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For years the Western Conference has clearly dominated the Eastern Conference. They've had the best teams at the top, the deepest playoffs, and in in some seasons the deepest conference in terms of talent. The road to the NBA Finals has been tougher for teams in the West. It's a common criticism used against teams in the East. 

Even now, with breakout teams like the Pacers and Pistons emerging, the analysis is usually backed by, "yeah, but they're in the East," in reference to supposedly playing in a weaker conference. What the casual NBA fan may not know, however, is that right now, the East currently has a lead over the West in head-to-head matchups at 99-92. They have more teams at or above .500 than the West. The East has generally, early on, looked dead even with the West, and in some ways better.

So what's the deal? Does any of this actually matter at this point of the season? Yes, and no. It's important to pay attention to what's going on because the games being played now count just as much as the ones later in March and April. This is usually the point of the season were we separate the contenders from the pretenders. 

Outside of my weekly Power Rankings, the best way to figure out where everyone in the league stands is to break them into different tiers. Are the elite teams in East legitimate contenders? Do the struggling teams in the West have any chance of climbing back up? Let's see ...

Tier 1: The West dominates the top

Warriors, Cavaliers, Rockets, Spurs, Raptors, Celtics

It would be extremely easy to get specific and break this down into who's a true contender and who's on the verge of being a true contender. However, that would just miss the overall point of this season so far. There have been six teams, three from each conference, that have clearly established themselves as the cream of the crop.

However, what's interesting about these six is the confidence that exists within them. All of them deserve to be paired together for how they've dominated competition, star power, or just being that dang consistent. Except it's the teams in the West who everybody has the most faith in. It's hard to not trust the Warriors, Spurs, and Rockets while there's massive doubts about the teams in the East.

Even so, the Cavaliers still have LeBron James and the Celtics didn't win 25 games on accident. The Raptors are on a path of destruction this year. It's easy to ignore their faults when looking at how good they have all been this season.

Tier 2: Middle of the pack

Bucks, Wizards, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Pelicans, Pistons, Pacers, Timberwolves, Thunder, Jazz, Knicks, 76ers, Heat

The middle of the NBA is where everything gets crazy. No team has clearly put themselves ahead of the pack. The Timberwolves have gotten the closest, but they're difficult to buy into right now. The Pacers and Pistons have both had moments of excellence, but is the talent on their team enough to buy into?

This tier is where a lot of the debate between each conference intensifies. Right now, the Pacers are eighth in the NBA in net rating. The Jazz are seventh. Would anyone take the level of talent on those two team over Minnesota or OKC? Probably not, but both teams have already exceeded expectations. 

So what is more important in terms of conference strength? Talent, or the actual results taking place on the floor? If talent is more important, then it would make sense to talk about teams like the Pacers and Pistons with the asterisk of playing in the East. However, right now that's becoming harder and harder to do. Seven of the league's top 15 teams in net rating reside in the East. More teams in the East are over .500. The West has all the talent while the East, so far, seems to have the better results. 

Tier 3: No chance for these bottom-dwellers

Nets, Magic, Hornets, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Grizzlies, Suns, Mavericks, Bulls, Hawks

Every team in this tier is pretty much our of the playoff picture. I'd count them all out. They're all either disappointing, too young, or rebuilding. Unless something changes soon, this is going to be the group that hangs around the bottom all season. Some are better than others. The Lakers have been competitive this season despite having only 11 wins, while the Grizzlies and Hawks are a special kind of terrible.

In terms of conference breakdown among the bottom-dwellers, there are plenty of similarities. The East easily has the worst team in the Hawks, and before a sudden win streak, the Bulls belonged in that conversation as well. However, the West features teams like the Maverick sand Suns. The Grizzlies are in the process of a colossal explosion.

What we've learned from this season is that there's a huge disparity between the top and bottom. The best teams are just that much better than those at the bottom. 

The Verdict: The West is still better ... for now

The East is good this season. It's no longer fair to add on the asterisk that good teams in that conference are playing there, but how long is that going to last? If the Blazers reach their potential and the Thunder get it together then that's two candidates to split themselves off from the middle. Minnesota has been trying to do it ever since the season started.

However, if the Pistons and Pacers continue their winning ways, then they could separate themselves from that pack as well. Which will lead back to a talent-versus-results argument. Has Minnesota really been that much better than Indiana?

The reality of the situation is that, yes, the West is likely still better than the East. The teams at the top are more reliable and most of the league's top talent remain in the West. However, the gap has closed far faster than anyone is expecting. There's depth in the East that doesn't seem to exist in the West.

Perhaps all of this changes by March. Maybe the Western Conference teams will have met our expectations while the hot starts in the Eastern Conference have faded off when it's all said and done. Or, this could all be the start of a transition into an NBA that's a little more balanced. One thing's for sure: It's time to throw away any excuses you may have when it comes to measuring the competitiveness of the Eastern Conference. The road to the Finals may be just tougher for them as it will be for its Western Conference counterparts.