2008 Woodie Awards
NBA won't be balanced until Eastern Conference wises up
Chris Martin
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Sports
It took all of 82 games for the NBA to finally figure out which eight teams would play be squaring off in the Western Conference playoffs.
In the east, it took 80 games for the final seed to be decided. The big difference? No one outside of Atlanta cared when the Hawks clinched the right to get clobbered by the Boston Celtics in the first round. The Golden State Warriors missed the postseason with a 48-34 record, which would have been good enough for the fourth spot in the east.
What is wrong with this picture?
For years now, the Eastern Conference has been little more than a B-league. In fact, if the NBA were to throw out the conferences and just hold a tournament with the 16 best teams, ten teams from the Western Conference would earn spots in the postseason.
The Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed, the Hawks, would have missed the playoffs by four games, with the 19th-best overall record, and the No. 6 seed, Toronto Raptors, would be the last team to make the postseason.
The Western Conference had an exhilarating finish to the regular season, and for a while, it looked as though a team would win 50 games and not make the playoffs. Compare that to the East, where three teams made the postseason despite finishing with a .500 record or worse.
It's difficult to find a viable solution to the lack of balance between the conferences, but much of the blame (or credit depending on how it's viewed) falls on the front offices of the clubs. In the west, teams are just better at putting together contenders. Just look at the trades made at this season's deadline. Shaquille O'Neal, Jason Kidd and Pau Gasol all packed their bags and headed west, in what has become an annual event where the league balances itself out by putting all the power west of the Mississippi.
The Celtics did fleece Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen from the Timberwolves and Sonics, but Eastern Conference teams too often let their top talent move to the other side of the continent.
In the east, it took 80 games for the final seed to be decided. The big difference? No one outside of Atlanta cared when the Hawks clinched the right to get clobbered by the Boston Celtics in the first round. The Golden State Warriors missed the postseason with a 48-34 record, which would have been good enough for the fourth spot in the east.
What is wrong with this picture?
For years now, the Eastern Conference has been little more than a B-league. In fact, if the NBA were to throw out the conferences and just hold a tournament with the 16 best teams, ten teams from the Western Conference would earn spots in the postseason.
The Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed, the Hawks, would have missed the playoffs by four games, with the 19th-best overall record, and the No. 6 seed, Toronto Raptors, would be the last team to make the postseason.
The Western Conference had an exhilarating finish to the regular season, and for a while, it looked as though a team would win 50 games and not make the playoffs. Compare that to the East, where three teams made the postseason despite finishing with a .500 record or worse.
It's difficult to find a viable solution to the lack of balance between the conferences, but much of the blame (or credit depending on how it's viewed) falls on the front offices of the clubs. In the west, teams are just better at putting together contenders. Just look at the trades made at this season's deadline. Shaquille O'Neal, Jason Kidd and Pau Gasol all packed their bags and headed west, in what has become an annual event where the league balances itself out by putting all the power west of the Mississippi.
The Celtics did fleece Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen from the Timberwolves and Sonics, but Eastern Conference teams too often let their top talent move to the other side of the continent.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Alexa
posted 4/22/08 @ 5:16 PM CST
Good thoughts and points Chris, but really, this is nothing new.
In the 1980's, the eastern conference was considered the powerhouse of the two. The west? An abomination, far worse than today's eastern conference. (Continued…)
Hunter Barry
posted 4/24/08 @ 9:35 AM CST
Even more recently, I remember hearing criticisms of the LA Clippers making it to the playoffs with a sub .500 record during the Jordan years. Just like how the NFC used to be the conference to beat. (Continued…)
Post a Comment