5 best potential playoff matchups in the loaded and unreal Western Conference

Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets

Both teams are currently sitting as one of the top three seeds in the West standings (the Warriors are first at a blistering 61-13 mark; the Rockets are 50-24 and in third place). Forget how good these two teams are at the moment and just focus on the individual matchup at the guard position.

Yes, I’m talking about the two leading NBA MVP candidates in James Harden and Stephen Curry going head-to-head. Both guys have been lights out and the two most consistent players from Day One and each player’s level of performance hasn’t dropped off not even the slightest.

Heading into these last three weeks of the regular season, the MVP award is still up for grabs.

The cool thing about all of this is getting the chance to witness the two top MVP candidates on possibly the two top teams in the same conference play against each other in the playoffs – which is a rarity.

But there are other wrinkles in the match up that make it intriguing as well. The Rockets have a bigger inside presence in Dwight Howard, can that counteract the Splash Brothers?

Since 1999 only four teams have made it out of the Western Conference, the Lakers have done it seven times, the Spurs have done it six times, the Mavericks have done it twice, and the Thunder have done it once.

Is this the year that a Golden State or Houston team can end that trend?