About a month ago, we looked at the standings and saw that the Eastern Conference was playing much better ball than the Western Conference, at least when it came to wins and losses.  Looking at the numbers today, it seems as though the cream has begun to rise to the top, and we're seeing a stronger West begin to pull away.  Let's look at how things have changed in the past month (last month's stats italicized).

The Eastern Conference

Overall Record: 244-226 - .519 (.531)

Teams with a .500 record or better: 6 (6)

Teams with a .300 record or below: 1 (1)

Record vs. the West: 95-77 - .552 (.598)

The Western Conference

Overall Record: 228-246 - .481 (.468)

Teams with a .500 record or better: 9 (6)

Teams with a .300 record or below: 5 (6)

Record vs. the East: 77-95 - .447 (.402)

Last month we learned that the bad teams in the West were worse than the bottom-feeders of the East, and that's stayed the same for the most part.  The West has 6 teams with 10 or less wins, while the East has two.  The bottom seven teams in the East have a combined record of 78-122 (.390), while the bottom seven for the West have a 65-161 record (.287).

But now we look at the top teams in each Conference, those teams who are playing above .500.  The West clearly has more (9 teams compared to 6 for the East), but how good are those teams?  The 9 teams in the West who are playing above five hundred have a combined record of 182-99 (.647), while the six teams in the East are 136-51 (.727).  This can be attributed to the East's top three of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando each having 25 or more wins, while the West has only the Lakers with 25 wins or better.  Is it parity in the West?  Is it an easier schedule so far for Boston and Cleveland? 

For the most part, I think the West is the stronger conference overall.  Took them awhile to get going, but they're showing that their deeper rosters, more experienced coaches and veteran leadership are winning out over young talent, both on the floor and on the sidelines.  They have 9 teams who are going to fight for 8 spots, and any of those eight teams has a chance to go to the Finals, or at least it wouldn't surprise me to see any of those teams in the Western Conference Finals.  The East has our big three, and then a few teams that are on the rise.  Our top teams are more dominant in our Conference, while the top teams in the West have a bit more of a challenge on a night to night basis.

Will this trend continue?  Will it even out more, or will the West increase their lead?  Can the middle-ground teams in the East improve enough to be considered a threat come playoff time?

Should make for another interesting look Inside the Numbers in a month or so.  Stay tuned.

After years of Western Conference dominance, and all the jokes made about the Eastern conference and its lack of competition, things are starting out differently in the 2008-09 season.  I crunched a few numbers, and was surprised by my findings. (all stats are through Dec. 1st)

The Eastern Conference

Overall Record: 134-118 - .531

Teams with a .500 record or better: 6

Teams with a .300 record or below: 1

Record vs. the West: 49-33 - .598

The Western Conference

Overall Record: 120-136 - .468

Teams with a .500 record or better: 6

Teams with a .300 record or below: 6

Record vs. the East: 33-49 - .402

Now I'm sure some will say that the West just has a few more horrible teams than the East, and that their top teams are better than the East's top teams.  Well, I'd have to agree with the first claim, the West clearly has more bad teams than the East does.  But you'd be surprised when comparing the cream of the crop.

The bottom 7 teams in the East have a combined record of 45-73 (.381), while the bottom feeders of the West have gone 31-89 (.258).  Is that a valid excuse for the West?  Did we use that excuse when we were the weaker conference?  Would it have been valid then?  Is it valid now?

The top 8 teams in the West have a 25-17 record vs. the Eastern Conference (.595), while the top 8 teams in the East have a 26-14 record vs. the Western Conference (.650).  So clearly, the latter argument about their best teams being better than ours holds no water, at least not when compared as a group.  The Lakers may be the best team in many people's minds, but the Cavaliers are forcing people to take notice, and many "experts" have listed them atop their latest power rankings.

People have said that power in the NBA is cyclical, and that years of losing and obtaining high draft picks would help the East out eventually.  I think that a few great rookie classes have helped the East gain the edge, for now at least, and the aging of the great teams in the Western Conference has aided their apparent slide.  Also, a few great players have made the move from Western Conference teams to Eastern Conference squads in the last few years (Elton Brand, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson), and on the flip side a few of the greybeards of the NBA have made new homes in the West (Shaq, Jason Kidd). 

Seems like youth is being served, for now.  I'll take another look inside the numbers at the All Star break and we'll be able to see if this is more than just an early season trend.  Could this be the beginning of a new era of Eastern Conference dominance?  Only time will tell.