Word?
Judging by the players, coaches and fan's reactions after Miami defeated Boston 97-87 in game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, and judging by the media's take on it, you would think Miami had exorcised all their demons and dispatched their biggest competition for the title all in one fell swoop. We all “witnessed” LeBron James on his knees on the court, head down in a moment of exhaustive triumph and relief like a knight who had slayed the mighty dragon. Dwyane Wade on his back, soaking it all in, reveling in the pleasure of curing his pain.
Please…
Everyone wanted to paint Boston and Miami as the Eastern Conference’s elite and bitter rivals all year. What with Boston dispatching both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade early in last year's playoffs, and then embarrassing the new "Big Three" in their first ever game together, sending them off in defeat while the Boston crowd serenaded them with chants of “overrated”. Boston would go on to win the next two games, Paul Pierce infamously tweeting “It’s been a pleasure to bring my talents to South Beach” after one victory in Miami.
Yet while the Heat won their last regular season meeting in convincing fashion, somehow when the two met in the second round, it was seen as a chance for the Heat to “exorcise their demons”, and all that good stuff. It was being called the “real” Eastern Conference Finals; “whoever won the series would win the East”!
I beg to differ.
Everyone must have forgotten that there’s a third team in the East. The one that had the best record in the entire league. The one that has the MVP as well as the Coach of the Year. The one that was 5-2 against the Heat and the Celtics on the season, and 3-0 against the Heat specifically. The one that may have literally reduced some Miami Heat players to tears the last time the two teams met.
You may have accidentally stumbled upon my blog and not know a thing about the NBA if you don’t know which team I’m talking about by now. And if you did, welcome! Thanks for stopping by. Stick around a bit, you’ll learn something.
The Chicago Bulls may be, in the opinion of some, currently struggling in the playoffs, but make no mistake about it, they are TRULY the Miami Heat’s biggest obstacle as far as reaching the Finals goes. All three games between the two in the regular season were close, but the Bulls were able to close them out, and the Heat obviously weren’t. Wade and James were brilliant, but Rose was just as brilliant if not more, and took it to both superstars time and time again.
After their final game, a devastating loss for Miami in which neither LeBron James nor Dwyane Wade were able to make potentially game winning baskets, Miami coach Eric Spoelstra told the media that there were members of the Miami Heat crying in the locker room. Whether this was true or not, it was undeniable that the Bulls had the Heat’s number in the regular season.
So with a potential showdown looming, what to make of the fact that the Bulls are “struggling” and the Heat are dominating in the postseason? Well, while most would say that regular season stats mean little in the playoffs, I do feel the need to point out that while the Bulls have had a problem with playing down to the level of their competition, they have played their absolute best against other elite teams. Case in point: after the New Year, the Bulls were 10-0 against teams that would go on to win 50-plus games on the season, including the aforementioned 3-0 against the Heat. That’s pretty impressive stuff.
If the regular season trend holds true in the postseason, you can expect the Bulls to step their game up tremendously and remind the Miami Heat who their real beasts, bullies and demons are. And if that trend holds true, the Bulls should leave the Heat in tears once more.
I will add that realistically, the Heat have been playing phenomenally and the Bulls have indeed had their miscues in the postseason. I will also add that all that may not matter in the Eastern Conference Finals
I realize, as I type this, that there’s still the simple matter of dispatching the Hawks before a Miami/Chicago Eastern Conference Finals is official. While it’s never wise to underestimate your foe, in regards to the Atlanta Hawks, as a Bulls fan I must paraphrase Sean Carter: “We ain’t looking at you dudes, we looking past you”
No comments:
Post a Comment