The Eastern Conference is a disgrace
The National Basketball Association has a problem. The Eastern Conference is complete mess, something that is not exactly a new narrative. Since the dawn of the new century, the West has consistently been the stronger conference, winning every NBA championship during the current stretch unless LeBron James got in the way, sans the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
In 2014-15, it appears the West is once again rolling toward the title. With approximately half the regular season in the rear-view mirror, the West is absolutely loaded while the East is without one viable contender. The Atlanta Hawks have the conference’s best record at 27-8, but they are hardly being considered as a viable champion.
Over at OddsShark, the Hawks are 25/1 to win the title, otherwise known as behind seven Western teams. Heck, Atlanta is also sitting behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors. Of the 10 teams with the best odds, seven are from the West. Oddly enough, the best bet are the Cavaliers at 13/4.
Cleveland is 19-17 and the fifth seed in the East, but is one of two quasi-realistic threats to win a championship with the talented trio of James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. The other is the Bulls, sitting at 25-11 and the third seed. Chicago is a terrific defense team and boasts an interior of Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol with Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler on the perimeter.
Beyond the Bulls and Cavaliers, the East has a few good teams (Wizards, Hawks, Raptors) and a bunch of trash. If the playoffs were to start today, the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat would be the seventh and eighth seeds, respectively, with losing records. The Milwaukee Bucks would be the sixth seed, and are standing at 19-18 and without a true star.
Looking at the West, the eighth seed is the Phoenix Suns at 22-16. Without even accounting for a much tougher schedule, Phoenix would be the fifth seed, almost assured of a postseason spot. The Denver Nuggets, currently 11th in the West standings, would be a playoff team in the East.
In head-to-head matchups, the current West playoff teams are plastering the East to the tune of a 91-25 mark. The Golden State Warriors are 10-0 versus the East while the Portland Trailblazers are 15-2. The Eastern playoff teams are a mediocre 55-47, with only four of them over .500. The Hawks are the only squad more than four games above .500 against the West, sporting a 10-2 record.
Unfortunately for the NBA, there is nothing it can do about the imbalance. The East is likely to have the top two draft picks this year, with the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers holding the league’s worst records. Of course, those franchises have been abysmal for years, so there is no guarantee of success even with those top selections and ample cap space.
For now, the NBA is stuck with one incredible playoff bracket, and a laughable one. What else is new?
