"It's a two-horse race in Eastern Conference": Stephen A. Smith claims path to NBA Finals is 'harder' out West, names 6 contenders

With many teams fortifying their rosters ahead of the 2023-24 regular season, Stephen A. Smith had an interesting perspective on the present competition available in the NBA. One of the reasons why the upcoming season is eagerly anticipated is because of the must-watch matchups between the elite teams in the league.

On ESPN's "First Take," Smith was asked on which conference has a harder path ahead of them in reaching the NBA Finals.

Interestingly, Stephen A. Smith picked the Western Conference as the tougher conference compared to how the Eastern Conference currently looks.

"I'm going to sit up there and say the West [is harder]," Smith said. "The reason I say the West is because there are more threats out West. I think it's a two-horse race within the Eastern Conference between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. It really comes down to that.

"Out West, you can say Denver, you can say the Lakers, you can say the Clippers, if healthy, yoy can say the Phoenix Suns. Let's not ignore the Sacramento Kings and we can't ignore the Golden State Warriors."

Smith described the Western Conference as a collection of teams that can easily go toe-to-toe with other elite teams in the conference. He named the Suns, the Nuggets, the Lakers, the Warriors, the Clippers and the Kings, making the West loaded. Each of those teams has something to say about making it to the 2024 postseason.

From Stephen A. Smith's point of view, he sees the Eastern Conference as essentially coming down to a head-to-head matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics revamped their roster with the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday following the exits of Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III, Grant Williams and Malcolm Brogdon.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks made a big splash in the offseason by acquiring Damian Lillard to be paired alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez.

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ESPN's Stephen A. Smith talks about how elite the Phoenix Suns are going to be this season

During ESPN's "First Take," Stephen A. Smith talked about the chaos that the Phoenix Suns will ensue in the league with a bolstered roster and new coach Frank Vogel leading the way.

"I think the Suns are going to be a major problem," Smith said. "I think that you can make a legitimate argument that they should be the favorites coming out of the West. When you look at their talent and their ability to score on anybody, I think that comes into play.

"When you look at the highly-motivated Frank Vogel getting fired," Smith added, "as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, defense being his signature, you don't expect them to struggle as much defensively last year. Kevin Durant is still one of the superstars in this game. Devin Booker to me, is a big time star and Bradley Beal is a big time scorer."

Following the team's disappointing finish last season in a second-round exit to the Denver Nuggets, the Suns are looking to bounce back with their offensive trio.

Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are enough to guarantee enough wins in the 2023-24 season. Be that as it may, chemistry will always be a factor along with how much the bench can contribute throughout 82 games.

It makes sense why Stephen A. Smith would see the Phoenix Suns as a "major problem" around the league but with a long season ahead, the team's fit will be put to the test on numerous occasions.