Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
April 26, 2002, Washington Post

The NBA's Wild, Wild West

Go West, young man.

Newspaper editor Horace Greeley gave that famous advice about 150 years ago. Looks like the players of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have taken Greeley's advice. As the NBA playoffs get into full swing, it seems that all the good teams are in the West.

Take a close look at the six top teams in the Western Conference. Any of these teams likely would dominate the teams in the Eastern Conference. Forget the East. This year's NBA champ is sure to come from among these Western Conference powerhouses:

Los Angeles Lakers (58-24 regular season record). The two-time defending champions still have the best one-two punch in the NBA. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant score more than half of the Lakers' points. After Shaq and Kobe, though, the Lakers run dry. So the Lakers may get into trouble against the best of the West.

Sacramento Kings (61-21). Everyone knows the high-scoring Kings have former Washington Wizard and all-around whiz Chris Webber. But the Kings also have quiet stars such as sharp-shooting forward Predrag Stojakovic and steady point guard Mike Bibby. This may be the year that the fun-to-watch Kings grab the NBA crown.

San Antonio Spurs (58-24). Speaking of quiet stars, how about the Spurs' Tim Duncan? Not fancy, just fantastic, Duncan averages a cool 25 points and 12 rebounds per game. No question about it. The only question is whether veterans such as center David Robinson and shooting guard Steve Smith can help Duncan enough for the Spurs to go all the way.

Dallas Mavericks (57-25). The Mavs are loaded. Seven-foot Dirk Nowitzki is the next big thing in the NBA. Fast and strong, with a sure shot, Nowitzki can do it all. Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley give the Mavs plenty of scoring punch. And rising point guard Steve Nash keeps everyone happy with his pinpoint passing. What's missing? Playoff experience. But the Mavs should get plenty this year.

Minnesota Timberwolves (50-32). The Timberwolves have a dynamic young duo in Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak. Garnett's long arms and quickness make him almost impossible to stop around the basket. Szczerbiak is a pure shooter who might be the NBA's most improved player. The problem is that the Wolves don't have much else. So Minnesota may still be a year away.

Portland Trail Blazers (49-33). The Trail Blazers have been one of the NBA's hottest teams. After a slow start, Portland posted a 36-15 mark for the last part of the season. The Trail Blazers have oodles of talent -- Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire and Scottie Pippen all make the Blazers go. But they may not be disciplined enough to knock off the Lakers in the first round.

There you have it. Six terrific teams, plus the very good Utah Jazz and Seattle SuperSonics, all battling for the top spot in the Western Conference playoffs. So if you want to find this year's NBA champion . . . Go West.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's Friday sports column and is the author of sports novels for kids.

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