Who knows how much tougher the competition will be in the East in a year or two. Though the total dominance of the West (at least in terms of 1-8 teams) lately has been pretty consistent.But they are not in the west. They are in the east so their road to the championship round is easier. Cavs, Raptors and Wiz are the only decent to real competition. None of them are so hard to beat like a couple western teams.
So it does matter. How much is the question. I think Hayward picks Utah but Boston is right there.