2007-2008 was supposed to be different. The National Basketball Association which in recent years has been characterized by Western Conference dominance (seven of the last nine titles reside in the West, as well as the last six MVP’s) was supposed to see a rise in Eastern competitiveness.
The New York Knicks after a promising first half last season appeared to have turned things around. The Nets behind Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson were poised to contend for a title. After winning the Atlantic Conference last year, the Toronto Raptors, behind Chris Bosh and TJ Ford, were to become an up-and-coming and consistent force in the league. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the NBA Finals last year and many felt LeBron James had turned the page into becoming the best player in the game. The upstart Chicago Bulls were expected to give the more veteran teams in the league quite a challenge. And the Miami Heat, who only two seasons ago were hoisting the O’Brien Trophy, were to once again be led by their dynamic duo.
Currently, only one of the aforementioned teams is above .500. Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss… the Western Conference.
There have been a few pleasant surprises in the East. The Celtics Big Three look like potential NBA champions. The Orlando Magic behind man-child Dwight Howard raced off to a hot start. And the Detroit Pistons are still the Pistons. But questions even lie within these rosters. Will the Celtics add a veteran back-up point guard to provide support for young Rajon Rondo when it matters most… in June? Does anyone expect Rondo to contend with the likes of Tony Parker, Steve Nash or Deron Williams, never mind Chauncey Billups? Despite the hot start, the Magic have dropped seven of their last ten, are playing sub-.500 ball on their home floor and are allowing 100 points a game. And although steady, does Detroit have enough in their tank for one more title run.
The remaining Eastern Conference teams have been nothing less than tremendously disappointing…
Toronto Raptors (15-14): This team is waiting for someone to step up and become a third scorer. Bosh and Ford are talents but the rest of their roster is devoid of consistent, clutch scoring. Top draft pick Andrea Bargnani is averaging less than 10 points per game and is being outscored by teammate Jason Kapono.
New Jersey Nets (12-15): Is it any wonder that we hear weekly rumblings about Jason Kidd’s trade demands? For years, the Nets have failed to land an inside presence to help their backcourt. Show me a team where the point guard leads the team in rebounds and I’ll show you a team destined to get bounced in the second round of the playoffs, if they make the post-season at all. Can anyone even name the Nets starting power forward and center? I didn’t think so.
New York Knicks (8-19): On paper, the Knicks actually look like they could be a contender: Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph, Stephon Marbury, David Lee, Quentin Richardson. Unfortunately for Knicks fans, Isiah Thomas is still their coach and James Dolan is still their owner. With off-court problems casting a heavy shadow over the franchise, it’s unlikely the Knickerbockers will emerge and pose a serious threat in the Atlantic Division.
Cleveland Cavaliers (13-16): Ultimately, LeBron’s decision to re-sign with Cleveland when his contract is up will make or break this franchise. Their inability to surround him with top caliber talent might make his decision to bail easier. The front court of Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejao is formidable, but they’re no Carlos Boozer. Daniel Gibson is a spark, but the Larry Hughes experiment has been a total failure. There’s only so much one man can do, even if he is the chosen one.
Chicago Bulls (9-16): Chicago’s inability to get it together just cost Scott Skiles his job, but the Bulls’ fate may have been sealed when they signed Ben Wallace to a long-term contract. I know Big Ben was acquired for his defense presence, but he may very well be the highest-paid player per point scored to ever play the game. He’s making $15 mil this season and averaging fewer than five points per game. You do the math. Kobe trade rumors may have distracted the team, but at this point, Chicago should have pulled the trigger. They couldn’t be playing much worse.
Miami Heat (8-20): Hampered early by Dwayne Wade’s health problems and currently by Alonzo Mourning’s, the Heat look hard-pressed to make the playoffs. Shaquille O’Neal is averaging career low numbers and looks considerably older than 35. If anyone other than Pat Riley were coaching this team, he would have already been relieved of his duties. Even Stan Van Gundy, who’s now having the last laugh in Orlando, didn’t lead the Heat to an 8-20 record.
