As the season plays out though, we're seeing the exact opposite happening.
Just looking at the standings of both conferences will tell you everything you need to know about this story. Only four teams in the Western Conference are better than .500 but there are ten in the East that boast a winning record. On top of that, only the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs have distinguished themselves as serious title contenders from the Western side. Maybe the Oklahoma City Thunder can join that shorter-than-expected list once they're fully healthy, but even then, that leaves only three noteworthy teams. The fourth team with a winning record that I'm leaving out is the Dallas Mavericks. I have the utmost respect for Rick Carlisle and his efforts (loyal readers probably know this by now), but their roster doesn't look like they have enough talent to build upon their 9-5 record.
This overall shift in power is partly in thanks to disappointment from super teams like the Memphis Grizzles, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to be out of sight for these squads too. The Grizzlies have been been abysmal this year, especially when they lost to the Cavaliers by 30, and Warriors by 50. Their offense lost its identity and is as inconsistent as ever because of that. Meanwhile, the Clippers are in complete disarray because Doc Rivers fails to find ways to maximize the talent on his roster. Los Angeles is trying to have a deep rotation consisting of at least ten players, but the team is struggling to find ways to put them in spots to succeed. This isn't an easy problem to deal with, and Rivers will really need to show his worth as a coach in order to fix it. And then there are the Houston Rockets, who are just awful. Kevin McHale did not contribute anything as a coach and that has shown in the early parts of the season. After the front office decided to fire McHale, the team came out looking more motivated, but they'll need a lot more than that if they want to succeed as the Rockets rank in the bottom five for both offensive and defensive efficiency. But let's not let these disappointments take away from what much of the Eastern Conference has accomplished.
Contrary to those in the West, there are a slew of Eastern Conference teams who made use of their building blocks and consequently became stand-outs. Most notably: the Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Indiana Pacers. The Miami Heat have struggled with defending the paint and rebounding for the past half-decade. They finally fixed that issue when they fell upon Hassan Whiteside, and having him for a full season will prove to be very beneficial. Canada's team made use of their cap space and signed DeMarre Carroll. His versatility on the defensive side and three point shooting make him a very good fit for any NBA team, but he now has the ability to make pull-up jumpers off of screens too. This team is 9-6 in spite of having a long road trip and losing Valanciunas to injury. Even the Indiana Pacers, who didn't even make the playoffs last year, is turning peoples' heads. Paul George is leading the Pacers' return to relevancy as he's been better than ever. His jump shot is coming out cleaner on a more consistent basis, and he has become a more adept playmaker. These teams, plus the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and Cleveland Cavaliers make for a really competitive Conference. Although the Bulls have struggled a lot offensively, they still own a record of 8-4. Just wait until they get comfortable with Fred Hoiberg's system and they could become instant title contenders. Remember, this team nearly ended the Warriors' winning streak on the road without Derrick Rose. The Hawks, who won 60 games a year ago, had a hot start to the season, which only got derailed because of injuries. Finally, the Cavaliers are playing without Kyrie Irving, Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov, and Mo Williams, yet still won their previous three games by a combined 41 points. One can only imagine what this team would be able to accomplish when at full strength.
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| Paul George's return meant a lot to the Indiana Pacers. I don't believe they're ready to be title contenders, but they're definitely in the right direction. |
There are others that can be positively talked about in the Eastern Conference like the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, and New York Knicks since they are all winning teams of now. But time is a factor for me, so maybe I'll focus on them a little more in the next season update.
Long story short, the 2015-2016 season could be the start of a turnaround in power balances. While the Western Conference was widely regarded as the more competitive division, all that has the potential to change by the end of the year.
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