More Answers to Come in Game 3

This is the game where the answers will become manifest.

You can talk all you want about the Bulls first two wins in the first two games of this series, but that is what they were supposed to do. Miami couldn't overachieve at that point and take a game in Chicago, which is what they were attempting to do.

Now, it's Miami's turn to serve.

The real reason Miami couldn't steal a game in Chicago? There are a myriad of reasons; officiating, hot shooting, poor defense, bad rebounding, worse defense, horrible shot selection, UFOs, zombies, David Stern. It doesn't matter, it simply comes down to this: as good as Chicago shot in Game 2 (55%), Miami was playing so far below their level that Mickey Arison should have filed a report with the police. On a scale of 1-10, Chicago was hitting 8 and 9 in both games while Miami was fluctuating between 5 and 6. The first game, Miami almost won despite not having a right to be in that game while in the second, they couldn't get over the hump despite having a shot to win that game as well.

Still, at this point it's all speculation, too. Maybe Miami is too old and too slow and too injured to take out the Bulls for the second postseason in a row. For certain, we will know more after Game 3, Miami's first home playoff game of the 2006-2007 season.

There are more questions that will be answered:

Will the Heat find a way to contain Luol Deng?

Is the real Wade going to show up? Or will he allow his injury to be his excuse and his eventual downfall?

Can Shaq elevate his game and stay out of foul trouble and prove, once again, that this game has not passed him by?

Will Udonis Haslem and Jason Williams show up for the game?

Who will start at small forward, Eddie Jones, James Posey or Jason Kapono?

Can Miami, realistically win this series?

This is why they play the games. Miami is confident that they can win this series and they understand that a series can change momentum literally overnight. Yet Chicago just might be prepared to overtake the Heat.

Game 3 will reveal all.

A Show of Faith: Miami Returns Home for Game 3

Miami fans, your team has been here before.

You remember - last year they were down 0-2 against the Dallas Mavericks. In the NBA Finals.

The first two games were on the road, and Dallas "held serve" as they say, winning the first two games. And that was a much better team than this year's Chicago Bulls. So much was made of the Heat's age, that they looked slow and sluggish. That they couldn't possibly keep up with the Mavericks firepower.

Like the Bulls, the Mavericks were a jump shooting team that got very hot at home. Some of us Heat faithful said they wouldn't be able to keep it up, that Miami was going to make some noise. Boy did they.

Now, let's not be blind here and think just because Miami has been here before they will do it again. There are obviously no gurantees. Yet, there is plenty of reason to show faith in this Heat team.

There is a distinction between faith and hope. Faith is powered by belief, by a deep-seeded knowing in what the outcome will be: and that outcome will be positive. Faith is quiet confidence. Hope is negative in the sense that one is grasping on to avoid failure, but there is no certainty or belief that the outcome will be a positive one. It is based on the chance that one avoids failure and it is really a lot of posturing.

The Bulls and their fans hope Miami doesn't wake up and win the next two games at home. Miami has faith they will play better.

So, it is with that distinction that I provide not hope to you, my fellow Heatians, but faith. And to further illustrate my point, I will borrow from Dan Le Batard:

"Reason for doom: In NBA history, when the home team wins the first two games, it has won the series 76 of 80 times.

Reason for hope: It has been done four times."

Reason for faith: Of the teams that have taken the first two games and went on to lose the series, the Chicago Bulls were one of these teams.

Recall the 2004-2005 playoff season when in the first round, the Bulls had a 2-0 lead on their first round opponent the Washington Wizards. The Bulls were feeling pretty good and looking like they were going to advance to the second round to take on the Miami Heat. Yet, Washington came to play, and took the next 4 games in a row to steal the series and shock Chicago.

Hinrich was there as was Nocioni, Duhon and Gordon. Deng was injured for that series but could recall it for you.

Make no mistake, the Bulls are trying to take what the Heat have. They want to be where the Heat have been. They will fight and push and run as far as they can do get there.

