Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat: 5 Things Chicago Must Do To Win Game 4

With a pivotal Game 4 lurking around the corner, the Chicago Bulls are searching for answers. After being visibly frustrated by Miami's asphyxiating defense, the Bulls find themselves in quite the predicament.

Trailing 2-1 to the Heat, a loss on Tuesday night would all but assure them a premature flight to their respective summer vacation homes; teams facing a 3-1 deficit in a seven-game series have come back to win the series less than five percent of the time.

As much as I hate to label non-elimination games as "must-win" situations, the Bulls essentially find themselves in such a scenario. A win preserves their dream season; a loss cripples it. And with that ultimatum hanging over their heads, Chicago would be wise to complete the following five tasks:

Pass the Damn Ball

Chicago's ball movement—or rather, lack thereof—has been atrocious in this series. The Heat's stifling defense is one of the best in recent memory, but by continuously running isolation sets, Chicago is playing right into their hands.

Fluid ball movement means all five defenders have to work. It leads to physical fatigue and, eventually, mental lapses in defensive rotations. If the ball is constantly being passed around, even the most disciplined of defenses are prone to mistakes.

Chicago had only five assists in the first half of Game 3. This was clearly a talking point at halftime, as their first play of the third quarter was a beautiful display of team basketball. With the ball quickly being passed from player to player, Miami's defenders were forced to constantly be on the move.

The result? An uncontested layup.

Crash the Boards, Crash the Boards, Crash the Boards

And crash the boards some more.

The Bulls must unleash an all-out assault on the offensive glass if they are to win this game. Chicago's lack of shooting prowess means they have to rely on their size and energy to generate second-chance points.

TNT analyst Steve Kerr made a great point in Game 3, saying that Chicago's best offensive option was to just throw the ball at the rim and go get the rebound while Miami's defense was out of position. It led to multiple easy tip-ins by Taj Gibson in the fourth quarter, and nearly sparked a game-changing run.

Unfortunately for Chicago, Turkish big man Omer Asik will likely be limited on Tuesday because of a muscle strain in his left leg. This means Gibson, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer must be relentless in their pursuit of offensive rebounds and composed in their follow-up opportunities.

Don't Double-Team LeBron

Trying to game-plan for LeBron James sucks. There's really no eloquent way to say it; it is a nightmarish task that has driven opposing coaches to near-insanity and occasionally, to unemployment.  

But one thing Tom Thibodeau can do to increase his team's chances is to avoid double-teaming LeBron. He is incredibly adept at finding the open man, and every Miami player outside of Joel Anthony is a capable shooter.  

In Game 3, James was more than willing to play the role of facilitator, dishing out 10 assists while taking just 13 shots. His passing exposed gaps in Chicago's defense and led to numerous easy baskets. 

I know it sounds odd, but the best way to defend LeBron is to let him shoot the ball. There is always this idea thrown around that you can't allow the other team's best scorer beat you, that you have to force somebody else to make shots.

However, this is a very flawed argument. James is a fantastic scorer, one of the greatest in the history of the NBA. But a contested LeBron James jumper is a lower percentage shot than a wide open Chris Bosh 15-footer or Mike Bibby three-pointer.

It's how Atlanta played Dwight Howard and Dallas played Kobe Bryant: Let them take all the shots and don't allow anybody else to get involved in the offense. Both of those teams prevailed in their respective series.

It's time for Thibodeau to stop sending a second defender LeBron's way and settle for the lesser of two evils. 

Win the Free-Throw Battle

In a series where scoring is highly difficult, the team that best utilizes the free-throw line will give themselves an incredible advantage

Obviously, the referees play a prominent role in deciding which team takes more free throws, but Chicago must force the men in stripes to make calls. By attacking the rim with vigor, the Bulls give themselves the opportunity to get to the line more often and put shot-blocking extraordinaire Anthony in foul trouble.

And of course, once they get there, Chicago will have to actually make the shots. They are shooting 73 percent from the line, compared to 85 percent for Miami. This disparity will have to shrink in order for the Bulls to win.

Derrick Rose Must Be Spectacular

I've verbally drooled over Derrick Rose at every opportunity, even going so far as to say he was the best point guard in the playoffs (Chris Paul then proceeded to make me look like an idiot). But Rose hasn't played at the MVP level that we are accustomed to seeing from him.

His low shooting percentage is not what bothers me. When you are the only player on your team capable of creating your own shot, you're inevitably going to take some bad ones as the shot clock winds down.

The much more worrisome factor is his dramatic decline in free-throw attempts. Through three games in the Eastern Conference finals, Rose has attempted just 19 free throws. He made 19 back in Game 1 of the first round.

For Chicago to have any chance at turning this series around, Rose will have to find a way to navigate around Miami's defensive wall and throw himself at the rim. By initiating contact and getting to the line, Rose can propel his team to victory like the MVP that he is.