There have been some pleasant surprises in the East. The Atlanta Hawks are playing .500 ball and their young talent may be enough to bring this team into the post-season. But winning a playoff series is beyond anyone’s legitimate expectations. Indiana and Washington are mediocre at best. And nobody expected Charlotte or Philadelphia to be any good this season… and they’re not.
Contrast that to the Western teams who most thought would be average. The Lakers have shown renewed life and are playing among the best of the West. The young Portland Trailblazers have now won 11 straight. And there’s always the Jazz, Spurs, Suns, Nuggets and Mavericks.
Come June, we’re bound to hear even louder rumblings for Commissioner Stern to revise the league’s playoff structure, co-mingling the Eastern and Western teams in early rounds to weed out the lesser talent. As least hoops junkies can take solace in the fact that the Eastern Conference Finals between Detroit and Boston will be a series worth watching and the winner should pose a legitimate threat to whichever team comes out of the West. The rest of the Eastern teams might as well combine their rosters to form an All-Star team to contend with the top two. After all, that’s what Pistons and Celtics management has done and it seems to be working fairly well for them.
Nice read, Rev. I would venture to guess that a team like the Nuggets or Jazz might rule the roost in the east come playoff time. I have a feeling what may happen though is that Boston may get to the finals with very little resistance-may one out three series that goes more than five games. While in the west, whoever comes out is very likely to have played in at least two seven-gamers. Advantage Boston, even though the west is much stronger overall.
Agreed, Ricko, although I wouldn't count Detroit out. Billups is the X-factor. Rondo won't be able to stick him for a long series, as was witnessed the other night in Boston.
The Pistons and Heat have proved that beating the West can be done, BUT you can't really claim those 2 titles as superiority, eh?
Dissapointment will be over us all if the Pistons and Celtics don't meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. I've got this sick feeling one of those teams will be absent, hope I'm wrong.
That Dumars guy kind of knew what he was doing when he let Big Ben walk, huh? Maxiell is like a baby Ben, but he can score too.
Maxiell's a beast and a better scorer than Ben. In retrospect, with Detroit's solid all-round defense, they really didn't need a Ben Wallace as their last line of defense.
I don't see how any of the other Eastern teams can pose a legitimate threat to 1 & 2.
I'll give you my Top 8 for who I think are the best eight teams, not how they'll actually end up in the rankings.
1. Detroit
2. Boston
3. Orlando
4. Cleveland
5. New Jersey
(yeesh, this is hard. All the rest of these teams are extremely mediocre and flawed)
6. Toronto
7. Indiana
8. Atlanta
It's tough not to include Chicago and Miami in that mix. On paper, they're decent, but they're just not getting it done on the floor. Milwaukee might sneak in as the 8.5 seed. Isn't there a play-in game?
This weak East is driving me crazy. One of these years the Eastern Conference will be back. Hopefully the departure of Skiles will refresh the mindset of the Bulls and they can start winning again. I just hope the Celtics run out of steam by the Playoffs. That's one team I don't want to see representing the East.
Cat, I think the Celtics will represent fairly well. I'm still concerned about Rondo on both ends of the floor when it comes down to crunch time. I still think a Billups, D. Williams, Kidd, Nash or Parker will be able to break him down consistently.
I don't think they want to tinker with their lineup too much. Obviously what they're doing is working. I think much will be told on their upcoming road trip out West.
I think they still want a back-up PG, though. If Rondo can handle the load, then leave things as is. But if he gets broken down, someone like a Tinsley might be just what they need off the bench.
Reverend Rhythm
For me it comes down to the fact that the Bulls sought to trade for and then sign Ben Wallace. He's about as active as a storm in a teacup. And moves like his diaper is loose. Maybe giving him some Viagra or Cialis might get him moving or doing at least something competent on the court.
As for the Heat they'll only go as far as Wade can lift 'em on his shoulders. As Shaq's are nowhere wide or even strong enough to bolster this team. They've got old and pedantic and the blame can rest squarely on Riley's shoulders for that.
