Out where the handclasp's a little stronger, Out where the smile dwells a little longer, That's where the West begins. Out where the big men stand taller, out where they're paying top dollar, that's where the NBA 's West begins. Out where the scorers are soaring, where the G.M.'s are exploring and the fans ain't snoring, that's where the Western Conference begins. � For the past six seasons the NBA has been woefully lopsided, its Eastern Conference a pale imitation of the West—and growing paler by the minute. Last year the East went a measly 170-250 (.405) against its better half; through Sunday's games it was 24-55 (.304). For the past two seasons the top four teams in the West have won more games than any Eastern franchise—something that hasn't happened since 1956-57. At week's end the West was also home to the five highest-scoring teams, six of the eight priciest rosters and the only active coaches with championship rings, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers , who have claimed the last five. In approving realignment plans for next season on Nov. 17, NBA officials did not just fail to start closing the gap—they made it more pronounced. The expansion Charlotte Bobcats will be in the East while the up-and-coming Memphis Grizzlies stay in the West, where they will be joined by the New Orleans Hornets (page 92), a potential Eastern finalist this season. While NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik defends the geographical setup and believes that "the pendulum will swing back," such optimism is hard to swallow for the Minnesota Timberwolves , who wouldn't have endured seven straight first-round losses in the playoffs had they been situated a couple of hundred miles to the east. Says Hornets general manager Bob Bass of the imminent shift of one of the East's strongest teams to the West, "I don't think the local chambers of commerce out there are going to be welcoming us." Nor will TV executives and advertisers. Though ratings were up markedly at week's end over last year's dismal levels, "it's not great for the league that the weaker teams are in the Eastern markets," says a Western Conference G.M. With the Eastern teams 6-20 in the Finals since Michael Jordan left Chicago in 1998, the ratings for the league's marquee event are in free fall, tumbling to a modern low average of 6.5 last spring, or roughly one third of the record 18.7 averaged the year Jordan delivered his farewell dagger to the Utah Jazz . "We are in a far more competitive business environment [now]," says Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban . "By the time we wait for cycles, we may have dug ourselves too big a hole to get out of." How deep is the hole now and how long will it take to dig out? Based on the key factors below, the answers appear to be very deep and very long. ?Executive decisions. For the past decade teams in the Western Conference have poached rising players from their Eastern counterparts like so many scientists and intellectuals plucked from behind the Iron Curtain. "One of the few players who went East was Jason Kidd ," says Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy , "and he's been dominating the East since he's been there." Thanks to the draft and free agency, the East's fortunes could change quickly, right? Well, they could, but as a practical matter, it may not be so simple. Every team in the East is over the salary cap, while three lower-level Western teams—the Jazz, the L.A. Clippers and the Denver Nuggets—along with the reigning champion Spurs, have the millions in cap room to lure top players. And though the exodus of talent and their poor performance should leave Eastern teams with better draft position, that avenue to improvement is more of a crapshoot than ever. "It's much harder to build back up today," says Boston Celtics G.M. Danny Ainge , "especially with all the youth in the draft." ?Willingness to spend. By crossing the luxury-tax threshold last summer in acquiring Latrell Sprewell , Sam Cassell and Michael Olowokandi , Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor proved he would rather spend heavily and try to win than conserve cash and exit in the first round. At least six teams in the West will pay the luxury tax this year, but "with the exception of New York , Philly and New Jersey , [teams in the East] avoid the tax like plaque—meaning they are sending great players to the other conference," says Cuban. "In the West there are maybe four teams that wouldn't go over the tax even if it would help them win the conference." ?Style of play. At week's end the eight best-shooting teams were in the West, while eight of the nine lowest-scoring teams were in the East, where coaches try to win with grind-it-out defense because they have no other options. "There is a physical, knockdown emphasis in the East," says one of the West's leading G.M.'s. "Good players don't like that style." Such is the sad bargain for true hoop lovers along the Atlantic coast: Stay up late watching the most attractive teams out West; wake up early looking like Jeff Van Gundy . ?Size. The East hasn't won a championship with a frontcourt superstar since Larry Bird , along with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, led the Celtics to the 1985-86 title. Out West there are more than a dozen gigantic talents—Shaquille O'Neal , Tim Duncan , Kevin Garnett , Yao Ming , Chris Webbber, Dirk Nowitzki and Amare Stoudemire , to name a few—while the only Eastern headliners who are 6'10" or taller are Jermaine O'Neal and Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas . "You try to name a power player in the East, a name doesn't come to mind outside of [6'9"] Kenyon Martin ," says Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Jim Lynam . "I'm not trying to disparage anybody, but I'm groping a little."  
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