Eastern Conference 1st Round Playoff Matchups

Summary

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Since No. 23 hung up his Air Jordans for the last time as a member of the Chicago Bulls back in 1998 after breaking the hearts of Utah Jazz fans in Salt Lake City, the Eastern Conference has been seen as inferior to its western counterparts -- with good reason.

This year, for instance, five Western Conference teams won 51 or more games -- including Dallas and Phoenix, which had more than 60 wins apiece. By comparison, only Detroit, which finished 53-29, had more than 50 victories from the East.

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Eastern Conference 1st Round Playoff Matchups

That doesn't mean, however, that the NBA champ is guaranteed to come from the West. In two of the last three years, of course, the Eastern Conference champion has won the whole thing -- last year with the Miami Heat and the 2004 Pistons. So while the West certainly offers more intrig...

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