The Miami Heat are in the Eastern Conference, which is widely regarded as the worse conference of the two. This gives them a distinct advantage when it comes to playoff seeding.
This is not to say that there aren’t other great teams in the East, but just that there’s less competition than in the West. Just look at last years’ standings for a prime example.
The seven seed in the West last year (Lakers) would have been the four seed in the Eastern Conference. They had a better winning percentage than the Knicks, Hawks, Celtics, and Miami Heat.
With the West being such a difficult conference to play in, the Heat should feel lucky to be in the East. They should feel even luckier that other top teams are dealing with a ton of drama.
The Philadelphia 76ers are seemingly wrapping up the Ben Simmons saga of the summer. He caused the team a huge headache this offseason.
Simmons supposedly reported to Sixers camp on Monday after refusing to show up to training camp. His agent, Rich Paul, reportedly told the team that he wanted both Simmons and his other client, Tyrese Maxey, out of Philadelphia.
This isn’t the only drama that benefits the Miami Heat, though. The Brooklyn Nets are dealing with some drama surrounding Kyrie Irving as of late.
The hope for them is that the issue is resolved by the start of the regular season, but as of now, that doesn’t look too likely. What is the issue with Kyrie Irving, and how does the drama affect the Miami Heat?