Six things Chicago Bulls must do to win the game-4 against the Miami Heat - Part 1
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat will play the game-4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat is leading the series 2-1.
Miami pulled off an impressive 96-85 victory over the Bulls in the third game on Sunday night. Forward Chris Bosh scored a game-high 34 points while LeBron James added 22 points in the victory. The Bulls forward Carlos Boozer,
on the other hand, led Chicago with 26 points. The Heat hit 50 percent from the field, made 25-of-29 free throws and came big in the fourth quarter to send the Bulls crashing to their second consecutive defeat of the series.
A victory in the upcoming game would definitely preserve the Bull’s dream to win the championship for the first time since the Michael Jordan era. A defeat however will put them at the brink.
With the crucial game of the series just around the corner, Chicago need to follow the following six strategies in order to win the next game:
Step 1: Move the ball more
The ball movement of the Bulls in the current series is not up to the mark. They have been very predictable with their ball movements and more often than not their end target is Derrick Rose. The Heat defence, on the other hand,
has been unshakable to say the least. The men from the south beach have shown great hustle and energy in the back court and have not allowed the Bulls a luxury of clear looks and open spaces throughout the series so far.
With the Heat defence h**l bent on hounding the one-dimensional Bulls defence, it is high time that the Bulls involve all their five players and create spaces. With frequent passes, the Miami players would be moving constantly
and the Bulls can get more chances to score.
Step 2: Get on the glass
Chicago has to display some aggression on the offensive glass, if they really want to bounce from two-game losing streak, their first since February 5-7.
Lacking the shooting adroitness simply means that the Bulls have to rely on their size and energy in order to generate second-chance points.
Unfortunately, the Bulls centre Omer Asik might not be able to play the next as he is suffering from a muscle strain in his left leg. Therefore, Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah, and Carlos Boozer have to step up and match the Heat in this
facet.
Step 3: Do not double-team LeBron James
In the previous game, the Chicago Bulls coach made a mistake of double-teaming Heat small forward LeBron James. Although, the strategy stopped James from scoring freely, it opened up the opportunities for the rest of the Heat offense.
James was more than willing to play the role of facilitator, grabbing 10 assists while taking just 13 shots. The frequent passing of the 26-year-old exposed gaps in the Bulls’ defence and led to many easy points.
The best way to cool off King James is stop him from driving to the rim and make him settle for the jumpers, the only part of his offensive arsenal that requires some tuning.
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