Coast-to-Coast: Comparing the Best NBA Teams from East to West
The general consensus dating back years now has been that teams in the NBA's Western Conference far exceed those in the East. We wanted to know if that theory still holds true this season.
Breaking down the top four teams from both conferences based on current standings, rosters and statistics allows us to dive deeper. It gives us the ability to compare and contrast.
Would the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference compete with the West? Let's find out.
Eastern Conference No. 4 Seed: Miami Heat
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The loss of LeBron James two seasons ago stripped the "championship" label away from the Miami Heat. Team executive Pat Riley was able to retain Dwyane Wade and sign Chris Bosh to a long-term deal, paving the way for this team to compete in a decimated Eastern Conference.
Still, it's hard to picture Miami winning an NBA title this season. Despite a 32-25 record, Bosh's medical issues, per Michael Wallace of ESPN.com, have brought a level of uncertainty to South Beach.
With Wade's numbers trending downward—he's averaging 19.1 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest—Bosh's presence is needed to balance out the Big Two.
His absence is enough to put the Heat's playoff hopes in disarray and provide this club with a much weaker outlook than the Western Conference's No. 4 seed, the Los Angeles Clippers.
Western Conference No. 4 Seed: Los Angeles Clippers
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Out in the Western Conference, it's the Los Angeles Clippers who currently hold down the No. 4 seed.
Chris Paul's fifth season in Los Angeles has been a big one. With head coach Doc Rivers steering the ship, the Clippers are now in a better position to succeed.
Experience matters, and Rivers carries a great deal of that.
Paul is still out there executing at a high level. His player efficiency rating of 26.0 is fifth-best in the NBA and third-best when it comes to the point guard position.
When Paul gets names such as DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford and Blake Griffin involved in the offense, this Clippers team becomes too much for a lot of squads to handle—especially a depleted Miami Heat roster.
Eastern Conference No. 3 Seed: Boston Celtics
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Brad Stevens' version of the Boston Celtics is a night-and-day difference from the Big Three ensemble that Doc Rivers brought to town. A fresh-faced youth movement has pushed the Celtics into playoff contention this season.
What makes the Celtics such a dangerous team is they not only are well-coached but also have players who fill every void on the court. Forward Jared Sullinger has become a genuine rebounding machine, as Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com wrote. To go with his constructive dominance, we've also seen the emergence of Isaiah Thomas.
Thomas currently is the sixth-best point guard in terms of PER (21.0). His 21.4 points and 6.8 assists per game are huge totals for this franchise.
Such talent has become abundant in Boston. But the question is, could the Celtics actually beat a squad such as the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs? If we look at their head-to-head record this season, the answer is yes. Boston beat Oklahoma City handedly back in November.
Things have changed since then. Knowing the Celtics' side of things, we have to analyze the Thunder in order to reach a sound decision.
Western Conference No. 3 Seed: Oklahoma City Thunder
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Season in and season out, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have made every Oklahoma City Thunder team a title contender. Having two forceful talents who can take over a game is a rarity in today's league.
These days,Westbrook is averaging 24.3 points, 10.3 assists and 7.6 rebounds per game. Those are MVP numbers. Meanwhile, Durant is doing Durant things, shredding nets to the tune of 27.9 points a contest.
That prolific scoring duo has proved to be worthy adversaries for the rest of the NBA. They've beaten the Golden State Warriors once already and played them tough almost every time the two squads have clashed this season.
Superstar-laden teams are always challenging to stop in a seven-game series. Despite the Celtics playing them tough so far, it's difficult to imagine Oklahoma City dropping four games.
The series would prove to be competitive, but Westbrook and Durant would eventually emerge as the X-factors.
Eastern Conference No. 2 Seed: Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors have been heavy Eastern Conference contenders dating back a handful of seasons now. Today, they're enjoying the No. 2 seed, thanks to a tremendous 39-19 record.
It's easy to understand why they win. From top to bottom, this is a soundly put-together team that boasts strong guard play—Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan—and lengthy forwards who can disrupt the harmonic offensive rhythm of opposing squads.
The bad news is that regular-season success doesn't guarantee postseason celebrations. The Washington Wizards bounced the Raptors quickly during the playoffs last year after Toronto finished as the No. 4 seed.
You'd have to think that facing off with a Western Conference powerhouse such as the San Antonio Spurs would produce similar results.
The Raptors could match them in terms of guards, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, it will be hard to stop LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Tim Duncan and the rest of Gregg Popovich's big men.
Western Conference No. 2 Seed: San Antonio Spurs
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With Stephen Curry's Golden State Warriors getting all of the attention, you tend to forget how good the San Antonio Spurs have been.
The free-agent haul of LaMarcus Aldridge was crucial to maintaining the success of this franchise. Slotted in alongside Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan and others, Aldridge is finally starting to look like the missing link.
Jabari Young of MySanAntonio.com talked about how his first-year transition is finally starting to give this squad a return on its $80 million investment: "Aldridge recently won Western Conference Player of the Week honors after helping the Spurs to a 4-0 start in February. He averaged 26 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks (from Feb. 1-7), and finished with a season-high 36 points in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans."
For all the Aldridge "fitting in" hoopla, the Spurs are 49-9. As good as the Raptors have been, they wouldn't be able to hang with this team.
Eastern Conference No. 1 Seed: Cleveland Cavaliers
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LeBron James remains king of the NBA's Eastern Conference. He's been a part of six NBA Finals—winning two—and each one of those appearances has come from somewhere on the Eastern seaboard.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the No. 1 seed right now, despite the Raptors making a late push to dethrone them. James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and others are looking to climb back to the Finals after a tough out last year at the hands of the Golden State Warriors.
We know how good this team can be. It stacks up well against any other franchise you throw at it. The problem is, the Cavaliers aren't nearly as good as they should be.
Shooting guard J.R. Smith expressed his concern about the team's struggles, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com: "We can't play basketball like this going down the stretch."
At this juncture, any logical NBA fan can't pick Cleveland to topple the Warriors. There's no sound reasoning for it. One team is on a historic pace, while the other is struggling to maintain its lead in the Eastern Conference.
Could that change? Possibly. But at the time of this writing, Golden State is better in every feasible way.
Western Conference No. 1 Seed: Golden State Warriors
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The Golden State Warriors have won 52 games in 57 chances. Their pursuit of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls is looking more and more like a reality with each passing day.
We haven't seen a team like the Warriors before. Stephen Curry is obliterating the way basketball is played—hence, the pull-up, game-winning bomb he hit against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The rest of the team isn't far behind.
According to Sporting Charts, Golden State's average of 115.4 points per game leads the NBA by 5.4 points. This team is racking up points and destroying any team that gets close.
Pitting the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Warriors isn't a fair matchup right now. One team is soaring to heights we haven't seen before, while the other has endured countless issues.
All stats and information via Basketball-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
