Friday 12 April 2019 18:28, UK
Everything you need to know about the Western Conference teams in the NBA playoffs.
Season record: 57-25 (Pacific Division winners)
Playoff seeding: 1
Home Court: Oracle Arena, Oakland, California
Coach: Steve Kerr
Key Player: Stephen Curry
In Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and DeMarcus Cousins, the Warriors are awash with All-Star talent but there is no doubt the team belongs to Curry. The two-time league MVP, who revolutionised the game with his shooting and unselfish distribution, is enjoying another outstanding year, averaging 27.3 points and making 5.1 three-pointers per game.
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History: Golden State are the dominant team of the modern NBA era. NBA champions in three of the past four seasons and owners of the best regular season record (73-9, set in 2015-16) in league history, the Warriors are searching for their third successive championship and fifth straight appearance in the Finals.
Season record: 54-28 (Northwest Division winners)
Playoff seeding: 2
Home Court: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Coach: Mike Malone
Key Player: Nikola Jokic
Jokic, the Nuggets' All-Star 7ft Serbian center, is something of a throwback player, using elite passing skills and overall court vision to make up for his relative lack of athleticism and compete with - and often confound - opponents. Despite his size, Jokic is Denver's best playmaker and their offense runs through him. He has averaged 7.3 assists per game this season as a result. 'The Joker' is also Denver's leading scorer (20.1 points per game) and rebounder (10.8 rebounds per game).
History: The Nuggets have taken a huge leap forward after missing the playoffs last season. This will be their first postseason appearance in six years. They have never won the NBA title, their best run coming in the 2008/09 season when, led by Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony, they reached the Western Conference finals where they were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Season record: 53-29
Playoff seeding: 3
Home Court: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Coach: Terry Stotts
Key Player: Damian Lillard
All-Star point guard Lillard is one of the league's least heralded franchise stars. He earned All-NBA first team honours last season and has led Portland with distinction in this campaign, carrying the Blazers into the West's top four seeds on the back of his 25.8 points and 6.9 assists per game.
History: Portland's recent playoff record is a miserable one. They have not been able to translate strong regular season form into the playoffs and have suffered ignominious first-round sweeps for the last two seasons and have lost 10 successive postseason games over the past three years.
The Blazers sole NBA title came in 1976/77 when, led by center Bill Walton, they dispatched the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. Their last trip to the finals came in the 1989/90 season where they lost to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.
Season record: 53-29 (Southwest Division winners)
Playoff seeding: 4
Home Court: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Coach: Mike D'Antoni
Key Player: James Harden
You'll have all heard about Harden's outstanding season by now - the Rockets star ended the season leading the league with an average of 36.1 points per game, a full eight points per game better than his closest rival Paul George. 'The Beard' also leads the league in field goals made, three-pointers made and attempted and free throws made and attempted. His offensive production carried the Rockets through a mid-season injury crisis and has him in a two-horse race for the Most Valuable Player award with Milwaukee Bucks star man Giannis Antetokounmpo.
History: The Rockets came within one game of reaching the NBA Finals last season, taking the Golden State Warriors to the limit in the Western Conference Finals before succumbing in seven games. Had they not lost point guard Chris Paul to injury in game five while leading the series, the outcome could have been very different. Of all the Western Conference playoff teams, they remain the biggest threat to the Warriors' dominance this time around.
The Rockets, led by stat-sheet stuffing center Hakeem Olajuwon, won back-to-back NBA championships in the mid-nineties (1993-94, 1994-95), the only occasions they have lifted the title.
Season record: 50-32
Playoff seeding: 5
Home Court: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Coach: Quin Snyder
Key Player: Rudy Gobert
The Jazz are a defense-first team. They give up 105.5 points per 100 possessions, the second-best defensive rating in the NBA. French center Gobert, known affectionately as the 'Stifle Tower', anchors Utah's defensive effort and has every chance to retaining the Defensive Player of the Year award he won last season. Gobert averages 12.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game, ranking fourth in the league in both categories.
History: The Jazz have never won an NBA title but reached the Finals twice in the mid-nineties (1996-97 and 1997-98). On both occasions, Utah, led by Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone, were unable to overcome Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Chicago Bulls. They last reached the Western Conference Finals in 2006/07 where they were beaten by the San Antonio Spurs.
Season record: 49-33
Playoff seeding: 6
Home Court: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Coach: Billy Donovan
Key Player: Paul George
Most observers expected George to depart for the Los Angeles Lakers last summer. Instead, he signed a new deal, elevated his game and surpassed former MVP Russell Westbrook as OKC's best player. Until his momentum was halted by a shoulder injury, George had established himself as one of the league's best two-way players and was pushing James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the regular season MVP race. If he rediscovers his mid-season form, the Thunder will be a tough team to beat in the postseason.
History: Since arriving in Oklahoma City in the 2008/09 season, the Thunder, powered by the twin threat of Westbrook and Kevin Durant, have reached the Western Conference four times. They triumphed once, reaching the NBA Finals in 2011/12 where they were beaten by the Miami Heat, a series that saw LeBron James win his first NBA title. Since Durant departed for Golden State at the end of the 2015-16 season, the Thunder have failed to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Season record: 48-34
Playoff seeding: 7
Home Court: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Key Player: LaMarcus Aldridge
Seven-time All-Star big man Aldridge is relentlessly consistent, using his mid-range game to average over 20 points per game for the seventh time in his last nine seasons. Along with guard DeMar DeRozan, Aldridge gives San Antonio a reliable veteran scoring presence. His 21.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per game this campaign give him an outside chance of All-NBA third team selection.
History: In a word, rich. The Spurs, primarily powered by Tim Duncan and supported by Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, reeled off five NBA championships between 1999 and 2014. San Antonio haven't missed the playoffs since the 1996/97 season, a record-breaking 22 successive postseason appearances.
Season record: 48-34
Playoff seeding: 8
Home Court: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Coach: Doc Rivers
Key Player: Lou Williams
While the Clippers lack a genuine superstar player, they have proven beyond any doubt that they are a team greater than the sum of their parts. Williams is an elite scorer off the bench, averaging 20.0 points per game despite playing a relatively-low 26.5 minutes per game. Williams is renowned for his relentless drives to the basket, his ability to draw fouls and his mentality to take and make clutch shots at the end of games.
History: The Clippers were an NBA punchline for much of their time is Los Angeles. Then came the 'Lob City' era where Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan made them a fixture in the playoffs. The Clippers' 'Big Three' reached the postseason for six successive seasons but were never able to advance beyond the second round. With those three players now gone, the Clippers have forged a new identity with Williams, Danilo Gallinari and exciting young stars like Montrezl Harrell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Their future looks bright.
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