The Chicago Bulls had no plans of being road kill on Miami’s path toward history. That much was evident as the Bulls, without Joakim Noah, Rip Hamilton, Marco Belinelli and, of course, Derrick Rose, ended the Heat’s 27-game winning streak on Wednesday night, winning the game 101-97.
The United Center had a playoff atmosphere feel to it and the crowd was electric. The win over the Heat felt like the Bulls had won the championship and a couple of fans are probably camped out at Grant Park right now.
The win also set the Bulls on their own streak. For the first time all season, Chicago has won three consecutive games, and the win over the Heat was without the question the biggest of the season.
The Good
Chicago came out focused from the outset. Miami had trailed in four of their last six games during the streak and the Bulls played as if they knew getting out to an early lead would play to their advantage, especially considering how well they defend. Luol Deng (28 points, seven rebounds, five assists) played great and essentially nullified LeBron James (32 points, seven rebounds, three assists). Carlos Boozer (21 points, 17 rebounds) was also phenomenal in the game, as was Jimmy Butler (17 points, four rebounds, five assists) and each made timely plays at critical moments throughout the game. Nate Robinson (14 points) was also big for Chicago off the bench. The Bulls dominated the Heat on the glass (43-31), in assists (27-15) and in second-chance points (22-8).
The Bad
It’s hard to believe that Chicago actually won the game even after only scoring 14 points in the third quarter. The Bulls also turned the ball over 18 times and gave up 24 points. Miami also pounded the Bulls in the paint, outscoring them 54-40.
Local
The Ugly
There were some things we could point out here, but when you break the second-longest win streak in NBA history, it’s not really necessary, is it?
Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Follow Outside Shot on Twitter (@Outside_Shot) for more Bulls news and information.
