By Greg Anthony
ESPN Insider


Is the Western Conference losing its aura of invincibility? It is when you talk of winning the NBA title. While the depth in the East is nowhere near as good from top to bottom, the East's top two teams, Indiana and Detroit, are every bit as good as the top teams in the West.


Rasheed Wallace
Forward-Center
Detroit Pistons
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
58 16.6 6.7 2.4 .436 .743
The Pistons may prove to be the biggest winners with the Rasheed Wallace trade at the deadline. He has really solidified their defense. While his numbers are down offensively, that should be expected. Anytime you bring a great player to a team that was pretty good to start with, his numbers typically go down. (There are exceptions to every rule, and Sam Cassell is one glaring one, but remember -- Troy Hudson was not available for the first 50 games or so, and that forced Sam to carry a heavier load; his numbers are down since Hudson's return).

Rip's scoring is about the same (17 ppg), but he is shooting a whopping 53 percent from the field. Chauncey, while his scoring is off (17 ppg before trade 14 ppg since), his assists and field-goal percentage are both up. He's averaging a full assist more per game, and more importantly he is shooting 45 percent from the field -- a marked improvement over the 39 percent before 'Sheed arrived.

But the only stat that matters is winning, and Detroit has been doing that at a very significant clip, all because of their defense and their chemistry. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, the primary scorers before the trade, are helped by not having to force their games offensively. That has made both more effective.


Richard Hamilton
Shooting Guard
Detroit Pistons
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
64 17.9 3.6 3.8 .446 .870
That shows both players have been able to recognize the impact a great player brings. Wallace doesn't force the game, and he creates better opportunities for both because of the pressure puts on opponents. The attention he draws gives a little more breathing room to the guards to create and score.

Also, by not having to force as much offensively, they can pay more attention to the defensive end. And again, Wallace pays dividends with his ability to help on penetration and support from the weak side. His blocks are up to more than two per game since joining Detroit.

This team should only get better, too, because Larry Brown, through tinkering with the offense, should be able to come up with more wrinkles to get Rasheed more touches on the block, where he has the ability to be a big-time scorer and command double teams.


Jonathan Bender
Forward
Indiana Pacers
Profile


2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
16 6.9 1.8 0.5 .481 .806
We all know about Indiana by now. Jermaine O'Neal continues to improve, and his confidence continues to grow, as well. But now that Jonathan Bender is in the rotation, he will become even more valuable in terms of his versatility. He can play four positions, depending on the scheme, and his ability to stretch the defense could really help for 15-20 minutes a game.

The big question is point guard, where Jamal Tinsley has improved his play and Anthony Johnson has been a solid contributor. Kenny Anderson is also in the mix, anxiously awaiting an opportunity to contribute.

The problem I see is the Pacers don't create enough easy baskets, which can directly be attributed to point-guard play and is an area I think they need to improve moving forward. There is no doubt how good they are, and their league-best road record of 24-11 and equally impressive 18-6 record against the Western Conference proves it. In fact, their winning percentage against the West is better than their league-best overall winning percentage -- .750 to .742).

Again, though, I want to stress that the depth belongs to the West. No question. But that doesn't mean the title is guaranteed to stay in the West for the first time in a long time. If you're a fan of the NBA, you gotta love the fact that not only are the playoffs shaping up to be exciting, but the outcome may really be determined by a team other than the Lakers, Spurs or Kings.