Series Preview: Chicago Bulls v.s. Miami Heat

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Best Kept Secret:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah where catching up with them (Heat board) really quick in the posts area, because we have had some great members join the Bulls board, along with the ones we already had, this year. I remember last year I would post a thread, and only get one or two replies, now everything in the Bulls forum usually has at least 11 or more replies in it.</div>


Yeah but during the Wiz series there was ALOT of trash talk and alot of posts. I miss the debates and crazy posts although we lost that series. But Ill try to put in my input more on our bourds. Ill probably create enemies but who cares.

Go Bulls!!!!!!!!!!!

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting michiganave17:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah but during the Wiz series there was ALOT of trash talk and alot of posts. I miss the debates and crazy posts although we lost that series. But Ill try to put in my input more on our bourds. Ill probably create enemies but who cares.

Go Bulls!!!!!!!!!!!</div>
Look forward to seeing you post some more. Always good to have people with different opinions, if everyone always agrees things get boring.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Chicago Bulls will head back to Florida with their best-of-seven first-round series with the Miami Heat even at two games apiece. Unfortunately, they may also be without their best low-post threat.

Kirk Hinrich collected 21 points - including a huge 3-pointer with just over a minute to go - and nine assists as the Bulls posted a 93-87 triumph over Heat.

Andres Nocioni scored 24 points and Ben Gordon added 23 for the Bulls, who lost center Tyson Chandler to an apparently serious right ankle sprain in the final minute.

The Heat rallied from an 13-point third-quarter deficit to take an 83-82 lead on a 3-pointer by Derek Anderson with 2 1/2 minutes to play. Hinrich tied the game by splitting two free throws 15 seconds later before Chicago took an 85-83 edge on a teardrop by Chris Duhon with 1:42 left.

After All-Star guard Dwyane Wade missed a jumper for Miami, Hinrich nailed a long 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down for an 88-83 lead with 1:09 to play.

Wade pulled Miami within 88-85 with a layup five seconds later and Hinrich turned the ball over on Chicago's next possession. With about 37 seconds left, Wade missed a shot over an onrushing Chandler, who rolled his ankle upon landing. Udonis Haslem and Wade both missed follow shots before Duhon grabbed the rebound, got fouled and sank two free throws to essentially ice it.

Antoine Walker scored 21 points and Wade added 20 and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who host Game Five on Tuesday.</div>

<div align="center">Recap l Box Score</div>

 

Bulls baby. All the way.

good scoreline to wake up too and an extra $21 atleast.

life is good. Bulls win 2 in a row, Titans get Vince AND LenDale. My weekend was great.

 

man from the sounds of it Miami have to stop cryin like babies, going at each other and blaming everyone else because they are losing.

clearly they don't have the cake wake they thought they would.

 

GO BULLS!!!
just woke up and saw the victory, gotta head out to uni now
i should be in a good mood for the rest of the day

 

i HATE kobe.

cost me $123.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting I-Miss-MJ:</div><div class="quote_post">i HATE kobe.

cost me $123.</div>
That shot was crazy. It took away from the excitement of the Bulls winning on ESPN. Way to steal the spot light from us Kobe!

 

How could the Suns blow it twice. I would have gone crazy if that was the Bulls and the Heat. Some calls weren't there in that game though. Like the small ones though, holding, reaching, etc.

 

it looks like the only thing keeping me from winning that bet -$123- is Kobe's shot.
i am gonna be depressed.

 

I'd be so pissed if I were you MJ. The Lakers should have never got that chance, yet they got it twice. Suns ended both times horrible.

 

nah I had the Cavs to win as well and they didnt, I thought the Cavs were up by 10 or so, so i thought they had it in the bag.

Not too bad anyway, I still won $21 for the Bulls winning on a seperate bet. Broke out $1 clear.

Might have another go with tomorrows teams.

 

<ul>
[*]Tyson Chandler suffered a mild to moderate right ankle sprain with 26.3 seconds left in Sunday's Game 4 of the opening-round playoff series against the Miami Heat. Chandler will have X-rays taken and will be re-evaluted Monday. He is listed as day-to-day.
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[*]Chandler was hurt underneath the basket as the teams battled for a rebound. Miami missed three shots before Chicago's Chris Duhon came away with the ball. Chandler stayed on the floor, writhing in pain after play was stopped, and then had to be carried off the floor minutes later.
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Thank God!!!!!

 

Great news, just a mild sprain.

 

man i saw the ankle injury on Sportscenter that woulda F***ing killed.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I don't know (what happened)," he said. "We messed up a play or something."

Veteran NBA playoff observers know the Heat might have messed up more than just a play this postseason if the friction persists between two of its top players.

Scottie Pippen, enjoying the game from a suite, used the rift as part of his explanation why he believes his former team has stolen the psychological edge from Miami by sweeping both games in Chicago.

