NBA: Is the East really that much worse than the Western Conference?

The East’s Warriors

The Boston Celtics are going to run away with the Eastern Conference, and, thus, they are the East’s version of the Warriors.

That’s why I believe the statement “the East is wide open this season” is false and inaccurate. Will the Eastern Conference be more interesting since LeBron James is no longer in the conference? Absolutely.

At the same time, if the Celtics are healthy – with Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving – in the playoffs last season, they probably top the Cavs and make the NBA Finals. Assuming they will be healthy this season, the Celtics have a really strong four with Hayward, Kyrie, Tatum and Al Horford.

Not to mention Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier. Boston is one of the deepest teams in the NBA, and will dominate the Eastern Conference this season. So, no. The East is not wide open. That doesn’t mean it won’t be entertaining, though.

The Celtics may not be as good as the Warriors, but they’re awfully good and probably the second best team in the West if they resided in that conference.