2024 Western Conference Play in
- pcmaxx6
- Apr 16, 2024
- 3 min read
Dude…
Just because College Hoops is over, doesn’t mean that the Dudes are stopping. The NBA Playoffs are here and I have your play in tournament predictions for the Western Conference! The Pelicans host the Lakers in the #7 vs. #8 matchup. The loser will face the winner of the #9 and #10 seed matchup as the Kings host the Warriors. The winner of the final game will clinch the last seed in the loaded west. Who will make it out unscathed?
The Pelicans barely missed out on an automatic bid into the NBA Playoffs after losing their final game of the regular season. Now, they must face a stingy veteran team with King James and AD on the opposite team. The Pelicans have been an up and down team this year. Zion Williamson was supposed to be the next big thing. Breaking out in 2016 for his athleticism and terrific dunking ability, Zion went #1 overall. He’s averaging just under 23 points per game, but didn’t receive all star honors. His counterparts have also been lacking. Brandon Ingram hasn’t looked the same since 2022 and CJ McCollum has regressed since his time in Portland. Still, this team can get hot and has a ton of good players that can go off. However, they face the LA Lakers. King James has been one of the most dominant players in the league for 2 decades. He’s a factor every time he steps onto the floor. Lebron has been averaging 25 points per game and his counterpart in Anthony Davis has just under 25 points per game as well with 12 rebounds. These two beasts have been carrying this Lakers team all year. The supporting cast has not shown up the way they did last year in the playoffs. However, it is that time of year when these two dogs on LA decide to take over. They feed the right guys and for some reason, they decide to hit shots in April. I think Zion is overrated and the Pelicans aren’t as good as everyone thinks they are. You can’t bet against the King. I have the Lakers winning in a close game and moving on to face the Nuggets in the first round.
Two former playoff teams battle it out to have the opportunity to make the playoffs. The Sacramento Kings are a definite surprise to see this far down on the totem pole, after being the 3 seed last year. De’Aaron Fox leads the way with just over 26 points per game and 6 assists. Domantas Sabonis is the surprise and a big reason why the Kings are so low. He’s averaging just under 20 points per game. Their supporting cast has been a little soft this year. Keegan Murray didn’t make the jump they were hoping for and Malik Monk is under performing. This Kings team has had a tough time scoring, which is wild to say about this team. They face the team that is also a huge offensive threat if they get hot in the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry is a man that needs no introduction. The 4x NBA Champion is always locked and loaded. His supporting cast however, has also let him down. The Chris Paul experiment has failed (go figure, did you not watch him in Phoenix???) Klay Thompson has been average, but with the West being so loaded, they needed more from him. The Warriors are weird because they don’t know if they want to be a youthful team, or to milk out what’s left of Curry, Thompson, and Green. It seems like they had made the wrong decision, and now they’re stuck fighting for their playoff lives. This game should be a shoot out as each team doesn’t want to go home. I think Steph will turn into MVP Steph to have the Warriors face the Pelicans in a win or go home situation.
We have a live stream tonight!!! Come back tomorrow for our Eastern Conference Play in round 1 predictions!!!
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