Can't Get Enough

Just like the Bad Company song "Can't Get Enough (of Your Love)" I can't get enough of the struggles of the Miami Heat. Has there been a better 48 hour window of misery for the Heat this season than what just transpired? First on Thursday night, blowing a 24-point lead to Orlando--at home no less--allowing the Magic to go on a 40-9 run at one point, and then last night getting straight up blown out by the Spurs in the Alamo by 30.

You can look at the Heat's record of 43-19, good enough for 3rd in the East, and assume that all is well. That's still a tidy 57-win pace. Not bad. No, not bad at all. It would be a four game drop-off for LeBron, however, after his Cavaliers won 61 games last season. I thought he was taking his talents to South Beach for a better shot at Charlie Sheening (winning)?

A picture is worth how many words?

Inside the 43-19 record where the Heat currently stand, which as I said is still a pretty damn good mark, there's much reason for optimism. And I mean that in a negative way. The Heat have a record of 3-7 against the contenders of the Eastern Conference (Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando), and if you want to throw in last week's game against the re-vamped Knicks, make it 3-8. If you aren't sure about the legitimacy of Atlanta or Orlando, that's fine. We'll throw their records against the Heat out the window. And now you're staring at an 0-5 record against the Celtics and Bulls. Out West, the Heat have been swept by the Mavericks, lost their first game to San Antone, squashed the Lakers back on Christmas Day, and squeaked by the SuperSoncis Thunder in Seattle Oklahoma. So now, if we add up their record against all of the league's contenders, we see the Heat at a paltry 5-11 mark.

The Heat have also been famous for struggling in close games, which is defined as a game decided by 5 points or less. Their record in said games against winning teams? 2-12.

The road gets no easier for the Heat, as they're currently in the midst of an 11-game stretch against teams with winning records. At 0-3 thus far, they're already in a hole. Granted, the next 6 are at home (Bulls, Trail Blazers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder). And of course, a 6-game homestand is easier than a 6-game roadie. But what have the Heat shown us to make us think they can build any sort of momentum here? They'll be lucky to finish the homestand at 3-3, which would bring their record over this stretch to 3-6. Let's say they split the final two games (at Atlanta, home vs. Denver), we've got 4-7. Did you know the Heat will be playing all teams with winning records in the playoffs?

So go ahead, Miami. Beat up on the Wizards and Cavaliers of the league. You've been exposed as the frauds so many hoped you would be, and a "sky is falling" mentality has set in. And I can't get enough of it.

Twelve for Twelve

That's right. The Boston Bruins just collected twelve points on a six-game road trip that took them to the Western shores of Canada. First 6-0 road trip since 1972. Hm, what happened in 1972? The last time the Bruins hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup.

Best developments of the trip? Between Tuukka's resurgence and Nathan Horton's rise from the dead, there's not too much to complain about. And after laying that egg against Toronto pre-trip, was there a better way to respond than this?

Of course, the Bruins are a pedestrian 15-12-3 at home compared to a league-best 22-7-4 on the road. Upcoming home games against Eastern powers Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh will tell us even more of what we need to know about this team. Yet Tampa and their +1 goal differential and the Pens sans Crosby and Malkin really don't scare me all that much. Have we gotten to the point that the Bruins are the clear-cut best team in the NHL? Not quite yet but at the same time, they're on a short list of teams fully capable of winning the Cup in June. Now tune into ABC and watch Charlie Sheen win.