The Chicago Bulls defeated the Miami Heat, 103-82, last night to take a 1-0 lead in the 2011 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. While the series is still young and the Heat can very well even up the series, here are some ways that the Bulls dictated the flow of Game 1.
1) Make Chris Bosh the #1 Option
All season long, Chris Bosh has been criticized for his lack of quality play. An All-Star for his talent and performance in the past, Bosh shifted away from his strong low post play and primarily focused on midrange jumpshooting this season. While this has been a normal tactic of Pat Riley-influenced teams--think Charles Oakley, P.J. Brown, and Udonis Haslem--Bosh relinquished his ability to score on offensive rebounds. In doing so, Chris Bosh immediately became known as the third member of the South Beach Big Three.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have been a top-ranked defense all season. This is largely in part because of the nonstop hustle of Joakim Noah and the defensive brilliance of Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, who was a key assistant of Doc Rivers for the Boston Celtics. Thibodeau has been credited for helping contain both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in past series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Thus, Coach Thibodeau and the team combined elements of defensive schemes to keep James and Wade in check while also using a strategy like the rival Atlanta Hawks did in guarding Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic this year in the playoffs. Different scenarios, yes--Bosh is thought of as the #3 option on the Heat while Howard is clearly the #1 option on the Magic--but the fact of the matter remains that no NBA team can win the NBA championship with only one player scoring a lot of points. Last night for the Miami Heat, they had four legitimate scorers: Bosh, Wade, James, and Mario Chalmers. Their other three scorers--Mike Bibby, James Jones, and Jamaal Magloire--combined for 10 points.
2) Have 5-6 Legitimate Scorers for Each Game
As the Miami Heat have shown that they can score points on any given day, the Chicago Bulls need to step up their offensive play for this series. That is, both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks lacked the offensive power to keep up with the Bulls' stellar defense, while the Miami Heat do have the firepower to test the Bulls defense. As such, scoring 70-80 points per game will not beat the Heat.
Last night, the Chicago Bulls had six strong scorers: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Ronnie Brewer. Gibson and Brewer specifically played outstanding games last night off the Chicago Bulls bench. Add in the scoring ability of Kyle Korver and potential from Omer Asik and the other bench players and the Bulls look like they are ready to take control of this series.
3) Continue to Dominate the Boards
The most intriguing aspect of the Chicago Bulls is the team's ability to dominate the offensive boards and rebounding in general. Granted, both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missed extensive time this season, meaning that the team found a lot of success with having only one of the two players in the rotation at a time. However, the rebounding threats that both Boozer and Noah provide are not seen very often in the NBA. The pair combined for 23 rebounds in Game 1, including 12 offensive rebounds. The Miami Heat as a team only had 33 rebounds in Game 1, including a modest 6 offensive rebounds. Chris Bosh did his part with 9 rebounds, but the next best rebounders--LeBron James and Joel Anthony--were held to 15 points and 0 points, respectively.
4) Capitalize on Home Court Advantage
For the first time since 1998, the Chicago Bulls are in the Eastern Conference Finals. This includes having the new NBA MVP, Derrick Rose, who is not pre-occupied with trying to fill the shoes of Michael Jordan. After being spurned by LeBron James and Chris Bosh in offseason recruiting, Rose cemented his status as the team's best player, with Boozer becoming the Bulls' new low post threat. In turn, the fans have responded quite well. In Game 1, the crowd gave endless support to the Bulls, as they turned a 48-48 tie into a 21-point victory. If the Bulls can continue to play this way in Chicago, they will not feel the pressure to win all of the road games in Miami.
1) Make Chris Bosh the #1 Option
All season long, Chris Bosh has been criticized for his lack of quality play. An All-Star for his talent and performance in the past, Bosh shifted away from his strong low post play and primarily focused on midrange jumpshooting this season. While this has been a normal tactic of Pat Riley-influenced teams--think Charles Oakley, P.J. Brown, and Udonis Haslem--Bosh relinquished his ability to score on offensive rebounds. In doing so, Chris Bosh immediately became known as the third member of the South Beach Big Three.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have been a top-ranked defense all season. This is largely in part because of the nonstop hustle of Joakim Noah and the defensive brilliance of Head Coach Tom Thibodeau, who was a key assistant of Doc Rivers for the Boston Celtics. Thibodeau has been credited for helping contain both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in past series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Thus, Coach Thibodeau and the team combined elements of defensive schemes to keep James and Wade in check while also using a strategy like the rival Atlanta Hawks did in guarding Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic this year in the playoffs. Different scenarios, yes--Bosh is thought of as the #3 option on the Heat while Howard is clearly the #1 option on the Magic--but the fact of the matter remains that no NBA team can win the NBA championship with only one player scoring a lot of points. Last night for the Miami Heat, they had four legitimate scorers: Bosh, Wade, James, and Mario Chalmers. Their other three scorers--Mike Bibby, James Jones, and Jamaal Magloire--combined for 10 points.
2) Have 5-6 Legitimate Scorers for Each Game
As the Miami Heat have shown that they can score points on any given day, the Chicago Bulls need to step up their offensive play for this series. That is, both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks lacked the offensive power to keep up with the Bulls' stellar defense, while the Miami Heat do have the firepower to test the Bulls defense. As such, scoring 70-80 points per game will not beat the Heat.
Last night, the Chicago Bulls had six strong scorers: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and Ronnie Brewer. Gibson and Brewer specifically played outstanding games last night off the Chicago Bulls bench. Add in the scoring ability of Kyle Korver and potential from Omer Asik and the other bench players and the Bulls look like they are ready to take control of this series.
3) Continue to Dominate the Boards
The most intriguing aspect of the Chicago Bulls is the team's ability to dominate the offensive boards and rebounding in general. Granted, both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah missed extensive time this season, meaning that the team found a lot of success with having only one of the two players in the rotation at a time. However, the rebounding threats that both Boozer and Noah provide are not seen very often in the NBA. The pair combined for 23 rebounds in Game 1, including 12 offensive rebounds. The Miami Heat as a team only had 33 rebounds in Game 1, including a modest 6 offensive rebounds. Chris Bosh did his part with 9 rebounds, but the next best rebounders--LeBron James and Joel Anthony--were held to 15 points and 0 points, respectively.
4) Capitalize on Home Court Advantage
For the first time since 1998, the Chicago Bulls are in the Eastern Conference Finals. This includes having the new NBA MVP, Derrick Rose, who is not pre-occupied with trying to fill the shoes of Michael Jordan. After being spurned by LeBron James and Chris Bosh in offseason recruiting, Rose cemented his status as the team's best player, with Boozer becoming the Bulls' new low post threat. In turn, the fans have responded quite well. In Game 1, the crowd gave endless support to the Bulls, as they turned a 48-48 tie into a 21-point victory. If the Bulls can continue to play this way in Chicago, they will not feel the pressure to win all of the road games in Miami.