Pacific powers in the NBA

The excitement of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is built on its unpredictability. During the course of the regular season, we see shocking and unexpected results. The Golden State Warriors stole that unpredictability in the summer of 2016 after they assembled a team so powerful, betting against them would be beyond foolish.

This offseason, there was enough player movement across the teams to afford some parity. Sure, two of the league's top 10 players have bonded together, but the upgrade from Jrue Holiday to Damian Lillard is not as high as the Harrison Barnes to Kevin Durant in 2016. Lillard's impact will probably manifest more in the playoffs–that's when the Milwaukee Bucks need a clutch guy most.

There are power shifts this season but none would be as big as Lillard. Even if the James Harden trade to the Clippers pushes through, I don't see it as more impactful than what the Bucks did in the offseason.

So now that the league is more spread out, what would be the easiest or surest bet to make?

Title contenders

There is no division in the NBA more powerful than the Pacific division. Yes, divisions still exist, even though they have been robbed of significance in recent years. When the season starts, we can name all four California teams and the lone Arizona team as possible, fringe title contenders.

The hypothesis was formulated after watching the best preseason game. It was between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. Their stars played extended minutes, D'Aaron Fox was jarring with Chris Paul. Domantas Sabonis played with a chip on his shoulder and the Kings led by as much as 18 points in that game.

At some point, CP3 and Steph Curry decided to take the game seriously even though it is just a preseason match. They crawled their team to a comeback the Warriors style and Curry shot the game winning three against Fox. This was no longer a glorified practice game but a rivalry that would extend deep into the regular season and, most likely, in the playoffs.

These two teams look good, but then I remembered the LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. Those three teams are ranked higher than these two.

Power shift in the West

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