Why is the Western Conference so much stronger than the East?

An oft-used tactic in detracting the greatness of Lebron James is the argument that, "He has the easiest road to the finals! If he was in the West he'd never make the finals!"

While this argument is untrue (he could obviously have made it to the finals at least 3 times, since he beat the best in the West 3 times to win the championship), there is definitely a serious amount of disparity between the two conferences.

In the past 5 seasons, the #1 win-loss record has been held by a western conference team. In those same 5 seasons, a western conference team also claimed the #2 record. Twice, they also had the 3rd best record.

 In the 2013-14 season, the Western Conference playoff teams combined for a record of 436 wins and 220 losses. The Eastern Conference playoff teams won 365 games and lost 291 games. In 2014-15, the WC playoff teams went 435-221, while the EC playoff teams went 377-279. 2015-16: 417 wins in the West compared to 394 in the east. 2016-17: 416 wins in the west compared to 372 in the east. And this year, the Western Conference playoff teams combined for 410 wins vs. the 395 wins of the Eastern Conference playoff teams. So, while the Western Conference has been steadily declining for the past 5 years, there is still a marked disparity between the two conferences.

The big question: WHY?

Why is the Western Conference so consistently better than the Eastern Conference? On paper, it shouldn't be. Both conferences have the same access to players, coaches, equipment, etc. So why is it that the best players consistently head to the Western Conference?

I asked my wife (a non-NBA fan) if she had any theories as to why this could be happening. Her immediate thought was that maybe there were more big-market teams in the Western Conference. She argued that if a fanbase is larger, players are more likely to want to play there. This theory makes a certain amount of sense, but doesn't hold up when you look at the numbers. 5 of the top 10 biggest market teams are in the Eastern Conference, and 6 of the top 10 didn't even make the playoffs this year. So the conclusion we can come to from this data is that big market doesn't always translate to big success.

Another theory I've heard bounced around on social media before is that Lebron James himself is the reason for the disparity between conferences in the NBA. The argument is that nobody wants to contend with Lebron in the East, so they head west to avoid him in the early rounds of the playoffs. Again, there may be a certain amount of truth in this theory. However, if I was a superstar in the NBA and there were 8 good teams in the West and only 2 good teams in the East, I'd want to go East, even if it did mean facing Lebron James! 

The theory I've come up with (and that I'm going to assume is true, for now) is that this tendency is just part of the natural ebb and flow of the NBA. The 60s and 70s were dominated by the Celtics in the East. Then in the 80s the Lakers took control. In the 90s the balance of power shifted back to the east with the Bulls. In the 2000s, the Lakers and Spurs battled for supremacy. In the early 2010s the Heat started a mini-dynasty.

And now we are firmly entrenched in the Golden State Warriors dynasty. It is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. The Rockets looked like they were going to emerge as a contender, but with their 41 point loss in the Western Conference Finals last night, Golden State looks more untouchable than ever.

Taking a look at how Golden State took over the NBA, it becomes clear that the NBA draft has made far more difference than anything. It started in 2009 with the 'risky' pick of Davidson phenom Steph Curry. It was considered a risky pick because of his size, as well as his constant struggle with ankle injuries. The risk, however, quickly paid dividends. Curry has since won back-to-back MVPs and led his team to 2 out of the last 3 NBA championships.

In 2011 Golden State drafted Klay Thompson, son of former NBA player Mychal Thompson. Klay Thompson has never looked super flashy, but his catch-and-shoot abilities are second only to Curry himself and Kyle Korver on the Cavs. When Klay is hot, there is no stopping him. He holds the NBA record for most points in a single quarter with 37. Seriously?! Most teams don't score 37 in a quarter, let alone alone a single player.

In 2012 the Warriors used their #7 pick on Harrison Barnes. Barnes, while contributing to GS's 2014-15 championship, never fully developed into the star GS thought he would. The real steal of the 2012 draft, though, came in the second round when Golden State selected Draymond Green. I, personally, hate Draymond Green. I think he's a dirty player who can't control his emotions. Also, he looks like Donkey from Shrek.

Despite my dislike, Draymond Green is as much a part of the dynasty as Curry himself.

And then Kevin Durant happened. Durant, desperate to win a ring, made the weakest move in NBA history by joining the already-stacked Warriors. Stars want to win rings, and the easiest way to do that is to team up with a bunch of other stars.

It's pretty clear, then, how much of an impact the draft made in the current dominance of the Western Conference.

But, like I said above, there is a natural ebb and flow to these things. Being the best team in the league ensures that you will get the worst draft picks, and eventually the Warriors' stars are going to get old. The Eastern Conference will then poised to retake control.

For the same reasons that Golden State came into power, Philadelphia and Boston are now using the draft to build up their own 'super teams.' Philly's young core of Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz have the potential to be special for a lot of years. Boston's Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum are already leading their squad to a likely trip to the Finals, and Terry Rozier is also developing faster than anyone expected.

I expect that aging stars will now begin making their way to Philly and Boston to win their rings.

The draft is what makes the difference. A few years of good luck can change the entire course of the NBA. Golden State was the butt of a lot of jokes for a lot of years, but now they are stupid good.

Boston and Philly will both be good for a long time. Expect the balance of power to shift completely to the Eastern Conference in the next few years.