There used to be order in the Western Conference. Dynasties ruled with an iron fist, extending their runs for a minimum of two years, maybe even three. We saw the Los Angeles Lakers run Showtime to 8 Western Conference Finals berths in the 1980s. Can you imagine an entire decade where you pretty much knew who was gonna win the West?
Then in the 90s the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz both took the West in back-to-back seasons, giving their hometown fans two years to enjoy being the best of the conference.