Jeff Van Gundy is an opinionated man. And he’s at it again. Van Gundy predicted that the Miami Heat will break the Chicago Bulls single-season record of 72 wins. (Miami Herald)

72 wins? 33 straight? Van Gundy must be crazy.

“They will break the single-season win record [of 72],” Jeff Van Gundy said. “And I think they have a legit shot at the Lakers’ 33-game [winning] streak [in 1971-72], as well. And only the Lakers have even a remote shot at beating them in a playoff series. They will never lose two games in a row this year.

“They have put together a much better roster than anybody could ever have expected,” Van Gundy added. “There is now no good way to defend them. They are unguardable. They are indefensible. They are just too good and have added so much shooting and are so versatile that they will score at will.

I  agree with much of what Van Gundy says, but not this time. Maybe I’m just a Boston homer, but I can’t imagine the Heat breaking the Bulls record, especially in their first season together, especially in a retooled Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics of 2008 were the exception to the rule: in the NBA, you can’t quickly patch a team together and expect results right away. Players need time to mesh, to figure out how to play together, to find some chemistry– on and off the court. Miami will be good this season, but they will be great next season, when they’ve had a season  a full season to figure out how to make it all work.

Mostly, I think that 72 wins is out of reach because of the depth of the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Bulls added Carlos Boozer and slew of role players, while the Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic are all ready for another playoff run. The East used to be as easy as a drunken college freshman sorority girl– not anymore.

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