Ok, this is basketball related. Me and my brother got into quite the argument today over whether the East is still the Leastern Conference. He continued to bring up who won the the championship. What he doesn't seem to understand is that, a team won the championship, not the entire conference. But, despite that, he kept saying that the fact that an Eastern conference team won the title, it automatically removes the "Leastern" tag from that conference. He doesn't understand though that, they only have 3 really good teams. Every other team is either average or bad. The West however, has at least 4 really good teams and possibly a 5th and maybe even a 6th come next year if Memphis continues to get better. He now thinks that the East is no longer the "sacrificial lamb" as he liked to call it. He thinks that the Eastern conference can now stand up to the West soley on the fact that Detroit won the title. I think that there are 3 teams that can stand up to the West, and that's all. He also went on to say that Detroit will be the favorites next year because they won the title and he thinks that automatically puts the favorite tag on them. He is completely ignoring the fact that the offseason has just begun and anything and everything could happen. I think the Pistons will be a favorite if they manage to resign Rasheed Wallace, which I believe they will. Now, based on these arguments, who do you think was right in this argument or who do you agree with more?
Let's look at it from the perspective of a constantly reitterated comment from many posters on this site: "The #8 seed in the West would beat whoever comes out of the East" Well, now that it's been proven wrong, I don't see the point in continueing to try to call it the "Leastern" Conference anymore. By many posters standards, there wasn't even 1 legit title team from the East. Therefore, IMO, namesake is broken and moot now.
See, I know there are legit teams, as I said, I believe there are 3 really good teams who can compete with if not beat the West. But, after those three teams (NJ, Ind, Det), what then? They don't have much after that. They have teams capapble of winning 42 games and getting home court advantage. They are still the inferior conference due to that fact. The East has zero depth compared to the West. That's what makes me consider them inferior still. The fact that they have only a few good teams and the rest average. Another think real quick, West had 10 teams with a .500 record or better, the East had what, 6? The other thing, Denver would have been a 4 seed there instead of an 8 in the West. I'm not saying they could beat on teams in the East, but that's just a thought. I think that truly shows something. If a team can win 42 games and get homecourt, that's really bad in my honest opinion.
The west is always better because people are alot richer out there and have more money to offer on contracts and what not. The east will be much better due to Lebron, Detroit, Indy, and possibly Shaq going to the Magic, and Kobe going to either Memphis or NYC. Then the eastern will get a little more respect.
I got your point Moo and understand where you're coming from. However, that being said: no one cares who finished second , so depth isn't really all that important. Whether people choose to view Detriot's Championship as a freak anomoly or not, the fact remains simple: <font color="Navy">Until May/June of next year, the reigning NBA Champion (and thusly, the seat of power) resides in the East. </font> Whether the rest of the conference measures up or not, the best resides in the East. PS: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The west is always better because people are alot richer out there and have more money to offer on contracts and what not.</div> I have to assume you mean they currently have better cap situations in the West right now? I can live with that angle, but not that the West overall just has more money. Granted, they have 2 spend-thrift Billionaires running Dallas and Portland, but don't forget that NY and Boston are major markets in the East, that have loads of money at thier disposal, should they choose to use it.
East Is Not The Leastern Confrence Because They Have Just One The Title Even Though They Only Have 3 Or 4 Teams Who Can Cmopete They Did Just Win So That Like Ur Brother Said Removes The Tag From Them
Hey, do us all a favor, make it readable. You know, like, not every first letter being in caps, some punctuation, always helpful.
I don't know if the bottom teams in the east will improve much this coming season. I see really only Cleveland improving a bit. May get 45 to 47 wins or something. The east is still a weaker conference though. Whoever comes out of the west next year, I feel won't let an eastern team win for awhile. I could be wrong. But I doubt it.
I raise your question with another question: Did anyone in their right mind even think that an Eastern conference team would win the championship this year against a Western Conference opponent much less win against the Lakers??? With the Detroit Pistons beating the Lakers the East will no long have the "Weak label" anymore because of they won a championship. The East will be "weaker" than the West next year but they boast the present and possibly future NBA champions next year as well. This alone should be ammunition for anyone doubting the East's ability to compete. Like hagrid said: no one cares who finished second
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I raise your question with another question: Did anyone in their right mind even think that an Eastern conference team would win the championship this year against a Western Conference opponent much less win against the Lakers???</div> While I wouldn't have bet my house on it, I'll share the thought I shared with alot of Celtics fans who bagged on our Playoff chances, which translates well towards answering your question: "If you're in the playoffs, you've got a chance." Then again, I'm sure there are plenty of people around here who would argue I'm not in my right mind. :mrgreen:
the east is very weak IMO, last uear, the cavs almost made the playoffs, and the celtics did, very weak teams with under .500 records and they were fighting for the 8th spot, the atlantic was very weak, and the jazz finished above .500 and missed ther playoffs. in the west, if you finish barely above .500, you'll be lucky to make the 8th spot.
