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?
Kyrie Irving drama and how it affects the Miami Heat: The drama
Kyrie Irving has been adamant about not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. He and even some of his family members have spoken out against it.
Well, this wouldn’t be as big of an issue if he didn’t play in Brooklyn. However, because he does, the team could be facing a major issue this season.
Two U.S. cities have told their teams that NBA players are only allowed to play in the city if they have been vaccinated – New York and San Francisco. This directly affects Irving, as he plays for a team in one of those cities.
If Irving were to remain unvaccinated, that means he would miss every single home game the team plays. Add on the games vs. the Knicks and the one at Golden State, and Irving would be forced to miss half the season.
Irving did manage to practice with the team at their private facility, though. However, now it’s looking like he won’t be able to play with the team at all until he receives the vaccine.
The Brooklyn Nets announced that Irving will not be allowed to join the team until he can be a full participant. This means that unless Irving gets the vaccine, he won’t be able to play for the Nets this season.
Now that the story has been fully explained, why should Miami Heat fans care? How does this affect them for this season?
Kyrie Irving drama and how it affects the Miami Heat: The effect
The Miami Heat are going to be fighting for a top seed in the East this year. However, so are teams like the Nets, Bucks, and other Eastern Conference powerhouses.
With the Ben Simmons issue already projecting to affect the standings, this issue will as well. If it weren’t obvious, the Nets probably won’t be as good without Kyrie Irving playing.
If Irving ends up deciding not to get the vaccine, and subsequently not playing this year, that would help the Heat in their pursuit of a higher seed in the East.
Obviously, it would be ideal for everyone to be at full strength so the competition is at its highest level, but that is simply out of Miami’s hands at this point.
With Irving out, there would be a lot more parity in the East. Since they would be without the third member of their Big 3, the Nets could end up falling a bit in the standings.
They would still be a top seed, but the difference between the first, second, and third seeds could end up being huge. Miami wants to be as high up in the standings as possible in order to get the best playoff matchups.
Hopefully, the Nets get this drama resolves so the NBA is at its best this year. However, if they don’t, it could end up helping the Miami Heat out a little bit.