NBA Eastern Conference supremacy case grows after LeBron joins 76ers
CBS Sports argues LeBron James joining Philadelphia caps a power shift built on deeper East contenders, recent titles and All-NBA talent.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The NBA Eastern Conference supremacy case has a new poster star: LeBron James in Philadelphia. CBS Sports columnist Brad Botkin argues that James joining the 76ers, alongside Jaylen Brown, is the loudest sign yet that the East has caught and may have passed the West.
Botkin’s analysis says the shift has been building after a long Western Conference run. Since the 2000 Finals, according to CBS Sports, Western teams have won 17 of 27 NBA championships, produced 131 50-win teams to the East’s 73, and held a 976-win edge in regular-season games between the conferences.
The West also owned the award columns in that span. CBS Sports counted 251 All-NBA selections from Western Conference players compared with 154 from the East, plus 18 MVP awards for the West against nine for the East.
Why is the NBA Eastern Conference seen as stronger now?
CBS Sports points to a deeper group of contenders and a talent migration led by James, Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo moving to Miami, and Kawhi Leonard being expected in Toronto. The East also has the defending champion New York Knicks, giving the conference both star power and the latest title.
The gap has narrowed in recent seasons, according to the CBS Sports analysis. Since the Toronto Raptors beat Golden State in the 2019 Finals, the East and West have split the last eight championships. Since 2020, the East has twice finished with the better inter-conference record after doing it only once in the previous 20 years.
The regular-season numbers are tightening too. CBS Sports said the West has produced 24 50-win teams since 2020, while the East has produced 20. Last season’s inter-conference wins were close, with the West at 232 and the East at 220.
Botkin also cited the All-NBA pool as evidence of the changing map. Since 2020, the West has had 65 All-NBA selections and the East 40, but he noted that 10 of the Western slots belonged to James and Leonard, who are now tied to Eastern teams in his analysis. Karl-Anthony Towns also earned one of those Western slots while with Minnesota before moving east.
Power rankings are reflecting the same swing. CBS Sports’ own early rankings had five Eastern teams in the top eight before James chose Philadelphia. Botkin reported that ESPN’s current rankings place 10 East teams in the top 16, while The Athletic has nine East teams in its top 15.
FanDuel’s 2027 championship market, cited by CBS Sports, lists four Eastern Conference teams among its top six title favorites. Basketball Reference’s adjusted net rating from last season also backed the East’s depth: CBS Sports said eight of the top 11 teams outside Oklahoma City and San Antonio were from the East.
The East’s crowded race now includes the Knicks, 76ers, Celtics, Raptors, Pistons, Pacers, Cavaliers, Heat, Magic, Hawks, Wizards and Hornets in Botkin’s rundown. His bottom line is blunt: four teams from that group will miss the playoffs, and one or more 50-win teams could end up in the Play-In Tournament.
The old complaint was that the East offered a softer path to the Finals. CBS Sports now argues that James may have chosen the tougher conference by signing with Philadelphia.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.