The Western Conference has been the stronger conference of the two for a long time, and that seems to be the case again this year.
Western Conference teams have a record of 194-167 in games versus Eastern Conference teams this season. If that holds, it would be the 18th time in the last 19 seasons that the West has won the interconference matchup.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) March 6, 2018
The Eastern Conference has seemed to be top strong the last few years, but there is a big drop off after the first two or three teams.
The Houston Rockets are the top team in the Western Conference coming in with a record of 49-13. For the Eastern Conference, the top team is the Toronto Raptors who have a record of 45-17.
But the big differences come farther down in the standings. The Detroit Pistons currently sit in 9th place in the Eastern Conference standings coming in at 29-35. The L.A. Clippers sit in the same place in the Western Conference standings but they have a much better record of 34-28.
The Minnesota Timberwolves who sit in 6th place in the Western Conference would jump above the Cleveland Cavaliers for third place in the Eastern Conference.
The toughness of the Western Conference goes beyond this season though, it also could have a big impact on where LeBron James lands.
He knows in the Eastern Conference he has a much easier path to the finals, while in the Western Conference he would have to get past the Rockets, Oklahoma City, and Golden State Warriors just to make the NBA Finals.
That type of playoff run would have a major impact on the freshness of his team, even if he does make it to the Finals. It’s also why many believe that he will decide to stay in the Eastern Conference.
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