How the West was won

Because the Eastern Conference is so wretched and inferior to the West, the NBA has decided to do something about it.\nMake it worse?\nI'm afraid so. The expansion Charlotte Bobcats will move into the Eastern Conference next season, while one of the Eastern Conference's only decent teams, the New Orleans Hornets, will move to the already dominating West.\nThe NBA's two-conference set up is currently so lopsided that not even Anna Nicole Smith could balance it out. \nBut seriously, as of Tuesday, the West had a mind-boggling 154-84 record against the East with only two teams, (Seattle and Phoenix) having losing records. \nBut no team is feeling the effect of the lopsidedness more then the Houston Rockets, who as of Tuesday, are two games under .500 against teams in their own conference but are 26-18 overall and are considered a factor in the West. \nBut critics label the Rockets as too inconsistent to contend. Excuse me? Maybe they just beat up on teams from the East and struggle against teams from the West. \nStill not convinced?\nAs of Tuesday, four of the five worst teams in the entire league reside in the Eastern Conference. \nSeven of the top nine teams in the NBA play in the West, leaving just Indiana and Detroit as the only two Eastern teams representing the NBA's top teams. \nHowever, I can choose six teams from the West that would beat the Pacers and Pistons in the NBA Finals.\nAnd I'm not counting the Rockets, who just left Conseco Fieldhouse with a victory. \nEven though the Pacers own the NBA's second best record, continual beat downs of Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, Cleveland, Orlando and Miami will certainly push that record up rather quickly. \nEven so, I'd rather watch the bad teams in the West than the Pacers, Pistons or soon-to-leave Hornets. \nWhether it's the half-court, wait-until-your-forward-is-directly-under-the-basket-to-pass-to-him offense or just boring basketball, Eastern Conference basketball just makes me sick to my stomach.\nFor instance, the Pistons/Pacers game last week was one of the most flat and uneventful basketball games I have ever witnessed.\nAnd these were the Eastern Conference's two best teams.\nAs a Bulls fan, I am in dire need of some victories, but I would much rather the Bulls play each of the Eastern Conference teams than have to go play the four worst teams out West. (Phoenix, Golden State, Portland and the 'other' team in LA)\nSo what happened? \nWhere have the days gone of the bad boys, the Bulls, the dominant Celtics and the tough Knicks?\nWell, I may not have the final answer, but I have seven pretty darn good ones.\nReason No. 1: In 1995, the Timberwolves gambled by selecting Kevin Garnett out of high school. So far, not a bad move, as the T-Wolves have built a solid team around the 'Kid' and are serious contenders for this year's crown.\nReason No. 2: The Spurs take Tim Duncan with the first pick in the '97 draft. Two rings later. Enough said.\nReason No. 3: Dallas trades away the three J's, (Jason Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson) and although only one current Maverick (Michael Finley) was acquired in those deals, the trades freed up room for stars such as Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. \nReasons No. 4/5: In '96, the Lakers receive guard Kobe Bryant on draft day from Charlotte for Vlade Divac, who is now back in the West. Also, LA signs free agent Shaquille O'Neal, considered one of the most dominant big men ever.\nReason No. 6/7: In '98, the Kings trade for Chris Webber from the then Bullets, who are still looking for talent. \nTherefore, I may have an idea for commissioner David Stern to not so much strengthen the East, but instead make it more fair for the West. \nWhat if the NBA maintained its 16-team playoff format, however, it used the top sixteen teams from the entire league, not just eight from each conference. This way, it would give teams such as the deserving Nuggets a chance at a playoff run. Currently, the "Rich and Creamies" hold the eighth seed by just one and a half games.\nIf the season were to end right now, we would be forced to watch playoff series such as the Raptors/Nets and Celtics/Pistons. I'll get the coffee.\nBut while general managers of Western teams seem to be making all the right moves, GM's in the East haven't found the dance floor.\nHad the Pistons not passed over this year's most valuable rookie, ('Melo), they not only would be the East's best, but a serious contender for this year's title. Instead, they drafted Darko Milicic, who with one field goal in his next game will equal his points per game average for the entire season. \nMust be a long-term plan.\nIn 1999, the Bulls traded their No. 1 pick, Elton Brand, and in 200, the Wizards selected Kwame Brown with the No. 1 selection. \nSo, is LeBron James the East's only hope for revival? Well, there's good news and scary news ahead. The good news: If the standings hold true, four of the first five picks this year will belong to Eastern squads. \nThe scary news: four of the first five picks will belong to Eastern squads.