NBA Playoff Tickets - Western Conference Outlook

We're about two-thirds of the way through the 2008-09 NBA season and the playoff picture is becoming clearer by the day. Here are the eight teams in the Western Conference that I think fans will be purchasing NBA Playoff tickets to see this spring. (Note: All statistics are as of March 6th)

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers are the cream of the crop in the Western Conference. There's almost no way that they don't secure the number one seed barring an injury to Kobe Bryant, or perhaps Pau Gasol. They're probably the deepest team in the league and they've got the best scorer in the NBA in Bryant. They're the hands down favorites in the conference.

2. San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs continue to amaze me. First, they kept their heads above water early in the season while Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were sidelined with injuries, and now they're looking good with Ginobili injured again. Tim Duncan just seems to be defying the aging process. He's still one of the best players in the game and its top power forward. Greg Popvich is once again proving that he knows how to get the most out of his players, ala Roger Mason and Matt Bonner.

3. Utah Jazz: With Carlos Boozer back, this team is at full strength. Deron Williams is having a great season and not getting much pub, but he's definitely getting the job done. Ronnie Brewer is probably one of the best role players in the league and a guy that more people should know about. It must be nice to have a guy as good as Paul Millsap coming off the bench too.

4. New Orleans Hornets: Something happened to this team when the Thunder rescinded the trade that would have sent center Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City. They're starting to resemble the squad that pushed the Spurs to seven games in the conference semis last season. Chris Paul is going to give you everything he's got every night, but with guys like David West and Chandler playing well, this team is a force.

5. Denver Nuggets: Acquiring Chauncey Billups has done wonders for this team, but I can't help but wonder how good they would be with Marcus Camby still on board. Imagine rolling out a starting lineup of Billups, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Nene and Camby. That would be enough to get this team out of the first round. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening without Camby.

6. Houston Rockets: Rick Adelman deserves more praise for the job he's done with this team the past two years. Last season they Rockets went on that huge winning streak without Yao and now they're winning without Tracy McGrady.

7. Portland Trail Blazers: The Blazers have a lot of talent and a lot of potential, but I don't think they've got the chops to land a better seed just yet. They're fantastic at home, but they won't be one of the conference's elite teams until they learn how to win on the road.

8. Phoenix Suns: With trouble potentially brewing in Dallas and the Suns' return to run-and-gun under Alvin Gentry, I think the Suns will sneak into the final playoff spot even without Amare Stoudemire. They've still got a lot of talent and the Diesel is playing better than he has in several years. Between him, Steve Nash and Jason Richardson, this team should be able to make the postseason.

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