you just struggle against and with 2 of the 3 meetings on the road this year for the Blazers I see them going 1-2 during the season against the Suns. In the playoffs, should these two teams meet, Portland would have home court advantage in what would most likely be a second round matchup. Give Portland the edge has they have more veterans, experience and are more primed to make a deep run. Phoenix is Portland of two years ago, so watch out for them in the future.
2. Golden State Warriors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoLywiaM6PA
With an aerial assault of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors hope to ascend into the elite teams of the Western Conference and make a run to the Conference Finals but this team could be on the brink of playoff annihilation as well. The Warriors seemed almost certain to land Kevin Love in the offseason but their reluctance to give away Thompson ultimately nixed the deal. I was not a fan of the Warriors keeping Thompson over Love but we will see how that pans out. The other question the Warriors face is how well new coach Steve Kerr will do when he is not just commentating on a game but trying to run one. He has no coaching experience and is being thrust into the fire with a talented squad that is supposed to win now in the middle of a talented and very deep Western Conference. Slip just a little and instead of having visions of conference glory you could be struggling just to get into the playoffs. The Warriors boast a formidable defense with the presence of Andrew Bogut, Andrea Iguodala and David Lee. This is a very talented squad with as good a starting 5 as any in the NBA. However, they are teetering with a lot of unknowns. This team could place anywhere between the 8th seed and the 3rd seed potentially. It all hinges on whether the front office was right about Thompson and if Kerr can steer the ship as well as they think.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Warriors?
Kick the tires and light the fires! Any game against the Warriors will be a shootout and Stotts will need his offense clicking and his defense ready and able to contain Curry and Thompson which is not an easy task. These will be entertaining games at the least. The Blazers play the Warriors once at the beginning of the season and twice near the end with 2 of those games at home which is enough to give them a 2-1 season advantage. If these two teams make the playoffs I give the Blazers a slight edge if only because Aldridge will give the Blazers a better chance at easier buckets rather than rely on the hot shooting of Thompson and Curry who can be streaky at times. If Curry and Thompson get hot, there is almost no stopping them, but come playoff time it’s always better to have a formidable inside presence which the Blazers will almost certainly have.
1. Los Angeles Clippers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM
You are the new Hollywood Clippers! And with Blake Griffin’s and Chris Paul’s thespian work on frequent display, what better motivational clip than a Shakespearean call to arms. This is the year for the Clippers. They have a new owner who is not a racist, so congrats there. They have a proven coach who can take a talented team to the promised land and they have as deep a team as any in the NBA. There are no more excuses for this team. This is their year to finally reach the Conference Final and anything less than that will be seen as a failure. In reality, while the Clippers are now the toast of the town in Los Angeles, they will never truly step out of the shadow of the Lakers until they finally grab hold of Finals glory and declare their independence. They have been knocking on the door for a few years now and if they don’t finally make that push to at least the Conference Finals than it may be time question if the parts of this team can make a whole.
How inspirational must coach Stotts’ speech be to beat the Clippers?
Stotts should just show Kia and State Farm commercials until everyone is irritated enough to want to beat them and Cliff Paul silly. The Clippers are the new Lakers and must be treated as such. The Blazers will split the season series this year against the Clippers going 2-2. If these two teams meet in the playoffs I give the edge to L.A. for the sole reason that the Clippers bench is much deeper. Portland relies heavily on their starting 5 and during a long series it’s an asset to have a deep bench like the Clippers. Portland is nearly there, but this year belongs to the Clippers should the two meet.
Next up: Northwest Division
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