‘Leastern’ no longer
Eastern Conference much improved
Cleveland, other Eastern Conference teams, have evened score after years of Western dominance
Two years ago, ESPN NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy called some Eastern Conference games embarrassing, the conference so dreadful it was difficult to stomach matchups between its teams.
Van Gundy no longer is so down on the East.
“The East is significantly better,” said Van Gundy, who will be on the call for the East-West showdown between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors on Christmas.
The East is shedding its reputation as the “Leastern Conference” that is inferior to the powerhouse West.
The two best teams in the league (Warriors, San Antonio Spurs) are in the West, but there’s no question the East is better and more competitive than in the two previous seasons.
“Of course I like it,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Dec.1 on a Portland Trail Blazers tele- cast. “It’s still early in the season, so we’ll see. ... You have a lot of competitive teams.”
The eye test and data prove the points as coaching, rebuilding plans, player development, roster improvements and subtle talent migration from West to East have helped even the two conferences.
The record between the two conferences entering Monday was 79-79 this season compared with 101-55 last season at the same point and 91-43 in 2013-14 in the West’s favor.
Ten teams in the East are .500 or better compared with just
six teams at this point last season and seven in the West this season.
uThree East teams had a positive net efficiency rating against the West at this point last season; nine have one this season.
“You can look at the number of teams above .500. You’re seeing more balance; you’re seeing better teams. One metric you can always use is head-to-head matchups,” said NBA TV analyst Grant Hill, who has a keen eye on the conference as a part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks.
There’s a lot of basketball left, but the season is one-third over and teams are starting to reveal exactly what they are. The East is not a pushover.
Not all East teams are championship contenders, but the improved play has led to a better, more interesting league. Games that were duds last season are now compelling matchups with implications in the standings.
And an apparent offshoot of a more competitive league? Less tanking. There are two teams (Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers) scurrying for the worst record, with the playoffs realistic for more teams.
Some improvement is rooted in rebuilding efforts. Patience was required, but front-office staffs for those teams are drafting and finding players who help in the win column.
“You’re starting to see the fruits of those rebuilds,” said longtime basketball executive Bobby Marks, an NBA front-office insider for Yahoo Sports’ The Vertical. “You don’t have to do it through the draft, either. You don’t have to go through the lottery every year to get it done.”
Silver has been adamant that he wants all 30 teams well-managed, and look at what’s happening with teams in the East.
“You want a 30-team league,” Silver said on that telecast. “That’s what commissioners want — either with the ability to compete or the ability to be on the road to competing and have that based on management and not always the market size. That’s what we’re seeing in the new NBA.
“What does become important is belief in a general manager, an owner, a coach who can build a positive environment, and that’s what we want.”
Coaching has been an integral part of the East’s improvement, too: Scott Skiles with the Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy with the Detroit Pistons, Brad Stevens with the Boston Celtics, Steve Clifford with the Charlotte Hornets and Frank Vogel with the Indiana Pacers.
Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer was the 2014-15 coach of the year, Cleveland’s David Blatt probably doesn’t get enough credit and Erik Spoelstra’s value to the Miami Heat is well known to keen observers.
In praise and indictment in one sentence, an Eastern Conference executive told USA TODAY Sports that with an important game on the line, he would rather player the Lakers than the Brett Brown-coached Sixers.
“A lot of it is just really good coaching,” Marks said. “Half the battle is just really managing egos. It’s not always on-court development.”
Who has made executives and coaches look good? Players.
Detroit’s Reggie Jackson and Miami’s Goran Dragic were acquired at last season’s trade deadline from West teams, and they stayed in the East and had a full training camp with their teams. Other important West-to-East relocations: Arron Afflalo to the New York Knicks; Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin and Jeremy Lamb to the Hornets; Marcus Morris to the Pistons; Monta Ellis to the Pacers; Gerald Green to the Heat.
“All those guys are playing at a high level,” Hill said. “They’re not elite players, but they’re coming to the East and making their teams better.”
Some of have been sneaky valuable: Richard Jefferson to the Cavaliers and Cory Joseph to the Toronto Raptors.
The dispersal of talent for several reasons — the impact of the collective bargaining agreement is an important one — has led to more parity and a better Eastern Conference.
“Better players are going to the East; there are better teams in the East,” Hill said. “And you’re starting to see that shift overall.”