Do the Heat have an unfair advantage over Western teams?

[Felixano]

The Heat beat the Knicks (who look like a top 5 NBA team atm), Pacers (#3 seed, same record as the Lakers last year iirc), Celtics, and Thunder.

/thread

[chrisab123]

Basically, it's pretty fair to say that the Eastern conference is a joke. Only the Knicks look capable of being able to give Miami a challenge, and that is also a big if depending if Amare's return won't just **** everything up again for the Knicks.

The Heat are going to pretty well rested going in to the finals, anyone out of the West will be pretty damn exhausted. Clips, Grizzs, Lakers, Thunder, Spurs vs New York, Brooklyn, Boston? So much for parity.

Didn't this thread pop up a few months ago, that the Heat are in the Finals already and would dominate the West? Wasn't this guy the poster who was claiming that the Heat would win 73 games? My apologies if I'm getting him mixed up with another guy.

BTW: The Celtics are very much in the hunt for the East, its a very small sample size so far this season, relax.

[GeneralNbaFan]

a) its easier because they arent tired
b) its difficult because they arent prepared to play tight games....

For a team like LAL i would prefer the east, because they need to be fresh

But for Miami west would be better....

[Tim_Hardawayy]

I just don't understand the timing of this thread at all when the Heat just finished a 6 game west coast trip.

In fact, 7 of their 11 games this season have come against Western Conference teams. Go figure.

[This IsMy House]

Miami might just be a weaker team than last year's.

Who knew adding Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis would make a team with LeBron, Wade. And Bosh weaker.

[snowthedirtbub]

I just don't understand the timing of this thread at all when the Heat just finished a 6 game west coast trip.

In fact, 7 of their 11 games this season have come against Western Conference teams. Go figure.

Maybe its because thats not what this thread is about? It's about do they have an unfair advantage and yes they do. Playing in an easier conference not only helps in getting to the playoffs and seeding but playing inferior competition once in the playoffs.

[inquisitive]

I just don't understand the timing of this thread at all when the Heat just finished a 6 game west coast trip.

In fact, 7 of their 11 games this season have come against Western Conference teams. Go figure.

Maybe its because thats not what this thread is about? It's about do they have an unfair advantage and yes they do. Playing in an easier conference not only helps in getting to the playoffs and seeding but playing inferior competition once in the playoffs.

but if they lose in finals, then it becomes a question of how they were not tested enough....people can spin it anyway they want.

[EscapoTHB]

The eastern conference playoffs is as good as the western conference playoffs. The Advantage that the Heat have in terms of conference is that in the regular season they get to play more **** bottom feeder teams in the east than teams from the west do. The 8 teams that actually make the playoffs in the East each year are as tough as they come. Plus the style of play is much more physical out east--so even if you are playing an on paper easier team in the first round than the west--you're going to feel it more.

[andrewww]

in the east, the only teams with the talent and size to trouble miami are new york and boston, and everyone knows miami isnt losing to a barely .500 team in the first couple of rounds. the path of least resistance is definitely preferable in terms of avoiding injuries, wear and tear, etc.

in the west, 5 teams legitimately have championship aspirations (spurs, grizz, thunder, lakers, clippers) while the other 3 that will likely make the playoffs are well above .500 (not to mention these win-loss records are coming against much better competition overall).

the best team in the league may be from the east, but its not out of the question that the next group of teams are all from the west as an example.

[Heat fan06]

Miami might just be a weaker team than last year's.

Funny stuff

[FingerRoll]

Astounded to see OP's statement about the Eastern Conference playoffs being a "joke" Even more astounded to see a majority of posters agreeing with this.

Why dont you ask LeBron how big of a joke the eastern conference playoffs were, particularly how he was feeling on the flight to BOS before game 6. I'm sure he was all jokes with d wade and them boys.

[Archerbro]

they have an "easier" trip to the finals, but we saw in 2012 they beat OKC and in 2011 they got beat by a superior Dallas team.

[ndnow]

Dont firget about lat year, Thunder had an easier way to the finals and then Heat destroyed them.

Mavs(defending champs) -Lakers-Spurs easier way than Knicks-Pacers-Celtics?

Seriously ?:roll:

Spurs were the only good team you listed. The west isn't what it was 5-10 years ago, it's getting pretty weak.

[Prospect Dong]

The 8 teams that actually make the playoffs in the East each year are as tough as they come

If that were true you'd expect the 8 seeds to have roughly the same records, once you'd adjusted for the relatively weaker opposition on the eastern team's schedule. But you don't see that at all. In fact, once you get past the top couple of teams, the east is, on average, weaker than the equivalently -ranked western teams all the way down.

[I_Socrates]

Dont firget about lat year, Thunder had an easier way to the finals and then Heat destroyed them.

Mavs(defending champs) -Lakers-Spurs easier way than Knicks-Pacers-Celtics?

Seriously ?:roll:

Yeah, other than the Knicks getting steamrolled, the other 2 were great series vs. the Pacers and C's.
Meanwhile OKC beat everyone out West quite easily, other than the SA series, I don't think there was ever a question whether they'd make it to the Finals (EARLY in the Dallas series, but after deflating them in the first 2 games, it wasn't a question).

OKC definitely had the easier way to the Finals however you'd like to dice it. Maybe they were too good (and came down to earth in the Finals), maybe their competition was off (definitely the case with the Mavs/Lakers) but their series were quick and easy meanwhile Miami nearly got knocked out more than once (and should have been had the ref's not awarded them games vs. the C's).