Which East Teams Benefit Most from LeBron James Moving West?

Ah, the Eastern Conference, the ne’er-do-well little brother of the NBA. For no reason other than, uh, geography, the East is guaranteed a spot in the Finals. For the last eight years, LeBron James had his way with the right half of the country, often cruising to the championship round thanks to some fraudulent contenders (Hawks, Raptors), while also surviving a couple legitimate scares (Pacers, Celtics.) With James now in the West, a bunch of East teams long mired in his wake now seemingly have their own chance to lose to the Warriors in the Finals. Does LeBron’s move to L.A. really help everyone in the conference he left behind, though? Let’s run through some of the key figures and discuss.

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