NBA Beasts of the East: The Celtics Stay Strong While the Heat Remain Soft

When the Boston Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder, everyone saw it as the dawning of a new age in the NBA Eastern Conference.

Guess again.

The Boston Celtics continue to prove that they have all of those "it" factors necessary to win in the NBA.

Boston has experience. So many of the team's core members have been playing together for a few years now.

Boston is tough. Critics can say what they what they want about Kevin Garnett. Call him cheap. Call him a bully. Call him whatever you want.

But you better call him a competitor.

If you don't believe me, feel free to ask the Phoenix Suns.

Last time the two teams met, Garnett was ejected for what was perceived as a low blow. That caused Suns' head coach Alvin Gentry to come out with the statement that he had lost a little bit of respect for Garnett on that night.

Garnett did not forget about those comments. This time, however, he let his game do the talking against Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Garnett scored a season-high 28 points on 12-14 shooting from the field. He also added 11 rebounds in Boston's 115-103 win.

But it isn't just Garnett. Rajon Rondo is tough and becoming increasingly "pesty" (in this case, it is a good thing). Paul Pierce is tough, especially when the game is on the line. Ray Allen is a gentleman, but he is still tough in the sense that he is a true competitor and has his teammates' backs every night.

Now take a look at the Miami Heat.

This team was built to win multiple championships.

I hope Mickey Arison and Pat Riley kept their receipt.

Adding LeBron James and Chris Bosh to go along with Dwyane Wade is not enough. They are all great players, but they cannot seem to figure out how to become a team.

Sure, the Heat are 43-18 and just two games behind the Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference. But at the same time, they have teams such as the Orlando Magic, who were able to erase a 24-point deficit on the road to beat the Heat last night, and Chicago Bulls nipping at their heels for the No. 2 seed in the conference.

The Heat continue to fail to close out games. They don't know who should get the ball or how the offense should run in the final seconds of a close contest.

They build big leads, but the end of the game execution is still not where it needs to be for this team to compete with the upper echelon teams in the league.

Perhaps the most glaring problem with Miami is that they are just 14-16 against teams with winning records. Yes, they are 29-2 against teams under .500, but the playoffs are right around the corner.

Boston wins with interchangeable pieces and have to be the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference once again in the NBA Finals. They know what needs to be done to achieve success.

Miami has gone from a team who looked as if they could challenge for a title this season to almost the unthinkable.

A team who could be eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.

Believe it or not, it is quickly turning into a distinct possibility.