Mike Baldwin, OU sports writer

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The East becomes a beast

 
By Mike Baldwin    Comment on this article Leave a comment
Published: November 23, 2008

It was inevitable the Eastern Conference would someday close the gap. The West couldn’t stay on top forever.

The sample size is small. But one month into the NBA season, the Eastern Conference’s 31-21 edge in head-to-head meetings against the Western Conference is stop-the-presses news.

photo - Kevin Garnett and the Celtics are one of several strong teams in the Eastern Conference. AP photo
Kevin Garnett and the Celtics are one of several strong teams in the Eastern Conference. AP photo

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Western dominance

The Eastern Conference hasn’t won the head-to-head series with the Western Conference since the NBA strike in 1998-99. Listed below is the Western Conference’s win-loss record and winning percentage against the Eastern Conference the past decade.

Season W-L Pct.
2007-08 258-192 .573
2006-07 257-193 .571
2005-06 252-198 .560
2004-05 256-194 .569
2003-04 266-154 .633
2002-03 250-170 .595
2001-02 232-188 .552
2000-01 259-161 617
1999-00 227-193 .540
Totals 2,257-1,643 .579

Realigning the West

Art Garcia suggests in a column on NBA.com that the league needs to realign divisions next season. He points out Oklahoma City is 1,488 miles from Portland but only 185 miles from Dallas, not much farther from Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans.

The NBA hasn’t talked about any realignment changes. But in tough economic times the proposal could pick up steam in upcoming months since travel would be reduced. Garcia’s proposal:

Southwest — Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio.

Mountain — Denver, Memphis, Minnesota, Phoenix, Utah.

Pacific — Golden State, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Portland, Sacramento.

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Related Topics: Basketball, Sports, Men's Professional Basketball



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