The Northwest Division may be the most historically competitive since its inception in 2004. Its teams seemingly trade off division titles every year with the exception of the Oklahoma City Thunder who took the division from 2010-16 behind Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. With those big names long since gone, the Trail Blazers, Nuggets, and Jazz have each had their share of success at the top. Only one team in the Northwest, however, has found true post season success since its inception with a Thunder Western Conference Finals championship in 2012. The Jazz are a strong candidate to win the West in 2022, but there is still a long way to go in the season, and the division battles are starting to heat up.

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are one of the two teams in the Northwest that have never won a conference title and advanced to the NBA Finals in its history. The Nuggets had one notable postseason appearance in the 1994 season where they become the only 8 seed to defeat a 1 seed in the playoffs. The Nuggets didn't really see any other significant playoff success until the arrival of Carmelo Anthony in 2003. The Nuggets went on to make the playoffs from 2003-13, but lost in the first round in every appearance except for 2009, where they were defeated by the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. During his tenure, the Nuggets brought in other aging stars to support Anthony like Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups, but eventually the franchise moved on from all of these players. The Nuggets found themselves in a five season playoff drought after the departure of Anthony in 2013, but in 2015 they acquired Nikola Jokić, their big man All-Star. Jokić, the 2021 Most Value Player, is now leading the way for the Nuggets as they compete neck-and-neck with the Jazz for the Northwest Division.

Denver Nuggets Facts:

Division Titles: 5

Conference Titles: 0

NBA Championships: 0

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are a franchise frantically seeking postseason success. The Timberwolves' only sustained period of playoff appearances came from 1996-2004. The franchise bowed out the playoffs in the first round in seven straight seasons until 2003-04. Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell willed the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, where they eventually fell to the Los Angeles Lakers. Since that time, the Minnesota fans have been starved of postseason play, only making the playoffs one more time in 2017-18. The T-Wolves are starting to show signs of life again in Minnesota as they are molding a revamped roster around the core of Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards. Despite having a strong trio in place, though, there does not appear to be much other support for the time being. Management at the top has shifted since 2021 with the hopes that the new President of Basketball Operations can build off the team's current momentum.

Minnesota Timberwolves Facts:

Division Titles: 1

Conference Titles: 0

NBA Championships: 0

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder were originally established as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1967. In Seattle, the franchise had 22 playoff appearances, including a championship in 1979. The franchise moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 and changed its name to the Thunder. The Thunder saw rapid success as they brought together a terrific young core of players headlined by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. After several deep post season runs, the Thunder made their first NBA Finals appearance during the 2012 season where they fell to the Miami Heat in five games.  In the subsequent years, the Thunder tried to maintain a competitive core, but trades, free agency, and declining play eventually left the team struggling to regain their championship form. The team is currently trying to rebuild around a young core of players and through the draft with an incredible 36 draft picks over the next seven years.

Oklahoma City Thunder Facts:

Division Titles: 6

Conference Titles: 4

NBA Championships: 1

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers are the true embodiment of the Northwest Division as the only team in the NBA located in the Pacific Northwest region. As such, the team has always enjoyed a dedicated fanbase in the area and boasts one of the longest home sellout streaks in American sports of 814 consecutive games. The Trail Blazers have had sustained success with 37 playoff appearances over the span of their 51 year existence. Currently, the team is on an eight season playoff streak with one appearance in the Western Conference Finals in 2019. Portland is led by its former Rookie of the Year and 6x NBA All-Star, Damian Lillard. While the team has continued to find ways to make the playoffs in the last decade, Lillard has received limited support from free agents and draft picks, making it difficult for the franchise to realistically reach the next level in this new generation of super teams. The big question many have is whether or not an aging Lillard will wait around for support, or if he'll seek a championship elsewhere before it's too late.

Portland Trail Blazers Facts:

Division Titles: 2

Conference Titles: 3

NBA Championships: 1

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are one of the many franchises that were denied a championship by Michael Jordan's Bulls, not only once, but twice. Led by John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Jazz reached the Finals in consecutive seasons. In the 1998 Finals, the Jazz fell victim to one of the most iconic Jordan moments when he hit a crossover jump shot with 5.2 seconds left to seal the win, and ultimately, the championship for the Bulls. Following this heartbreak, the Jazz continued to post strong seasons, but never again found the postseason form they had in in the late 90s. Eventually, Malone left and Stockton retired, which brought a few lean years to Utah, but they recovered quickly in the mid to late 2000s. Unfortunately, though, this resurgence coincided with the Lakers dominance in the West. Most recently, the Jazz boast a five season playoff streak, and look to continue that in 2022. The Jazz will be expected to take the next step forward this year as they have not been able to advance past the Conference Semifinals in any of their last appearances. 

Utah Jazz Facts:

Division Titles: 4

Conference Titles: 2

NBA Championships: 0