2011 NBA Playoff Predictions: Bulls vs Heat
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The Eastern Conference is down to just two teams. The top-seeded Chicago Bulls, who finished the regular season with an overall record of 62-20, are set to take on the Miami Heat, who finished four games back of Chicago as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. The seven-game series is scheduled to get underway this Sunday at the United Center.
The Bulls struggled out of the gates, as they really had their hands full with the Indiana Pacers in the opening round. Chicago went on to win the series 4-1, but it wasn’t the start everyone expected for the team with the best record in the NBA. Chicago got off to another slow start in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. Chicago dropped the opening game at home 103-95, and were tied 2-2 after splitting their two games in Atlanta. The Bulls didn’t seem to be phased, as they went on to beat the Hawks by double-digits in the next two games to close out the series.
The Heat also had their struggles in the opening round, as they needed six games to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami routinely found themselves in huge holes early, but the star power of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh proved to be more than enough down the stretch. The Heat then turned their attention to the much anticipated series against the Boston Celtics. Miami jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two impressive wins at home. After dropping game 3 in Boston, the Heat pulled off a dramatic overtime win in game 4 that sealed the deal, as they went on to close out the series at home in game 5.
Miami and Chicago faced off three times in the regular season. The Bulls won all three games, but in no way did they dominate the Heat. The three wins came by a combined eight points. While the regular season means nothing at this point, those three wins will give the Bulls confidence that they can win this series.
The key to the Bulls success is on the defensive end. In Chicago’s eight playoff wins they haven’t allowed the opposing team to reach the 100 point mark. Their defense struggled at times against the Pacers, but overall they allowed just 90.2 points in the five game series. The Bulls defense was up and down in the series against the Hawks. In their two losses they gave up an average of 101.5 points, but in their four wins they allowed just under 78 points a game.
I believe the Bulls have to do whatever they can to force Wade and James to beat them with their outside shots. Not that these two can’t knock down the open jumper, but Chicago has no chance if they are making a living in the paint and getting to the free throw line consistently.
The Bulls don’t have the offensive attack to where they can trade basket for basket and expect to win, especially not against the likes of Miami. Derrick Rose, who is averaging 28.8 points and 8.2 assists in the playoffs, has many times been the Bulls only scoring option, and while the MVP can put this team on his back, he is going to need some help if Chicago is going to win this series. Carlos Boozer had arguably his best game of the playoffs in the final game against the Hawks. Boozer scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. It was the first time in the postseason that he topped the 20-point mark. Luol Deng also has to be a factor on both sides of the ball. He is averaging 16.7 points, but with him likely spending most of his energy guarding James on the defensive end, you have to wonder how much he will be able to provide offensively.
While most of the attention is on what the “Big Three” bring offensively, the Heat are also one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. James and Wade are two of the top defenders in the game, and as a team they really get after you on the perimeter and force you to work for a good shot. The only problem for the Heat is they don’t matchup well with Rose on the defensive end. It will be interesting to see if Wade or James doesn’t end up guarding Rose if he gets off to a strong start.
Offensively the Heat are going to get the usual 20+ points from both James and Wade, but I believe for them to advance they have to get a big series out of Chris Bosh and they have to have at least a couple guys off the bench play well. Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau will live with James and Wade being the main offensive options if the rest of the team doesn’t provide any help. Guys like Mario Chalmers and James Jones have to hit the 3-point shot for Miami to really be effective offensively.
Prediction: Bulls win in 7 Games
While the oddsmakers like the Heat to advance in this series, I am going to stick with my original pick of the Bulls to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. You can’t underestimate the way Chicago gets after it defensively, and they also have the advantage of having game 7 at home if the series were to reach that point. Derrick Rose is the league MVP for a reason, and I believe he is going to shine in one of the most entertaining series of this year’s playoffs.
If you are looking to beat the NBA odds during the playoffs, check out our expert NBA picks and turn your NBA betting experience into one you won’t forget!
Got something to say?
