My first thread - hope it's not a duplicate Some are saying that the east is a lot stronger than it was last year. Certainly Miami is, but what about the rest of the conference? Many teams like Chi,NYK, and NJN wagered their futures in the hopes of attracting big stars. CHI got Boozer, NYK got Amare - but do these additions make them significantly better. You also have teams like Cleveland and Toronto that will now look like Chickens with their heads cut off. The Celtics are only getting older - as is Vince Carter of the Magic. My impression is that the East will have another power disparity like it did last year with maybe 4-6 great/good teams with the rest being utter trash. What does the forum think?
overall the east has 3 really good teams to the west's 1 lakers heat celtics magic but the west has better teams top to bottom. verdict: west is still stronger. how can the east be stronger just because 1 team got real strong while 2 others got really weak?
West because: East dominating region: SouthEast West dominating region: Pacific and SouthWest this is going to be a big season but Rockets still this year championship in my believe
I think the Bulls improved with Boozer, Korver - we'll see who else. Miami obviously got stronger. But really, how could the East not get stronger? John Wall, Evan Turner and Derrick Favors just joined the East. Boozer and Amar'e migrated East. Sure, Toronto and Cleveland are weaker - but their talent stayed in the East. Also, both of those teams are about to have huge TE's. They may steal even more talent from the West. I think Al Jefferson to Cleveland is possible. And with that quality squad of role players + Jefferson, I think they're still a .500 team in the East. So yeah. The Eastern Conference got a lot stronger. edit: I don't think the OP is asking us if the Eastern Conference has gotten to be the stronger conference. Just if it is stronger than last year. I don't see that he even mentions the West.
I don't think so. I think many teams in the East improved, but overall, the West seems to be deeper. Once you throw "The Thrice" into Miami, the power shifted a bit, but that was only to one team. The bulls have improved, but they were decent before. I don't think New York is a threat because of Amare. Atlanta is the same team, as is Orlando thus far. In the West, you still have the Rockets, Lakers, Mavs, Spurs, Nuggets, Blazers, Thunder, etc... The depth is more spread out West, and the East is congested like New Jersey. Sub .500 teams will still make the playoffs in the E, but not in the W.
East is top heavy. West is balanced with many teams vying for 8 playoff spots. Here's the thing with the Eastern Conference: It's extremely easy to make the playoffs, you don't even have to be a .500 team. However, once you're in you're facing 4 of the top 5 or 6 teams in the league... In the Western Conference, it's difficult to make the playoffs, and competition is still tough in the playoffs, but easier than the Eastern Conference.
Well, on the other hand, if you look at who has the best elite teams rather than the best teams overall, I would pick the East.