I won't speculate on Boston till they play some games west of the Mississippi. Detroit is a proven winner and will probably be there come playoff finals. I don't know whats wrong with the Bulls. They have plenty of talent. Maybe a coaching change will stir things up. Cavs are still too much of a one man team and the Pacers are infected with "late night club-itis". Nets and the Magic can put a run together, but neither have enough bench to sustain a playoff string of wins. Don't see the Heat or anybody else being a threat this year.
Good to see you blogging again Rev. Hope all is well.
props
As always, nice read Rev. I'm still focused on CFB until after the NC game, so I've really only kept up on, of course, my Spurs and the rest of the NBA superficially. Although it's too early to draw a bead on anything to hang one's hat on, you made a nice analysis of what's been going on to date, not that any compliment from me holds any water.
LOL Rev. I hear ya. I'm doing everything in my power to help the Bucks. For example, I took my cheering Brutus doll to BDubs with me last year for the game, and well...you know the drill. I have banished that Brutus to the book shelf as I'm convinced that's what caused the beatdown OSU took from your Gators. That's how seriosly dedicated I am. I'm takin' one for the team LOL.
Good luck to Florida as well in the Capital One Bowl, but I am pulling for Michigan . Gotta root for the other Big Ten teams you know. Can you forgive me?
I'll cut off my OSU babble on your NBA Eastern Conference thread now.
As for the East, the Celtics have played very well to date, and could very well contend for the East title. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and KG aren't rookies and seem to be gelling nicely. They aren't exactly hurting for playoff experience either. The question is two fold:
1) Can they sustain it through a whole season
2) Will depth play a role come May (possibly June) when bench play becomes much more crucial
Early on, I questioned their minutes too. Particularly when guys like Tony Allen are giving away games to their opponents (please reference silly foul on Chauncey Billups with :00.1 seconds left on clock)
That being said, I don't think 38 mpg for each of them equals an 'actual' 38 minutes. Meaning, each of them is not required to work as hard during that 38 mpg as they have in the past.
Good point Rev. Ray Allen and KG have been mainly solo acts until this year, so I don't see them running out of gas necessarily. I guess question 1 should really have been will the big three be playing May-June defense? We all know they can score with anyone, but can they turn on the postseason defense that is required to be a real NBA title threat? We know Detroit can.
That's generally what happens when you have the best offense AND defense in the league. Nice to see the Knicks hovering at a cool minus 8 in that category.
Unfortunately, I don't see the Knicks' situation getting better anytime soon. It will take a total organizational reconstruction just to start things headed in the right direction.
Sup Rev. great post, good to see you back my friend. My lakers are looking pretty good so far early in the season. Thing is they looked good last year this early also until injuries set in. Hopefully they can keep it going. Nice to see the youngster Bynum proving Kobe wrong.
Prior to the start of the season I was voicing my opinion that the Eastern Conference isn't as bad as we think. Yes, we have plenty of teams hovering around .500, but is that any better than a conference that has a handful of elite teams, and then a bunch of garbage teams? I argued the Eastern Conference is more balanced. True, the Raptors aren't on the Spurs level, but the worst team in the Eastern Conference would crush the worst team in the West. The Bobcats are head and shoulders better than the Sonics and Wolves. I think you can understand my reasoning, even if you don't agree with it.
As far as your post... keep some things in mind. 1. It's still really early in the season. 2. Win-Loss records don't always measure a team's worth/potential accurately (see last year's Warriors). You know all of this, and I'm not arguing with you -- just saying.
The Raptors have battled injuries all season long. If they're at 100 percent, you know their record is closer to 20-10 right now. The same can be said for the Cavs, which lost LeBron for at least five or six games. If they win four of those six, they're above .500 rather than under it.
More....
Last edited by TrainOntheBall on December 26th at 5:18 PM.
Teams like the Nets, Magic, etc., are one trade away from contending for a championship. I know this concept applies to the Western teams as well, but most of the teams out West are either really good and not likely to deal, or so bad a deal won't help them in the short-run. There's little middle ground.
In the East, many average teams can turn deadly overnight. The Nets need a big man to make a serious title run. The Magic need a point guard. The Celtics need veterans and depth. The Pistons need an interior scorer. The Cavs need a sidekick for LeBron. Etc. Even a team like Atlanta can make a serious run for the Finals if they land the right player (and they have the chips). Hell, even Miami can turn it around with the right move.
