Why is the LeEastern Conference as a whole such trash for the last 2 decades?

[DorianRo]

Why is it every year its the West that has to carry the load for quality? Yes the East has produced some champions but its probably the top teams didn't have to go through wars to get to the finals. They played G-league trash rounds in the east for most of it, technically the LeEast hasn't been good overrall since the era of MJ. Can't anyone in charge balance out the talent? Is that too much to ask?

[One_and_Done]

Ownership and the media.

The quality of ownership in the West tends to be higher for one thing. That's not a coincidence; many Western markets are harder to make hay in, which necessitates strong ownership (or your franchise is doomed). There are exceptions of course, but it's generally easier to get by financially out East. The Knicks, Raps, Nets, Wizards, Bulls, Sixers, etc, can be bad for years and they'd still make money. The Knicks sell out every game regardless of how bad they are. A survival of the fittest dynamic breeds stronger specimens.

The other big factor is the media. Most West media markets (e.g. SA, OKC, Utah, etc) are basically partners with the team. They help carry the team's water, minimise drama for the team, and sell fans on supporting the team. In NY if 2 players have a disagreement, it's likely to get blown up in all the tabloids. If Tony Parker sleeps with his team mates wife in SA we'll find out about it years later if at all. Kawhi had been keen to force his way out of SA 2 years before he did, but we only heard about it when he milked an injury to miss most of the 2018 season and things finally started to come out. It makes it easier for GMs to do their jobs well when they have a friendly press. Philly's press hates on their team even when they win alot.

Then those factors kind of feed off each other. So for example the team who won 45-48 games and missed the playoffs out West gets a lotto pick, while the flawed East playoff team who won 37-44 wins is getting pick 15-18. The typical West team has a professional outfit that's trying to exploit every edge, while the East team owners are often more concerned with how their baseball team is doing.

[lessthanjake]

I would speculate that it has to do with the west of the United States probably being more attractive for players to live, but honestly if we really go through it, it’s kind of mostly just luck borne out of the draft. The strength of a conference is mostly about having teams with really top players. And the vast majority of the best players in the last couple decades have been drafted by western conference teams. Amongst the all-time greats of the last couple decades or so, it’s basically just LeBron, Giannis, and Wade who were actually drafted by Eastern Conference teams. We could add Embiid too, but he’s had such injuries that he doesn’t really add to the strength of the conference. The list of all-time great guys drafted by Western Conference teams in the last couple decades or so is just so much bigger: Steph, Durant, Harden, Duncan, Garnett, Kawhi, Dirk, Nash, Kobe (technically draft-day trade, but functionally drafted by LA), Chris Paul, Jokic, Luka, SGA (maybe a bit premature there, but he’s going to be an MVP), Westbrook, etc. Of course, some guys have moved conferences. A big one was Shaq moving from the Magic to the Lakers. And LeBron eventually moved to the Lakers too. But that has gone both ways—Garnett eventually moved to the East, as did Kawhi briefly (but long enough to get a title), and guys like Harden and Durant for at least a bit. But when one conference has just drafted way more of the very top guys over the course of a couple decades, I think it is almost impossible for the other conference to end up nearly as strong. And it is especially unlikely when it probably has less desirable places to live anyways (so it’s not all that likely for players to actively want to swap conference to the East to live somewhere they like better).

[An Unbiased Fan]

Because the best players prefer better weather out West(srs)

[One_and_Done]

Because the best players prefer better weather out West(srs)

That hasn't been evident in the history of the league. Players are less keen on going to say Boston, where it's freezing and they might perceive there to be archaic cultural undercurrents, but most of the East is pretty desirable to players; Miami, Orlando, NY? Players love those places. No players are lining up to go to Utah or Portland, and teams like the Spurs and OKC struggle to get big free agents despite their success.

LA is popular, but most West destinations are not. If you started the NBA from scratch, to build the most profitable league, it's astonishing how many West cities would lose their team. San Antonio, OKC, Memphis, Utah, Minny, Portland, etc, would lose their teams for sure. San Antonio only has a team due to a historical accident; they aren't even one of the 3 wealthiest cities in Texas. Austin is far more lucrative.

[TheGOATRises007]

The East was very good in 2019.

It's not even bad this year either.

[One_and_Done]

The East has consistently been the weaker conference for 25 years now, with a few years that might be exceptions at most. This year reinforces that point. The West is stronger at the top & bottom. There are more good teams, fewer bad ones, and the best teams in the Conference are right up there with the top Eastern teams. Right now there are only 2 eastern teams that could make it out of the 1st round in the West. Conversely, the 8th team in the West would be the 3rd best team out East.

[giberish]

Generally more low-ambition owners and lower overall standards (especially in the middle) that allow weak organizations to feel like they're good enough because they back into the playoffs occasionally. The poorly run teams in the WC wouldn't get the occasional 40-win playoff teams to justify continuing - instead they get long lottery streaks that force changes.

Though the gross incompetence of some new WC owners could bring the overall quality down.