The Battle of the West

      Now that the National Basketball Association (NBA) has begun it is likely that many of my personal blog posts will be about this topic because it is just something that I happen to be very passionate about. With that said, I am, as I believe I mentioned in my last post, a huge fan of LeBron James. Not only is he a great player, but he is also a great person and an influence to all young people out there trying to make a name for themselves in the world of basketball. Therefore, I obviously would like to see his current NBA team, the Los Angeles Lakers, do very well this season. Honestly, I think they have a great shot to do something amazing this year. There is no doubt in my mind that they are a lock for this year's playoffs and they could easily make their way to the Western Conference Finals. However, they would have to get through at least one tough team to get there because there will be no bad teams in the Western Conference playoff bracket. Thus, they will have to face a team like Portland, Houston, Denver or the Jazz. Every single one of those teams has a solid lineup with the potential to give the Lakers a run for their money. Also, I say all of that without even mentioning the league's new top contender. The Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers have, without a doubt, the best lineup in the entire NBA starring two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), and arguably the best player in the league, Kawhi Leonard. They opened up their first game of the season with a 112-102 win against the Lakers. On top of that, their 10 point win was done without the help of all-star guard Paul George who is sidelined for the coming weeks due to a shoulder injury. Granted, the Lakers were also missing a key player in Kyle Kuzma. However, there is no doubt that George will add more for the Clippers than Kuzma can for the Lakers. So, I am hoping the best for LeBron and the Lakers, but they have a tough road ahead of them to say the least.