Pump Ya Brakes!

"Wide Open"

Everybody needs to just calm down and relax. People are way over the top about the Miami Heat crisis like Chicken Little's "The Sky Is Falling". People are acting like the Heat are the worse team in the league. Yeah...they can't seem to finish big games but they're no different from the other teams at the top of the heap in terms of overall records.

When we look at the East and West all of the teams records are pretty much the same with the exception of San Antonio 51-12. Let's break down the East: 1. Boston 46-15, 2. Chi 44-18, 3.Miami 43-20, 4.Orlando 40-24. Those teams are right there together. The Heat are still in the mix and they don't even have a legitimate big. How are you the 3rd team in the East with out a big? That tells me that they're going to be alright.

Of course, they've got problems closing games out but that is correctable. It would be different if they just didn't have the talent. Now I'm not saying that they will win the East. I am saying that they have a shot at contending for the East. Boston is by far the strongest at this point because they've got the chemistry of a veteran team that's been together for several years. Chicago has the most potential because of the youth of the team and the leadership of Derrick Rose.

 Remember, last year the Celtics ran out of gas in the Finals. I'm just saying... they should've beaten the Lakers but the old bones slowed down. They were spent by game six. So with that said, I believe the Heat have just as much a shot to get to the Finals as any team in the East. Keep in mind that the best team typically wins the NBA Championship because all of the series are best of seven. So you can't just show up and win the title like in college basketball. Any team can win on any given night, like Butler beating Syracuse. If they had to played the best of seven it would've been 1-6 with the Orange crushing them six straight games.



"Beast in the East"

Now don't get me wrong I love college basketball, much more than the NBA because of the upset factor. However, I'm making the point that there are very few teams that slip through the cracks because of the best of seven set up. So pump your brakes on the Heat haterism for now. They are still in the hunt.

If I had to pick a team to come out of the East right now. I would choose the Bulls over the others because I think that they are built for the long haul(youth) from April to June and their bigs are banging(Deng and Noah). Now don't start calling me a band wagon jumper for the Bulls. I don't care one bit about the Bulls or any other team. I just call it like I see it.

Boston's too old, Miami's got an identity crisis and no big and Orlando doesn't know who they are. So Chicago it is. That's my two cents. Tell me if I'm crazy or on point but one thing I'm certain of, the haters are still alive and Lebron has them all following him. What's your opinion?

Jay Graves
jaygraves@thejaygravesreport.com
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport