5 Western Conference teams who could win title

The NBA playoffs are rapidly approaching with teams battling for spots with a chance to go to the Finals.

NBA teams continue to vie for home-field advantage, a higher position in the standings, and position in the Play-In tournament.

The Western Conference, for example, has a playoff race that has seen new faces that become a serious contender for the NBA title from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Stories in the NBA Western Conference factor into the ramifications of the playoff race with the Phoenix Suns clinching the No. 1 seed and the Los Angeles Lakers falling to the 11th spot which falls them out of contention for the Play-In Tournament,

With all the teams that are currently in the playoff standings, there are questions that NBA fans want to know about which of their teams could contend for the championship.

Here are five NBA teams in the playoffs that have a chance to win the title.

Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic (77) driving in the lane against Eric Paschall (0) at Utah’s home court.

The Mavericks are a team who aren’t expected to make a big run in the playoffs, but show the capabilities of being one of the dark houses.

They had some losses early parts of this season until they continue to win with Luka Doncic having the ability to dominate a team on any given night. For example, Doncic posted a triple-double against the Lakers.

With Doncic performing well for the Mavericks, players from the Kristaps Porzingis trade (David Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie) have been vital parts of being good role players that compliment Doncic’s game.

Dinwiddie has been one of the newer acquisitions during the trade deadline that gives the Mavericks another scorer in their offense. His capability of shooting 3-pointers behind the arc helped the spacing for the Mavericks against opposing defenders and become the second-best option in scoring.

Recently, the Mavericks clinch a playoff spot for the third straight year after defeating the Cleveland Cavilers 120-112.

The Mavericks are now in the third spot in the NBA playoffs with a record of 48-29 as well as 8.5 games behind the Grizzlies.

Unfortunately, the Mavericks haven’t won a playoff game in the 2010-11 playoffs when they won the championship versus the Miami Heat.

The chances for the Mavericks going all the way to the title depends on how Doncic and his teammates perform consistently against the tough competition in a seven-game series.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards (1) (Left) talking to Karl Anthony Towns (32) (Right).

The Timberwolves are an interesting case this season with not being considered a favorite to reach the playoffs, but the team is another dark horse to watch out for.

The team chemistry resulted in performing well since the All-Star break, where they would win 10 of the last 13 games. The noticeable wins from the Grizzlies to the Warriors during the stretch of wins make the Timberwolves a formable opponent against any top-tier team.

With the performance of Edwards and Towns this season, the Timberwolves become a playoff contender following a disaster 2020-21 season with a 23-49 record.

Edwards has improved in his second year compared to his rookie campaign. His productivity with being a two-way forward by Edward’s ability to create his shot and making defensive stops.

It became apparent with how he performed against the Portland Trailblazer where Edwards scored his career-high 48 points and two steals.

This shows the progression of Edward’s potential and how he could be something for the Timberwolves in the playoffs. The Timberwolves’ young forward’s stats this season are 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.

As for Towns, he was criticized in the past for being called “soft” by Jimmy Butler or not being a leader for the Timberwolves.

During this season, Towns had a career renaissance by winning the 3-point contest, making his third All-Star appearance, and recording his career-high 60 points against the San Antonio Spurs.

If the Timberwolves continue their success in the regular season and translate it to the playoffs, then they could be an underdog team that has a chance to win the NBA championship.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are a team that would be a top threat to win the NBA championship with how Jokic is playing this season.

Jokic has been playing like an MVP this season averaging a triple-double by his stats in averaging 26.5 ppg, 13.6 rpg, and 8.0 apg.

The Nugget’s star center doesn’t have eye-popping stats consistently each game, but he does contribute in different ways. Jokic ability to best passing big men league as well as an underrated rebounder shows that he is a threat in many phases in the offensive side of the ball.

This happened during the season against the Blazers on Feb. 28 when Jokic recorded just eight points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists.

As with scoring, Jokic had monster games where he almost match or eclipsed his season-high of 50 points from last season.

Versus the Clippers, Jokic had 49 points, 10 assists, and 14 rebounds, which was one of his best games this season.

Though Jokic was a focal point of the Nuggets’ success, the emergence of rookie standout Bones Hyland becomes another breakout scorer for the Nuggets with Jamal Murray being out for the season.

Hyland shows capabilities to score clutch shots for the Nuggets and have the hot hand when it matters to most.

One of Hyland’s best games that showcase his potential to be a second option behind Jokic is against the Lakers when he scored 27 points and six 3-pointers.

If Hyland continues to be a factor in Nuggets and Jokic continues his MVP performances, then the Nuggets will be one of the serious threats to win the NBA championship.

Memphis Grizzlies

Desmond Bane (22), Ja Morant (12), De ’Anthony Melton (0), and Steven Adams (4) on their home court together.

The Grizzlies are considered one of the top teams in the Western Conference to reach the Finals and could win the title.

Last season, the Grizzlies were 38-34 and finished ninth place in the Western Conference. They had a respectable season with Morant showing flashes of what he could become the following season.

This season was a turnaround with the Grizzlies having the second-best record (54-23) in the Western Conference. The reason for the turnaround is Morant taking the next step in his young career as well as the emergence of Desmond Bane.

Morant has displayed the ability to lead his team multiple times before being out with a knee injury. He is averaging 27.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, and 6.7 apg with an appearance in the All-Star game.

The combination of athleticism and improved shooting (49.3%) made Morant an improved player that could take the Grizzlies to the Finals for the first time since the organization was founded in 1995 as the Vancouver Grizzlies.

An example of Morant’s impact on the team was his performance against the Spurs when he had his career-high 52 points.

Along with Morant, Bane has become another young exceptional player for the Grizzlies with his ability to be a great shooter.

During this season, Bane is a 43% 3-point shooter with displayed shooting ability against tough competition like the Suns. He had his career-high 32 points on only six 3-pointers made.

With Morant, Bane, and other quality talents the Grizzlies have on their roster, the team has a chance to be a serious contender against any team in the playoffs.

Phoenix Suns

Lastly, the defending Western Conference champions are always going to be a threat to make another appearance in the NBA Finals.

The Suns have the best record in the NBA with 62-15 and still show the capability to be the best team in the Western Conference.

Paul, Booker, Ayton, and the rest of the Suns’ key players made the record of 62-15 possible with everyone doing their role to win games constantly this season.

Booker is the stand-out player with the Suns by being the main scoring option as well as stepping up as the leader while Paul was out with a thumb injury since the All-Star break. He is scoring 20 plus points or more in the last five games as well as shooting proficiently despite the one game at Golden State where he scored 22 points.

Booker’s MVP-like run this season is shown a week ago versus the Nuggets where he went off for a season-high 49 points.

If Booker shows the leadership and shooting skill he has shown this season, then the Suns could reach the Finals again and could win the NBA championship this time.

Conclusion

Overall, each of these five teams has a chance to win the NBA championship because of the players and the skill they possess.

With this NBA season almost over in a few weeks, the playoffs are going to be interesting to watch with these five teams looking to win the title as the season continues.