How bad is the West?

[PURO SAN ANTO 210!]

Where amazing happens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Venti Quattro]

I don't even know if Dallas can make their return to their early form even if by a chance a miracle happens and Caron is able to walk with two feet and play.

[alchemist]

the West isn't up to par this season, I don't see any team knocking off L.A. or San Antonio in the playoffs.

[Rummpd]

West has 11 of the top 16 teams (Mavs all the way down to that in an unreal drop from I believe #2 just a few weeks ago) right now by Hollinger's Power rankings and the fact these teams play each other more often seemingly hurts their records.
http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/powerrankings
Does anyone have a link to West Conference record vs. Eastern Conf so far this year?

Notice if you subtract the conference record from their total losses:

Boston has lost already 4 x to the West this year
Heat 7 x
Chicago 5x
Magic 8X

Spurs lost 3x to East
Lakers 4 x to East
Mavs 7 x to East (but losing to everyone recently)
Utah and Thunder 4X

Spots 6 and 7 in East have 22 and 23 losses already (the powerhouses of the Sixers and the Pacers) with the West at 17 and 20 (Nuggets and Portland) losses and no team in the top 8 in the West has a losing record.
http://www.nba.com/standings/team_re...w_Std_Div.html

Everything I see points to West still stronger although the gap may have narrowed.

[Rummpd]

the West isn't up to par this season, I don't see any team knocking off L.A. or San Antonio in the playoffs.

A lot could happen the Mavs could rebound and add talent & the Thunder and Jazz are still viable threats IMO

[DMC]

The have never been viable threats. The Mavs are their own worst enemy.

[Rummpd]

The have never been viable threats. The Mavs are their own worst enemy.

Any team with Deron Williams is a threat to steal games and a series - he is that good if he gets on a roll.

[Pelicans78]

Any team with Deron Williams is a threat to steal games and a series - he is that good if he gets on a roll.

Any team that loses by 30 points to the Hornets aren't going anywhere. The Jazz are not a threat. They will get steamrolled by the Spurs or Lakers in a 7 game series.

OKC ain't no threat either. Can't win with Green, Kristic, and Ibaka as your frontcourt players. Not happening.

Dallas had a shot, but they need to regain some momentum.

[DMC]

The nets are only 1 1/2 games out of the 3rd spot

Outside of the Spurs and Lakers, the rest of the West has become pathetically average. Dallas has a decent excuse with Dirk (not really), but what's the rest of the West's excuse? Come on man!

You are one confused ball of nutjuice aren't you.

[Cry Havoc]

The NBA is thinner at the top this year than in recent memory. This is not news. It's the product of a soft-cap system, where teams immediately dump their best players or biggest contracts if they aren't in contention to win a le in the next 24 months. Teams making a run buy them up, and get even more powerful, which makes the league even worse at the mid-bottom rungs.

In fairness to those teams, what incentive is there to finish as a 6th or lower seed? Chances are you won't sniff the Finals, especially with the Lakers/Spurs/Hornets/Mavs in the West, and the Heat/Celtics/Magic/Bulls in the East. Why compete for the 7th or 8th seed only to knock yourself out of lottery contention and to have even less of a chance of landing a guy like Kevin Durant in the future drafts?

[ElNono]

tbh, it doesn't matter. Rockets have that #2 seed locked up anyways

[ClingingMars]

OKC are still a threat imo