Bulls Don’t Stand a Chance Against Miami Heat? Not So Fast..
Flickr Photo via Keith Allison
If you’ve read any headlines since the Miami Heat knocked off the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, then you know virtually no one else stands a chance in this postseason. Not the Dallas Mavericks, who swept the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and surely not the Oklahoma City Thunder or Memphis Grizzlies.
Of course, the Bulls were just a stepping stone for the Heat, as well, given their troubles in getting past the Atlanta Hawks in six games. After all, the Heat beat the Celtics in five, and have been proclaimed unbeatable.
Well, there is a reason they play the games. Yes, it was impressive to see LeBron James and Dwayne Wade lighting it up together against the Celtics, but who did they really beat? A banged up, old Boston team, which had a point guard playing with one arm, in Rajon Rondo, and a frontcourt that included an aging Kevin Garnett and a should-have-retired-years-ago Shaquille O’Neal, who made less of an impact on this series than Brian Scalabrine did for the Bulls.
Not to discount the Heat, though. Obviously they’re a top tier team, given that potent backcourt. James and Wade are both all-NBA talents, which certainly showed against the C’s. Sure, they lack depth and a strong frontcourt, but they are still as deadly and explosive as any team remaining in these playoffs.
But to completely dismiss this series as over, as some have already done (looking at you Skip Bayless) could be considered nothing short of absurd. Yes, the Heat have great players, but the Bulls have proven this season that they have the all-around talent to keep up with anyone in the league.
At this point, dismissing the Bulls is irresponsible. They actually match up against the Heat much better than one might realize, even if many have already tossed the Bulls aside as an easy opponent for Miami.
In fact, the Bulls hold an advantage over the Heat, which could end up shaping this series. That advantage lies in the both the frontcourt of the Bulls, and their depth.
There is certainly no shortage of talent down low for the Bulls. After a few tough games in the playoffs, Carlos Boozer found his stride in Thursday’s Game 6 against the Hawks, along with the fact that he plays next to one of the most intense, and a top notch guy on the boards, in Joakim Noah.
Beyond those two, the hat still goes deeper. Taj Gibson has shown that he can stick with anyone in the league and is proving to be a key cog in the Bulls machine. There’s also Omer Asik, who is a beast on the boards and a solid backup for Noah, as well as the veteran big man Kurt Thomas, who is fresh after seeing little time to this point in the postseason.
What do the Heat have down low? Chris Bosh. Now Bosh has had a good postseason, but he was also playing against a Celtics frontcourt that looked very sorry in their series in the past week or so. Joel Anthony certainly isn’t in a league with Boozer or Noah, meaning whichever one Bosh does match up with, will have an extremely favorable matchup in this series.
Of course, there’s still that outlandish advantage the Heat have in the backcourt. Yes, the Bulls have the league MVP in Derrick Rose, but Miami boasts two of the game’s best players in Wade and James. Wade will most likely guard Rose, but luckily for the Bulls, Rose can keep himself fresh on the defensive side of things, with Keith Bogans expected to match up with Wade with the Bulls on D. There’s also the matter of that Luol Deng guy, who is a pretty great defender, matching up against James.
Say what you want about the Bulls not blowing teams out in the playoffs or not looking overly impressive. The fact is, that this team is sound from top to bottom, and has as much depth and defensive skill as any team in the league. They’re not built to blow teams out, and whether they come out on the winning or losing side of this series, each game should prove to be a close one.
On paper, you see the names of Wade and James and assume the Heat have an outstanding advantage over the Bulls in this series. But Chicago is the better overall team, with a better frontcourt and more depth, meaning this is going to be an extremely close, and nerve-racking series for Bulls fans, no matter the result.
Can We Stop Calling Them the B Team?
Since the USA team was put together, almost every media organization at one time or another has called it the B’ team, this has to stop.
If the roster is looked at, they’re all starters for their team in the NBA.This doesn’t mean they couldn’t be semi-scrub, but to be on a starter on an NBA lineup, the player has to have talent. They’re not junior varsity, they play in just as many close meaningful games as any other player in the NBA.
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Chauncey Billups is an NBA champion and a Finals MVP. Lamar Odom is a two-time NBA champion. Kevin Durant was the top scorer in the NBA last year and is a rookie of the year winner. Derrick Rose is also a rookie of the year award winner. All these guys have been NBA All-Stars except Odom, but Danny Granger has.
Fernandez a good fit?
“Sources close to the subject” say, the Chicago Bulls are interested in free agent Rudy Fernandez.
This brings a lot of speculation.
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Boozer opposes the Jordan theory
The free agency period hasn’t started yet, but there sure is plenty of talk about it, especially for the Chicago Bulls. They have the funds to pursue and sign any of the big three free agents: Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and Lebron James.
Wade has been reported to question the loyalty of the Bull’s management. Joakim Noah and Lindsay Hunter have been quoted in the media saying Lebron should come to Chicago. Bosh has listed Chicago as one of his five destinations he would like to play for next year.
D Wade says he is worried about Chicago’s loyalty
Dwayne Wade is going to be a free agent this summer. Wade is from Chicago. The Bulls need a two guard. It sounds like a perfect match, until Wade questions Chicago’s loyalty.
I agree with Wade, because Jordan, Pippen or any other ex-Bull are nowhere near the organization. I disagree with Wade because the management that was in place isn’t currently in office. Jerry Reinsdorf is still the owner, but is he really the guy they don’t get along with, no.
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For the most part it was Jerry Krause, who has retired in 2003 as the Bulls general manager.
Since then, there hasn’t been any rumors or problems with loyalty in the Bulls organization.
It would be great for Wade to get over Chicago’s past history and put on a Bull’s jersey.
