Changing dynamics in the west? A resurgence of the western conference

Last year we saw the Suns rocket to the number 3 spot in the NBA western conference with a 28-7 spurt at the end of the season. The playoffs showed the Suns to be the clear second best team in the west, by a fairly wide margin, in my humble opinion.

Clearly some of that was due to the development of some incredible cohesion and chemistry by the Suns, but part of it was a big drop off in the rest of the western conference. Portland got injured, the Spurs suffered under the poor play off newcomer Richard Jefferson, the Hornets were undermined by the injury to Chris Paul and the resultant poor play from many of their regulars, and the Mavericks seemed to be getting it done by mirrors all year long. Denver was another casualty of untimely injuries, bad chemistry and the illness to their coach and glue George Karl, and Utah also suffered at the hands of some debilitating injuries.

But there appears to be a resurgence in the Western Conference under foot this year. New Orleans revitalized by the return of Chris Paul, a new defensive focus, and getting some great play from their front line look like a powerhouse. Utah having survived the departure of Carlos Boozer looks reborn as Paul Milsap is now flourishing in his starting role aided by the arrival of Al Jefferson, and are currently on an astonishing run of unprecedented comeback wins, which is sure to be a big confidence building process. The Spurs seem to be playing with renewed confidence, (perhaps after being humiliated by the Suns last year?) as Richard Jefferson, now seems to be making this a "Big 4" and some of the bench and rookies start to really deliver. And Dallas, with a reborn Tyson Chandler, and some good work from DeShawn Stevenson, and the rest of this veteran squad, are looking much better defensively. And Denver, while a bit of a wildcard due to the uncertain sceptre of Melo's contract are getting some great play from recent draftee Ty Lawson and newcomer Gary Forbes.

Last year 55 wins was enough to get second in the west. We are still very early on in the process, but this year I am seeing a tough 5 team battle with a clear edge for the Lakers but with multiple teams teams winning high 50's low 60's in wins. The Suns look good, again, and look to be right there in terms of competing for the upper tier spots in the resurgent western conference, but will need to match their 54 game total of last year, if they want to maintain their position in the roster of elite western teams.