Miami-Chicago: Heat Hoping Bulls Can Provide More Fond Memories

Miami played the Bulls three times last year, and all three games were memorable for different reasons; and more importantly, all three were wins for the boys from South Beach.

The first matchup was notable because it was played on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas. The Bulls had entered that game having won nine of their previous 11 contests with the Heat, averaging nearly 105 points in those victories.

That streak would end that day, as Dwyane Wade led a balanced Miami attack, scoring 28 points on 11-of-23 (5-of-9 from the FT-line) shooting to go along with three rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a blocked shot as the Heat rallied from a 45-40 halftime deficit to take the Bulls out 90-77.

The game certainly saw some controversy too, as with 30.9 seconds remaining in the contest, and Miami up by 13 points, Heat coach Eric Spoelstra called a 20-second time-out in order to get Chalmers, Wade, and Udonis Haslem out of the game. Some of the Bulls players and coaches were steamed about this decision, and voiced their displeasure in postgame interviews.

“That is something only done to disrespect the opponent,” said then Bulls forward Andres Nocioni.

Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro simply said of the controversy, “We’ll play them again.”

He was right about that. The Bulls faced off against the Heat again on Feb. 12, 2009, and that game is memorable for a myriad of reasons.

First, entering the game, Miami was on the verge of trading away two of their players, starting small forward Shawn Marion and reserve guard Marcus Banks, to the Toronto Raptors for center Jermaine O’Neal and small forward Jamario Moon.

Second, it was the final game prior to the NBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix, and since it was a homecoming of sorts for Dwyane Wade as the game was in Chicago, there were plenty of viewers for the primetime matchup hoping to see Wade go wild on his hometown team.

Although Wade wasn’t the game’s highest scorer (having 24 points on 9-of-23 shooting), that honor belonged to now-former Bulls’ guard Ben Gordon, who lit up the Heat for 34 points on 10-of-21 shooting, he was still the main focus of the Bulls’ defense when the Heat made the decisive game-winning basket.

Miami had trailed 86-85 at one point in the game, when Wade led an 8-0 run, with Mario Chalmers getting a reverse layup to give the Heat the lead, Marion blocking Derrick Rose’s shot and finishing a dunk on the other end of the court, and Wade finishing the run off with a jumper and then a fadeaway over Rose that gave Miami the lead, 93-86 with 1:13 to go in the game.

The Bulls weren’t finished after that, though, and scored seven consecutive points of their own. When Gordon was fouled by Daequan Cook on a three-point attempt with 6.5 seconds left, the Bulls crowd went into hysterics as Gordon knocked down all three free throws to tie the game at 93.

Kirk Hinrich then stole Marion’s inbound pass, and the United Center went ballistic. That enthusiasm would turn to quiet desperate hope seconds later as Wade returned the favor, stealing Thabo Sefolosha’s inbound pass with 3.5 seconds left on the clock.

Accepting the inbound pass from the left sideline, and recognizing the Bulls were sending a double-team at him, Wade passed out of it to a cutting Marion who took one step and elevated for the game-winning dunk, giving the Heat a satisfying 95-93 road victory.

“It was just a read. I saw the man (Tyrus Thomas) was going to jump out on me as soon as I touched the ball. Shawn did what he does best and that’s cut to the basket. He made a great finish,” said Wade.

The third and final game between the Bulls and Heat wasn’t just memorable, it was legendary. You can read my recap of that game here .

In that game, Dwyane Wade’s heroics were so spectacular it challenged my vocabulary to truly describe them. What’s more spectacular was the fact he had such a performance following the mind-blowing fourth-quarter performance he had in a win against the Knicks the previous game the Heat played and the incredible performances he’d given NBA fans over the weeks previous to the game.

He had been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first week in March, and the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February, averaging 35.9 PPG, 11.3 APG, and 3.25 SPG to win the Player of the Week award.

He followed all that up with his performance against the Bulls on Mar. 9, 2009 in a thrilling 130-127 double-overtime victory that frankly, is still unbelievable. As AP writer Tim Reynolds put it in his recap of the game:

“Dwyane Wade’s 3-pointer at the end of the first half was desperation. The one in the final seconds of regulation, dramatic. And the one that finally ended the game, unbelievable.”

Wade finished the night with 48 points on 15-of-21 shooting (13-of-18 from the FT-line), including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. He combined that with six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals, and three blocked shots in nearly 50 minutes of play. However, his statline, as incredible as it was, could never convey everything he contributed to the Heat in this amazing win.

Simply put, Wade was a comic-book superhero on the court that night, and when he stole the ball from John Salmons with 3 seconds left in double-OT, there was no doubt the ball was going to sail through the basket as he launched a running three-pointer as time expired. He was Superman...err Flash ; of course it was going in.

That basket put a lid on the three-game series between the Heat and the Bulls, and since they never met in the playoffs, it was the last memory both teams have of each other. For the Bulls, it’s probably been eating at them all summer, as they itch to redeem themselves. For Wade and the Heat, it’s a fond memory of a nice year; nothing more.

Some of the players on the Bulls roster in that last game between the two clubs are gone. Ben Gordon is now with the Detroit Pistons, and Andres Nocioni, probably the player who got under Miami’s skin the most, is with the hapless Sacramento Kings.

Yet, there’s no doubt that the rest of the Chicago players, many of them who still remember the many wins Chicago had against the Heat prior to last year, will be looking to return to their winning ways against Miami.

That’s not going to happen, though. The Bulls may have added some players since last season, notably Brad Miller and the aforementioned John Salmons (who were both with the club during that last loss to Miami) and Taj Gibson and James Johnson in the offseason, but the loss of Gordon, Chicago’s leading scorer over the past four seasons, to the Pistons leaves a huge void on the Bulls roster.

They were able to find a way to get by the Spurs in their opening game, looking rather good in the process, but as the Celtics revealed, the Bulls have a multitude of problems, including shoddy defense both in the post and on the perimeter.

The Heat, conversely, are looking spectacularly balanced and like a well-oiled machine since they moved Udonis Haslem to the bench and made the final decision to move Michael Beasley into his natural slot at the power forward. While they came out of the preseason with questions, they seem to have answered them to some degree with their rousing wins over the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.

If Miami can continue to get effective production out of center Jermaine O’Neal, who had consecutive 22 point 12 rebound nights against the Knicks and Pacers, look for the Heat to rout the Bulls at home today.

We all know what we’ll get from Wade, and it’s looking like the rest of the Heat cast has finally found a groove and knows their roles on the team. Beasley has apparently come into his own, and is willing to be Miami’s second option; although with O’Neal doing what he’s doing there might actually be a three-headed monster in South Beach.

My prediction: Miami 110 Chicago 90

Quotes taken from AP recaps of games