The East needs an indefinite suspension

Cleveland, Boston, Bucks, Sixers, Inside the NBA

The Western Conference of the early 1990s felt promising and deep in the way the AFC from the same era felt promising and deep. We hadn’t become cynics in the face of parity, the San Diego Chargers seemed like a good idea.

This changed when Shaq skipped coasts in 1996. Los Angeles symbolically flung Vlade Divac to a town no true American could find on a map, the Lakers took advantage of the night the Celtics passed on Kobe Bryant for Antoine Walker.

Washington traded Rasheed Wallace to Portland the same summer. Next spring, San Antonio wins draft rights to Tim Duncan over Boston. Spring after that? Washington ships Chris Webber to Sacramento midway through Chicago’s final championship run, which concluded a week before Dallas dealt down for Dirk Nowitzki.

Free agents looked west, not swayed by some fin de siècle feelin’ but because foundations existed: Scottie Pippen to Houston, Vlade Divac back to Sacramento, Joe Smith to Minnesota, Jim Jackson to Portland. I think we hit our lowest when John Starks signed a two-year deal to play in Utah.

The West turns amazing. Sports Illustrated writes up the fact even before the Lakers win Shaq’s first title.

Anyone from the East can win and does: New York’s 1999 Finals team was No. 11 in the East’s playoff bracket with 16 days left in the regular season. The Knicks won six of eight games and the 8th seed and didn’t rely on opponent injury to down the Heat, Hawks and Pacers.

Before being skunked in the Finals.

The NBA? Like this, ever since.

Why? Apparently Mountain Time at earliest is the optimal zone for pro basketball decision-making.