Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls (Live Coverage - Game Two)
The way the Bulls dismantled the Heat in Game One, the outcome of tonight's Game Two at the United Center might mean the end to a turbulent season for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
The Bulls looked like heavy favorites in the first game with the way their bench players played like starters. Meanwhile, the Heat seemed to crash as the fourth quarter got started, after playing a strong first half.
Bosh, who has been subjected to a high amount of scrutiny due to some rather lackadaisical play, turned out to be the only player who showed up for Miami. Bosh scored 30 points and had nine rebounds, and was active on both ends of the court.
Meanwhile, James and Wade each had four turnovers, and fell well short of their season-scoring averages.
This might actually be a problem for Chicago.
Can the Bulls hold the James and Wade to a combined 33 points again? Head coach Tom Thibodeau is a smart defensive tactician, but back-to-back games of neutralizing two of the elite scorers in the NBA is a tall order.
James, Wade, and Bosh will be playing Game Two with a great sense of urgency. But one place where many anticipated they would be outmatched when the series started came into play in Game One: the Bulls have far superior depth.
While Miami has three All-Stars on their roster, point guard Derrick Rose is surrounded by seven teammates who would have no problem getting playing time on just about every team in the NBA.
For the Heat to compensate for their lack of depth, they will need certain players to step up in Game Two.
Miami needs at least one of the following to go along with better better performances from Wade and James: sharpshooter James Jones will have to get hot from three-point range, Joel Anthony will need to contribute something better than the 31 minutes and zero points he put up in Game One, and Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers will need to combine for at least 10 points.
That's not really a tall order, but the way the bench has played recently, the Heat are desperate for contributions to aid their superstars.
For Chicago, holding home court remains vital. Thibodeau needs to avoid giving the Heat any type of momentum heading back to Miami. The Heat realistically hoped for a split in Chicago going into this series, and they can still get it.
Rose scored 28 points in Game One, but the way he's been playing in recent months, he's capable of doing much more. The Bulls' point guard had three games where he scored 33 points or more in the previous series against the Hawks, and he shown no signs of fatigue.
Such a game might be in the cards for Rose if he thinks the bench isn't up for another great game.
Adjustments are constantly made throughout the playoffs. It will be interesting to see which ones Chicago will do to take a 2-0 to Miami, and which ones the Heat will make to salvage their lofty preseason expectations.
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