Miami vs. Chicago: The Breakdown

Let me start this off with a quick rant. The #4 seed vs. the #5 seed. Frankly, I see no reason as to why Miami is ranked #4 and Chicago #5 if the NBA is going to award home court advantage (HCA) to the team with the better record. Why stop there? Why not also give them the better seed, after all, that would make sense. So, right off the bat, I am peeved that Miami got the higher seed but not the HCA. It doesn't make sense. Ok, now that that is done, let's move on to the meat of this matchup.

The Bulls are a perimeter oriented team. They score from outside, and rely on the shooting of Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, even Nocioni to get things started. Hinrich sets up the offense, and the Bulls will use screens to free up Gordon, who is their primary scorer from outside. Deng, however, is very versatile and they like to isolate for him on the wing, he can face his man and create his own shot, he can come off screens to pop a jumper, or he can play in the post but the Bulls don't seem to do that a whole lot. The Bulls will rarely have a player catch the ball in the post with his back to the basket, but if they do look for Deng or PJ Brown to be that recipient.

Defensively, they are one of the best perimeter defending teams in the league, and look to secure the interior with Ben Wallace's agility and help defense. They lock you up on the perimeter, and when you try and move the ball inside, Ben will shift and defend. Usually, a block will ensue or a turnover.

Miami, on the other hand, is your classic half-court based offense. They will bring the ball up the court, create some movement and run plays. Initiated by Jason William's ball handling, the Heat will most likely dump the ball inside to Shaq to work as a post-passer to either draw the double team and kick it out, or take the ball to the rack where Shaq can get fouled, score or dump it off to another Heatian to score. And then you have to worry about Wade.

Defensively, Miami is built around the center spot. They like to funnel perimeter players to Zo when he's on the floor, much like the Bulls try and do with Wallace, and with Shaq they like to have him come out of the painted area and defend the screens. Both centers for the Heat are agile and can get back quick, but Miami is also deft at rotating on players to prevent the need for a double team.

That is a basic overview of the tendencies of each team. Let's now look at who has the advantage at eadch position:

PG: Hinrich vs. Williams. Williams is the flashier player, but Hinrich has the advantage of youth on his side. Williams' main obstacle is his health, his knees being the big question but when Wade went down Williams showed he can run the offense and score when needed. Hinrich, however, is among one of the league's best PGs this season, although both players have excellent assist to turnover ratios. You have to give the nod to the Bulls since Hinrich is going to also be defending Wade, and with his length that will give Wade problems.

SG: Wade vs. Gordon. Wade can still penetrate and create offense even with his bum left shoulder. In fact, there are signs that Wade's shoulder injury is much better than previously suspected, and that it was his mind that needed to grasp it. Ben Gordon is a streaky shooter, he was once a volume scorer but now seems more poised in the comfort of the Bulls offense. Yet, he is undersized, not a good defender, and has to rely on Hinrich and others to open up his shots for him.

SF: Jones vs. Deng. EJ played SF for the Heat during their playoff run in 2004-2005. He was able to defend very well any SF the Heat ran into that year, and played off of Wade and Shaq very well. His experience will pay dividends and he could contribute scoring any night out. Still, Luol Deng is vastly improved, so much so the Bulls did not pull the trigger on the Gasol trade. He is their most important player, and probably their best as he is so versatile on both ends of the floor. Look for EJ to defend Deng, and possibly Posey, too, but Deng gives the Bulls an overall matchup advantage.

PF: Haslem vs. Brown/Nocioni. This could fluctuate based on the matchups, but Haslem's ability to stick the open jumper and play off of Shaq and Wade is what gives him a huge advantage. The focus will be on Shaq and Wade and Haslem can sneak out for a midrange jumper or grab a key offensive rebound as a result. PJ Brown, like UD, can do the same things and offers more size. Yet, he is also older and may not be able to play as many minutes. Nocioni loves to shoot the three and is also a physical defender and like Deng, can be matched up all over the floor. So, in terms of versatility, the Bulls have an advantage but in terms of fitting within the team concept, Haslem gives the Heat exactly what they need.

C: Shaq vs. Ben Wallace. Do we really have to entertain this? Shaq will dominate Wallace on the offensive end of the floor, as Ben will scrape, tackle, and cling on to Shaq to try and stop him and most likely will get into foul trouble. Look for Ben to "pull the chair" out from underneath Shaq and keep him off his rhtymn. Won't happen though - didn't work in Detroit and won't work as a Bull. Defensively, Wallace is such a non-factor that Shaq won't really have to do much other than stand near him.