Still further decline of the East ...

The last three seasons, in which the Eastern Conference crowned two champions, seemed to end the tilt that led to the West’s 5-0 run in the Finals between 1999 and 2003 by a combined 20-6.

Guess what? It’s back.

With the old East elite sagging, the league may be more tilted than it ever was. In the first 66 meetings, the West has gone 49-17, a .742 percentage. Projected over 82 games, this would make the West a 61-21 team and the East a 21-61 team.

That’s even worse than 2002-03, when the West had two 60-game winners, a third that won 59 and three more that won 50, and the Pistons led the East with 50.

That season, the East had a .405 percentage, which would have at least made it a 33-49 team.

The current disparity may moderate, but, barring something dramatic -- like Kevin Garnett, Greg Oden and Joakim Noah winding up in the East -- it’s not likely to disappear.

Tough times don’t last, but this guy did

Once-ballyhooed Cedric Bozeman survived disappointment, knee surgery, shoulder surgery and a coaching change, leaving UCLA on an uptick to be remembered as one of the nicest young men the program ever produced.

Fittingly, his perseverance helped him make the Hawks as an undrafted free agent, even starting three games at point guard ahead of Ty Lue while Speedy Claxton was out.

“I went into the draft expecting not to get drafted,” Bozeman told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Sekou Smith. “ ... I just waited for the draft to be over. I didn’t even watch it. I kept tabs on it to see where my teammates Jordan Farmar [No. 26] and Ryan Hollins [50] went, and that was about it.”

“I was so excited for him and nervous at the same time during camp,” said teammate Josh Childress, a friend from the days when he was at Mayfair and Bozeman was at Mater Dei. “And not just because he’s one of my boys, one of my oldest friends, but because I know what he’s been through.

“I’m happy he stuck with it through all the tough times and all the injuries, because there are so many times when he could have just said, ‘Man, I’m through.’ ”

Tracy McGrady, pro and con

There’s a heartwarming debate going on between the Rockets’ Tracy McGrady and Coach Jeff Van Gundy.

Van Gundy is the one who still believes in McGrady.

“I’m not buying at all into what he says,” Van Gundy said. “ ‘I’m slow. I’m not as athletic.’ That’s not what I see. I see a quick, fast, strong, light, attacking, aggressive player that is a star player that has hit a minor bump in the road with his shot.

“For a great player like himself, he’s a little too introspective sometimes.”

McGrady, 27, recently sounded as if he pined for the days when he was a star. This wasn’t reassuring, coming from someone they’re paying $16.9 million.

“I was just frustrated,” he said. “That’s all it is, frustration. I’m not saying that I can’t do those things now, but it will happen. My abilities will diminish. Right now I can still be explosive. I can still get by the guy. When the basketball is in my hands, I can still do all those things.”

For the record, he’s averaging 19 points, his fewest since he turned 21.

Famous last words

Houston’s Yao Ming, showing how Western philosophy can augment Eastern philosophy in the attainment of serenity: “I think the movie ‘Star Wars’ can teach you how to control anger.”

-- Mark Heisler