It was inevitable the Eastern Conference would someday close the gap. The West couldn’t stay on top forever.
The sample size is small. But one month into the NBA season, the Eastern Conference’s 31-21 edge in head-to-head meetings against the Western Conference is stop-the-presses news.
Kevin Garnett and the Celtics are one of several strong teams in the Eastern Conference. AP photo
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Over the past nine seasons, the West owns a .579 winning percentage against the East. Turn it around and the Eastern Conference’s .421 percentage reveals why finishing .500 isn’t mandatory to reach the playoffs.
The disparity has been so significant the Western Conference is a mind-boggling 602 games over .500 the past nine seasons in inter-conference games.
Last year Golden State notched 48 wins and missed the playoffs. In the East — where three postseason teams had .500 records or worse — the Warriors would have been the No. 4 seed.
If the early season trend continues, a Western Conference team could make the playoffs with a sub-.500 record. For a change, East teams might need a winning record just to play in the postseason.
Why is the East closing the gap?
Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta and Philadelphia are all capable of 45-plus-win seasons. Toronto is another Eastern Conference team with a talented young nucleus. Miami once again is a factor with a healthy Dwyane Wade. The Knicks are improved under Mike D’Antoni.
In contrast, Western Conference teams like Dallas, Sacramento and Golden State no longer are locks to play above .500. Phoenix and San Antonio are aging. Three of the league’s worst teams — the Clippers, Timberwolves and Thunder — reside in the West. Memphis won’t finish above .500.
Oklahoma City is doing its part. The Thunder is 0-7 against the East. Reverse OKC’s record and the West would be leading the inter-league series.
Led by young stars like LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Wade, and Elton Brand and Allen Iverson switching conferences, is this the year the Eastern Conference finally wins the inter-league series?
More cross-over games are needed to draw definitive conclusions. But as Bob Dylan sang: "The times they are a changing.”
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Western dominance
The Eastern Conference hasn’t won the head-to-head series with the Western Conference since the NBA strike in 1998-99. Listed below is the Western Conference’s win-loss record and winning percentage against the Eastern Conference the past decade.
Season
W-L
Pct.
2007-08
258-192
.573
2006-07
257-193
.571
2005-06
252-198
.560
2004-05
256-194
.569
2003-04
266-154
.633
2002-03
250-170
.595
2001-02
232-188
.552
2000-01
259-161
617
1999-00
227-193
.540
Totals
2,257-1,643
.579
Realigning the West
Art Garcia suggests in a column on NBA.com that the league needs to realign divisions next season. He points out Oklahoma City is 1,488 miles from Portland but only 185 miles from Dallas, not much farther from Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans.
The NBA hasn’t talked about any realignment changes. But in tough economic times the proposal could pick up steam in upcoming months since travel would be reduced. Garcia’s proposal:
Southwest — Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio.
Mountain — Denver, Memphis, Minnesota, Phoenix, Utah.
Pacific — Golden State, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Portland, Sacramento.
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