Pippen and others could point to Wade's 8 of 23 shooting or Payton's shabbier-than-usual defense and wonder if the infighting factored into their inconsistency.

At least one Bulls player mentioned the altercation as a turning point.

"That kind of thing never happened to me (with Michael Jordan), but things like that do happen," Pippen said. "From a Bulls standpoint, you like to see that. You know nothing good is going to come out of it for them. You never know what's brewing or how long it's been brewing, so as a Bulls fan I hope it does carry over to Tuesday."</div>
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Pippen thinks the Heat are in trouble. Personally I agree.

 

Hopefully they are.

 

Walker and payton are two crybabies. they have been that way their whole careers. And with their careers winding down its becoming a crutch for their team.

 

they aint getting it there way and they aint winning this game in 4 like they thought they would.

that is why they are imploding.

 

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<font color="DarkRed">Chicago Bulls (41-41)</font> at <font color="Orange">Miami Heat (52-30)</font>
Game Five: Tuesday, 7:00pm at Heat
TV: TNT

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The Chicago Bulls are hoping a change of scenery will not result in a change of fortune against the Miami Heat. After two straight road losses, the second-seeded Heat return home to host the seventh-seeded Bulls in Game Five of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Tuesday (7:00 p.m. CT | TNT, CSN/ESPN Radio 1000).

Miami looked impressive on offense in winning the first two contests at home, averaging 113 points and shooting 50.3 percent (81-of-161) from the floor. However, their production slipped in Chicago, as they failed to score more than 90 points in either game. Andres Nocioni scored 24 points, Ben Gordon had 23 and Kirk Hinrich 21 for Chicago in Sunday's 93-87 triumph over Miami.

The most telling stat of Game Four was the difference in free-throw shooting. The Bulls were 24-of-31 from the line, while the Heat were just 4-of-5, with Dwyane Wade making all four of his attempts. Shaquille O'Neal, who averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in Miami's victories, had a limited impact in the last two contests because of foul trouble. After scoring just eight points and committing seven turnovers in Game Three, he had 16 points Sunday.

James Posey is expected back in the Miami line-up after serving a one-game league suspension for knocking down Hinrich in Game Three. The series moves back to Chicago for Game Six on Thursday. Tune in to watch tonight's game on TNT and Comcast SportsNet Chicago and listen to it on ESPN Radio 1000 (pregame at 6:30 p.m.).</font>

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<font color="Darkred"> Chicago Bulls</font>



<font size=""1""><font color=""DarkRed"">PG</font>- Kirk Hinrich
<font color=""DarkRed"">SG</font>- Ben Gordon
<font color=""DarkRed"">SF</font>- Malik Allen
<font color=""DarkRed"">PF</font>- Andres Nocioni
<font color=""DarkRed"">C</font>- Michael Sweetney</font>


<font size=""1"">Coach: Scott Skiles</font>

<font size="3">Season Stats</font>
Leading Scorer: Ben Gordon- 17.0 PPG
Leading Rebounder: Tyson Chandler- 9.0 RPG
Assist Man: Kirk Hinrich- 6.3 APG
The 'X' Factor: Luol Deng (14.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.9 APG)



[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/kirk_hinrich.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Kirk Hinrich</font>
PPG: 15.9, RPG: 3.6, APG: 6.3
Kirk Hinrich has exploded in this series, and game four was no different Hinrich not only finished with 21 points, but fell one assist short of his second playoff double double in a row. Hinrich also hit a deep three late in the fourth that sealed the game for the Baby Bulls. Hinrich will need to continue playing with the same type of efficiency tonight as the series shifts back to Miami.

[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/ben_gordon.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Ben Gordon</font>
PPG: 17.0 PPG, RPG: 2.7, APG: 3.0
Big Ben Gordon, along with Hinrich and Nocioni, have given the Bulls arguably the most dominating trio in the playoffs this year. They average over 60 points between the three, and have taken this series to the Heat. Gordon is coming off a 23 point game that was complete with, breath taking passes, big defensive stops, and incredible floaters down the lane. Come on Gordon two wins away from the second round!



[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/malik_allen.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Malik Allen</font>
PPG: 4.9, RPG: 2.6, APG: 0.4
Malik Allen had a good game defensively for the Bulls in game four finishing with two blocked shots. His stat line has not been impressive, like said before, but he has given the Bulls a good defensive presence, and a guy who can hit the open shot.

[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/andres_nocioni.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Andres Nocioni</font>
PPG: 13.6, RPG: 6.1, APG: 1.4
Andres Nocioni what can you say about the guy he has become a first rate superstar during this series. He is hitting shots, drawing fouls, and playing defense. He has impressed even me in this series. Nocioni finished game four with 25 points, and is averaging a virtual double double this series.

