How strong is the West, really?

[B-Roy]

I was looking at the standings today, and I was shocked at how strong the Western Conference really was:

http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Cnf.html

13 of the 15 teams have at least 9 wins as opposed to 9 for the east.

Memphis, the 13th best team in the west, would be 9th in the east.

The 6th seed in the east, Milwaukee/Charlotte, would be 11th in the west.

9/16 teams in the West are at .500 or over, as opposed to 5/16 in the east.

Even the top 4 records in the east aren't really that much better than the top 4 records in the west, especially when you consider that the teams in the west are facing better competition.

Even with a really easy schedule, I don't think we should be too sad with a 14-9 record.

 

[handiman]

The 4th best team in the East is arguably as good as the 2nd best team in the West, though.

 

[KingSpeed]

There are a lot of playoff hopefuls in both conferences. The Clippers, Kings, and Grizzlies are gonna fight and claw to work their way towards that 8th seed. And in the East, just about every team in the East short of the Nets have a decent shot at a playoff seed. And who knows? Maybe the Nets will work their way in there when all is said and done.

 

[Darkwebs]

The East is top-heavy. The West is better overall, IMHO.