And somewhere in the background, quietly, in their minds is the fear that this Heat team is really a sleeping giant. Quietly, like a snake readying to pounce on its prey, is the potential for Miami to reclaim this series. Much like Zo's block on Tyrus Thomas, which sent the rookie to the ground. At any moment, this juggernaut of a team will make the right play to grab a win.

Then a win turns into two.

And then, a streak reaches three maybe four games - and a series win. Job done.

Miami knows, quite confidently, that it can take this series over at any minute. A series can shift at any time. Pat Riley understands this as well.

Of course, the biggest criticism out there is that Miami is too old and too slow to keep up with the Bulls and their run and gun offense. These same Bulls only averaged 98 points per game during the regular season and were hardly known for their high-octane offensive attack. Don't expect to see another highly efficient game from the Bulls during this series. In fact, you can bet they won't be shooting 55% again from the floor.

The age thing itself is quite old, actually. The Heat, as I have pointed out, have been charged with it before, but another team in this year's post season has been accused, too: San Antonio. Yet, they beat the Nuggets for a Game 2 win - and at home nonetheless.

Will anyone really doubt San Antonio?

There is plenty of time left and plenty of opportunity for the Heat to still turn this thing around and win. It will start with a highly focused and greatly anticipated home coming the likes of which will push Heat fans back to last season's 0-2 Heat team in the Final round. The cast is all here, and they have essetially added Eddie Jones and Jason Kapono to the mix. The Heat are a year older, but are deeper than last season despite the injury to Wade. Wade, to further cast fear in the hearts of the Bulls, started to make strides to his "old" self in the final quarter.

And Shaq, in response to questions about his struggles through the first two games said, "I've been in this situation before."

Game 3 is shaping up to be another classic. The only question is, will the Heat be on the winning side of it? I have faith that they will.

Miami Heat Missing

There is now an amber alert out for the Miami Heat, who have gone missing for at least a week now.

The last time they were seen was at Orlando for the final regular season game, although it was suspicious because Dwyane Wade and Shaq didn't make an appearance. We all just assumed it was normal and went on with our lives.

What we didn't realize is that incident was never reported and both players have not been seen since. And now, the entire team is missing, too.

Call it "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or perhaps some sort of rapture, but the Heat have been missing for so long, the Bulls have decided to honor them by holding out for their recovery and only taking a win on each date originally scheduled for a playoff game. The Bulls get a win because the Heat, gone missing since April 19th, are forfeiting each game.

It's a sad story, really. The Bulls were looking forward to challenging the Heat in a playoff round one and testing their mettle against the defending champions. Yet, they seem to have never gotten that chance.

"It's like, they are still here, you know? Any second I am looking out on the court and I expect to see Shaq show up in his warm-ups. It's strange." Ben Gordon said about the missing Heat.

"I wonder what it would be like to have a rematch against Shaq, DWade and all those guys. They are intense competitors and with Riley at the helm, it would be one heck of a challenge to take the series," Kirk Hinrich told the media from his 30' yacht on Lake Michigan this afternoon. "I would have looked forward to it."

If you have any information on where the Miami Heat is, or even where some of the individual players are, please give us a call at 1-888-555-HEAT. Or email us at info@miamiheatwave.com.

The time is now - we need your help. Or soon, in another few more days, the Heat will forfeit games three and four and the Bulls will have no choice but to advance to the second round.

---------------

Ok, enough of that.

It did seem in tonight's loss that the Miami Heat just flat out didn't show up. They KNEW they had to do a better job rebounding. They KNEW they had to do a better job defending Deng and limiting the perimeter looks as well. They KNEW that they could not just settle for jump shots, but attempt to take the ball into the lane and draw fouls.

They knew all of this, and yet they looked even worse tonight, losing 107-89 to the Bulls in Chicago. Yet, why didn't the Heat have a better showing?

Let's give credit to where it is due - Chicago played solid defense and held the Heat to 46% shooting. Wait, that isn't right...I meant to say the Bulls got the benefit of some home cooking, getting lots of foul shots. The Bulls shot 83% from the line, 10-12 while the Heat shot 80% 16-20.

