THE HEAT IS ON?….Well in actuality, the Heat are off. I wish I could say the Heat is off, like when the energy bill goes unpaid and you come home to see all your groceries have spoiled.  Well maybe that only happened to me, but when it comes to making shots down the stretch the Miami Heat have definitely not be on. They have lost their last four games, three of them coming before a national television audience. Women always say it’s ok for a man to cry. So why was my wife laughing when she heard about the Heat players and their sniffling on SportsCenter this morning? Could it be that the Heat are hitting their low point just in time to rise up and play great basketball for the playoffs? Or maybe this is who they are and as fans we are learning a valuable lesson. A lesson we’ve all been taught years before. I’d like to ask the Heat, how green is that grass looking now? Make sure you wipe your eyes first.

BIG EAST TOURNEY….Yep it’s that time again.  The best conference tournament there is comes to Madison Square Garden, the best place to play or witness a basketball game in the world! There isn’t a dominant team this year in the Big East, so it’s really hard to make predictions. The deepest team is Pitt and that helps playing back to back games. The most talented team in my opinion is Syracuse, but they don’t play lots of guys and the legs can get rubbery on that third day. St. John’s is alive and when they play the Garden will be rocking. Who will explode? Could it be Kemba Walker or Marshon Brooks? Maybe Dwight Hardy or Ben Hansbrough? Don’t forget about Jeremy Hazell who can go for 30 on any given night. We must wait and see. It all starts tomorrow. It all ends on Saturday night. Every year, I say “It can’t be better than last year.” Every year, I’m wrong.

YOU HAVE TO RESPECT JERSEY…These were the words uttered by Lauren Hill of the Fugees in the song “Fu-Gee-La”.  She was right.  The Garden State must be respected for it’s high school basketball dominance.  If you’re a hater/non-believer then you must be in attendance for this one. This game on Wednesday night at the Rutgers Athletic Center between St. Anthony of Jersey city and St. Patrick of Elizabeth, NJ may be the most anticipated game ever in high school basketball. That’s right I said EVER. Both teams are ranked #1 and #2 not only in the state but in the country. The Non Public North Jersey title is on the line and possibly the national championship. St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley is like a God in high school basketball circles. Kevin Boyle, is also approaching deity. St. Patrick’s Michael Gilchrist is the best player in the country. Bob Hurley and the stingy St. Anthony Friars defense could care less. St. Patrick was banned last year from the State Tourney, St. Anthony hoisted the trophy after winning the title. This year we will get to see the head-on collision after St. Anthony disposes of Orartory Prep tonight. They are calling this one “The Brawl for it All.” This is the only time ever I wished I could skip a Big East Tournament game to see a high school basketball game. You hyped yet? Need I say more?

BENCH WARMER…Everyone’s talking about how the Heat have hit an all time low.  Well, so have I. I have gone so low that in the words of the great Rutgers Women’s Basketball Coach  C. Vivian Stringer, “I have to reach up to touch the bottom.”  I actually watched the whole despicable, filthy season of Basketball Wives.  My wife laughed at me as I couldn’t turn away.  I had been poisoned, as though bitten by a rattle snake, paralyzed unable to move from the television set.  I am embarrassed about my actions.  I am embarrassed for all basketball players out there as now everyone thinks these are the types of women we marry.   I must admit, I’ve lost a little respect for Kenny Anderson, Eric Williams and my man Antoine Walker.  I really had respect for them and their games, but now I see that none of them really understand the game.  Picking these women is the prime example of “bad shot selection.”  By the way, my wife told me, “If you would’ve stayed in the league longer you would’ve married a crazy girl like that.”  Well in that case,  I thank God for teammates like Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Ron Harper and Brian Shaw.  They all kept me deep on the end of the bench.