[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/mike_sweetney.jpg[/imgl]<font color="DarkRed">Michael Sweetney</font>
PPG: 8.1, RPG: 5.3, APG: 0.9
Michael Sweetney continued his solid play in game four. Sweetney finished with nine points, and seven rebounds. However, the most impressive part of his game was only seen live, not so much on the stat sheet. Sweets was getting rebounds over guys, posting people up, and being aggressive towards the basket. He was also 5-5 from the free throw line so he is making the most of his opportunities.
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<font color="Orange">Miami Heat</font>



<font size=""1""><font color=""Orange"">PG</font>- Jason Williams
<font color=""Orange"">SG</font>- Dwyane Wade
<font color=""Orange"">SF</font>- Antoine Walker
<font color=""Orange"">PF</font>- Udonis Haslem
<font color=""Orange"">C</font>- Shaquille O‘Neal</font>

<font size=""1"">Coach: Pat Riley</font>

<font size="3">Season Stats</font>
Leading Scorer: Dwyane Wade - 27.3 PPG
Leading Rebounder: Shaquille O‘Neal- 9.2 RPG
Assist Man: Dwyane Wade - 6.7 APG
The 'X' Factor: Shaquille O’Neal (20.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.9 APG)



[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/jason_williams.jpg[/imgl]<font color="Orange">Jason Williams </font>
PPG: 12.3, RPG: 2.4, APG: 4.9
Jason Williams finally slowed down in game four after a fantastic first three games. Williams shot only 1-9 and finished the game with two points. The Heat had no outside threat this entire game due to Williams inefficiency, and the suspension of James “cheap shot” Posey.

[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/dwyane_wade.jpg[/imgl]<font color="Orange">Dwyane Wade </font>
PPG: 27.3, RPG: 4.3, APG: 6.7
Dwyane Wade had a pretty average game, outside of his argument with Payton, no real highlights from him. Wade finished the game with only 20 points on 8-23 shooting. Not only did he fail to stand out, by Dwyane standards, on the offensive end he finished with five turnovers in the game. Will Wade get back on track tonight when he is back in Miami?



[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/antoine_walker.jpg[/imgl]<font color="Orange">Antonie Walker </font>
PPG: 12.2, RPG: 5.1, APG: 2.0
Walker was another Heat who despite his points on the final stat sheet was really just a volume shooter in game four. He shot 8-19 from the field, and did not do much of anything else for the Heat in game four. He finished with only five rebounds and three assists despite playing nearly 40 minutes.

[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/udonis_haslem.jpg[/imgl]<font color="Orange">Udonis Haslem</font>
PPG: 9.3, RPG: 7.8, APG: 1.2
Haslem was probably one of the only Heat who actually played good game in game four. Haslem finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds although he did not have as many points as Wade, or Walker he was efficient with his shot selection, and did what was needed of him.

[imgl]http://www.nba.com/media/playerfile/shaquille_oneal.jpg[/imgl]<font color="orange">Shaquille O’Neal </font>
PPG:20.0, RPG: 9.2, APG: 1.9
To all those who said Shaq would come back and dominate the Bulls after being embarrassed in game three. To all those who said the Diesel would destroy the Bulls just like he did in game one and two. All I have to say is what happened? Shaq failed to reach 20 points, and did not even have double digit rebounds. Although, a solid game for some, for arguably the most dominant player in NBA history just another bad performance. Will Shaq rebound after his child’s birth? Or will he feel as though he needs to spend more time at home, and continue to play the way he has, thus leading to the Heats elimination and some vacation time for the Diesel.
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<ul><font color="DarkRed"><font size=""1"">Force Turnovers</font></font> <font size=""1"">the Bulls forced the Heat into 19 turnovers in game three as they won their first game of the series. There is no doubt that there ability to force those turnovers, and win the game go hand in hand. They need to continue doing more of the same this afternoon.</font>[/list]

<ul><font color="DarkRed"><font size=""1"">Points in the Paint</font></font> <font size=""1""> the Bulls where dominated in the paint in game four, even though they still won they cannot be handled like that down low again.</font>[/list]


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<ul><font color="Orange"><font size=""1"">Stay out of foul trouble </font></font> <font size=""1""> you need Shaq on the court. It‘s plain and simple he dominated in games one and two, but did nothing but warm the bench in games three and four.</font>[/list]

<ul><font color="Orange"><font size=""1""> Keep your cool </font></font> <font size=""1"">again this is a key after another overheat in the Heat team with Wade and Payton losing their cool. Come on heat your suppose to be the veteran team what happened?</font>[/list]


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<font size="1">Let‘s go Bulls! I‘m picking the Bulls tonight, and even though I said Bulls in seven am going back on my prediction and picking the Bulls in six!!!!</font>

 

come on Baby Bulls!

continue the Miami implosion.