by Sam Yang

Created on: March 11, 2011

West and East.  The debate will go on for ages - Which conference is better?  Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls won 6 championships for the Eastern Conference.  Yet while the Chicago Bulls were the team to beat in the 90s, the Western Conference were loaded with power houses.  To name a few we have the Lakers, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, and the San Antonio Spurs.  While the Rockets have fallen on hard times because of the injury prone superstars - Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets never really had much of a playoff presence after Hakeem left the team.  

The Eastern Conference have historically been a very weak conference.  Times however are changing.  The Atlanta Hawks have risen from its previous embarrassing seasons and have become a legitimate playoff contender.  The problem with the Hawks is that they are undersized compared to the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magics.  Boston Celtics made one of the biggest trades and acquisitions a few years back to bring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the team that already had an All-Star in Paul Pierce.  Boston have been the top team in the East for the past 3-4 years now.  While age is a factor, the team's chemistry and with the leadership of Rondo, makes the Celtics a powerhouse for at least another 2-3 years.  

The Orlando Magics have emerged as a championship contender as well.  Their starting center Dwight Howard is the best big man on the planet right now.  Howard commands double teams and teams are forced to try and contain him and try to limit his production on both ends of the floor.  The rest of the Magic's roster is filled with veterans and good role players that can play on both ends of the floor.  

The Miami Heat have just recently became the team to hate in the NBA.  With the addition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Heat have become somewhat of a legitimate championship contender.  But only on paper.  The Heats had a rocky start in the beginning of the season and have recently lost 5 in a row.  Time will tell if the 3 superstars can co-exist and win championships.  

Players make a team but a coach is the one who guides the team through adversity and make each player realize their value and strengths to allow them to play at their fullest potential and talent.  Take a good look at the top coaches in the NBA today.  And let's see who is in the west and east,

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