The 5 Most Pivotal Moments for Miami in the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat Rivalry
The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls don't have nearly the storied rivalry as other teams do in the NBA like, the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks.
That doesn't mean though that the Bulls and Heat who are developing into a solidified rivalry in the Eastern Conference don't have some pivotal moments in their history.
Whether it's the classic matchups between Michael Jordan and Alonzo Morning in the mid-90s or the most recent showdowns between LeBron James and Derrick Rose, the Heat and Bulls have combined for some memorable moments.
Ahead is a list of the five most pivotal moments for Miami, in the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat rivalry that is poised to be one of the most-heated rivalries in the NBA over the next few years.
No. 5 Game 4 of 2011 ECF: LeBron Leads Miami to 8-Point OT Win over Chicago
1 of 5This list starts off with game four of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, as it was the most pivotal game in an epic series that has helped fuel the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat rivalry as of late.
With the Bulls down two games to one heading into a pivotal Game 4, Chicago was poised to even the series, heading back to the Windy City for Game 5 of the series.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Chicago was riding a six-point lead that they carried throughout the majority of the first three quarters of the game, but that's when LeBron James, surprisingly enough, stepped up his game.
In the final stretch of the fourth quarter, LeBron scored seven of the Heat's 22 points, and while that isn't necessarily ridiculous performance, it was exactly what Miami needed to take the Bulls to overtime for the first time in the series.
In a shocking turn of events, LeBron James took over the game in overtime, scoring six of the Heat's 16 points, while leading Miami to a pivotal Game 4 win.
The Heat's overtime win over the Bulls sucked the wind right out of Chicago, and it became a solid foundation for the continuation of the Heat-Bulls rivalry moving forward into the 2011-12 NBA season and beyond.
No. 4 Game Four of 1997 ECF: Heat Get First Win over Bulls in Playoff History
2 of 5Heading into game four of the 1997 Eastern Conference finals, the Miami Heat had lost their first nine playoff matches with the Chicago Bulls.
The main reason for the Heat's inability to stop Chicago in the playoffs, and in the regular season for that matter, was the play of an unknown Bulls' shooting guard named Michael Jordan.
There's no doubt that Jordan absolutely dominated Alonzo Morning and the Miami Heat throughout his career, but for the only time in the "Jordan-era," Miami won a single game against Chicago in a playoff series.
While one win in a playoff series might seem insignificant, especially in one where the Heat went on to lose the series, there's no doubt that beating Chicago was a significant achievement for a Miami team that just couldn't find a way to beat the Bulls in the playoffs.
In this matchup with the Bulls, the Heat proved to themselves that they could contend in the Eastern Conference, and while they ultimately came up short in in their series with Chicago, their first win against the Bulls in the playoffs in franchise history was a pivotal moment at the time.
No. 3 Game 5 of 2011 ECF: LeBron Blocks Rose and Sends Heat to NBA Finals
3 of 5A few months after LeBron James told Heat fans that he planned on winning "Not one...Not two...Not three...Not four...Not five...Not six...Not seven...But eight" NBA championships, the only thing standing between the Heat and an NBA Finals appearance was Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.
While the Heat had stormed out to a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals against the Bulls, it was clear that Chicago wasn't ready to just lay over and die.
Taking a 45-38 into the locker room at halftime, it looked like Chicago might be able extend the Eastern Conference Finals to a Game 6 down in Miami. Unfortunately for the Bulls, LeBron and company had different plans.
In the second half, the Heat looked like a different team, led by LeBron scoring 17 of his 28 points in the second-half, including 12 clutch points in the fourth quarter.
More important than any of LeBron's 28 points, though, was his classic block on Derrick Rose as he tried to tie the game up with a three-pointer as time expired. Not only did that play leave the sour taste of defeat in Derrick Rose's mouth, it also established a solid baseline for the Heat-Bulls rivalry moving forward.
With Miami and Chicago on a collision course for another Eastern Conference finals appearance this year, there's no doubt that LeBron's block in game five of last year's Eastern Conference finals created a strong foundation for a fierce rivalry over the next few years.
No. 2 Game 6 of ECQF: Miami Heat Knock Bulls out of Playoffs
4 of 5Heading into their Eastern Conference quarterfinals matchup with the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat had yet to beat the Bulls in a playoff series in the history of their franchise.
The Bulls swept the Heat in their first two playoff series during the "Jordan-era," in 1992 and 1996, and in the third playoff series between Chicago and Miami, the Bulls knocked Miami out of the playoffs in Game 5 of the 1997 Eastern Conference finals.
It was clear that the Bulls had the Heat's number, and it seemed like whenever the two teams met up in the playoffs, the Bulls would consistently come out on top.
That all changed in 2006, when the Miami Heat, led by Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, met up with the Chicago Bulls in the quarterfinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Heat got out to a hot start against the Bulls, winning the first two games of the series, heading into Game 3 back in Chicago.
While the Bulls would go on to win the next two games, tying the series at two games a piece, the Heat proved that they were going to be a tough team to beat in a seven-game series, and they ultimately proved too much for the Bulls to handle.
The Miami Heat, for the first time in their then 17-year franchise history, knocked the Bulls out of the playoffs in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, proving that they finally had what it would take to be a legitimate title contender in the Eastern Conference.
No. 1 Miami and Chicago's Epic 97-93 Showdown on Jan. 29, 2012
5 of 5While putting the most recent matchup between the Heat and the Bulls on this list might seem somewhat outlandish, the Jan. 29th meeting between the two Eastern Conference powerhouses finds itself at the No. 1 spot on this list for one reason.
It proved that the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat rivalry would live on well into the future, as both teams carried the competitiveness we saw in last year's Eastern Conference finals into their first regular season matchup of the year.
While Miami dominated Chicago for the majority of the game, never giving up the lead to the Bulls throughout the full 48 minutes of the game, Chicago's ability to make comeback after comeback certainly was impressive to see.
The late January matchup provided us with an epic showdown between LeBron James and Derrick Rose, who both led their teams in scoring, with 35 and 34 points respectively.
With their impressive performances, Rose and James showed that they are the two players who will be at the foundation of the Bulls-Heat rivalry for years to come, which is an exciting thing for Bulls and Heat fans alike.
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