When the season first started this year there was one common theme; the NBA has parity once again. Players made a lot of moves in the offseason and many of the big names went to different spots. But the Western Conference has been the dominant conference for many years. So much so that the NBA has recently contemplated changing the rules for the playoffs. The change would put the best overall 16 in instead of the best eight in each conference as it is now.
This was due to the fact for many years the West had more teams left out of the playoffs with better records than some that made it in the East. To me that is a bit of overreaction as the wave of good and bad is always swaying back and forth in sports. Just look at the Warriors. And who knows, next year they may be good again. But that is why you do not change league rules for such a fluctuating reason.
The West and the East have been around 50-50 against each other this year. That is a far cry from years past where the East may have two or three maybe four teams that could compete with the West. All the diversity and none of the overloaded teams and the NBA has parity again.
Last night, the Lakers and the Bucks squared off in what was built as the game of the year so far. The Bucks lead the East and the Lakers leading the West. This was the game to show who was the best, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James fighting for MVP. What we got was a Bucks team that just overpowered the Lakers from the start. I will give the credit to the defense of the Bucks, but their offense is every bit as good. They are a complete team.
It is not as though the Lakers are not as good, on the contrary. Anthony Davis looked real good (36 pts 10 reb), James had a 21 PT triple-double, but it seemed obvious that the Bucks were the better team. It is not just the Bucks either. With no team labeled a “Super Team” in the NBA this year, the difference is far less great now than ever. There are several teams in the East that have a great chance at a title this year. The Celtics have shown that they can not only play with the teams in the West but win.
How about the Sixers? You have Simmons hitting threes and Embiid do everything, including some MMA on the court. But they have also shown to be able to play and win against anyone in the NBA. The Heat and Jimmy Butler have been on a tear this year, and not into each other. They have jelled as a team and their rookies have been able to come in and contribute to this team right away. The Heat are not afraid of any team in the west.
The good ole days when we knew what the finals were going to be before we started… Will we miss that? No, but the thought of oh, say four or five of the top players in the league playing together will always be there. As fans, we will always ask, “What if we got KD with the stars we have?” Not to mention, I am sure the fans in the Bay area loved every minute of that boring dominate team.
But today we have equality, and we the fans are benefiting from it. I know the ratings are down this year but anyone watching the games knows the play this year has been at an all-time high. Maybe once people see there is a reason to watch the game again they will come back. Either way, the playoffs are going to be insane this year. Round one to the end will be worth the watch and I’m sure the NBA will survive.
So hats off to the East, no longer the little brother to the West. There are still more teams in the West that can compete at a higher level no doubt there. The mere fact that the two are now as close to equal as they have been in a long long time is fantastic and even better the NBA has parity once again.
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