NBA Playoffs 2011: Heat vs Bulls, Who Has the Better Defense?

Not since the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers series in the early 2000's have we seen such a pristine display of quality defenses as what we witnessed last night between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.

The final result of 85-75 describes this game perfectly, as neither team could take advantage of their strong defenses.

That is, until LeBron James took matters into his own hands in the final minutes of the game where he led a 12-2 charge in the final 4:28 to steal away home court advantage from Chicago. James had nine of his 29 points during that span, while Dwyane Wade chipped in a few points during the run to finish with 24.

The Bulls only had one scorer with over 20 points, and that was Derrick Rose, who finished with 21, but missed nearly 70 percent of his 23 shot attempts.

The Heat defense was stellar by allowing only one other player in double-figures, Luol Deng with 13, and holding the team to only 34 percent shooting. Chicago also shot three of 20 from deep after hitting 10 of 21 in game one.

Chicago's defense allows the Heat to shoot 47 percent, but was still suffocating and hardly allowed any Heat player to make their way into the paint. The Bulls' individual defenders were up for the occasion, and so was the help defense that reassured the individual defender that no one was going to break through the wall on the perimeter.

In fact, all but one of James' final points came from outside of the paint.

The Bulls' defense was fantastic along the perimeter once again, as they held the Heat to 23 percent shooting from deep. LeBron James and Mike Bibby were the only players to convert from deep, and even those shots were highly contested.

James' one three-pointer happened to come at the right time for Miami, as it broke a 73-73 tie and gave the lead to the Heat for the rest of the way.

It's only with these defenses that superstars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Derrick Rose could be put in check.

In game one, the Bulls held James to five of 15 shooting, and Wade to seven of 17 shooting en route to a decisive 102-81 victory. The tables were turned this time around, as both players shot 50 percent or better, and Rose was the one struggling from the field.

Much like how Wade and James couldn't penetrate for the entirety of game one, Rose played the part of a non-factor as the Heat stifled him and kept him out of his comfort zone. Bibby played exceptional one-on-one defense, and the Heat's bigs made sure that Rose wouldn't be able to find anything easily if he was able to break through.

These defenses meant business in game two.

Miami wasn't going to allow the Bulls to run amok like they did in game one, and the Bulls weren't exactly ready to allow the Heat to take home court advantage. This was a battle between the league's two best defenses, and it still took the best player in the world a few miraculous shots to eek out a victory.

While both defenses are suffocating and could make anyone feel claustrophobic, they differ from each other in many ways.

For one, the Bulls rely more on their physicality, toughness, and team defense, unlike the Heat who will rely more on their athletic stars and their individual defense with help defense from the bigs out on the perimeter. Each team uses their advantages so well that it's no wonder why neither team could clip 90 points.

The Bulls have two lines of defense: the guards up top and the bigs down low.

If you somehow manage to make it past Rose and the defensive specialist Keith Bogans, you then have to take on some of the better low post defenders in the league in Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. Each player is physical and would much rather send you to the floor for some free throws before letting you make anything easy.

The Heat rely on their individual defenders in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for the majority of their defense, mostly because they are weak in the middle and need stoppers at top. Both players are some of the best defenders that the league has to offer, and it was obvious last night from the way their match-ups struggled.

Remember Luol Deng and his 13 points? He had 11 of those in the first quarter.

While the Heat's defense is near the top of the league, they still have encountered a number of problems; their biggest being the lack of toughness in the middle.

Until Udonis Haslem arrived yesterday and single-handedly annihiliated the Bulls on offense, defense, and the boards, the Heat were a team in dire straits.

Chris Bosh lacks any sort of toughness needed in the post, and the Heat's former banger centers should be in a retirement home before stepping onto an NBA court. Jamaal Magloire backing off of a streaking Deng and allowing an easy dunk was a clear sign that the Heat's toughest center was going to provide no resistance to the Bulls.

If there's any toughness on this Heat team in the middle, it's going to come from Haslem. He's a warrior and the emotional leader for Miami and has been now for eight seasons. Even though last night was his first full game since an injury in mid-November, Haslem showed more heart and gave more effort than most Heat players have given all season long.

Effort. It's the key word and it's why the Bulls' defense remains supreme as the league's top defense.

The Heat have the athleticism and the Bulls can't match that in any way, shape, or form; much like how Miami can't match up with Chicago's size.

However, it's the Bulls' effort and emotion that they put into every game on the defensive end that has allowed them to get this far into the post season. Coach Tom Thibodeau has preached the importance of defense and it has stuck with this new look Bulls team throughout the regular season and now deep into the playoffs.

Just take a look at the Bulls' defense for 48 minutes.

No matter who is on the floor, they all know their role on the team and they all know that their play on defense is going to win them the game. They don't look towards winning the game on making baskets in a set offense, but rather look to holding the opponent to as few points as possible.

There is no quit in the Bulls defense. In the final minutes of game two when James was winning it for Miami, the defense still mustered up all the energy they could to prevent him from scoring.

They managed to keep him out of the paint and on the perimeter, but once James starts making those shots, it's going to be very difficult to limit him. Even on the one shot he missed, he was able to grab his own board and score on the put back.

And that's just the problem with this Bulls defense.

They give the majority of their effort on defense and it could cost them when trying to keep up with an athletic team like the Heat. Their semi-finals match-up in Atlanta was nearly as athletic, but lacked the discipline and talent that Miami possesses. Miami is too talented and athletic of a team and it's why they're going to be able to tire and wear out the Bulls staunch defense.

Chicago easily has the top defense in the league based on their effort alone, but it might come back to bite them in the long run. LeBron and Dwyane's athleticism with Udonis Haslem's toughness and tenacity back in the rotation could prove to be too much for this team that has been built on defense, hustling, and a never quit attitude that only the elite teams possess.

I hope you like a lot of games where we're lucky to see the teams combine for 160 points because we're in for a few of them.

You can follow John Friel on twitter @JohnFtheheatgod for constant Heat news and updates.