Western conference slightly overrated

[Cavatt]

Not sure why this got so many dislikes. OP is right. He's not saying the West sucks or the East is better, but the narrative that the West is this unstoppable force is a bit exaggerated.

I constantly see team's like the Clippers and the Rockets deemed title contenders while laughing off squads like Atlanta. I see nothing from the Rockets and Clippers that indicate they have any real chance to overcome the Warriors and Spurs. Hell, I trust a healthy OKC over teams like the Clippers and Rockets come playoff time. Memphis appears to be an inconsistent mess. The Pelicans are a one man show. Dallas sucks.
There were as many as 6-7 teams out west that were title contenders just a couple of seasons ago and now that number is somewhere between 2 and 5 depending on the health of those teams at the top.

It's still better than the East, but not nearly as strong as it was in recent years.

Offensively gifted teams are always more highly rated as being good. People say "oh the Warriors are so offensively gifted" and they are, but the Nash suns were really great offensively too. The Warriors are different because their players have made a special effort on defense as well. Defense can be really hard to see, which is why stars only have nights where they are "off" instead of thrown off.

 

[Rich]

Well at least so far you have a point OP

The top 7 teams in the East are currently 8-0 against the West

1. Raptors 2-0 (Mavs and Thunder)
2. Hawks 0-0
3. Cavs 1-0 (Grizzles)
4. Pistons 1-0 (Jazz)
5. Wizards 1-0 (Spurs)
6. Bulls 1-0 (Thunder)
7. Heat 2-0 (Wolves and Rockets)

Something like this happened either last year or the year before. Where the East started really hot against the West. Needless to say, the start the East had didn't look anything like the middle or the end.

They very, very top of the East has always been as good as they very, very top of the West. It's the rest of the conference where the difference lies.