The Golden State Warriors will be prohibitive favorites to win their third title in four years when the NBA postseason starts in late April, and the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs won’t be far behind.
But nothing should discount the strides made by the Eastern Conference this season.
The East has been a laughingstock for so long, it’s been considered the junior varsity to the big show that is the Western Conference. The West has been so deep and dominant that some have called for scrapping conferences altogether in the playoffs, taking the top 16 teams and let them play it out.
This regular season should slow these talks significantly, at least for one season. To say the Eastern Conference has been holding its own is an understatement. The Boston Celtics are 11-2 against the Western Conference, with wins against the Warriors, Rockets and Spurs.
In case that sounds like a fluke — and I can understand that line of thinking — it isn’t. The Toronto Raptors are 11-6 against the Western Conference, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are 7-5. The Washington Wizards are 11-7.
The top six teams in the Eastern Conference entered the weekend with a winning record against the West. The West is more top-heavy because of the Warriors. But you easily can make the argument that the East has been deeper so far this season — and just plain better.
There are a couple of reasons why. First, the Eastern Conference has spent so much time on the fritz that teams are improving the old- fashioned way … or at least through the lottery.
The Philadelphia 76ers now have star power in Ben Simmons, a rookie-of-the-year front-runner, and Joel Embiid. The New York Knicks, who are 9-6 against the Western Conference, boast Kristaps Porzingis. The Milwaukee Bucks, 12-5 against the West, have an MVP candidate in Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum, who quickly has become a vital player for them.
Teams garner good draft picks when they are bad. If they draft well, they eventually become good, or at least respectable.
Injuries also have been a factor. The Los Angeles Clippers lost Blake Griffin for a significant period. The Utah Jazz twice have lost Rudy Gobert to leg injuries. The Memphis Grizzlies fell off a cliff when Mike Conley went down. Paul Millsap has missed a lot of time because of wrist surgery in Denver. The Thunder have won 14 of their past 19 games, but they took a minute to find their collective rhythm and struggled for much of the first two months.
The Clippers, Jazz and Grizzlies were expected to contend for postseason berths — along with the eight teams in the West currently in playoff positioning — but are all at least three games under .500. They haven’t been able to overcome the holes and injuries to their respective rosters. And only the Clippers, who have regained Griffin’s services, have steadied themselves and showed signs of rejoining the playoff race.
The Warriors probably are going to win the title this season. They are too strong and too well-oiled a machine not to. But the Celtics going forward are the biggest threat to their overall reign, not the Rockets, Spurs, Thunder or even the Timberwolves.
Boston is doing all of this without Gordon Hayward, who still is out with the gruesome leg injury he suffered on opening night. They take the Los Angeles Lakers’ pick if it lands between Nos. 2 and 5, and from the looks of it, they will be in position to do that. With the top five of the 2018 draft looking very strong, the possibility exists Boston will be able to add another star-caliber prospect to its already strong core.
This has to make NBA commissioner Adam Silver a happy man. The league craves parity. And even if the NBA can’t get that at the top, it will be pleased to see the conference disparity even out.
Even if only for one year.
NBA POWER RANKINGS <br>1. Golden State Warriors • They went on the road and handled the Houston Rockets without Kevin Durant. <br>2. Boston Celtics • Made a statement with their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. <br>3. Houston Rockets • Missing James Harden, but their current slide has to be concerning. <br>4. San Antonio Spurs • Just keep chugging along. They are 17-2 and almost unbeatable at home. <br>5. Toronto Raptors • Past playoff failures keep trust in this team low. But they’ve played awfully well. <br>6. Cleveland Cavaliers • LeBron James just can’t seem to beat the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. <br>7. Oklahoma City Thunder • Paul George finally is playing like himself next to Russell Westbrook. <br>8. Minnesota Timberwolves • Jimmy Butler has solidified his status as a top-10 player overall. The Wolves would be lost without him. <br>9. Washington Wizards • Have won three straight and dug out of an early hole. <br>10. Milwaukee Bucks • Should be getting back Jabari Parker very soon. <br>11. Denver Nuggets • Trey Lyles has exceeded expectation in Paul Millsap’s absence. <br>12. New Orleans Pelicans • Former Lone Peak star Frank Jackson may make his NBA debut in mid-January. <br>13. Miami Heat • Goran Dragic continues to be one of the most underrated players in the league. <br>14. Detroit Pistons • Starting shooting guard Avery Bradley denies assault allegation. <br>15. Portland Trail Blazers • Damian Lillard returns from injury, but the Blazers still lost at Cleveland. <br>16. Indiana Pacers • A lack of defense coincides with a five-game losing streak. <br>17. Los Angeles Clippers • If they make the playoffs, Doc Rivers should get coach-of-the-year consideration. <br>18. Philadelphia 76ers • Ben Simmons is still ROY front-runner, but Utah’s Donovan Mitchell is gaining ground. <br>19. New York Knicks • Not a shock they couldn’t continue hot start once the road games came. <br>20. Utah Jazz • Donovan Mitchell is rookie of the month for December, but the Jazz are reeling. <br>21. Chicago Bulls • Nikola Mirotic is eligible to be traded Jan. 15. Do the Bulls deal him? <br>22. Brooklyn Nets • Spencer Dinwiddie hits game-winner against the Timberwolves. <br>23. Charlotte Hornets • Can road win over Warriors spark Charlotte back to playoff contention? <br>24. Phoenix Suns • Had won three of four before surrendering 36 points to Gary Harris and 134 points to the Nuggets. <br>25. Dallas Mavericks • Played the Warriors tough before Steph Curry hit the game-winning 3. <br>26. Sacramento Kings • De’Aaron Fox makes it back from a partially torn quadriceps muscle. His development is key. <br>27. Memphis Grizzlies • If they keep this pace, Marc Gasol could become a trade piece at the deadline. <br>28. Atlanta Hawks • Dennis Schroder scores 18 of his 22 in the second half to beat Portland. <br>29. Los Angeles Lakers • Are 0-6 without point guard Lonzo Ball and have looked bad in all of them. <br>30. Orlando Magic • Lost 12 of their last 13 games before facing the Cavaliers on Saturday night.
