To be fair, 76ers have had horrific luck w/injuries, but yeah, most of the E. Conf teams try to
short-circuit their rebuilds and take too many shortcuts vs the Western teams doing it right.
I think part of it is that Western Conference experiences the fact that their competition *is* tougher, so they know they have to aim higher. Eastern conference teams think they can take those shortcuts because the path is easier to the top of the conference.