Over the past few seasons, a trend has emerged in the NBA that has made many rethink what they know about the current NBA landscape. Despite the Miami Heat winning two out of the last three NBA Championships, it has become clear that the Western Conference is the superior conference. The records of the playoff teams comparatively bears that out, as the Phoenix Suns, last year’s ninth seed in the west, would have been the third seed in the east. As that trend continues into this season, the question must be asked: Is the Eastern Conference irrelevant?
This is a fairly loaded question, as for a long time the distinction between the conferences served as an easy sell for finals that didn’t include longtime rivals like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, or Chicago Bulls and whoever stood in their way. It opened the door for viewers on the east coast to see some of the best teams in the league out west, and vice versa. Now, however, the alignment of the league leaves much to be desired, and it is because of the disparity of quality between the two conferences.
So far in the 2014-2015 season, the top teams in the league have unquestionably come from the western conference. The records speak for themselves, but a deeper understanding demonstrates just how impressive teams like the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs have been over the last few years. In the eastern conference, the seven and eight seeds are under .500, and six different teams currently have less than 10 wins.
In the western conference, all eight teams currently in the playoffs are above .500, and the conference is so deep that the Oklahoma City Thunder, after being ravaged by injury, are still in 10th. What is even more impressive, however, is that these teams have such great records while constantly battling each other all season. What this means, for the most part, is that the west owns the east. Again, looking at the current standings proves this observation to be true. Only three teams from the west have a losing record against teams from the east. On the other hand, only four teams from the east have a winning record against teams from the west.
The west owns the east, and clearly sports the best teams in the league. So what does this mean going forward? Many have called for the end of this current alignment, proposing solutions like conference-less divisions and various alternative playoff qualification scenarios. Adam Silver has made a name for himself as the new commissioner by making real, important changes. He is still open to changing the game, and will surely take a look at scenarios to end the wide disparity of quality between the conferences.
It simply does not make sense anymore to have the best teams in the league grind out 82 games to make the playoffs, before knocking themselves out prior to the finals. Then, when the victor emerges, that team has to face a squad from the east, which has theoretically coasted through most of the season and the first round or two of the playoffs. Miami had that luxury for the last four seasons, and won two titles in the process. Meanwhile NBA fans had to endure one of the best teams in last year’s Suns miss the playoffs because they didn’t win 50 games. While realignment might be a pipe dream at this point, the commissioner and the league would be remiss if they neglected to truly vet all ideas to provide a quality product all season long.
Conference-less playoffs would be more entertaining for everyone. It would stop rewarding teams for their geographical location and start ensuring that the best teams are in the most important games. Pretty soon teams in the east would realize that if they didn’t improve, they wouldn’t be guaranteed a spot in the postseason. The emphasis on the regular season would be maximized, and would finally level the playing field for all 32 teams.
The eastern conference may not be irrelevant yet, but that point is approaching, fast. The level of competition is simply beneath that of the west, and the fans are starting to notice. Most of the best players in the league are in the west. Though it is no real measure of talent, the West has won three of the last four all-star games, and have rising stars like Anthony Davis, James Harden, Stephen Curry, and reigning MVP Kevin Durant ready to take over. The east has some serious improvements to make, and the league would do itself good by taking a good, long look at eliminating the conference system altogether.