Only one day to go until the NBA season officially tips off! And, with the woes my Seahawks are currently going through it couldn’t have come a moment sooner. 
 

Anyway, let’s just get to the chase, because there’s a lot to cover in this blog.
Here is my season preview with more predictions for the western conference
 

Northwest Division
 
1. Denver – Carmelo is still a bit one dimensional, but he’s quietly emerging into a leader and has improved every season. They desperately need a reliable shooter to help him out, though.
 
2. Utah – If the Jazz stay completely healthy, they’re the best team in this division.  Deron Williams looked good in the preseason. I said he wouldn’t do much this year. I might have to eat my words on that one.
 
3. Seattle – They’re better than people think, but they’ll be jockeying with the Wolves for this spot in the standings. Robert Swift is out for the season and it’s reported that rookie Saer Sene will start over Johan Petro.
 
4. Minnesota – Garnett’s got some scoring help. James and Foye should be huge factors. They’re a little thin up front, so expect them to run more.
 
5. Portland – They look better than last season and Coach Nate MacMillan has had a year to figure out how to deal with this bunch. 
 

Southwest Division
 
1. San Antonio – They finished first in the division last season and that was with Duncan and Ginobili playing hurt most of the season.
 
2. Dallas – The Western Conference champs have everything to prove this year.
 
3. Houston – A couple tweaks in their lineup, a healthy T-Mac and Yao, and all of a sudden they look like a lock for the playoffs.
 
4. New Orleans – They paid Peja too much, but he sure will be a great option for Chris Paul to go to.
 
5. Memphis – Losing Gasol took the life out of them. They’ll surprise, though.  Mike Fratello is a great coach.
 

Pacific Division
 
1. Phoenix – I’m a little more concerned with Stoudemire’s health than a lot of other people are.  And, now Marion’s complaining about back spasms.
 
2. LA Clippers – Look for Livingston to get more minutes this season. Also, they didn’t lose anyone and picked up Tim Thomas for Radmanovic, which should be a better fit. 
 
3. Sacramento – Ron Artest is set to play a full season. However, they’re already dealing with a banged up Brad Miller and Bibby. Kevin Martin should have a good year.
 
4. LA Lakers – If Kobe isn’t healthy, their hopes for a decent season go down the pipes.
 
5. Golden State – Look for them to surprise with Nellie behind the controls. Starting five of Murphy, Dunleavy, Pietrus, Davis and J-Richardson.
 

Playoff Predictions:
 

Round 1:  (Remember that the NBA changed how the playoffs are laid out, so that the top four teams – three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record) will be ranked according to record.  That means, a division leader is not guaranteed one of the top three seeds and may fall to the fourth seed if the next team has a better record than they do. For instance, last season Denver was seeded higher than Dallas because they were a division winner.  Yet, Dallas had a much better record. The league fixed that problem.)
 

1 San Antonio  vs  8 Utah = SA wins 4-0
2. Dallas  vs  7 Houston = Dallas wins 4-3
3. Phoenix  vs  6 Sacramento = Phoenix wins 4-3
4. Denver  vs  5 LA Clippers = LA Clippers win 4-3
 

Round 2: 
 

1 San Antonio vs 5 LA Clippers = San Antonio wins 4-3
2 Dallas vs  3 Phoenix = Dallas wins 4-3
 

Round 3:
 

San Antonio vs Dallas = San Antonio wins 4-3