2011 NBA Playoffs: What Chicago Bulls Must Do To Even Series with Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have a chance to run away with the series if they go up 3-1 on the Chicago Bulls. Conversely, if the Bulls manage to steal Game 4 in Miami, the series is up for grabs once again.
So how do they go about doing so? The Heat looked fairly dominant in Game 3, holding the Bulls to only 85 points. A repeat performance puts this series nearly out of reach.
Here are five ways the Bulls can take down the Heat and bring the series to 2-2.
Derrick Rose Needs To Return to MVP Form
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Twenty points from the league's MVP aren't going to be enough from Derrick Rose. Once he approaches the 30-point mark, the Bulls become much more competitive.
The Bulls aren't good enough for Rose to slip into the background. While the Heat can get production from any of three players, the Bulls only have one guy who can really go off for 40. It becomes problematic when Carlos Boozer or Luol Deng are the leading scorers.
Rose could be the best player on the floor, even when he shares it with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. He needs to take control of Game 4.
Keep Forcing Chris Bosh to Be "The Guy"
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Chris Bosh is the third-best player on his basketball team. The Heat usually get production from the Big 3 exclusively. When Bosh is the leading scorer, that isn't a great sign for Miami.
He put down 34 points in Game 3. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade still performed well, but Bosh was on fire. The Bulls are in the best position to win when Bosh is taking the most shots on the Heat. James is an NBA icon and Wade is an elite guard.
Bosh isn't going to go 12-of-17 or 13-of-18 every night. By putting pressure on James and Wade and forcing Bosh to take over the game, the Heat become much more manageable.
The Bull's Frontcourt Needs To Steal the Show
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Derrick Rose is the best player on the Bulls, without question. The biggest liability for the Heat is in their front court. To win, Rose has to put up big numbers, and they have to take advantage of a soft Heat frontcourt.
The Bulls don't have problems rebounding against the Heat. Even in Game 3 where the Heat came out ahead, the Bulls outrebounded hem 41-32.
Carlos Boozer finished the game with 26 points and 17 boards. If Joakim Noah could meet him halfway in terms of offensive production, the Bulls would have something going.
Win the Hustle Plays
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When you look back to Game 1, the Bulls seemed like a much more determined and hungry team than the Heat were. The Heat almost seemed to have a sense of entitlement going into the series.
The Bulls lost some of that swagger somewhere along the way. They aren't putting it all out there like they were when the series began. The Bulls don't have the kind of talent Miami has.
The only way they take out the Heat is with team basketball and a scrappy style of play.
Keep the Crowd out of the Game
5 of 5How do you keep the crowd out of the game in playoff basketball? For one, Joakim Noah can't get into a verbal battle with fans. Allow a heckler to impact your bank account and they have already won.
The Bulls can win on the road. The best way to neutralize the crowd and chalk up another road victory is to keep the Heat from going on a scoring rampage.
The Heat are one of those teams who can have a succession of huge plays. LeBron throws it down, Wade hits a big bucket, they force a turnover that leads to a fast break, etc. Problems can compound on themselves and the crowd starts getting behind them.
By playing Bulls defense and limiting offensive streaks, the Bulls keep this competitive.
