When East meets West, there's a 70 percent chance the team from the stronger conference will win.

There have been 100 inter-conference games in the NBA through Thursday, and the numbers don't lie: Teams from the Western Conference are 70-30 when playing teams from the Eastern Conference.

``I don't think we're as deep as the West, but that's just the way it is,'' said Detroit coach Larry Brown, whose Pistons were one of only four Eastern Conference teams _ none of them from the Atlantic Division _ to enter the weekend with a record above .500.

Much of the blame for the discrepancy can be placed on the East's four bottom-feeders: Orlando, Miami, Cleveland and Chicago, who are a combined 2-33 against the West.

Only three Eastern teams, Indiana (5-2), New Orleans (3-1) and Boston (2-1), have winning records in non-conference games. The Milwaukee Bucks are 1-5 against the West but 8-5 against the East.

Of the first 100 inter-conference games, 63 were played in Western Conference arenas, the home teams going 51-12. On Eastern courts, the West is 19-18.

Last season, the East had a collective winning percentage of .405 (170-250) against the West.

``I think everybody was pretty confident the West would be better because of the success the West has had over recent years, they dominated the finals,'' Brown said. ``I think there are some teams in the East getting better, but I believe the West has some unbelievably talented teams.''

The Los Angeles Clippers (3-3) are the only Western team that does not have a winning record against the East.

The Western team that has played the fewest non-conference games is Golden State, which will play seven of its next eight against the East. Forgive the Warriors if they drool a little over that prospect. They're the only NBA team that has gone undefeated (4-0) in non-conference games.

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CHECKIN' CURRY:@ Players union president Michael Curry of the Toronto Raptors concedes that it would be a bad idea to go forward with the plan to have veterans miss the first five days of training camp next season _ a two-day increase from the much-criticized three-day absences that took place this fall.

The union, in exchange for extending the first round of the playoffs from best-of-five to best-of-seven, got an increase in the playoff pool and an excused absence from two-a-days for veterans with at least four years' experience.

``There was a compromise to cut training camps. Did it go well? No,'' Curry told the Associated Press. ``It's probably something that we will discuss All-Star weekend, and maybe we can make adjustments instead of it being the first five (days).

``We have a couple of ideas,'' Curry said. ``It'll be fixed one way or another, either at All-Star or in the next deal.''

Curry also said the union's main concerns with the current collective bargaining agreement center around the escrow and luxury tax systems designed to slow the growth of player salaries. He said the union also wants to ease salary cap rules that hinder trade activity.

The owners have until Dec. 15 to extend the current agreement through the 2004-05 season. Owners and players plan to meet Monday and could set a schedule for formal talks.

``The expectation is they will extend,'' deputy commissioner Russ Granik said in a telephone interview. ``We want to have a deal by next season, both sides have agreed that is the goal.''

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HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:@ Is it too early to compare the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic to the best and worst teams in NBA history? Perhaps, but let's do it anyway.

The Lakers began the weekend at 16-3. The 1994-95 Chicago Bulls, who finished 72-10, were 17-2 after their first 19 games and 23-2 at Christmas.

The Magic went into Friday night's game against San Antonio with a 1-17 record. The 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who finished 9-73, also started 1-17. With the season beginning in early October back then, the Sixers had a record of 3-33 by Christmas.

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THIS 'N THAT:@ Raptors GM Glen Grunwald said he does not expect to make a deal to acquire some size, leaving Toronto in the vulnerable position of competing with an undersized roster. They dealt their starting center, Antonio Davis, to Chicago in the trade that brought Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall to Toronto. ``I'm trying to think of who in the East has a true center,'' Toronto coach Kevin O'Neill said, exempting Cleveland and New York from that statement. ``Donyell Marshall is 6-9, 6-10, Chris Bosh is 6-10{. So we're thinner, but I don't know if we're much smaller than anybody else. Our perimeter players are pretty big.'' ... At next summer's Athens Olympics, TV viewers in the United States will likely see two games involving the American team live on NBC: The opener against Puerto Rico on Sunday, Aug. 15, at 1 p.m. EDT, and the game against reigning European champion Lithuania the following Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT. The U.S. team also plays Greece, Australia and Angola in the first round. ... Keep an eye on Philadelphia center Samuel Dalembert, who will be getting big minutes now that Marc Jackson is sidelined two months with a broken finger. Dalembert, said to be the quickest player on the 76ers aside from Allen Iverson, had 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks Thursday night in his first start. He is distinguishable by a long white compression sleeve he wears to control swelling in his surgically repaired left knee.