Heat Vs. Bulls, Game 1: Chicago Blows Out Miami To Take Game 1, 103-82

Heat Vs. Bulls: Chicago Stays Big When Miami Used Small Lineups

The Chicago Bulls routed the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals series in large part due to an overwhelming rebounding advantage. One of the reasons that happened is that Miami, because of their lack of talent at the center position, tried to rely on small lineups to overcompensate. The Bulls stayed with traditional big lineups and made the Heat pay.

SB Nation's Bulls blog Blog a Bull notes this is an advantage the Bulls will always have.

Well, if the Bulls are to win, this is how it happens. As speculated, the Heat went conventionally unconventional with their smaller lineups ([Zydrunas] Ilgauskas and [Erick] Dampier weren't even active), forced to do so not as much as a strategy but in that there aren't many better options. In response, Thibodeau stayed with what's been working all season, and through having his Bulls stay big, they destroyed the Heat on the boards and completely suffocated the Heat's offense. 

It also helps that Joakim Noah, Omer Asik and Taj Gibson are also mobile enough to make sure the Heat can't in turn exploit their quickness advantage. All three guys were tremendous in Game 1, and if they play at that level going forward, Miami has no chance. 

Be sure to check out our Heat vs. Bulls hub for series previews, predictions and more. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.    

Dwyane Wade On Taj Gibson: 'First Time I've Been Dunked On All Year'

Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls Show True Value Of Offensive Rebounds In Romp Over Miami Heat

The Chicago Bulls dominated on the glass, coming up with 19 offensive rebounds in their Game 1 domination of the Miami Heat. How can they attack the boards and have an elite defense? It's all because of Joakim Noah.

Only Women Lose, Right Bro?

Heat Vs. Bulls: Chicago Uses Defense To Seal Game 1 Win

It was all about the defense for the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Facing the Miami Heat trio of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Bulls clamped down on the defensive end, taking the role players out of the game and placing the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the Big Three. And as the Heat tried to ride the Big Three to a Game 1 win, the strategy fell right into the hands of the Bulls, who turned what should've been an even matchup into a 21-point route.

James and Wade were nearly non-factors, combining to score just 33 points -- Wade had 18, James had 15. Chris Bosh led all scorers with 30 points, but the struggles of his two partners in crime were apparent, and the affect on the Heat as a whole was evident. Ball movement was minimal, role players were uninvolved and the Bulls defense was elite.

Outside of the Big Three, the rest of the eight-man rotation combined to score just 19 points. Joel Anthony took just one shot, and missed it, Mike Bibby took just four, making two, and only Mario Chalmers made a significant contribution off the bench, scoring nine points in 23 minutes. It was a nightmare start for the Heat, who came into the series riding high after knocking-off the Boston Celtics with relative ease.

Sunday was a reality-check for the Heat and a statement for the Bulls. Using strong defense and the offensive magic of Derrick Rose, Chicago got off to the perfect start, and placed itself in the driver's seat going forward.

Be sure to check out our Heat vs. Bulls hub for series previews, predictions and more. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.

Chicago Bulls' First-Chance Shooting Must Improve To Stay Ahead Of Miami Heat

The Chicago Bulls won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat convincingly, pulling out a 103-82 victory. Chicago largely got the win thanks to a monstrous effort on the offensive glass, hot shooting on three-pointers and a huge turnover advantage. Given that two of those results -- offensive rebounding and three-point shooting -- could fluctuate in Game 2 and beyond, Chicago needs to hope it's first-chance shooting picks up.

The Bulls shot 43 percent from the floor, and 42 percent on two-pointers. But a number of the makes came on putbacks -- hello, Taj Gibson; in the halfcourt, on first attempts, Chicago shot well below 40 percent. While that certainly didn't stop the Bulls from grabbing a blow-out win on Sunday, if the Heat figure out a way to stem the bleeding on the glass and Derrick Rose and Luol Deng (7-13) cool off from long-range, it could be Miami on top.

Of course, by the same token, if Chicago's halfcourt offense wakes up, look out Miami.

Check out our Heat vs. Bulls hub for full series coverage. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago.

