Chicago Bulls Will Miss Joakim Noah Against Miami Heat When Teams Square Off

With the Miami Heat making their first trip to Chicago on Saturday night to face the Bulls, one key player will be missing. No, it will not be LeBron James if he does not play. It is Bulls center Joakim Noah. 

When Noah went down with a thumb injury, I started looking at some of the games he would miss. As soon as I noticed Miami on the schedule, it was crushing. 

Given Noah's rebounding ability and the lack of any presence at the Center position for Miami, it is safe to say Noah would have had a field day on the glass. The Bulls in general should have a distinct advantage on the glass against the Heat.

Not only will Noah's rebounding, defense and shot blocking be missed. But also his ability to energize his teammates and the crowd. 

Noah has always gotten up big for all games, but certain teams he has gotten extra motivation for. There is no doubt playing Miami would fall under one of those teams. 

He probably does not dislike the players on the team, maybe he does. The reason for why Noah would get up extra for this game is the fact that Miami has constantly been talked about since July. 

Anytime anything happens with the Heat, good or bad, it is shoved down the fans' throats and dissected every which way. Given his desire to win and hard work you would have to think Noah would love to beat the Heat and make a statement. 

The Bulls have been playing very good basketball for the entire season. Suffering through injuries to Carlos Boozer and Noah for extended periods of time, Derrick Rose has stepped up and has been one of the top two or three players in the league this season.

The Bulls are running away with the Central Division and will easily have a top four seed for the playoffs and home court advantage in the first round.

Yet, with all that and a sparkling home record of 17-3, all the talk is always about Miami. 

Although Rose has been getting a lot of MVP buzz, the Bulls have sort of been flying under the radar in the Eastern Conference and I do not understand why.

Without Noah against Miami, the Bulls will have to find ways to get easy baskets. They will need to force turnovers and turn those into fast break points. 

The Bulls have everything, minus Noah, to beat Miami. It is all about how they start. 

In recent games the Bulls have gotten off to slow starts and have had to make comebacks. They cannot afford to get down, big, early to the Heat. 

The game should be entertaining, and the crowd at the United Center will be rocking.

Just none of it seems complete without having Noah on the floor when these teams tip-off tonight.