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Now that the new Power Rankings are out, it's underscoring one of the early season's biggest trends -- the domination of the Eastern Conference.

Yes, Eastern Conference.

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The same league that was considered more or less a joke beyond its top two teams a year ago has staged a dramatic U-turn. While the Lakers lay claim to the top spot, five of the next six names on the list are Eastern teams, including surprises such as Atlanta (No. 2) and Indiana (No. 5). Nine of the top 14 teams also reside in the East, implying that at least one quality team is going to end up missing out on a playoff spot in that conference.

At the bottom, it's a similar story. Seven of the bottom nine teams are in the West, with only New Jersey and Washington sullying the East's good name. Among those dragging down the West are a few unfamiliar names, most notably San Antonio (No. 23), Golden State (No. 24) and the unexpectedly awful Clippers (No. 30).

The eighth-ranked team in the West, believe it or not, is Dallas -- which stands at No. 20 in the Power Rankings. The Mavs are 2-6, but only a game and a half out of eighth place in the conference.

All this has important implications for teams in both leagues. In the West, for instance, teams entered the season with the mentality that it would take nearly 50 wins just to make the playoffs -- clearly, that's not going to be the case. In fact, it may only take around 40. If so, that's great news for a team like San Antonio, because it needn't rush players like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili back from injury -- there will be plenty of time to make up ground, and less of it to make up.

It also means somebody like Golden State or Memphis might find themselves as fringe playoff teams, making them more likely to step up and make a transaction to get themselves into the postseason.

On the Eastern side, it has the opposite effect -- a club like Washington will have a much harder time overcoming a slow start than it did a year ago, since it's likely going to take 45 wins or so to crack the East's top eight. Similarly, a strong club like Detroit can't count on getting an automatic wave-through to the conference finals the way it has the past few years -- in fact, one wonders if that was part of the motivation for the Allen Iverson trade.

Finally, it has clear implications for the Lakers and Celtics. The presumptive top seeds in each conference will be vying to get home-court advantage for a potential Finals rematch; last season, the ease of the East gave Boston the upper hand in that regard, but this season the power shift between the conferences sharply favors L.A.

It's possible that the power imbalance won't stay this strong all season -- certainly key Western injuries to players like Deron Williams, Ginobili and Monta Ellis have shifted the early-season sands. Even so, I think it's safe to say that we won't see the dramatic westward tilt we saw a year ago -- too many Western teams are licking their wounds and too many Eastern teams have improved for that to happen. The early Power Rankings are just a reflection of that new reality.

John Hollinger writes for ESPN Insider. To e-mail him, click here.