It's time for another edition of my biannual "How much better is the WC than the EC" statstravaganza!
The WC is 159-103 against the EC, a .607 winning percentage.
The best record in the East belongs to Atlanta, with a truly stellar .822 W%. However, Toronto and Washington are tied for second at .667. They would be tied for 6th in the West. Phoenix at 8th in the West would be tied for 5th in the East.
7 teams in the west are on pace for 52 or more wins. Phoenix, the 8th seed, is on pace for 46 wins. Just 5 teams in the West have losing records. Meanwhile, Miami and Charlotte are currently in the playoffs and on pace for 36 and 35 wins, respectively. OKC, 2.5 games out in the West, would be tied for 6th in the East.
Four EC teams have winning records against the West. Perhaps not coincidentally, they are the top four seeds, and the two best records belong to the teams I consider by far the strongest playoff contenders in the East: Atlanta ( .857) and Chicago ( .647). 9 WC teams have winning records in the East, and 6 of those teams are above .700 against the East. Even the atrocious Lakers are .500 against the East.
Lest you believe that this is all due to the WC being top heavy while the EC has a Big 12-like power bottom, the last four teams in the East are batting .254 vs the West's .288.
The WC is 159-103 against the EC, a .607 winning percentage.
The best record in the East belongs to Atlanta, with a truly stellar .822 W%. However, Toronto and Washington are tied for second at .667. They would be tied for 6th in the West. Phoenix at 8th in the West would be tied for 5th in the East.
7 teams in the west are on pace for 52 or more wins. Phoenix, the 8th seed, is on pace for 46 wins. Just 5 teams in the West have losing records. Meanwhile, Miami and Charlotte are currently in the playoffs and on pace for 36 and 35 wins, respectively. OKC, 2.5 games out in the West, would be tied for 6th in the East.
Four EC teams have winning records against the West. Perhaps not coincidentally, they are the top four seeds, and the two best records belong to the teams I consider by far the strongest playoff contenders in the East: Atlanta ( .857) and Chicago ( .647). 9 WC teams have winning records in the East, and 6 of those teams are above .700 against the East. Even the atrocious Lakers are .500 against the East.
Lest you believe that this is all due to the WC being top heavy while the EC has a Big 12-like power bottom, the last four teams in the East are batting .254 vs the West's .288.
