NBA Playoff Schedule: Power Ranking Division Winners' Chances at Winning West

The race to be the best in the west is going to be a fierce fight, but it will be one of the three division winners that emerges. 

While the conference will boast a full slate of strong playoff teams, seeds No. 4-8 do not have the firepower to advance and move onto the finals. 

The Spurs, Thunder and Lakers are locked in as the division winners and will be seeded in the order they were just mentioned. 

Let's take a look at their chances of advancing. 

*The playoff schedule will be released at the end of the regular season. You should be able to find that at ESPN, or the official page at NBA.com. 

No. 1: San Antonio Spurs

Chances of Winning West: 42.3 percent

Does anyone outside of San Antonio ever care about this team? Under Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have won four NBA titles, and they are always a factor. Yet it's like pulling teeth to get anyone to acknowledge it. 

They are currently tied with the Bulls for the best record in the NBA, and still, they arrive into the playoffs as an afterthought to most. 

The Spurs chug into the playoffs playing sublime team ball. They can get their points from anywhere on the court, and they can defend any position on the court. 

They have the experience to keep them on track in the playoffs and the youth to give them boosts of energy. They are also peaking at the right time. 

With two games left on their regular season schedule, they have won 19 of their last 21. 

No. 2:  Los Angeles Lakers

Chances of Winning West: 31.5 percent

The Lakers will enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, but they are the No. 2 favorites. 

That is due to their wealth of playoff experience. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have triumphantly tread down this road in the past. 

They know what it takes to succeed in the heightened intensity of the playoffs and how to pull it off. Sure, this didn't help them last year, but this is not the same team. 

For starters, Kobe's troublesome knee has not limited him as it did last year.

Then there is Pau Gasol. Last season, Gasol disappeared in the playoffs, as everyone was left wondering about his mental state. Gasol is in a much better place as these playoffs roll around.

The Lakers also will benefit from the on-court maturation of Andrew Bynum and the fact they now have a real NBA point guard in Ramon Sessions. 

Kobe Bryant's championship window is closing. He is not going to let that happen without putting up a huge fight. 

No. 3: Oklahoma City Thunder

Chances of Winning West: 26.2 percent

The Thunder have the talent, and they have put together a phenomenal season. But this team is led by youth, and they will need some extra seasoning. 

This fact became vividly apparent on April 22. The Thunder had a big fourth-quarter lead on the Lakers, and they let it slip away. 

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both missed handfuls of big shots that would have iced it, but they have yet to develop that closer's mentality. 

This team is clearly talented enough to win the West, but in a close game, they are going to struggle against the more seasoned Spurs and Lakers.