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At the end of another NBA regular season, like seasons past, the same question remains: which team from the East will earn the right to be bludgeoned by the West's representative in the NBA Finals?

This year, the mismatch is not quite as bad, as the East can boast the likes of Indiana, who has the NBA's best record (61-21), and Detroit (54-28), who has been on fire since acquiring Rasheed Wallace.

However, you get past the next-best team, New Jersey, and the bottom falls out. Outside of Indiana and Detroit, the East does not have another team with at least 50 wins. The Western Conference, on the other hand, has six teams with 50 or more victories. Since the razing of the Bulls dynasty, the Eastern Conference has been the JV division of the NBA. And even though this year's top two teams have promise, it doesn't look like anybody from the East will have the ability to overcome its stepchild status and dethrone the West from atop the NBA mountain.

(1)Indiana vs. (8)Boston

This is a sweep waiting to happen. Though Celtics' center Mark Blount has played superbly of late, Boston can't match Indiana's inside presence, particularly Jermaine O'Neal. O'Neal is probably the Eastern Conference's MVP, leading the Pacers with 20.1 points, 10 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a contest. Boston swingman Paul Pierce has become a one-man team after the departure of Antoine Walker, and guys like Ricky Davis and Chucky Atkins can't pick up the slack. The Pacers play strong defense, with guard Ron Artest becoming a perennial all-defensive team threat, and it's never a good idea to bet against old-timer Reggie Miller when he has the ball in his hands in the clutch.

(4)Miami vs. (5)New Orleans

Perhaps the most boring matchup in the entire playoffs. Yeah, the fourth seed in the East is 42-40. That's not a typo. The Heat have talent and have three players (Eddie Jones, Lamar Odom, and Dwyane Wade) averaging at least 16 points a game. The Heat's leader in assists, guard Rafer Alston (4.5 per game), is better known as the And1 Tour's "Skip to My Lou." In a Bron-and-Melo-less season, Wade would be rookie of the year. The Hornets have the usual suspects, as point man Baron Davis led the team in scoring (22.9 points per game) and assists (7.5 per game) while center Jamaal Magloire (13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks) wound up on the All-Star Team. After starting 17-7, the Hornets have since gone 21-33, and have lost six of their past 10. The four-versus-five series is supposed to be an exciting matchup, but when the two teams are a combined two games over .500, it makes for unadulterated boredom. Without Monster Mash, the Hornets will struggle to match the Heat's athleticism.

(3)Detroit vs. (6)Milwaukee

This may be an even bigger mismatch than the Pacers-Celtics series. Ben and Rasheed Wallace will gut the Bucks soft interior, and guards Richard Hamilton, the Pistons' leading scorer (17.6 ppg) and Chauncey Billups (16.9 ppg, 5.7 apg) will be way too much for the Bucks backcourt to handle, despite the efforts of All-Star Michael Redd. Detroit's frontcourt is by far the most talented and deepest in the Eastern Conference, and could possibly rival those in the West. The Wallaces combine each night to average 25.5 points, 19.2 rebounds and 5.1 blocks a game, and Okur comes off the bench to provide a solid 9.6 a game. Simply stated, the Pistons are on fire going into the playoffs. If the Pistons play to their potential against Milwaukee, brooms may be called upon.

(2)New Jersey vs. (7)New York

The only thing interesting about this matchup is the regional rivalry it can stir up. Otherwise, it's the same bridesmaid Nets that have been dismissed in the Finals the last two seasons against a trance-inducing Knicks team. New York guard Allan Houston, the Knicks' leading scorer (18.5 a game), has played only 50 games and will miss at least the first game of the Lincoln Tunnel series. Even though point guard Jason Kidd and power forward Kenyon Martin have been ailing of late, the Nets should send the Knicks back across the state line without too much of a struggle.

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