PDA

View Full Version : East/West Balance Restored?


pauls931
03-09-2009, 08:23 AM
It seems like this time around the east and west are finally balanced. In the east you have Boston and the Cavs on top, the west LA and the Spurs. Also it looks like the bottom seeds from each conference can't take out the top seeds in the other conference like in recent history. (sorta true last year with boston I guess)

So does anyone agree balance has been restored?
JamStone
03-09-2009, 08:44 AM
Different kind of balanced. The West has more depth in terms of quality teams.

However, the East has three of the top 5 teams in the league, so at the top, it's more balanced.

West is still tougher because of that overall depth.
Sportstudi
03-09-2009, 08:46 AM
Different kind of balanced. The West has more depth in terms of quality teams.

However, the East has three of the top 5 teams in the league, so at the top, it's more balanced.

West is still tougher because of that overall depth.

Agreed.
JoeTait75
03-09-2009, 01:22 PM
So does anyone agree balance has been restored?

At the top, definitely, which is really all that matters when it comes to championships. I don't think you're going to have any more years like 2002 or 2007 :bang where the Finals result is a foregone conclusion before the series even starts.

Overall in terms of depth, the West still looks better. But I wouldn't automatically count out teams like Atlanta or Miami out against the mid-tier West playoff teams, regardless of the difference in records.
balli
03-09-2009, 01:24 PM
But I wouldn't automatically count out teams like Atlanta or Miami out against the mid-tier West playoff teams, regardless of the difference in records.
I like ATL, but I would. Them or Miami would get smoked by NOH, Utah, Portland and Denver. They could maybe scrap with PHO and DAL. But even then I don't know.
DUNCANownsKOBE2
03-09-2009, 01:26 PM
It's still the West. Cleveland is legit, Boston is legit, but Orlando would be right in the 2-9 seed mix if they had a Western Conference schedule.
JoeTait75
03-09-2009, 01:26 PM
I like ATL, but I would. Them or Miami would get smoked by NOH, Utah, Portland and Denver. They could maybe scrap with PHO and DAL. But even then I don't know.

I'll buy Utah and New Orleans. But Portland and Denver? Portland hasn't even made the playoffs with this group, they're a blank slate as far as I'm concerned. Atlanta looked better in one playoff series than Denver has in its last five.
Ghazi
03-09-2009, 01:30 PM
1-3 East is better

4-9 West is much better

10-14 in the East fields FAR more competitive teams than the 10-14 in the West

Wizards and Kings are about equally inept as far as the worst teams of each conference.

It's definitely not as lopsided as it used to be.
balli
03-09-2009, 01:30 PM
Portland hasn't even made the playoffs with this group, they're a blank slate as far as I'm concerned.
That's fair enough.

Atlanta looked better in one playoff series than Denver has in its last five.
Yeah, but the difference between Carmelo Anthony leading a team into the playoffs and Chauncey Billups leading a team into the playoffs, is miles wide.
SpursDynasty
03-09-2009, 01:31 PM
Boston is legit and the top team in the East, still not as good a team as last year however...Cleveland and Orlando win a lot of games but aren't dangerous teams and the league simply is not intimidated by them....they just win games but can easily be taken out of the playoffs by Utah, SA, LA, and NOH. Look at LeBron's shooting in big games.

It is more balanced but that is due to the steep decline of Phoenix and Dallas. Cleveland and Orlando aren't playing great or anything, the West just sucks more.
mogrovejo
03-09-2009, 01:37 PM
1-3 East is better

4-9 West is much better

10-14 in the East fields FAR more competitive teams than the 10-14 in the West

Wizards and Kings are about equally inept as far as the worst teams of each conference.

It's definitely not as lopsided as it used to be.

