It's an interesting development for sure. I always thought the competitive balance in the NBA is trash for multiple reasons, but East vs. West for sure is a major culprit. It's not only that the East is worse, the conference is worse while having the far easier schedule in each and every year.
https://espn.go.com/nba/stats/rpi/_/sort/SOS
The first east team is tied with the Lakers at 13... It's a joke.