The best of the West: the NBA Western Conference first round preview

The NBA Western Conference has been the most exciting and unpredictable conference by a country mile, with the 11^th and fourth seeds separated by just seven wins.

The West has been stacked with superstars from top to bottom, including Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who failed to make the play-in tournament this season.

Here is the NBA Western Conference first-round preview!

The Phoenix Suns' threesome of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton posed a scary enough threat, but with the addition of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, The Suns are 8-0 in all the games he's played, making for an unbelievably tough series for the LA Clippers.

Since Paul George and Kawhi Leonard joined The Clippers, the pair have struggled to mount a serious title challenge. George hasn't played since injuring his knee in March and is expected to miss most of the series when it plays out.

The regular season series of games is tied 2-2, but with the doubt of Paul George playing, Phoenix looks too strong when dealing with elite offensive players Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.

The Sacramento Kings make their playoff return for the first time in 17 years, facing the defending champions Golden State Warriors, possessing four-time winning core Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.

A home-court advantage could be crucial for The Kings, with Golden State going 11-30 on the road in the regular season. However, if it was time zones or miles in the air that was the contributor, this won't be the case here, with only 87 miles separating them.

The Kings will be confident All-Stars Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox will steal the show, but you can never right off Golden State when Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are on the team.

Fans will be hoping for a series that replicates the teams' fiery previous meetings as the old-headed Lakers face the young and fearless Memphis Grizzlies.

Since the All-Star break, The Lakers are 17-7, ranking number one in the NBA. However, The Grizzlies possess All-Star center Jaren Jackson Jr, who has proven his defensive capabilities against the best players in the NBA and could prove a tricky matchup for Anthony Davis.

Both teams' defenses have been a staple for their recent success, and the Lakers have a regular season matchup 2-1. Despite that, this series could go to Game 7, as it's impossible to right LeBron James off, and the Grizzlies possess two of the best young players in the league.

In a turbulent Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets have remained consistent through the regular season, finishing on 53 wins and 29 losses.

Denver center Nikola Jokic has again been one of the premiere players in the league, averaging 25 points, 12 rebounds, and ten assists. The Serbian star is hoping to become the fourth player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP award three years in a row.

With the suspension of Rudy Gobert and the injury to Jaden McDaniels, the Minnesota Timberwolves will have to bounce back from their loss to The Lakers to have any chance of clinching the 8^th seed in the West.

With the Timberwolves missing the size and defensive capabilities of McDaniels and Gobert, The Thunder's dynamic backcourt of Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be enough to see them into the first round against The Nuggets.