NBA Report: How the Chicago Bulls Can Beat the Miami Heat

So, it is looking like the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals once again. Both teams have ripped through the conference and are five games above their opposition.

So, will we see the same thing as last season? The Bulls' defense and the brilliance of Derrick Rose will be too much for everyone to handle until they meet the Heat. The Heat can single cover Rose with LeBron James, while Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat's role players out-produce Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and the Bulls' role players. Cut, print, wrap. 

Not so fast.

Carlos Boozer is playing much better basketball. He is more efficient on offense (54 percent from the floor) and is quicker on defense. I still would not rely on Boozer for points against a team that plays above the rim like the Heat, but his better play means he can be on the court to contribute the asset that makes him most important to this Bulls' team: rebounding.

Boozer and the scrappy Joakim Noah have helped make the Bulls the NBA's best team on the glass. Noah and Boozer's particular skill at snagging offensive rebounds means more possessions for the Bulls, and less for the Heat. The best way to beat Miami is to keep the ball out of Wade and James' hands. 

There is also the fact that Luol Deng is playing the most confident ball of his life. Deng has earned a reputation as one of the game's best perimeter defenders, and with his length and athleticism he's as good of a player as you can have to defend James. His new-found mojo on offense is what the team needs most, though. 

Earlier this season, Deng came down the court, told a fan he was going to hit the shot, then buried a clutch three. That is a boast the old Deng would have never made, and a shot he would have never taken. Deng has been hitting clutch threes like that all year, and if the Heat want to double down on Rose, Deng will have the confidence to bury the three at the end of games. 

Deng and new shooting guard Richard Hamilton give this Bulls team a much better chance of knocking off the Heat. Hamilton has barely played this season (it was not until Wednesday night's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs that Rose and Hamilton played their 10th game together), but his worth will be measured in how many big jumpers he hits late in games. Hamilton, a catalyst of the Detroit Pistons' 2004 championship run, is familiar with staring teams down more talented than his own and kicking their butts.  

Last season, none of the Bulls' trio of shooting guards were a factor. Kyle Korver, the offensive specialist, could not get a shot off against the athletic Heat defense. Now, with Rose, Hamilton and the first-year All-Star Deng, the Bulls have three players capable of taking the last shot to win the game.

The only question is, will the shots go in? Bring on the playoffs. Bring on the Heat.

Alexander is a featured columnist for bleacherreport.com You can follow Alexander on twitter @thesportsdude7 or become a fan on his bleacher report profile.