What is with this legend that the East is awful and the West is so great? I understand that there are more elite teams in the West than in the East, but (basing this on the standings), there is only one team currently in the top 8 in the East that wouldn't be in the top 8 in the West (the Magic). The worst team in the league is in the West (Grizzlies). The Lakers have the same record as the Raptors. True, there are 4 teams in the West (Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Jazz) who have a better record than the Pistons (the East leader), but the top ten list in the league standings is:

Mavs
Suns
Spurs
Jazz
Pistons
Rockets
Cavs
Wiz
Bulls
tie - Raptors/Lakers

I count 6 West teams, 5 East teams. So what is all the hype about the abysmal East?

That's because the West plays against the West more than they play against the East.

When you look at the head to head West vs. East games, the West has a clear advantage.

If you put the Lakers in the East, they'd probably be a favorite to get to the ECF.

If you put the Knicks in the West, they would not be fighting for a playoff spot right now.