10. LA Clippers
I was completely wrong about the LA Clippers. Heading into the start of the season, I believed that this was a team that was going to take a big step back after losing Paul George in free agency and after it was reported that Kawhi Leonard was going to miss a big chunk of the start of the season. That hasn't exactly happened. The Clippers managed to hang around during the first half of the year and now that Kawhi is back and playing his way back into the swing of things, LA has a shot to emerge as a dark horse threat in the postseason.
The Clippers are in a battle for the sixth seed in the Western Conference standings and are just two games back of the Los Angeles Lakers for a top 5 seed. If the Clippers can remain healthy, it wouldn't be that surprising to see them emerge as a team that not many higher seeds will want to face off in the playoffs. Can you imagine an all-Los Angeles first-round matchup between the Lakers and Clippers? That would be quite the series to watch.
9. Los Angeles Lakers
There's no question that the decision to trade Anthony Davis in a package for Luka Doncic at the NBA Trade Deadline was a long-term move. Even though there's a path toward it paying dividends this season, I'm not sure if the Lakers truly banked on that when they pulled the trigger. Nevertheless, you can't help but wonder just how dangerous this team will be able to be down the stretch and ultimately into the postseason. With two of the best players in the league, the Lakers are going to have a fighting chance every night.
If the Lakers can remain in that 4-5 spot, they will have a solid shot to advance to the Western Conference semifinals in which they'll match up with a much more inexperienced team. Even though the Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the two best teams in the league all year long, I can't help but wonder if the Lakers could potentially give them some problems in a potential series. After all, are you willing to bet against Luka and LeBron?