The NBA's Western Conference appears to be too good for the teams in the East. Or, is the Western Conference too good for its own good?
NBA Western Conference Update
Are teams in the NBA's Western Conference really that good?
The Phoenix Suns won 15 straight games two different times this season. The Dallas Mavericks have their own set of nice winning streaks. But are these teams really that much better than the teams in the lowly NBA Eastern Conference?
A quick peek at the Mavericks
Dallas is an NBA-best 38-9, and no one in the Eastern Conference is even close. Breaking down the Mavs, though, we have to wonder if they'd survive a 7-game series with the best team from the Eastern Conference.
Dallas has lost at Chicago, at Detroit and at Washington. Chicago, a team that can play a fast game and can pound away at you in the middle with Ben Wallace, held the vaunted Mavs' offense to just 85 points recently.
Sure, Dirk Nowitzki is an NBA MVP candidate, but we think Dallas may lack the muscle to do serious toe-to-toe battle with a tough team in the East.
What about Phoenix
The Suns ran off 17 straight wins recently and looked like they could blow past anyone, especially the dregs of the Eastern Conference.
A recent encounter with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers may have demonstrated an Achilles Heel for the Suns.
Phoenix won the game, when the Cavaliers went cold in the fourth quarter, but through three periods, despite the Suns shooting an unworldly percentage from everywhere in the arena, Cleveland stayed close by banging away at Phoenix inside.
The Cavaliers dominated the boards, with quick, muscular leapers, Drew Gooden and Anderson Varejao. Of Course, LeBron chipped in with 9 boards of his own.
It may seem ridiculous to say that a team as good as Phoenix can be vulnerable to the pedestrian teams in the Eastern Conference, but the Suns and their six-man rotation can definitely be had.
Houston may surprise Dallas and Phoenix
The Rockets should get Yao Ming back from injury, which will be a huge boost to a team that has been surprisingly good while Yao has been out of action.
Dikembe Mutombo has stepped up nicely, and Tracy McGrady looks like the McGrady of three years ago.
Houston has the blend of size, speed and rebounding to overtake both Dallas and Phoenix.
The Lakers, Utah and San Antonio lurk behind
What makes the Western Conference so exciting is that even with the three favorites mentioned above, three more teams are all capable of winning the conference.
If the Lakers trade for a point guard to help Kobe Bryant, who's having a tremendous season, Los Angeles will be hard to beat.
Until Carlos Boozer got hurt, Utah would have been our third choice instead of Houston. Deron Williams has turned into one of the best point guards in the NBA, and Boozer was unstoppable.
Finally, the Spurs are as steady as anyone; plus, they play great on the road at 16-8, third-best in the Western Conference. Throw in the fact that they have Tim Duncan, and San Antonio is a threat to win upset Dallas and Phoenix out West.
Stay tuned for more updates on the wild, wild Western Conference.
