NBA week 6: Five things we learnt as East catches West

Victor Oladipo has been one of Orlando’s most impressive performers over the past few seasons, but head coach Scott Skiles decided to hand him a new role off the bench after winning just six of their opening 14 games. It was a bold decision with Channing Frye coming into the starting line-up and Oladipo taking up more of a sixth man role. He took the decision with great professionalism and a team ethic that has helped his side win five of their last six games to sit just a win outside of the Eastern play-offs. It was the type of selfless move made by last year’s NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, whose drop to the bench increased the efficiency of the league’s best team and helped them to a first title in 40 years.

Oladipo’s numbers have also increased since the change, averaging 18.5 points per game in his six games off the bench compared to his season average of 14.7. And with such an open Eastern Conference, Scott Skiles’ side will know that they have a real chance to occupy one of the final eight seeds. They even led the Clippers by five points going into the fourth quarter last time out, eventually losing a tight game 103-101 to end their five-match winning streak. We may be just a quarter of the way through the season, but Orlando are continuing to boost their reputation as an exciting young team and it bodes well for the NBA Global Game in this country on January 14.

It’s been a tough week for David Blatt and his Cleveland Cavaliers side, losing all three of their games and being replaced at the top of the Conference by Miami Heat. They lost their unbeaten home record without much of a fight after being comfortably beaten by the Washington Wizards, and things have not improved since. They lost in overtime against New Orleans, who have won just five of their 20 games, and the 45 minutes played by LeBron James meant that he took the night off in Miami a day later. A 99-84 defeat compounded a miserable week and the return of Kyrie Irving simply cannot come soon enough.

Complacency is a factor that continues to pop up when talking about the Cavaliers with them seeming to not worry about Conference seeding and home court advantage in the play-offs. This squad has been beset by injuries over the past two years, but they are again giving other teams the chance of occupying the top seed due to a lack of regular season focus. They allowed Washington to open up an unassailable 20-point lead at the Quicken Loans Arena and the decision to rest LeBron at Miami was a strange one. The load that he carries for his team is unique, but he should be on the court in a game against a Conference rival. It’s as if the Cavaliers believe they can beat anyone on any court when back to full health, and as long as they’re in the play-offs, they can win a ring for the first time in franchise history.

Any team is going to struggle with the loss of four starting players in the off-season, but with many ruling them out as play-off contenders, the Portland Trail Blazers have shown that they are still a fiercely competitive side. Back-to-back wins against Indiana and Minnesota have improved them to a 9-12 record and ninth spot in the West. Damian Lillard has continued to be one of the most impressive point guards in the league, and CJ McCollum must surely be at the forefront of the NBA’s Most Improved Player award after a superb start to the season. Last year he started just three games and averaged a mere 6.8 points per game; he currently averages 19.4 points in 35 minutes per game in the 2014-15 season.

However, the most impressive part of this Portland side has been their bench over the past week. They have outscored opponent rotations by an aggregate of 88 points in four games, including their bench combining for 73 points in an overtime defeat against Dallas. Alan Crabbe and Ed Davis have been at the heart of their improved offense, with both posting career numbers. Crabbe has 9.2 points per game in 23.3 minutes on the floor, compared to last year’s 3.3 points per game and Davis is shooting a career-high 66% from the field and averaging 7.3 points and 7.8 rebounds off the bench. It has helped take a huge burden off Lillard and McCollum, not only allowing the starters to rest while staying in the game, but also to take on offensive duties previously occupied by the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews last year.

After a streak of 28 losses stretching back to March, the Philadelphia 76ers finally tasted victory with a 103-91 win against Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers. The relief was plain to see around the arena on the faces of the fans and head coach Brett Brown, in what was just their 38th win in 183 games under his control. It had been coming, with a number of close games slipping away from a side that just did not know how to get over the winning line. Indeed, they almost made it two wins in a week, but fell away 108-105 against the Denver Nuggets.

Despite the victory, there are still huge question marks surrounding this young squad and whether they are taking the rebuilding process too far. They have had a number of top picks in the NBA Draft’s over the past few years, but for a team with their history, they have spent too long in the wilderness. Jahlil Okafor looks a real prospect if he can keep out of trouble off the court, and they continue to await the eventual return of Joel Embiid. They will again likely have one of the top three picks in this year’s draft, but they need to at least show some fight this season to keep the fans believing in this long-term project.

In 14 of the last 15 seasons, the Western Conference has boasted a better record than the East and it has been more competitive with some high-profile sides missing out on the play-offs each year. Oklahoma City Thunder missed out on last year’s top eight in the West, albeit due to a season-ending injury to star man Kevin Durant, and the Phoenix Suns were desperately unlucky to miss out with a 48-34 record in the 2013-14 season. In contrast, a 38-44 record has been good enough to make the play-offs in the last two years for Atlanta and Boston in the East. After years of two rather lopsided conferences, it seems the balance is finally shifting.

Teams from the East currently hold a 55-54 lead over sides from the West in games this year, despite the dominance of Golden State and San Antonio. While the reigning champions have remained perfect, San Antonio have already lost in Washington and Chicago, while Oklahoma City have a 5-6 record against Eastern teams, rather unimpressive for the third-best side in the West.

Over the last two seasons, teams from the West have won 61% of games against Eastern opponents to continue their dominance since the turn of the century. But with Miami and Indiana returning to their form of a few years back, plus the continued rise of Cleveland and Chicago, we could well have one of the best Eastern play-offs in years.