Fans of the Eastern Conference, take heart! We reveal the fatal flaw for each Western Conference playoff team. You’re welcome, Giannis.
Golden State Warriors
BOOGIE DOWN: The two-time defending champs are the favorites once more. But there’s a crack in the foundation-and that crack is named DeMarcus Cousins, who has achieved what no opponent ever could: He’s turned the Warriors into only an average offensive team. With Cousins on the court, Golden State’s offensive rating is just 109.6, significantly below the team’s overall average of 114 and below NBA average. Unless the Dubs flip a playoff switch, Boogie’s tenure in Oakland will be remembered as a massive disappointment.
Denver Nuggets
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: The NBA game changes in the playoffs; experience matters more. And compared with the other top teams, these Nuggets have none. Nikola Jokic, Gary Harris and Jamal Murray have played exactly zero playoff games. Mike Malone has coached the same number.
Houston Rockets
FEWER STOPPERS: In the wake of the offseason exits of Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute-plus injuries to Clint Capela and Chris Paul-the Rockets have allowed the fifth-easiest shots in the league this season, per Second Spectrum. Though better of late, Houston’s D still ranks 20th in the NBA, and mediocre defenses beget mediocre playoff runs.
Portland Trail Blazers
NO-BEAST MODE: The season-ending injury to Jusuf Nurkic hurts. And hurts bad. Portland’s net rating was plus-10.4 with Nurkic on the floor and minus-4.9 (read: a lottery team) when he was off. Enes Kanter will do his best to fill Nurkic’s role, but in Kanter’s first 19 games, the Blazers are a minus-2.8 net rating with him in the game.
Utah Jazz
ONE D-MENSIONAL: Where is Utah’s firepower beyond second-year guard Donovan Mitchell? (That’s a rhetorical question.) The Jazz are 30-6 when Mitchell posts a true shooting percentage above 54 but 16-21 when he shoots worse than that. That’s a lot of pressure on one player when the other top scorers-Rudy Gobert, Ricky Rubio and Jae Crowder — scare absolutely no one on offense.
LA Clippers
NO RANGE IN THEIR GAME: The Clippers are a great story-but not a great team. At a time when 3-point offense is a prerequisite for deep runs, the Clippers enter the playoffs as one of the NBA’s weakest 3-point-shooting teams, ranking 23rd in 3-point makes and dead last in attempts per 100 possessions (25.1).
San Antonio Spurs
ROADKILL: The Spurs are awful on the road — a minus-4.1 net rating — with a 25th-ranked road D. That’s a bad omen for a team that won’t have first-round home-court advantage. The Spurs also rank dead last in scoring at the rim, averaging just 15.9 shots per 100 possessions in the restricted area, per Second Spectrum. If they don’t hit jumpers, they’re in trouble.
Oklahoma City Thunder
BIG OL’ SHOOTING SLUMPS: The Thunder offense has fallen off a cliff: No NBA team has shot worse-an eFG% of 48.7 since the break-and it’s costing OKC. If the 7-13 record since the All-Star Game is any indication, the Thunder are in for yet another brief playoff run.