I feel like the gap between top tier NBA talent and everyone else has been getting wider and wider since the 80s

God no, this is just horrible knowledge of NBA history.

When they first started having 8 teams per conference in the playoffs, you had squads that were 15-20 games under .500 making the playoffs.

That Bulls squad, where MJ scored 63 against the Celtics, that Bulls teams was 30-52. There were 6 under .500 teams in the playoffs that year. 6! Just as many as there were 50 win teams. That's a gigantic gap.

We do still get some eastern teams under .500 in the playoffs, this year it's looking it'll be two! But that is not usually the case.

The gap is not at all, as wide as it was in the 80s. Not even close.