For a long time, the West has been a stronger conference than the East. Shaq’s defection and a couple of great draft picks – LeBron James and Dwayne Wade – have closed the gap considerably, especially amongst the top four teams in each division. Detroit, Miami, New Jersey and Cleveland match up pretty well with San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix and Denver. But the West still holds a big edge in talent and it’s due to the strength of its remaining playoff teams. The Wizards, Bucks, Pacers and Bulls just aren’t as good as the Clippers, Grizzlies, Lakers or Kings. And I guarantee that last team has a few Western conference coaches more than a little worried.
Sacramento has been playing really good ball of late, going 15-7 over their last 22 games. Since the Ron Artest trade on January 25th, they have won 23 of 35 and at press time, they are tied with the Lakers for the 7th spot in the Western conference playoffs. Over the last five games, the Kings beat the Spurs at San Antonio, while also beating the Clippers at home and in Los Angeles. Much of this recent success can be credited to Artest, whose toughminded play has revitalized the Kings defensively.
Sacramento will likely play San Antonio, Phoenix or Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the presence of Kobe Bryant, I think all three of these teams would rather play the Lakers than have to deal with Artest and the Kings in the first round. Sacramento has a lot of talent with Mike Bibby running the point and Brad Miller manning the middle. Throw in Kevin Martin and Bonzi Wells on the perimeter, along with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas inside, and you’ve got a deep, talented team that can match up with just about anybody. Don’t be surprised to see Sacramento still alive in the second round.
