How did the Eastern & Western Conferences get their respective styles of play?

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Going back to the 80's with the Celtics and Pistons, the 90's with the Knicks, Heat, and Pacers and the Pistons of the 00's, the Eastern conference has been known to play at a slower pace with an emphasis on physicality and defense.


On the flip side, going back to the showtime Lakers, the West has typically been more fast paced and offensive minded.


There's obviously been exceptions throughout the years, but this pretty much holds true for the most part.

Is this just how the cards fell or is there a reason for the disparity in styles of play? It's not like the MLB where the differences can be traced to stuff like the DH in the AL. Just curious as to what y'all thought.
 
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