3 Reasons Why the Chicago Bulls Will Fall to the Miami Heat in Game 5

The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat faced off at the United Center on May 13, but only one team showed up in this contest.

By the time Game 4 mercifully came to an end, Miami had beaten Chicago 88-65, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Here are a few reasons why the Bulls' season will come to an end in Game 5.

Offensive Ineptitude

The Bulls struggled to score points in the regular season, but two of the last three games of this series have been very painful to watch from an offensive standpoint.

In Game 2, Chicago suffered a 115-78 loss, which was the worst defeat in franchise history (via CSNChicago.com).

In addition to that, the Bulls set several records for futility in Game 4. For starters, they scored only 65 points, including just nine in the third quarter.

Chicago also managed to convert on less than 26 percent of its field-goal attempts, the team's worst shooting performance since Game 7 of the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals (via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times).

Over the course of the last few games, the one fact that has become obvious is that Chicago doesn't have players who can create quality shots when the offense hits a wall.

In the absence of such an element, it is difficult to see the Bulls winning Game 5.

Heat's Defensive Adjustments

Nate Robinson has become the offensive focal point for the Bulls during the postseason and he led them to their only win in Game 1, scoring 27 points and handing out nine assists.

Unfortunately for Robinson, the Heat players remembered that game and have done a solid job in making life difficult for the Bulls point guard.

Not only are the Heat using bigger defenders on Robinson, they are also sending a second defender when he comes off screens.

As a result, Robinson hasn't been nearly as effective, shooting just 8-of-35 from the field over the last three outings—including a woeful 0-of-12 in Game 4.

Carlos Boozer, who finally came to life with a 21-point performance in Game 3, was again held in check by Miami, scoring 14 points on 3-of-14 shooting in Game 4.

The lesson here is that the Heat have taken the Bulls out of what they like to run offensively, and barring a miracle in Game 5, Chicago has more than likely run out of scoring options.

Injury Factor

At one time or another during the season, several Bulls players have been sidelined with various injuries. This list includes Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Rip Hamilton, Marco Belinelli, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich.

The two most noticeable names on that long list are Deng and Hinrich, who have been out since the series began against Miami.

Without Deng, the Bulls are missing a player who was their leading scorer during the regular season and a good perimeter defender as well.

Hinrich gives the team solid decision-making at the point guard position and the ability to get his teammates the ball where they can be most effective on the floor.

I give the Bulls credit for battling through the injuries, while not making excuses along the way.

However, there comes a time when injuries do become too much for a team to overcome and it appears that is what has happened to Chicago in this series.

I fully expect Chicago to come with an all-out effort in Game 5, but as the previous games have shown, it will not be enough to stop the Heat from advancing.