Can the Celtics Truly Contend in 2017?

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

We are just 11 months away from the 2017 NBA Finals, and the Celtics could become one of the favorites to the win them in the coming weeks. There have been rumblings from around the league that Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook could be in green very soon.

Boston’s current NBA championship odds are the fourth-best in the league, with the only significant move being the replacement of young, lumbering zero-time all-star Jared Sullinger with 30-year-old four-time all-star Al Horford.

Your NBA Playoff Primer: The West

There are plenty of quality teams out West, but all signs are pointing to a historic showdown between Kawhi Leonard's Spurs and Steph Curry's Warriors.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Ed. Note- Today Adam continues his look at the NBA Playoffs with the brutal Western Conference, led by the historic Golden State Warriors, but don't sleep on the always competitive San Antonio Spurs, who have had a regular season for the record books themselves.

If you'd like to see his Eastern Conference preview, click here. Now, onto the best of the West.

#1 Golden State Warriors vs. #8 Houston Rockets

Can the best team in NBA regular season history repeat as champions? If there is not a major Warriors injury, then it looks likely they will be raising the Larry O’Brien trophy again. The best offense in the league plays at the highest pace of any team in the playoffs, because Golden State knows that, the more possessions there are in a game, the better chance the northern Californians are happy.

Western Conference Finals Preview: (1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Oklahoma City Thunder

With Serge Ibaka out of the lineup, Oklahoma City will need to find other contributors in the frontcourt.

 By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

By The Numbers

San Antonio:
62-20 (32-9 Home, 30-11 Road)
PPG: 105.4 (6th); PPG Allowed: 97.6 (6th)
+7.7 Average Scoring Margin (1st)
Off Rating: 108.2 (6th); Def Rating: 100.1 (4th)
+8.1 Net Efficiency Rating (1st)

Oklahoma City:
59-23 (34-7 Home; 25-16 Road)
PPG: 106.2 (5th); PPG Allowed: 99.8 (12th)
+6.3 Average Scoring Margin (3rd)
Off Rating: 108.1 (7th); Def Rating: 101.0 (5th)
+7.1 Net Efficiency Rating (3rd)

Season Series: Oklahoma City 4-0
Oklahoma City 94, San Antonio 88 (November 27)
Oklahoma City 113, San Antonio 100 (December 21)
Oklahoma City 111, San Antonio 105 (January 22)
Oklahoma City 106, San Antonio 94 (April 3)

West Round 2 Preview: (2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (3) Los Angeles Clippers

There are four All-Stars in the series, but Scott Brooks might be the pivotal character.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

By The Numbers

Oklahoma City:
59-23 (34-7 Home; 25-16 Road)
PPG: 106.2 (5th); PPG Allowed: 99.8 (12th)
+6.3 Average Scoring Margin (3rd)
Off Rating: 108.1 (7th); Def Rating: 101.0 (5th)
+7.1 Net Efficiency Rating (3rd)

Los Angeles:
57-25 (34-7 Home; 23-18 Road)
PPG: 107.9 (1st); 101.0 (14th)
+7.0 Average Scoring Margin (2nd)
Off Rating: 109.4 (1st); Def Rating: 102.1 (7th)
+7.3 Net Efficiency Rating (2nd)

Season Series: Tied 2-2
Los Angeles 111, Oklahoma City 103 (November 13)
Oklahoma City 105, Los Angeles 91 (November 21)
Los Angeles 125, Oklahoma City 117 (February 23)
Oklahoma City 107, Los Angeles 101 (April 9)

West Round 1 Preview: (2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies

Russell Westbrook at the top of his game might be the difference between a 1st Round exit and a trip to the Finals.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

By the Numbers:

Oklahoma City:
59-23 (34-7 Home; 25-16 Road)
PPG: 106.2 (5th); PPG Allowed: 99.8 (12th)
+6.3 Average Scoring Margin (3rd)
Off Rating: 108.1 (7th); Def Rating: 101.0 (5th)
+7.1 Net Efficiency Rating (3rd)

Memphis: 
50-32 (27-14 Home; 23-18 Road)
PPG: 96.1 (27th); PPG Allowed: 94.6 (3rd)
+1.6 Average Scoring Margin (14th)
Off Rating: 103.3 (16th); Def Rating: 102.1 (8th)
+1.2 Net Efficiency Rating (14th)

Season Series: Oklahoma City 3-1
Oklahoma City 116, Memphis 100 (December 11)
Memphis 90, Oklahoma City 87 (January 14)
Oklahoma City 86, Memphis 77 (February 3)
Oklahoma City 113, Memphis 107 (February 28)

Studs and Duds: Straight Ballin'

By Jeremy Conlin and Joe Parello

Studs and Duds is a weekly feature on Suite Sports. Who had a good week? Who had a bad week?

Studs

Jay Harris, AKA "Jay Datbull"

If a college football recruit has ever had more Swag than Datbull, I haven't heard of him. Harris reportedly turned down a scholarship offer to play football for Michigan State so that he could pursue a budding rap career.

Awesome, I know.

His first single, "Datbull 4 Life" features him lighting up some weed, rapping about stealing people's wives, girls sitting on his (expletive deleted) and just general baller-hood. If you check out this video below and don't immediately sign him to a record deal, you clearly have no eye (or ear?) for musical talent.

Oh yeah, and then the minor detail came out that it was actually MSU releasing him from his scholarship after this video got over 50,000 hits on Youtube, citing inappropriate behavior.

Haters gone hate.

-JP