Last Season:	52-30
Preview prediction:	N/A
Oddsmakers:	51-31

Today's 2006-07 Blog Preview focuses on the Miami Heat. Vivek from Crazy from the Heat worries that the defending champs have been partying too much this summer:

“Ugly”…Is the fact that this has been an offseason of nothing but celebration for this returning roster and one has to seriously question how rested this very “aged” team will be come opening season tip-off.

Any Pat Riley coached team will undoubtedly know the word DISCIPLINE, but an offseason following a Championship victory has to tempt even the meek at heart to indulge in activities outside the norm.

The attention, the parties, the clubs, the talk shows, and oh, perhaps the most dangerous culprit of them all, the “fridge”.

You add all of the elements to one of the oldest teams in the league and can’t help but question how they’ll respond.

Will they come out of the gates slow like last year and morph into form when it’s time to play for all the marbles? Possible, but very improbable.

Among other key questions…Will Shaq come into camp in tip top shape?…Will J-Dub’s injury force D-Wade into more minutes than normal following an offseason spent on the court in the World Championship action?…Who knows?…I guess one thing we do know is that this season like any other will start with more questions…But they’ll be questions that only the “Heat” can answer, and questions that only time can tell…Stay tuned.

I think this photo answers the question of Shaq's conditioning, but has he ever reported to training camp in shape? With Shaq, getting into shape is like hitting free throws—he does it when it counts. It worked out last season ... he had worked his way into playing shape by the end of the regular season, just in time for a playoff run.

Of course, as with many of the Miami veterans, his game is certainly on the decline, as we noted here last January. With no major personnel changes, Miami can hope to have Dwyane Wade improve over last year, but most of their other contributors from last season (Shaq, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams) will probably be worse due to age and/or injuries. Given the fact that some of the other elite teams have bolstered their rosters, I tend to agree that the Heat's chance of repeating is slim.