Who Can Challenge the Suns in the Western Conference?
The NBA Playoffs are back and well underway in the Eastern and Western Conferences with 16 teams looking to win the coveted 16 games needed to win the championship.
However, out in the Western Conference, what team will be able to compete with the regular season champions in the Phoenix Suns?
Let’s dive into two other teams who could challenge the Suns out west.
After an astonishing 56-26 season, the Memphis Grizzlies were rewarded with the No. 2 seed for the playoffs. However, after the Minnesota Timberwolves won their play-in game over the Clippers, it looked like the Grizzlies would have a much tougher first-round test.
The Timberwolves were able to steal Game 1 on the road and are playing with all the momentum in the world right now. The Grizzlies will have a chance to prove that they are deserving of their seeding by topping these hot Timberwolves.
If Memphis gets past the Timberwolves, it will be one step closer to a chance to dethrone the Phoenix Suns out west, but there will be one other team standing in its way of defeating the Suns.
The Golden State Warriors are back in the saddle again. The team that dominated the Western Conference for the last five years of the previous decade, is back at full health with their big three of stars and other potential stars helping them along the way.
The Warriors are up 2-0 in their series against the shorthanded Denver Nuggets with potential MVP Nikola Jokić doing all he can to overcome the firepower of the Warriors.
Draymond Green has activated playoff mode, doing all the dirty work in steals and blocks to get this Warrior high-powered offense the ball more often. Surprisingly, the offense hasn’t been led by Steph Curry. Jordan Poole, after an impressive regular season, has come into the playoffs and become the catalyst for Golden State.
The depth of the Warriors is something that will move them past the Nuggets in this first round. If they face the Grizzlies in the second round, the Warriors big three would be too much for Memphis to handle, which will set up a Western Conference battle between the Warriors and Suns.
The Suns came out strong in their first game in the series against the New Orleans Pelicans behind 36-year-old Chris Paul’s 30 points, ten assists, and seven rebounds. The almost triple-double for Paul led the Suns to a 110-99 victory over the Pelicans in Game 1.
Although it was only one game in the series, the 64-18 Suns look like they could go for a clean sweep in their first-round battle. Especially if Zion Williamson, who is on the brink of potentially returning, doesn’t provide the Pelicans with his services this playoff series.
The Suns and Warriors matchup would be an absolute battle as both teams match up well with each other.
Itt would all come down to what team's stars can get more help off the bench. With Jordan Poole scoring the way he has the whole season, plus the Splash Brothers in Curry and Klay Thompson being all back together, there will be too many scoring options for the Suns to get back to the NBA Finals.
The Warriors so far seem like the only team in the west who can compete and defeat the Phoenix Suns.
Dale Ostrander is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dko5097@psu.edu.