VIDEO: Taj Gibson Finishes Game 1 With Thunderous Tip-Dunk

Heat Vs. Bulls Final Score: Chicago Routs Miami In Game 1, 103-82

The Eastern Conference Finals couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for a Chicago Bulls. On Sunday night, the Bulls manhandled the Miami Heat en route to a 103-82 win to take a 1-0 series lead on the road to the NBA Finals. And while the offense was solid, it was the Chicago defense that led the way as the Bulls closed down the Heat and held LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to just 33 combined points.

Chris Bosh scored a game-high 30 points for the Heat, but had little to no help. Wade added 18 and James had 15, but no other Miami players were in double-figures.

Derrick Rose scored a team-high 28 points in the win and was followed closely by Luol Deng, who added 21 points. Carlos Boozer added 14 points and nine rebounds, with Joakim Noah chipping in nine points and 14 rebounds. Taj Gibson added nine points and a poster off the bench.

Be sure to check out our Heat vs. Bulls hub for series previews, predictions and more. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.

Heat Vs. Bulls Score: Derrick Rose, Chicago Win Third Quarter

The Chicago Bulls muscled their way to the first imposing lead of the Eastern Conference Finals' Game 1 in the third quarter, taking a 72-63 score into the fourth. Derrick Rose is up to 22 points, but he's being backed up by a solid front court performance -- Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng could all finish with double-doubles, though it's hard to say how many more minutes Deng has in him after playing 34 already.

The Bulls have a big rebound advantage and have doubled up the Miami Heat in assists, the latter of which will shock nobody. Chris Bosh's strong game was slowed in the third; he's holding at 21 points, while Dwyane Wade is up to 18 points and LeBron James has 12.

Heat Vs. Bulls Score: Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose Star In First Half

The Miami Heat have done everything they can to shut down Derrick Rose, doubling him at every pass and rolling with a speedy lineup. The NBA MVP still has a dozen points but has only been able to hand out a pair of assists. A LeBron James field goal at the end of the half knotted the game up at 48-48 with 24 minutes to go.

Chris Bosh leads all players in points with 17 and is close behind Carlos Boozer on the boards. Dwyane Wade has 12 and James has 10, but they've needed 19 shots to put up those numbers.

The highlight of the first half was Taj Gibson's posterization of Wade. Just go watch that.

Be sure to check out our Heat vs. Bulls hub for series previews, predictions and more. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.

VIDEO: Taj Gibson Dunks On Dwyane Wade In Eastern Conference Finals Opener

Heat Vs. Bulls Score: Hope You Like Defense, America

If the first quarter of Game 1 is any indication, this Eastern Conference Finals series is going to be a slugfest. The Miami Heat lead the Chicago Bulls 23-20 in the United Center, with the Bulls shooting under 35 percent from the floor and the teams combining for seven turnovers.

Chicago's disciplined defense is living up to its reputation, holding LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to three-of-11 shooting -- but then there's Chris Bosh, who has nine points already. Other than Derrick Rose, the Bulls' offense is having a hard time contending with Miami's team speed. Rose has eight points.

Carlos Boozer vs. Bosh was the talked-about matchup coming into this series. Both players have five rebounds so far. 

Be sure to check out our Heat vs. Bulls hub for series previews, predictions and more. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.

Heat Vs. Bulls, Game 1: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Continue Quest With Toughest Foe On Deck

The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls entered the NBA Playoffs as the two best teams in the East by record, and in the NBA by point differential. The Bulls could easily have seen the Heat as the biggest hurdle on the way to a seventh NBA Championship; with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics out of the way, there's really no question. (No offense to the Dallas Mavericks, of course.)

For the Heat, it's always been about the Celtics and the Bulls. Boston went down in five. Will Chicago be so easy?

That's highly unlikely; the Bulls didn't finish with the NBA's best record by luck or fluke. This is a great team with a legendary defense and one hell of a creator in Derrick Rose. What the team lacks in star power beyond Rose, it makes up for in depth; Chicago has a legit eight starting-level players, four of whom come off the bench for Tom Thibodeau. Miami? Outside of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, just about no one on that roster would start for any other playoff team.

That's one of the myriad on-court storylines as the series tips off on Sunday with Game 1 (8 p.m. ET, TNT). There's also plenty of off-court narrative to address, not the least of which is LeBron's reputation in comparison with the man who replaced him as MVP, Rose.

Be sure to check out our Heat vs. Bulls hub for series previews, predictions and more. For more on the Bulls, visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.