At long last, the 2017-18 NBA season is here, and tip-off week truly should be declared a federal holiday. Following one of the more exhilarating offseasons in recent memory, which featured blockbuster trades of superstars and the best draft class in years, all the fans have been looking forward to is the real action. However, it remains to be seen if any of the new big dogs can topple the dynasty of the Golden State Warriors here in my Western Conference predictions.

Pacific Division

Golden State should breeze through this division, as the continued dominance of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green should carry this squad into the 75-win range and the number one overall seed in the West. In second, I anticipate the Clippers, despite the massive hole left in this team by the departure of their franchise's face, Chris Paul, to Houston. Milos Teodosic will look to prove that his otherworldly performances overseas can translate to the NBA, while Blake Griffin will be forced to compete at a superstar level as the team's de facto best player and DeAndre Jordan will need to prove he can be a number two option on offense. In third, I expect to see a massively improved Lakers squad, who will win between 32-35 games behind a Rookie of the Year performance from Lonzo Ball alongside the continued emergence of Brandon Ingram and the veteran scoring presence and floor spacing of Brook Lopez. Luke Walton's team may just do enough to lure LeBron to the West Coast yet. In fourth, I envision the Phoenix Suns, who will again struggle toward a top pick in the draft despite the positive direction their young core possesses, as the team pairs Josh Jackson to the emerging star of Devin Booker. Finally, the Sacramento Kings will battle it out with Phoenix for the fourth spot, but I ultimately believe they will be beaten out in the first full season of the post-DeMarcus Cousins era. De'Aaron Fox could provide an electric spark plug at the guard spot alongisde young shooter Buddy Hield, but little else excites about this team, unless Willy Cauley-Stein makes massive strides this season (and proves he belonged in the same backcourt as Karl-Anthony Towns in college).

Northwest Divison

This year's iteration of the Northwest Division has turned from one of basketball's worst divisions into its absolute best following this past offseason. Suddenly, every team here looks like a playoff contender, and splitting these sides could prove difficult. At the top of the pack, however, I believe the newly-reloaded Oklahoma City Thunder will be too much for the rest of division to handle behind the elite scoring of reigning MVP Russell Westbrook alongside All-Stars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Right behind them however, the Minnesota Timberwolves have finally added another star to the club that is perennially slated to become the year's breakout team. A massive draft-day deal added Jimmy Butler, a consensus top-10 player, to a core of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins to form an attacking trident that can be matched by few other teams. When paired with the steady hand of Jeff Teague at the one spot, this team is a dark horse for the Western Conference finals. In third, the Portland Trail Blazers will outduel the other two squads for third place as the backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum continues to prove themselves to be amonst the league's very best, despite the little support around them. Moving down, I expect the Denver Nuggets to finish in fourth despite being in the thick of the playoff race, given the tantalizingly high ceiling of Nikola Jokic and the newly-acquired veteran presence of Paul Millsap. If Jamal Murray develops as we expect, this team could be the least talked-about dark horse in the Association. They will be followed by a still-strong Utah Jazz squad, who could've been contenders to win the division had they been able to hang on to their star, Gordon Hayward, who departed for Boston this offseason (before suffering a horrific leg break that prematurely ended his debut season out East), but still boast defensive stopper Rudy Gobert and the ever-underrated Ricky Rubio at point.

Southwest Division

Again, the Southwest could be one of the most interesting divisions in basketball this year in the stacked Western Conference. At the top, I don't see anyone topping the resurgent Houston Rockets, who've added Chris Paul to a roster of floor spacers that features MVP runner-up James Harden in Mike D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense. Moreover, this team already impressed to start the season, dethroning the defending champion Warriors in Oakland on opening night, and are the second-best team in basketball. In second, the Spurs will continue to lean on the MVP-caliber performances on both ends by Kawhi Leonard, although this could be the least-talked about Spurs squad in the last 20 years. Many are quick to forget that this side led Golden State by 20 on their court in Game One of the Western Conference Finals before a dirty play from Warriors center Zaza Pachulia ended Leonard's season. In third, the Memphis Grizzlies will struggle to hold on to the remains of the Grit-and-Grind era following the loss of franchise face Zach Randolph, but Marc Gasol and Mike Conley had been the focal points of the team's big three for a few years now, and they should help keep this team trending toward the lower end of the playoffs. Next up, the New Orleans Pelicans will look to finally figure out how to play DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis together and effectively utilize the best big man duo in basketball, and this failure last season fell largely on the part of Alvin Gentry. At the division's rear, the Dallas Mavericks will struggle, but Dennis Smith Jr. is arguably the draft's best steal at number eight overall, and a dark horse for the Rookie of the Year title himself, as he is a Fox-type player with a much better jump shot.

Playoffs

1. Golden State Warriors def. Memphis Grizzlies 4-0

2. Houston Rockets def. Portland Trail Blazers 4-1

3. Oklahoma City Thunder def. Los Angeles Clippers 4-1

4. San Antonio Spurs

5. Minnesota Timberwolves def. San Antonio Spurs 4-3

6. Los Angeles Clippers

7. Portland Trail Blazers

8. Memphis Grizzles

Golden State def. Minnesota 4-2

Houston def. Oklahoma City 4-3

Golden State def. Houston 4-3, wins Western Conference