I don't agree. Slightly better, maybe. But not as much as the records say. The middle-class in the East plays more times versus their own 1-3 (better than the West 1-3) and their own (10-14 far better than the West 10-14).
Lars
03-09-2009, 01:47 PM
9 of the top 12 teams in the league are in the West. There is still no balance.
mogrovejo
03-09-2009, 01:58 PM
Yeah, but 3 of the top 4 and 14 of the top 22 are in the East. I'm pretty sure teams like the 76ers, Heat, Bulls, Hawks & C. would have better records if they played the Kings and Clippers of the league for more than twice.
Spursfan092120
03-09-2009, 02:13 PM
I don't agree. Slightly better, maybe. But not as much as the records say. The middle-class in the East plays more times versus their own 1-3 (better than the West 1-3) and their own (10-14 far better than the West 10-14).
Dude..seriously..have you looked at the schedules of the Eastern conference teams in the middle? So, let's go on averages. Are you trying to tell me that you think the Atlanta Hawks, at the 4 seed, with a record of 35-28 are just a little worse than the Utah Jazz at the 4 seed with a 40-23 record? Miami's just a little worse than New Orleans? Detroit and Portland? (maybe..WITHOUT AI in the lineup). And Philly and Denver, both with records under .500 (which in my opinion should AUTOMATICALLY keep you out of the playoffs) are just a little worse than Denver and Dallas? I mean, come on dude. Miami's 30-31..Denver is 40-24...the schedules aren't THAT different. The East plays each other most of the time, which is VERY weak. You can't say the teams in the East would have better records if they played Sacramento..they're busy playing Washington. If the East plays other weak teams in the East, they should have a better record. IMO, you have 3 teams in the East that actually matter...Boston, Orlando, and Cleveland...everyone else means nothing come playoff time..except maybe Detroit, if they can get AI to sit out the rest of the season.
BUMP
03-09-2009, 02:31 PM
it is restored a little bit more but the west is still more loaded and thus better.

/thread
DeadlyDynasty
03-09-2009, 02:42 PM
"The West is the best"...as jimothy morrison said
ploto
03-09-2009, 02:43 PM
Funny:
Pacers are 12-13 against the West and 16-24 against the East.
DeadlyDynasty
03-09-2009, 02:45 PM
Funny:
Pacers are 12-13 against the West and 16-24 against the East.

oh shit...there's the burden of proof! nothing more to see here!
mogrovejo
03-09-2009, 03:05 PM
Funny:
Pacers are 12-13 against the West and 16-24 against the East.

Like more teams in that Easter middle-class, those 4-14 teams. However, for some odd reason, people don't seem to understand what that means.
jacobdrj
03-09-2009, 03:07 PM
Sorry, with the exception of 2000, 2001, I don't feel there was as much disparity as people think. They forget that each conference's teams play their own style more often. Offense tends to favor the regular season, and defense the playoffs. The only teams to win from the West since 98 have been LA and SA, both of whom played the best EC style basketball of their conference at the time, along with having enough bigmen balance to hang with the West in the regular season.

The only Eastern teams to win played phenomenal EC style ball, with enough bigman balance to hold the other conference back in a 7 game series.

Yeah, IMHO, the bottom feeders in the East were no worse than the bottom feeders in the West, and that 3 game disparity that separated the Western teams all those years were more meaningful, and the disparity between the top West teams (1-3) and the rest (4-8) were simply not magnified because of the illusion of offensive basketball provides.

Even the year the 76ers made it to the Finals, they were the only team to beat the Lakers in the playoffs. That says something.

A defensive team can adjust over a 7 game series, while an offensive team may use all it's cards early on. Once they have been figured out, they are often done, even by an offensively inferior team. In a 1 game series, the offensive team will almost always have the upper hand before the defense can be tweaked to adjust.

During the Nets 2nd Finals run, IMHO they were only held back by Byron Scott, who refused to play Mutumbo any meaningful minutes, costing the Nets any real chance of containing Timmay. Kidd was that good, and that series (if you watch the games) was closer than they should have been had they really been an inferior EC team, as the media portrays.
sook
03-09-2009, 03:07 PM
lol? The east has the best teams in the league? More like just the celtics, i don't count the rafer run magic.

