Chicago Bulls: Why the Bulls Must Pray for the Heat to Get Upset

Even before Derrick Rose was injured and out for the rest of the season, the Bulls needed to pray to the basketball gods for the Heat to get upset in the first round. Currently, the Heat are in a series with the New York Knicks and the chances are not looking good. With Shumpert going down with an ACL tear, the Knicks have a slim chance of beating Miami.

During the regular season the Knicks played the Heat three times and lost all three games by at least eight points without ever scoring more than 89 points. If it's a short series then the Heat will get to rest before going on to play either the Pacers or the Magic. If they play the Pacers, it will probably be a short series because the Heat swept Indiana 3-0 during the regular season.

The Magic is a different story ad they tied the season series at 2-2. That, however, was a Magic team that had a healthy Dwight Howard, which is no longer the case. So, this means that with two short series, the Heat will be fairly rested before meeting the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, if Chicago can make it there without Rose.

This will be key because the Bulls will probably have to go through a few six and seven-game series, which means they'll be coming in on their last legs, looking for a series win. It will also be tough without the current MVP champion on the court.

The road will be much easier for the Bulls if the Heat are knocked out early in the playoffs.

The Bulls are 4-1 against the Pacers this season. In games where Derrick Rose played, they were 1-1, which means they got three wins without their young leader. Against the New York Knicks, the Bulls were 3-1 with Rose playing in two of their wins. Against the Orlando Magic, the Bulls went 2-1 and had a 1-1 mark when Rose played.

So, it's highly believable that if the Heat get knocked out in the first round, the Bulls can come out on top without even having to play a seven-game Eastern Conference Finals.