So today I got this itch to figure out who’s actually playing in that big Western States Basketball Classic thing next year. Started punching “Western States Basketball Classic 2025 teams” into my phone while waiting for my coffee to brew. Man, the results were all over the place! Kept seeing stuff about some junior high school tournament in China, which obviously wasn’t it. Felt like hitting a wall right off the bat.
Gave up on the phone, dragged my laptop over to the kitchen table. Coffee was cold by then. Typed it again, slower this time. Scrolled past more articles about Chinese leagues, feeling dumb as a brick. Almost clicked on something about the Thunder and Rockets being top teams out west – sounded promising – but it was months old stuff about the NBA playoffs back in April. Not helpful today. Kept scrolling like a zombie.
Then my eyes kinda glazed over an article from July. Said something like “rockets, thunder, nuggets, clippers set for wild west showdown”. Bingo! Hit it hard. Finally felt like I was on the right track. Nearly spilled the cold coffee leaning forward.
Started scribbling notes like crazy on an old envelope:
- Denver Nuggets: That giant center Jokic dude, obviously. Article said they bulked up the bench, got some “sixth man” award winner, whatever that means. Sounds like they mean business, chasing that top trophy.
- Houston Rockets: Blew my mind! Somehow snagged Kevin Durant? KD’s old but still putting up huge numbers like 26 points a game last year. Pairing him with that young gun Jalen Green? Sounds dangerous.
- OKC Thunder: Those young guys won a ton of games! Like, 63 wins or something crazy. Said they might rest some players later, but they look solid.
- LA Clippers: Added Bradley Beal. He took a pay cut, still scoring big. Already tough defensively, they’re aiming for the championship too.
Putting it all together felt like a win.
My fingers were sticky from the envelope glue. Learned this Western States thing is basically the NBA western conference wars. Those four – Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, Clippers – seem to be the heavy hitters everyone’s buzzing about for 2025, based on all the pieces they added. Lakers were also named but seemed a bit behind. All that digging just to find the big teams battling it out next season. Satisfying, even if it took way too long and my coffee’s totally ruined.