How Many Teams Are NBA Title Contenders?

Does any team stand out as the NBA title favorite?

The 2014-2015 season so far has represented two things that are not commonly associated with the National Basketball Association and they are “parity” and “competitive balance.” Those two words usually apply to the NFL or MLB, but there pretty much describing what this professional basketball season has represented at this point. The Race for the 2015 NBA title is wide open people and I don’t have the slightest clue what team will be standing in June as the champions.

Usually every year in the NBA come the start of the playoffs, there are reasonably five to six teams that have a legit shot at winning the title. That’s the number. The NBA has always stood out for embracing and leaning on superteams and heavyweights to carry the sport and it’s worked out well for them. Remember the golden days in the 1980s when the Magic-Kareem Lakers, Larry Bird Celtics, Dr. J Sixers, and Isiah Thomas Pistons (then along came Jordan and the Bulls in the late 80s) were the primary favorites to win every season and we knew those teams would slug it out for the title against each other in epic playoff matchups? That’s what NBA fans are used too and that’s what they enjoy. Having the best teams playing against one another deep into the playoffs and into the Finals is what the average sports fan wants to see and what the NBA has always thrived on. Parity be dammed.

Well, this season parity is trumping top-heavy.

I’ll say right now we have about four teams from the Eastern Conference that can make a case that they can win the title. The defensive-stout Chicago Bulls (23-10) led by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Pau Gasol can make a case. The surprising East-leading Toronto Raptors at 24-8 are athletic, a tight cohesive unit, and right now are playing the best out East are in the hunt. The Washington Wizards (22-9) are a bright, young team led by the upstart backcourt John Wall and Bradley Beal and certainly have a case. Then we have the NBA’s newest current version of the superteam in the ballyhooed Cleveland Cavaliers (18-14) constituted of the best player in the game LeBron James, ankle-breaking Kyrie Irving, and double-double machine Kevin Love.

You could make a case for the Atlanta Hawks who are sitting at 23-8 but I would advise you otherwise. I don’t buy the Hawks act for a second and neither should you. They are totally overachieving with an underwhelming roster full of subpar players and if you look at the history of the Atlanta Hawks, it tells you that come playoff time there not sniffing past the second round. Forget about them. Four teams make the cut in the East, at the moment.

When you move to the chaotic Western Conference, I’m looking at eight teams that have a shot at winning the title. THAT’S RIGHT…EIGHT FREAKING TEAMS! It’s completely unheard of to have that many serious title contenders in one conference, but that’s how the West is looking this days.

The defending champion San Antonio Spurs have struggled this year but if there healthy come season’s end, they are more than capable of making a run at the title. The hot-shooting Golden State Warriors led by Stephen Curry own the West and league’s best record at 25-5 and are hungry to win the whole thing. The methodical Memphis Grizzlies (23-8) look better than ever and as a small-market team, have a real chance at winning a title.

The Portland Trail Blazers (26-7) and their underrated star duo of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are definitely in the mix. The highly-efficient Dallas Mavericks with their new-addition of all-star point guard Rajon Rondo have a chance at the crown. The Houston Rockets carried by MVP candidate James Harden are poised to make some noise in the postseason. The L.A. Clippers are desperate to make a conference finals with the core group of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan and get to the Finals. The OKC Thunder have probably more pressure than any team in the league of trying to capture a championship given they’ve been knocking on the door the last couple years.

Don’t even think about throwing the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans in the title discussion. Those teams are not at that level yet.
So there you have it. We have about 12 teams at this point in the 2014-2015 NBA season that can make a case that they can win the title this season. Four from the East and twelve from the West. The way I see it, only 12 of those 14 teams have a real shot. As youthful and as well as the Wizards and Raptors have played this season, I don’t’ think they have a shot at winning the title. Both teams just aren’t ready to make that step. As for the other 12 teams, there all in the race. Usually around this time of the NBA season, you get a good idea of what four to five teams standout above the rest of the field, but it’s not the case this year. The pool is wide open folks. Parity for a change is winning in the NBA and it ain’t half bad either.

This could be most wide-open NBA title race of all-time.

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