Over the past nine seasons, the West owns a .579 winning percentage against the East. Turn it around and the Eastern Conference's .421 percentage reveals why finishing .500 hasn't been mandatory to reach the playoffs.

The disparity has been so significant the Western Conference is a mind-boggling 602 games over .500 the past nine seasons in inter-conference games. Last year, Golden State notched 48 wins and missed the playoffs. In the East - where three postseason teams had .500 records or worse - the Warriors would have been the No. 4 seed.

If the early season trend continues, Eastern Conference teams might need a winning record to play in the postseason.

Why is the East closing the gap?

Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando could all win 50-plus games. Toronto, Philadelphia and Atlanta are quality teams. Miami once again is a factor with a healthy Dwyane Wade. Chicago is on the rise with Rookie of the Year favorite Derrick Rose. The Knicks are improved under Mike D'Antoni.

Meanwhile, Western Conference teams like Sacramento, Golden State and Memphis won't finish above .500. Phoenix, Dallas and San Antonio are aging. Three of the league's worst teams - the Clippers, Timberwolves and Thunder - reside in the West.

Oklahoma City is doing its part. The Thunder is 0-7 against the East. Reverse OKC's record and the West would be leading the interleague series.

Led by young stars like LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Wade, and Elton Brand and Allen Iverson switching conferences, is this the year the Eastern Conference finally wins the interleague series?

More interconference games are needed to draw definitive conclusions. But as Bob Dylan sang: "The times they are a changing."

Western SUCCESS

The Eastern Conference hasn't won the head-to-head series with the Western Conference since the NBA lockout in 1998-99. Listed below is the Western Conference's win-loss record and winning percentage against the Eastern Conference for the past decade.

Season W-L Pct. 2007-08 258-192 .573 2006-07 257-193 .571 2005-06 252-198 .560 2004-05 256-194 .569 2003-04 266-154 .633 2002-03 250-170 .595 2001-02 232-188 .552 2000-01 259-161 617 1999-00 227-193 .540

Totals 2,257-1,643 .579 *1998-99 38-46 .452

*lockout season (abbreviated schedule)

SHUFFLE UP

Realigning the West

Art Garcia suggests in a column on NBA.com the league needs to realign divisions next season. He points out Oklahoma City is 1,488 miles from Portland but only 185 miles from Dallas, not much farther from Houston, San Antonio and New Orleans.

The NBA hasn't talked about any realignment changes. But in tough economic times the proposal could pick up steam in upcoming months since travel would be reduced. Garcia's proposal:

Southwest - Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, San Antonio.

Mountain - Denver, Memphis, Minnesota, Phoenix, Utah.

Pacific - Golden State, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Portland, Sacramento.

STAR SEARCH

Shaquille O'Neal, Phoenix Suns center

I'm taking yoga. I've always hated stretching. I've never stretched during my whole 17-year career. I'm probably the ugliest guy in the yoga class, but I'm getting it.

I'm just a normal, humble guy who understands marketing, who understands people. Some guys don't understand the word brand. That's why they do things that don't better them or their careers. I've been understanding brand since 1992 when I first came in the league.

The drama surrounding me and Kobe has been way overblown, but it's marketable, especially for people who don't have the talent to write about what's really going on. They want to make themselves seem important so they write about it.

Kobe and I won (championships) three out of four (years). If I had it to do over again, I'd probably do the same thing.

I'm working on my doctorate in HRD (Human Resource Development). After my career is over I have a lot of things to fall back on. I want to do community work and go around and do public speaking and analyze businesses.

SNEAK PEEK

Heading east

After having three consecutive days off for the first time all season, the Thunder completes its longest road trip of the season later this week with three Eastern Conference road games.

→Wednesday: At Charlotte: The Bobcats have the lowest attendance in the league (12,727) and have been inconsistent.

→Friday: At Orlando: Dwight Howard recorded his first career triple double three weeks ago in the Ford Center.

→Saturday: At Miami. Dwyane Wade is healthy which gives Heat a legitimate shot at returning to the playoffs.

INSIDE SCOOP

LeBron's future

→LeBron James might end up in New York in 2010, but keep in mind the Cavs can pay him $130 million over six years while other teams will be restricted to $102 million over five.

→Despite averaging 14.7 points, Miami rookie Michael Beasley is sitting on the bench in crunch time late in games because he's a defensive liability.

→The Cavs reportedly will be interested in acquiring Nets star Vince Carter if available at the trading deadline in February.

→How bad does Detroit need Antonio McDyess? The Pistons have been outscored 135-84 in the second quarter of losses.

→The Mavericks begin an early season, defining seven-game home stand Tuesday night.

→Celtics center Kendrick Perkins has been assessed a league-high eight technical fouls.

→Nearly one third of the Bobcats' games (25) will be against teams Charlotte coach Larry Brown has coached.

→Indiana guard Danny Granger donated $500,000 to the University of New Mexico for renovation of its legendary arena, "The Pit."

TEMPERATURE GAUGE

Who's Hot

Cleveland. The Cavaliers had won 11 of their last 12 heading into their game Saturday night at Milwaukee. With all the talk about Boston and Detroit, LeBron James and the Cavs will be a factor in the Eastern Conference.

Who's Not

Washington Wizards. A playoff team the past four seasons, the Wizards are off to their worst start in a decade. It cost their head coach a job less than a month into the season.

BY THE NUMBERS

4,975

Number of free throws Shaquille O'Neal has missed. Last week O'Neal moved into 10th place all time in scoring with 26,395 points. "I should've been there a long time ago," Shaq said. "How many games have I missed? How many free throws have I missed?" The answer: Nearly 5,000.

101

Triple-doubles Jason Kidd has compiled in his career, third all-time behind Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138).

BIG Bucks

The millionaire's club

Nine players will earn at least $20 million this season. The one name noticeably absent from the top 30 salary list is Steve Nash ($12.25 million).

Stars from the 2002 class - Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade - are earning the maximum allowed ($41.41 million) but will really cash in during the free agent class of 2010.

The 2005 class of Deron Williams ($5.07 million) and Chris Paul ($4.57) are close to their first eight-figure pay day.

Top 30 salaries (in millions) in the NBA this season.

1. Kevin Garnett, Celtics, $24.75

2. Jason Kidd, Mavericks, $21.37

3. Jermaine O'Neal, Raptors, $21.37

4. Kobe Bryant, Lakers, $21.26

5. Shaquille O'Neal, Suns, $21.00

6. Stephon Marbury, Knicks, $20.84

7. Allen Iverson, Pistons, $20.80

8. Tim Duncan, Spurs, $20.60

9. Tracy McGrady, Rockets, $20.37

10. Ray Allen, Celtics, $18.39

11. Paul Pierce, Celtics, $18.10

12. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks, $18.08

13. Shawn Marion, Heat, $17.80

14. Rashard Lewis, Magic, $16.48

15. Michael Redd, Bucks, $15.78

16. Andrei Kirilenko, Jazz, $15.10

17. Pau Gasol, Lakers, $15.10

18. Yao Ming, Rockets, $15.07

19. Amare Stoudemire, Suns, $15.00

20. Vince Carter, Nets, $14.72

21. Zach Randolph, Knicks, $14.67

22. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards, $14.65

23. Ben Wallace, Cavaliers, $14.50

24. LeBron James, Cavaliers, $14.41

25. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets, $14.41

26. Dwyane Wade, Heat, $14.41

27. Kenyon Martin, Nuggets, $14.40

28. Lamar Odom, Lakers, $14.15

29. Wally Szczerbiak, Cavaliers, $13.80

30. Dwight Howard, Magic, $13.76