Chicago Bulls stun the Miami Heat 103-82 at the United Center - Part 2
The Chicago Bulls pulled away from the Miami Heat after the interval. Derrick Rose hit one from beyond the arc to ignite a 7 – 2 sprint. Then, with 7:08 left in the quarter, Rose hit another 3-pointer to start a 10 – 0 run for
the Bulls. The Heat could not recover quickly enough and found themselves trailing by 9 at the end of the third, at 72 – 63.
Rose had his most effective period, scoring 10 points in the third to break the game. However, that was not the only reason for Chicago’s dominance. Miami’s most dangerous weapon on the night, Chris Bosh, spent a lot of time on
the bench and contributed just 4 of his 30 points in the third.
The Bulls were simply in no mood to let up and they piled on more misery for the Heat in the final period. With a vocal United Center behind them, the Bulls charged early for an 11-3 run. The early assault seemed to have shattered
the Miami Heat as they never looked like getting back in the game. They were outscored 31-to-19 in the 4th quarter and trailed by game high 23 points near the end. The sell-out crowd couldn’t hide their delight and the arena echoed with chants of
“Beat the Heat”.
Miami actually shot better from the field than Chicago, hitting 47.1 percent. However, Chicago had more luck from downtown with 47.6 percent to the Heat’s 37.5. The margin on the boards was what hurt the Miami the most as they
lost out 45-to-33. Chicago controlled the tempo and turned the contest into a half-court battle, where Miami’s big guns were easier to control.
Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra rued the loss, especially for what he perceived as a lack of effort, "Losing in the effort areas and second-chance points, it really deflated us. Then we lost our concentration at the offensive end
and the game got away from us."
The Chicago Bulls boss Tom Thibodeau was pleased with the effort his team put, especially on defence. Chicago swept the regular season series against the Miami Heat and they knew what to do to get the job done tonight.
The Bulls were able to clamp down on LeBron James thanks to a superb display by Luol Deng. They also reduced the effectiveness of Dwyane Wade through a combination of defenders. The important thing was that the Bulls never let
up on defence. Miami would have hoped to dominate against the bench, but Chicago’s subs seemed even more energized then the starters and didn’t let the Heat get any easy baskets. Their coach was full of praise,
"(The defensive effectiveness) started in the second quarter with our bench guys and their ball pressure and energy. That group got us going. Then in the second half, everybody's defense was a lot better."
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