Yes, I'm back to bashing the NBA again. Sorry David Stern. This time, however, I am going to focus on one aspect of the league: the conference alignments.
For those of you who know what the scoop is in the NBA this year, you understand there is a huge imbalance between the strength of the conferences. As I alluded to in my last column, there are only a few teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the NBA Finals, and all those teams happen to be in the Western Conference. Although Indiana has emerged in the past few weeks as a team to be reckoned with, the entire playoff picture is rather ridiculous upon further review.
Consider the fact that all eight teams in the Western Conference playoffs right now have records above .500. In the Eastern Conference, only five of the eight teams on track to make the playoffs have winning records, with the subpar Cavaliers, Celtics and Knicks holding the sixth, seventh and eighth spots in the Eastern Conference. The two teams above them, the Hornets and Bucks, are not exactly what one would call powerhouses, as they are both only a few games above .500. The top three teams, Indiana, New Jersey and Detroit are all strong teams, particularly on defense, but only Indiana is a real threat to any of the Western Conference teams.
Let's take a quick look at the Western Conference. Right now, the teams that would have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, are the Kings, Timberwolves, Spurs and Mavericks. All are very strong teams, and any of them could win the NBA championship. The team behind them, the L.A. Lakers, isn't exactly a team that is going to go quietly in the playoffs.
After the Lakers, there are the Rockets, Grizzlies and Nuggets, all of whom are much improved from last season and have potential to make noise in the playoffs. There is simply no comparison between them and the five sub .500 teams fighting for the last playoff spots in the East.
Just imagine if the Celtics were in the Western Conference. They would be focusing on which players to take in the draft this June. Instead, they have dreams of playing in May.
Now imagine that the Memphis Grizzlies were in the Eastern Conference. With their record, they would be fighting for the fourth or even the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They would be comfortably in the playoffs and not have to worry about fighting off other strong teams such as Denver or Utah. Shouldn't a team located in Memphis, Tenn. play in the Eastern Conference anyway? That's another story.
Also, consider Denver, a team that improved immensely from last season thanks largely to the help of rookie sensation Carmelo Anthony. Imagine how frustrated they would be if they don't get into the playoffs with a strong record, while possibly half the Eastern Conference playoff teams finish with losing records.
Maybe for the Celtics, the weak Eastern Conference is a good thing. Who knows if they can knock off a team like Indiana or Detroit. Anything could happen, as Milwaukee and New Orleans don't scare anyone. Heck, maybe they will even advance to the NBA Finals, although I can't imagine how much luck they would have in a seven game series against the best the West has to offer.
Lastly, as uneven as the conferences are now, there is going to be a switch in the off-season that is going not going change the imbalance. The New Orleans Hornets, one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, are going to move to the West, and in their place, the East will receive the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, who can't be expected to do much in the early years of their existence.
Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait for the LeBron James dynasty in Cleveland to flourish.