Spurs
Lakers
Jazz

are the top teams right now in the west and they can take out any leastern team
Lars
03-09-2009, 03:09 PM
Yeah, but 3 of the top 4 and 14 of the top 22 are in the East. I'm pretty sure teams like the 76ers, Heat, Bulls, Hawks & C. would have better records if they played the Kings and Clippers of the league for more than twice.

Having worse bottom feeders is not an argument for balance. Top 22? Who would ever measure the top 22. The fact is, there is probably 10-13 (LA, SA, Hou, Utah, NO, Por, Dal, Phoe, Den, Bo, CL, Orl, Det.) teams that could realistically win the title and 8 or 9 of them are in the west.

The 76s, Heat, Bulls, Hawks would have a worse record if they played in the west.Dont fool yourself, most if not all would likely be under .500.

If the Rockets, for example, got to play the Pistons, Hawks, Heat, 76s, Bucks and Bulls instead of the Jazz, Hornets, Blazers, Mavs, Nuggets and Suns; they would probably have an additional 4-5 wins per year.
DeadlyDynasty
03-09-2009, 03:20 PM
Like more teams in that Easter middle-class, those 4-14 teams. However, for some odd reason, people don't seem to understand what that means.

No, YOU don't seem to get it...ATL and MIA are one bad week away from being .500 ball clubs while NO, Utah, POR, HOU, and DEN are all 16-17 games over .500. Outside of the top 3 your conference is mired in the lower-end of mediocrity.
mogrovejo
03-09-2009, 03:24 PM
On the other hand, ATL and MIA only play 2 times against 7 of the 8 worst teams in the league, but they have to play three or more versus 3 of the 4 best teams in the league.

Things are the opposite for POR, HOU, etc. - they play more times versus terrible teams and less times versus the elite.
Lars
03-09-2009, 03:27 PM
You should probably be tested for down syndrome.
DeadlyDynasty
03-09-2009, 03:47 PM
On the other hand, ATL and MIA only play 2 times against 7 of the 8 worst teams in the league, but they have to play three or more versus 3 of the 4 best teams in the league.

Things are the opposite for POR, HOU, etc. - they play more times versus terrible teams and less times versus the elite.

hmmm...let's try to think from a rational point of view here: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/standings

Miami and Atlanta both have winning eastern conference records. Atlanta is 10-11 vs. the West while Miami is 13-13. Your argument reeks of bullshit
mabrignani
03-09-2009, 07:46 PM
not balanced at all, take a look at how many teams in the east with under .500 records make the playoffs as compared to the west and that will give you your answer
balli
03-09-2009, 07:50 PM
This thread will be ironic if ATL holds onto their current lead over NOH.
crc21209
03-09-2009, 08:03 PM
The West is stronger from top to bottom. In the West the #1 thru 8 seeds will win at least 40-45 games. In the East only the Cavs, Celtics, and Magic are the cream of the crop. The rest of the East is ok, but the East's 4-8 seeds got nothing on the West's 4-8 seeds.
boutons_
03-09-2009, 08:17 PM
look at the standings, WC seeds 2-8 separated by 3 games,

EC separation between 3 and 4 seed is 12 games!!

7,8 EC seeds are under .500, while ALL 8 WC seeds are over .600.

Balance? not even close.
ploto
03-10-2009, 12:25 AM
Cleveland: West 19-4 (82.7%); East 30-9 (76.9%)
Boston: West 13-9 (59%); East 33-6 (84.6%)
Orlando: West 20-7 (74.1%); East 26-10 (72.2%)

Of the top 3 teams in the East, Cleveland and Orlando have better records against the West than against the East.

Los Angeles: East 17-6 (73.9%); West 33-7 (82.5%)
San Antonio: East 15-10 (60.0%); West 27-10 (73.0%)
Houston: East 15-12 (55.6%); West 27-11 (71.1%)
Utah: East 12-12 (50%); West 28-11 (71.8%)

All four top teams in the West have better records against the West than against the East.