Chicago Bulls Defeat the Miami Heat: 5 Reasons the Bulls Can Win the NBA Title
The Chicago Bulls pulled off a stunning defeat of the Miami Heat, who continue to struggle late in games, with a come-from-behind 87-86 win.
Derrick Rose led the way for the Bulls with 27 points and Luol Deng made two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to seal the victory for Chicago.
With the win, the Bulls have now swept the Heat on the season, and are in sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago doesn't have the big name players of Miami, San Antonio, Los Angeles or Boston, but here are five reasons they will be contenders for the NBA title.
5. Luol Deng
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Luol Deng is the X-factor for the Chicago Bulls. He is a good offensive player and he is even better on the defensive side of the ball.
He is tall and lanky, and has the ability to cover the opposing team's best scorer. It is tough to find players that play with Deng's energy on both sides of the ball, but he brings it every night.
For much of his career, durability has been a concern, but Deng has started in all of Chicago's games this year. If he can stay healthy for the rest of the season, the Bulls will be very tough in the playoffs.
4. Tom Thibodeau
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Tom Thibodeau has really made a difference on this basketball team. There were a lot of analysts, Gene Wojciechowski for one, who said that Chicago shouldn't have fired Vinny Del Negro.
Those analysts couldn't have been more wrong, as Thibodeau has brought more leadership than Del Negro ever displayed. The Bulls have bought into what Thibodeau is teaching, and has proven himself to be a Coach of the Year candidate in his rookie season.
Not to mention, Thibodeau knows what it's like to win an NBA title, as he coached the Boston Celtics defense en route to an NBA crown.
Chicago has been looking for a coach ever since Phil Jackson left town, it appears that they have finally landed their guy in Tom Thibodeau.
3. The Chicago Bulls Frontcourt
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Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah haven't gotten to play together much, but they are beginning to complement each other nicely.
Even with the absence of Boozer and Noah for most of the season, the Bulls have still managed to be the second best rebounding team in the NBA.
Boozer has never been known as a good defender, however, under Thibodeau, he has learned to play better, more efficient defense. Noah has been regarded as one of the best defensive centers in the league, and plays with more energy than almost any player in the league on a consistent basis.
With Boozer and Noah dominating the offensive and defensive glass, as well as contributing over 30 points per game combined, the Bulls have one of the best two-way frontcourts in the NBA.
Omer Asik and Taj Gibson have both become reliable rebounders and defensive players off the bench. While neither player has developed much of an offensive game, they provide valuable bench options for a Chicago team that thrives on second-chance points.
2. Derrick Rose
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Derrick Rose is a leading candidate for MVP this season, and likely should win the award. The Bulls would not be the same without Rose, as he is both a leader and one of the best players in the game.
Rose is the go-to player for Chicago and is constantly creating by driving the lane and converting a basket or finding the open man.
Rose is averaging over 24 points and greater than eight assists per contest. Only two other players in the NBA are averaging greater than 20 points and eight assists, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams, and no other player is in the top-10 in both scoring and assists.
One of Rose's unsung strengths is his ability to play smart defense. He might not be the most efficient defender in the league, but he does not commit stupid fouls. For the season, Rose is only committing 1.6 fouls per game.
That statistic is astounding considering that he averages over 35 minutes per game. Rose is one of only three players that averages over 35 minutes of playing time and commits less than two fouls per game, the other two being Joe Johnson (1.7 fouls per game) and Ray Allen (1.9 fouls per game).
1. Team Defense
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Defense wins championships.
Ask the San Antonio Spurs, ask the Boston Celtics, even ask the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 2009, the Chicago Bulls gave up greater than 99 points per game, this year that number is down to 91.9 points per game, good for second-best in the league. The best defensive team in the league is the Boston Celtics at 91.7 points per game.
In last year's postseason, the Bulls were the third-worst defense, giving up over 106 points per game against Cleveland. The only teams worse than that were the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz.
With Joakim Noah missing half of the regular season, the Bulls are just getting back into form and their defense is only going to get better. Chicago has players that can guard on the perimeter (Rasual Butler, Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer), and players that can guard on the interior (Joakim Noah, Omer Asik and Taj Gibson).
Having players that can guard at every position makes the Bulls very flexible and gives them the ability to match up with any team in the NBA, including the Heat, Lakers, Celtics and Spurs.
If the Bulls can continue to play stellar defense, and Rose continues to lead them offensively, the Bulls may win their first NBA title since the Michael Jordan era.
