Basketball season in Ames is an exciting time of year. With the cyclones season coming up, local fans may forget about the professionals. With the NBA season rapidly approaching, let us take a look at the top teams in each division of the Western Conference.

Northwest: While the Northwest has had a few young, raw teams in Minnesota and Utah, look for the Trailblazers, Nuggets and Thunder to run this division. The obvious favorite has to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. With Kevin Durant out for the beginning of the season, it will be up to Russell Westbrook and company to carry the load. With Steven Adams and Reggie Jackson emerging as talented players, and the addition of three-point specialist Anthony Morrow, the Thunder will not be stopped easily.

Pacific: Out West we should have a more competitive division this year. With Phoenix resigning Eric Bledsoe, the young Suns team will attempt to run opponents out of the building. The old, injured Lakers are taking the backseat as far as Los Angeles teams go, and the Clippers are the team to beat in the Pacific.

Southwest: There is not a team in this division without playoff hopes. Anthony Davis is quickly emerging as one of the best in the game, and Dallas has brought back Tyson Chandler and added a young wing Chandler Parsons to the mix. Even with each team making subtle to vast improvements, we should see Spurs run this division lead by wise veterans and an even wiser Coach Popovich. The chances of the Spurs not continuing their domination is about as likely as Coach Pop giving a reporter an interview without patronizing them.

It is a pretty common belief that the Western Conference houses a majority of the top teams year in and year out. Look for the three aforementioned front runners to lead the pack and set the tone for what should be an entertaining season.