Last year, the Portland Trail Blazers witnessed first-hand just how grueling playing in the Northwest Division can be. The entire division combined for a collective 243-168 record, a league best mark at a 59.1 win percentage while also accounting for half of all playoff teams in the Western Conference.
The Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder all participated in postseason play. The Blazers would go on to be the Northwest’s sole representative in the Western Conference Finals.
This year the story might look starkly different, as so many teams have rushed to stockpile superstars for the most wide-open championship race of this decade.