The Northwest Division is one of the toughest NBA divisions, and the Paul George trade just fuels that fire. At least two teams from that division have made the playoffs every season since 2006; many seasons even feature three Northwest teams in the playoffs.
If the Timberwolves weren’t so young last year, and the Nuggets had been a bit better, all five teams could have attained a playoff berth. If you thought this offseason was going to weaken the chances of that happening again in 2017-18, you were mistaken.
The division, which features Portland, Minnesota, Utah, Denver and Oklahoma City, has improved every day since the Finals ended.