WASHINGTON — Over the past two decades, since around the time that Michael Jordan guy retired, the NBA's Western Conference has dominated the Eastern Conference.
Every year but one since 1999, the West has won more inter-conference games than the East, often by substantial margins. Many times, Western teams with great records have not made the eight-team playoffs, while teams with losing records in the East have qualified for the playoffs.
Most of the time, the West has had better top teams. In the last 19 years, since Chicago beat the Utah Jazz in the Finals for the second straight year, the West has won 13 NBA titles.