Just some perspective... The number one seed in the west might have to play Memphis in the FIRST ROUND of the playoffs. 2nd seed might have to play GS. In the beginning of the season, both of those teams were expected to either match or better last yrs performance.
Re: Western Conference - remember a couple years ago when Durant and the Thunder made the playoffs for the first time as an 8 seed? It took 50 wins. The Rockets were #9 with 42 wins.
The talent level in the NBA is relatively stable year to year. Large sample size, equal pools to draw talent from, yada yada yada. However talent distribution may favor one conference more. This is looking like a historic year for win %, WC over EC. Everything taken into consideration the Western Conference is just brutal this year.
this year i think it will take 56 wins to get HCA in the west. we're in good position to go 16-7 the rest of the way and do that. from here on out every game counts towards finishing 1st-5th
This is true that it could be worse, but it doesn't negate that this year is a tough conference. Biggest difference between then and now is currently there is a bunch of depth. There could be 9, 50 win teams, back then it was super top heavy, a few 2nd tier, then bums.
Clippers are likely to put a little distance between themselves and the Rockets this month. I expect them to go 12-2 as they have only 5 tough games (Phx 2x, @Hou, GS, @Dal) and 1 moderately tough game @ MN. At worst they go 3-3. I expect Houston to be 9-4.
Wow. The points you put out there except for the east being horrible are true every year. Fundamental players being hurt? Duh. True every year. You cannot judge how tough a conference is that way or by pointing out there are 2 great teams in the east. How tough a conference is would be specifically judged by the performance of the teams in the conference versus the general skill level at the time and the relative strength of the other conference year over year. One way to compare how 'tough' the west is would be to look at the conference records of the best teams playing each other. By that measure the west is indeed one of the toughest in a while. FYI the Rockets have one of the top 5 most difficult strength of schedules this year and still put up 40 wins so far. Quite decent but we do have a hard stretch looming that will measure how good we have become.
first you pop off on some asinine notion that rockets' fans hatred of the jazz was "contrived" and now this... have you always been this inanely stupid or is this some sort of act you're putting on for sh!ts and giggles? serious question.
Just stay the corse, and let the chips fall where they may. There will be no first round exit this year!
Amazing that this is the second fastest squad to get to 40 W's, and yet we're only at 5th in the West. Anybody know what rank the 93-94 squad was when they reached 40?
The conference gap really is sad. Top West teams against the East OKC 17-6 San Antonio 18-6 Portland 18-4 Clippers 17-9 Houston 17-3 Golden St. 15-8 Dallas 18-9 Phoenix 12-8 Memphis 14-6 Minnesota 13-7 New Orleans 14-10 By comparison, the 3-5 seeds in the East vs. the west Toronto 11-12 Chicago 10-13 Washington 9-14 It's been this way for 15 freaking years, with no signs of change. It's been frustrating watching all of the bad teams out east get to make playoff runs, while superior Rockets teams have been getting sent home in the first round, or missing the playoffs altogether.
I'm not sure where Freak is coming from either... in several posts, in several threads. I'm trying to think about what is weak about the Western Conference and I just can't see it. You could say injuries, but every team with a major injury had some backup step in and play their butts off. I'm not sure there are many losses due to injury in the West. Maybe you could say that the West can't be good because Phoenix is in, but if you watch Phoenix, they scratch and claw for every win. Teams have won championships doing that. Yeah, I'm lost. None of Freaks arguments hold up for me. Nor mine.
I'm pretty sure that 1994 Rockets team was either 1st or 2nd all year long. San Antonio made a run at us when we had our mid-season slump(wasn't that the year of the infamous Mr. MVP cover story for David Robinson in SI?), but they never caught up.
I just realized that.. Some of these teams in the West just got better.. Such as Clippers w/ the addition of Granger and Davis and OKC w/ the addition of Butler.
