NBA Western Conference top 8 rankings, the Fireboats have improved greatly, and the Lakers are unpredictable

The NBA preseason has ended. After a four-day break, the regular season will officially start on October 22. The first day of the game will be exciting, with the Rockets playing against the Thunder and the Warriors playing against the Lakers. Well, after the preseason test, the changes in the strength of each team have gradually surfaced, and in the West, it is very likely that the four heroes will eventually compete for hegemony!

After preseason training, each team can be said to have its ups and downs. The Thunder remain unchanged in response to changes. In fact, they don't need to do anything more. The signings of the Rockets, Clippers, and Nuggets have obvious effects, the Lakers' prospects are unclear, the Warriors are standing still, the Mavericks are also full of confidence, and the Kings have introduced Westbrook, so the top eight in the Western Conference are most likely to win 8 teams.

No. 1, Thunder, drinking water can make you fat

The Thunder played a game with the Nuggets today. The entire main lineup faced the opponent's second team. Although they stumbled, they finally won 94:91. Of course, for the current Thunder, they don't care about a preseason game at all. Last season, they were first in the Western Conference, and then they often After experiencing the baptism of the finals, the entire team has become more mature. What is even more frightening is that the team is full of young people. Alexander is only 27 years old, and several other main players are around 23 years old. They do not have to do anything to steadily improve their strength, just like a person who easily becomes fat. Others can only gain weight by eating meat, and they can gain weight by drinking water. This is the most terrifying thing.

No. 2, Nuggets, championship heritage + strong signings

In the playoffs last season, the Nuggets played 7 games with the Thunder and 7 games with the Clippers. It is evident that the Nuggets are strong. Although they failed in the Western Conference finals, their signings this summer were very strong. Porter, whose shooting was unstable, was replaced by Cameron Johnson, who integrated offense and defense, and the inside defense was stronger. The effect of getting Varan inside was also very obvious. He scored 10 points and 9 rebounds against the Clippers. Brown is back again. Originally, they were very close to the championship. Now that they have strengthened the three positions, it can be said that the only thing that can prevent them from winning the championship is bad luck. The shovel is ready, the hammer is ready, and the next step is the championship.

No. 3, Rockets, averaged 130 points per game in the preseason, no weaknesses

The Rockets averaged 130 points per game in the preseason. This was still a score obtained without a good run-in and no effort. If the team has successfully run-in, I can't imagine, will they average 140 points per game? And with VanVleet's injury, it turned out to be a good thing. The team no longer has weaknesses. The team is tall, strong, capable of shooting, young, thick, capable of scoring, capable of defending, and has players with hot tempers. What does this team lack now?

No. 4, Clippers, signing a starting set

Clippers fans may be smiling crookedly this year. Maybe no one cares about the performance of Kawhi and Harden. The performance of several players signed this year is really good, Paul is among them In the previous game, Collins had 10 assists and only 1 turnover. Collins scored 24 points. Today, Bill played about 15 minutes and scored 12 points. His performance was no worse than Curry. Lopez has now simply become the team's sharpshooter. Originally, the team's ranking could be higher, but in such high-end games, having more people may not be useful. It also depends on the performance of the core players. The current Kawhi and Harden are not very reassuring.

No. 5, Mavericks, No. 3 pick Summon the Dragon

This team doesn’t have much, just the No. 1 pick, Big Eyebrow, Irving, and Flagg. In the new season, they will compete on the same stage, which is exciting to watch. And this team has done its best, whether it is inside reserves or outside. The inside combination of Gafford, Lively, Big Eyebrow, and Flagg is not an exaggeration to call it the strongest in the league. After the return of outside line Irving, it will provide the team with enough firepower. In addition, there are many defensive players such as Christie, Washington, and Marshall. This team is definitely not bad.

No. 6, Timberwolves, not too good, but not bad either.

Last season, they ranked 6th in the Western Conference, and there was no operation in the free market this year. This team has a very strong foundation, but old Conley is a bit insufficient as a starting point guard. If they can be upgraded at this position, then the Timberwolves will go further. In addition, Edwards and Randall are still prone to slipping up in some key games, so the Timberwolves will not rush to the top four in the Western Conference, but if nothing else happens, they will not go to the play-offs.

No. 7, Lakers, overall improvement

The Lakers' signings this year have slightly improved. Judging from several preseason games, Finney Smith still has a great impact on the team. Although he is highly replaceable on the offensive end, on the defensive end, after he left, the team did not have a decent defender. Take the preseason as an example. They lost 5 of 6 games, especially in the previous preseason game with the Suns. Doncic and Rivers each scored 25 points. But Butler, who is a marginal role player in the NBA, scored more than 30 points, and Goodwin scored more than 20 points. The two stars were actually beaten by two role players. Besides, they can't win today's game against the Kings' second team. Even if Ayton and Smart are introduced, it will not help. The team's defense still has no improvement. But on the other hand, the team has potential. If it can stay healthy, it is possible that the final ranking will be stable in the top 6.

No. 8, Warriors, aging, poor signing effect

In today's game against the Clippers, the Warriors behaved like an old man in his twilight years, without any vitality and lifeless. Horford played really well, but his appearance took up the time of Davis and Post. Originally, Davis could have dunked a basket to improve his momentum. This is impossible now. In addition, Payton, Curry Jr., and Melton on the outside will take up more of the young people's time after their comeback, making the team's lineup on the court older and older. The game will be very dull. Meeting young people is really a bit confusing. As the saying goes, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. But there are too many elderly people in the family, and the burden is too great. It is difficult to say whether they can bear it. In the end, Green, Butler, and Curry need to stay healthy.

Overall, the rankings of the top four in the Western Conference are relatively stable. The Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, and Clippers have sufficient lineups and are stronger than other teams. The Lakers and Warriors are a bit unpredictable. This has been very clear last season. Sometimes they will play very well, and sometimes they will play very poorly. This situation will continue to occur in the new season. Their ranking is also the most unstable. They may be very good or very poor.