Countdown to 12 days! ESPN predicts Western Conference ranking: Warriors second, Rockets fifth!

There are only 12 days left until the NBA new regular season opener (October 22), and the countdown to the new season has officially begun! At this time point, the well-known media ESPN combined the performance of each team in the preseason and the status of the players to give a ranking prediction table for the Western Conference in the new season, and gave a specific predicted number of wins. Among them, the Golden State Warriors are infinitely optimistic and are predicted by ESPN to achieve second place in the Western Conference in the new season, while the Houston Rockets are ranked fifth in the Western Conference. Let’s take a look at the specific predicted rankings (predicted number of wins in parentheses)!

First to fifth: Thunder (59.2), Warriors (56.1), Nuggets (52.2), Clippers (49.7), Rockets (46.9)!

Comments: The Thunder, which has retained all of its championship-winning core lineup, is undoubtedly ranked first in the Western Conference by ESPN. Compared with other teams in the Western Conference, their lineup is stable, their age structure is healthy, and they do not need to break in. This is their biggest advantage. In the early stages of the regular season, their advantage is still ahead! It is somewhat surprising that the Warriors are predicted to be second in the Western Conference in the new season in the powerful Western Conference. In two preseason games, the Warriors easily defeated the Lakers, and then reversed the Trail Blazers with 21 points to win two consecutive games. The addition of Horford not only gave them a qualified fifth position, but also made their lineup system more three-dimensional, and role players such as Moody and Post have obvious long balls. As long as Curry has the physical fitness, he will be the top active player!

In addition, the Nuggets and Clippers, two strong teams that have made excellent signings during the offseason, are predicted to be ranked third and fourth in the Western Conference respectively. It is not a big problem for these two teams to be ranked in this position during the regular season. The Rockets, who are regarded as the favorites to compete for the championship, are only ranked fifth in the Western Conference. In the eyes of ESPN, the Rockets can only achieve 46.9 wins in the new season. You must know that last season they achieved 52 wins and ranked second in the Western Conference. In the last preseason game against the Jazz, Durant ushered in the Rockets' career debut. After making 0 of the first 3 shots, he made all 7 shots, helping the team easily defeat the opponent. The Big Three combination he formed with Shen Jing and Amen is both offensive and defensive, making it difficult for opponents to guard against. The impact of VanVleet's season reimbursement on the Rockets is very huge in the eyes of ESPN!

Sixth to tenth: Lakers (45.8), Grizzlies (44.6), Timberwolves (43.7), Mavericks (43.6), Kings (43.5)!

Comment: The Lakers, who have Doncic, James, and Ayton, are ranked sixth in the Western Conference in the eyes of ESPN. Well-known reporter Shams just reported that James is expected to miss 3-4 weeks due to a sciatic nerve injury. This will be the first time in James' career that he will miss the regular season opener. James' absence will cause the Lakers' strength to decline to a certain extent. The time to test Doncic's single-core leadership ability has arrived! In addition, the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Mavericks, and Kings have been included in the play-off team sequence by ESPN. To be fair, the Kings will not be stronger than the Spurs and Suns. What do you think?

11th to 50th: Spurs (40.1), Trail Blazers (35.8), Suns (34.7), Pelicans (32.6), Jazz (20.2)!

Comment: As I said before, it is unfair for the Spurs and Suns to be ranked at the bottom of the Western Conference by ESPN. With this lineup of the Spurs, I don’t think it’s surprising that they will directly enter the top six in the Western Conference in the new season. It requires talent, lineup configuration, lineup depth, and lineup depth. And Fox is also the top star in the league who can play key goals. The only drawback is that he is young. In addition, the Suns completed a major overhaul during the offseason, and the team's lineup has become younger and more rational. Judging from the paper's strength, the balance of their offensive and defensive systems has improved significantly compared with before. They may also become a dark horse in the Western Conference! What do you think of ESPN's predicted list of Western Conference teams for the new season?