Go west my young child…or not?
Right now, everybody wants to focus on the Kobe vs. LeBron debate. Can King James finally take his throne, or is Kobe still just a step ahead? Will one of these basketball phenoms prove to be better than the great Michael Jordan when all is said and done? Who cares? 
The debate isn’t going to have an answer until they are both retired and we can weigh their entire careers against each other, so hold your horses and lets talk about something relevant: the Eastern conference vs. the Western Conference.
What happened?
Since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls ran off six straight titles in the 1990’s (lets not count the two years he attempted to play baseball), the Eastern conference has one three NBA Titles; the 2004 Detroit Pistons, 2006 Miami Heat, and last year’s Boston Celtics. The Western conference has one seven, well actually the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers have combined for seven. A dominant offensive Western Conference has been flat out bigger and tougher than their comrades from the East. Only one of those seven championships went to seven games, and two of them were swept in four. However, this season things are playing out differently. Yeah, last year the Boston Celtics went 66-16 and won the championship, but this year the overall tide is changing in more than just one city.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Eastern Conference has three of the four best records in the league; the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Boston. The Cavaliers are still led by King James who once again is averaging close to a triple-double every game, but it’s the discovery of a true shooting guard that has balanced things out in Cleveland. Larry Hughes was always streaky and never consistent with his shooting ability, but Mo Williams, who came over in the off season from the Milwaukee Bucks is putting up 16.5 points and four assists per-game. Not since the 2005-2006 season when Cleveland had a healthy Zydrunas Ilgauskas (out for the last month with an ankle injury) has Cleveland had a player besides James average over 15 points-per-game. As I’m writing this I’m reading how Williams just put up a season high 43 points, to go along with 11 assists and eight rebounds against the Sacramento Kings (Western Conference) in a Cleveland 117-110 victory. Point proven.
Orlando Magic
This year is also marked by the improved play of the Orlando Magic, who with a record of 34-10 are ranked 4th in the NBA right now. The Magic own one of the most essential ingredients to competing against the Western Conference: a dominant big man. 
Dwight Howard is bringing down 14 rebounds and blocking nearly four shots per-game. His ability inside allows Orlando to compete with the Tim Duncan’s and Yao Ming’s of the West. Along with the improved play of point guard Jameer Nelson, Orlando has a dominating 18-4 record against Western Conference opponents this season.
And just for the record, LeBron is better.
