I know it's still too early, but it's pretty obvious that excluding major injuries, 9 teams will contend for the 8 playoff spots in Western Conference. Which team you think will be the unlucky one to miss the playoffs?
No doubt... the Lakers aren't gonna make it. Seriously though, the Lakers are in, and so are the Hornets, Jazz, and Spurs. Now I think the Rockets, Blazers, and Nuggets probably get in, and that leaves room for one more team. I think it's gonna come down to the Mavericks and the Suns; with the Mavericks edging the Suns out in the long run for the 8th seed. The Suns are a good team, but they aren't the team they were two years ago... and the addition of Shaq hasn't been good. While they do still have a lot of talent, I really don't think they're up to playoff standards in the competitve west.
