Miami Heat: Will Heat Maintain Their Swagger Against Chicago Bulls?

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Miami Heat Now Tasked With Getting Past East's Top Seed

In case you were confused at the conclusion of the series between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, the answer is no. The Heat did not win the NBA Finals.

Given the way the Heat were celebrating, you have to think a lot of people were confused about that. But in retrospect, it was easy to see why LeBron James and the Heat were so jubilant after dispatching the Celtics. They had just slain the dragon they set out to slay.

However, the Heat are far from being out of the woods. The other Eastern Conference semifinal series has just wrapped up, and it was the top-seeded Chicago Bulls vanquishing the Atlanta Hawks.

Because the Bulls needed one more game than the Heat to finish up their series, it stands to reason that the Heat have a kind of built-in advantage heading into the conference finals.

That makes sense... but it's not necessarily true.

Listen, what we saw in the Heat-Celtics series was one team that simply wanted it way more than the other. We also saw a team that was too banged up to stand up for themselves.

The first team was the Heat, making the second the Celtics. Rough translation: the series went a little too perfectly for the Heat.

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This wouldn't be a problem, but you have to wonder about the swagger that the Heat developed in beating the Celtics. What would worry me is that swagger is something that has been kinda there-and-not-there for the Heat throughout the entire season. And when it's not there, they just haven't been very good.

The question is thus whether or not the Bulls can humble the Heat. If they can do so right away, they could have the Heat right where they want them.

Yes, the Heat definitely looked like champions in beating the Celtics. But the Bulls are a better, healthier team, and they also have the home-court advantage.

Put simply, the Bulls are no pushover. The Heat would be wise not to treat them like one.

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