NBA Playoffs 2011: Can the Chicago Bulls Beat the Miami Heat?
So... Can the Bulls beat the Heat?
Sure they can.
It’s not as daunting a task as it sounds.
Sure, the Heat were built specifically to make a run at the Finals, sure they have two of the best players on the planet playing at the highest level, and sure they have that look in their eyes.
So what?
It’s all Mental
The Bulls swept the regular season series 3-0. Anyone who says the regular season doesn’t matter is a liar and doesn’t know basketball. What’s the point of playing 82 games if they don’t matter? Why not just start the season with the playoffs and get it over with?
The fact is, it does matter. The Bulls 3-0 record doesn’t mean the Heat can’t beat the Bulls. It means they haven’t yet. The old saying is, “sports are 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical.”
Sweeping the regular season series has to have given the Bulls a mental advantage.
The Bulls already know they can beat the Heat, nd they know they can beat them more than once. The Heat, on the other hand, do not.
The Bulls have a more complete team and much deeper bench.
It could easily be argued that the Miami Heat have the better players in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh than do the Chicago Bulls.
But having better players didn’t help the Lakers any in their series against the Mavericks.
The main focus of Chicago’s offseason was improving its team. Do you think the Bulls' turn-around is due solely because of the play of Derrick Rose? If you do, you’ve fooled yourself again.
The Bulls added an All-Star-caliber PF in Carlos Boozer (a guy perfectly capable of averaging 18 pts, 10 reb/game), sharp shooting Kyle Kover (who leads the NBA in three-pointers made in the fourth quarter and overtime), and Ronnie Brewer (a defensive stalwart and former starter on three Jazz playoff teams).
Remember, these guys were on several of Jerry Sloan’s 50-win, playoff teams. They know how to play and they know how to win.
With Boozer and Joakim Noah starting, and Taj Gibson and Omer Asik coming off the bench, the Bulls are much deeper and more skilled in the frontcourt than the Heat’s counter of Chris Bosh/Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem/Zydrunas Ilgauskas. We saw this as Chicago’s big men dismantled what many thought was a much better frontcourt in Atlanta.
Chicago can play Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans, and Ronnie Brewer on the wing and Derrick Rose has a capable backup in C.J. Watson.
All of these players were brought in to compliment Derrick Rose, and has made him a better player.
Sure, the Heat have LeBron and D-Wade, but the Bulls could legitimately play 10 or 11 guys, which would be in their favor should the series go to a Game 6 or 7.
As long as D-Rose doesn’t sprain his ankle while bone-headedly defending someone with 10 seconds left of a blowout loss, I give the advantage to the Bulls.
Better Coach
Tom Thibodeau’s defensive prowess has finally paid dividends.
He won the 2008 NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach and, before that, he helped the Houston Rockets rank among the Top 5 in the NBA in field goal percentage defense and scoring defense from 2004-2007.
This year, he led the Bulls to their first division title since the Michael Jordan era.
In the playoffs, the Bulls have struggled offensively against a mediocre Pacers squad, and a decent Atlanta team. But the thing that has propelled them to victory has been their defense.
While it hasn’t been great every game, it has been when it’s counted.
Remember, Thibodeau was a key factor in containing Kobe Bryant during the 2008 Finals, but now, Tom will have to focus on stopping two of the game's best players in LeBron and D-wade.
The NBA’s Coach of the Year will finally prove he belongs.
The MVP
I’ve always liked Derrick Rose, and thought he was an excellent young talent. But I still haven’t jumped on the MVP bandwagon…. until now.
While I still think Dwight Howard is the rightful MVP of the regular season, Derrick Rose has convinced me that he is nothing short of the MVP of these playoffs.
He has been clutch when his team has needed him, he has dazzled with spectacular finishes at the rim, and has truly guided his team to victory as a real point guard should.
The Heat have no chance of stopping Derrick Rose. None.
He’s playing with more confidence than any other player. He never takes a play off (which isn’t the smartest when it could mean injury i.e. Game 4 vs. Indiana). And he trusts his teammates.
D-wade and LeBron trust each other—but that’s it. D-Rose knows he doesn’t have to do it all by himself and that will make the biggest difference.
Who’s playing the best basketball… right now?
The Mavs.
All jokes aside, this is what scares me the most.
The Heat are playing very well, coming off a huge beatdown of Beantown.
The Bulls haven’t played a complete game yet.
The Heat are going to be very difficult to defeat relying solely on your defense, as Chicago has done during its first two series.
They are going to have to play their best basketball, offensively and defensively. This is why all of the "elite" teams are losing and the "surprise" teams are winning. The Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, Magic did not play well. And they’re sitting at home, like me, watching from their couches.
If the Chicago Bulls can put these five things together against the Heat, there is no reason why their magical 2011 season shouldn’t continue into the NBA Finals.
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