The East is more unpredictable. What if Andre Miller ends up on the Magic? What if they deal Hedo Turkoglu back to Sac-Town for Artest?
I don't see any Western teams in a really good position to really make a big trade. Like I said, the good teams are not going to change much. The bad teams are so bad they can't improve much with just one deal.
But most of the teams in the East are one move away from taking a huge leap.
Sorry, I can't explain this better. I'm half-asleep. I think you get the gist though.
The Nets needed Krstic to be healthy this year and he isn't. Losing Mikki Moore seems to be bigger than imagined.
The Raps need T.J. Ford and he may be done for a while. Jose Calderon, in my opinion, is a better point guard but Ford is a better scorer and Toronto doesn't have a backup point guard that is all that strong. Ford/Calderon combo is much more dynamic.
Bulls its time to stick Ben and Kirk on the bench. Shake the team up.
But Rev, the West is still better. Where the East has 2 or 3 good teams, the West have much more than that.
As TRAIN had alluded to, there are more competitive teams in the EAST that are hovering around .500 and may be one or two players away from contention. Which makes this season more exciting than last.
But the fact of the matter is and no matter how good Eastern teams look on paper, the better coaches are still in the WEST and as we all know coaching in the playoffs is a huge intangible when talent level between teams is pretty much even.
In the playoffs, coaches need to make adjustments on a game to game basis unlike in the regular season. How do you compete against battle-tested Jerry Sloan, Greg Popovich, Phil Jackson, Avery Johnson, George Karl, Rick Adelman, Byron Scott, and Don Nelson when the East has unproven Doc Rivers, underachieving Flip Saunders, Mike Davis, Lawrence Frank, Stan Van Gundy, and Jim O'Brien? Those are some really tough coaches there in the West.
And once the FINALS begin, I would put my hard earned dollars on the West 90% of the time, unless of course the Denver Nuggets or Utah Jazz wind up playing the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons. Even then, it would be a close series.
My current top eight best teams in the East without regard to records:
1. Detroit
2. Boston
3. Cleveland
4. Orlando
5. Toronto
6. New Jersey
7. Atlanta
8. Indiana
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on December 27th at 12:16 AM.
Great scribble Rev,
My 76er's have been down so long the soles of the other team's sneakers look like the ceiling of the Wack...At least they fired that sucking chest wound o####M, Billy King...
You right, Rev, East overall does not look overall very good against West. Still, Celts are obvious stadout int he East, in my view, more obvious then Detroit. They have one of the best starts in history, best record in NBA, they pretty easily handled Kings in Sacramento - 1st. win in the Kings court since 1996. a lot of people were saying: Celts have not playing anybody!!!, well now they are proving they can beat very good West team on the road. I hope thet will continue to prove how good they are now this week agins other West teams
Although the Eastern Conference has just been so-so this season, it is about to heat up for a certain Cleveland Cavalier as details explode regarding the latest rumor he has fathered a child outside of his current marriage!
I'd like to ask why we need to play 82 games to figure out what we already know? The Celtics and Pistons are the only two from the Leastern Conference that have a legitimate shot.
I will agree that the Wolves are pretty horrible, although so are the Knicks. At least the Sonics have the rook to hang their hat on and they're headed in the right direction.
I know it's early in the season, but can you say with any confidence that the Nets and Heat will make the playoffs? The Heat just got pounced by the '6ers last night.
Yes, the Nets and Magic are one trade away, but will that trade happen? The Nets have been talking about it for years.
Turn-ons: Gator national championships ; Sushi; NBA Playoffs; A Tribe Called Quest; Women; Jack Daniels; Women who drink Jack Daniels; Women who drink Jack Daniels while eating sushi; Women who dream of more Gator national championships while eating sushi and drinking Jack Daniels during basketball season, The Red Zone Report
Turn-offs: Waking up early; The inevitable media coverage Bobby Bowden will get when he finally retires; Drama; Prejudice; Chicken liver; Work of any sort
