2013-14 NBA Picks and Odds: Western Conference Division Favorites

2013-14 NBA Picks and Odds: Western Conference Division Favorites: The 2013-14 NBA season is just a couple of weeks away, and while the Miami Heat will once again enter the year as defending champs, it is the West that again holds the title as the toughest conference from top to bottom. After all, several of the top teams from a year ago got even better in the offseason, and a few playoff-caliber clubs made major moves to try to improve their title hopes. As a result, the battles within each division in the Western Conference could end up being fierce as all three division winners return intact or improved and will be attempting to hold off some much-improved challengers. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the teams that should be considered the frontrunners in each division of the Western Conference heading into the 2013-14 NBA season.

Northwest Division: Oklahoma City Thunder

Losing explosive point guard Russell Westbrook for the first few weeks of the season is far from ideal, but with Denver and the rest of the division taking steps backwards in the offseason, the Thunder’s run atop the Northwest should continue in 2013-14. After all, Oklahoma City is still has Kevin Durant to lead the offense, and the scoring machine is coming off his best all-around season as a pro. Throw in the league’s best shot-blocker in forward Serge Ibaka and an excellent perimeter defender in guard Thabo Sefolosha, and the Thunder will still have some talent on the court while Westbrook recovers. Not to mention that when the star guard does return, fellow guard Reggie Jackson will be able to slide to the bench to bolster the scoring punch of the second unit. Even if Westbrook ends up sidelined for longer than expected, Durant and company should still be able to keep the rest of a weak Northwest Division at bay.

Pacific Division: Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers won this division by nine games last year, and after resigning point guard Chris Paul and adding coach Doc Rivers as well as several other pieces, a repeat performance should be on tap in 2013-14. Paul will once again have the athletic frontcourt of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to feed to the ball to, but this year’s team also has some perimeter firepower in the form of J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley. Not to mention the fact that bench now features Antawn Jamison and Darren Collison in addition to Matt Barnes and last year’s runner-up in the Sixth Man of the Year voting Jamal Crawford. Throw in the leadership and championship experience of Rivers on the sidelines, and the Clippers should cruise to a division crown.

Southwest Division: San Antonio Spurs

With the defensive-minded Memphis Grizzlies and suddenly-loaded Houston Rockets lurking within the division, the Spurs will have their work cut out for them. However, San Antonio has won the Southwest title in each of the last three seasons and hasn’t finished worse than second since the 1996-97 season, and as long as Gregg Popovich is still coaching and Tim Duncan playing, that isn’t likely to change. Of course, the emergence of point guard Tony Parker as a legit MVP candidate and the development of role players like Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and Tiago Splitter haven’t hurt the franchise’s staying power either. Essentially, the group that nearly beat the Miami Heat in last year’s NBA Finals returns intact, giving the Spurs more than enough weapons to win a fourth straight division crown.

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