NBA Playoffs 2011: Who Is the Miami Heat's X-Factor?

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was an affair dominated by one team: the Chicago Bulls.

Though the scores were even going into halftime, the Bulls just pulled away from Miami in the third quarter en route to a 21 point blowout.

You could argue that Miami won the defensive battle to some extent: The fact that they held Chicago to 43 percent shooting is an encouraging statistic.

The statistic that isn't encouraging, however, is 19 offensive rebounds to Miami's six.

Plain and simple, Miami just got out-hustled.

Chicago played with energy, especially the big men.

Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Omer Asik and Taj Gibson dismantled the Miami Heat.

Miami deserves credit, however. They closed out on shooters, rotated well and forced the Bulls (especially Derrick Rose) into having to take some tough shots, the majority of which were not falling for Chicago.

However, these misses seemingly always found their way into the hands of a Bulls player, who simply just went back up for an easy layup or dished it out to an open man on the perimeter.

With Joel Anthony now starting full-time, the Miami Heat bench is left with no player who can come in and rebound the ball efficiently.

Someone needs to step up and become a force on the boards. Someone needs to bring hustle, energy and toughness to show the Bulls that they can not simply have their way with Miami.

That player is Udonis Haslem.

The co-captain of the Miami Heat—the ultimate workhorse who does everything to help his team win.

After suffering a regular-season-ending foot injury against Memphis back in November, Haslem just hasn't looked the same, and neither has the Miami Heat.

Coming off the bench in 13 games for the Heat before the injury, Haslem was averaging eight points and eight rebounds in only 26 minutes of action.

He led the bench and increased their productivity, something that Miami has missed all season long.

Haslem plays tough, gritty, grind-it-out defense. His energy and hustle inspire his teammates. This is exactly what Miami needs to counteract the energy that the Chicago Bulls receive from their bench.

Not only is he a solid defensive player and rebounder, but he can score the ball well. He is automatic with his baseline jumper and would be another player who could space the floor for Miami, as well as serve as a prime target for the likes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in drive-and-kick situations.

The only problem is that he is far from being 100 percent and is as rusty as an old nail.

Coach Erik Spoelstra put Haslem into the game in the late stages of Sunday's blowout loss to try and shake off some of this rust. He looked somewhat active, but missed badly on his only shot (a mid-range jumper from near the free-throw line)

This was a move which showcased the fact that Spoelsta wants (and also needs) Haslem to be as ready as he can be, as he may have to rely on his services if Miami doesn't improve its efforts on the glass.

This would be a welcome change for any Heat fan, as the likes of Juwan Howard and Jamaal Magloire just are not the athletes they used to be and are getting beaten to the glass by the younger bigs of the Bulls.

One thing is for certain: Udonis Haslem may very well end up being the X-factor for this series from a Miami viewpoint.