Many experts gave the short-handed Chicago Bulls no chance of contending with the Miami Heat in their second round series, and for good reason. The Bulls opened the series without Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and of course Derrick Rose. But that didn’t discourage them.
The Bulls came out aggressive from the jump in game one against the Heat, and used that aggressiveness and defensive intensity to grind out an unlikely victory over Miami in the series opener.
Chicago took advantage of the Heat’s rust combined with their suffocating defense to hold Miami under 40% shooting for the game (39.7%) while also controlling the boards, rebounding Miami 46-32. Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah were big on the glass and combined for 25 rebounds, 14 coming from Butler.
Nate Robinson again was the driving force for the Bulls on offense despite needed 10 stitches in his lip. That wasn’t enough to stop him from putting up a 27-point, nine assist effort.
Although this is the same Bulls team that snapped the Heat’s 27-game winning streak, no one should expect Miami to have the same type of performance in game two. One key for Miami this season has been their ability to make adjustments game to game, so look for them to do just that.
Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra will need to find a game plan to combat Chicago’s size. LeBron James took home his fourth MVP award earlier Monday, but he alone can’t beat an entire team. Miami will need more everyone on the roster to bounce back and even the series up in game two.