Wait a tick, that means the Heat got more FTAs than Chicago...umm...

Ah ha! It was turnovers! Of course! Wade has 7 turnovers while the team amassed 20 for the entire game! Chicago had...oops...18.

Let's see...the Heat stayed out of foul trouble, drew more FTAs than the Bulls, shot a decent percentage from the field, only had 2 more turnovers than Chicago and still lost by almost 20 points?

What the heck is going on?

Well, in truth, the Bulls shot 55% from the field (43-78) and 64% from three (11-17). That means they made 9 more field goals than Miami which equals 18 more points. That is the difference.

Also, Chicago did outrebound, once again, the Heat who supposedly has the better front court by 8 rebounds. Ben Wallace finished with only 6 rebounds while Shaq finished with 8 himself. Udonis Haslem performed another disappearing act, only grabbing 4 rebounds in 21 minutes.

The Heat defense did not improve. All Riley did was play Posey a bulk of the minutes while sitting EJ this time (who played only 16 minutes tonight).

The Heat did not play with more energy. Instead, they played like scared little girls tonight. They should all wear diapers; I am surprised none of them ran to the bathroom to go tinkle at the sight of how this Bulls team just totally manhandled them tonight.

Let's be honest, championship teams don't underperform as consistently as this Miami Heat team does. They play down to their competition, and then tweak it to where they play even below that level.

The only guys who came to play tonight where Walker, Posey and Doleac (who always comes to play, damn it). Riley should take himself out of the head chair after these two games.

It is one thing to be unreasonable, another to be critical. And still another to be tired of being polite and offering constructive criticism and go straight for the intervention. What Miami needs is a serious labotomy. Shaq whined about the officiating, it didn't matter. Wade keeps talking about his left shoulder and how he is mentally prepared, he's lying to himself.

All the whining and bickering has to stop. Because if the Heat don't come together as a team and focus on winning real soon, it will come to a complete stop. Their season will be over and it will end just as their championship defense began - with the Bulls laughing their way back to Chicago.

Look, the Bulls simply did their job and held serve - they won their first two games at home. The object of every team in the playoffs is to win at home and steal a game on the road. For Miami, this means the next two games at home are must wins otherwise Chicago has the advantage.

The other thing to consider is that it is highly unlikely that a team that averaged 98.8 points per game on 45.7% shooting during the regular season will have another 55% shooting night from the field. Is this starting to sound familiar? It should. Kind of like last season's Finals where the Heat went back to Miami down two games after getting schlacked by the Mavericks - another jump shooting team that creates mismatches for the Heat on the perimeter.

The Heat have to be very careful right now. They have to come out in game 3 like it is the last game of the season for them. Because it really could be. Being down against Chicago 0-3 with only 2 potential home games left is not a good spot to be in.

Miami has to stop playing scared, and suck it up and be aggressive. Until then, this looks like the start of a Bull Run.

Great Expectations: Heat Need Answers in Game 2

Heat look to make some adjustments going into Game 2



This is the time of year where you have got to deliver. Results mean more now than ever and everything is scrutinized. Pat Riley is not above criticism and by his estimation neither is Dwyane Wade.

"Coach expects the world out of me," Wade said. "He expects more out of me than anybody probably ever expected."

Such is the price of greatness. You cannot rest on your laurels at all and you have to constantly fight to stay on top. And Riley is unapologetic about it.

This is why so few can get to the level that Wade is at. Yet, it also takes something equally as great to fuel such an individual, and Pat Riley is the master motivator.

Putting Dwyane Wade on Luol Deng in game 1 was admirable -- it was simply a strategy to help Wade avoid contact on screens. With the accusations in the past of the Bulls' dirty tactics, notably Hinrich's cheap tug on Wade's wrist, it was a sound idea. Yet, Wade's defense was horrible, to put it mildly, and the Heat suffered as a result.

We could see a shift in the starting lineup. Eddie Jones started Game 1 at SF, a position he became familiar with in his last stint with the Heat during their playoff run of 2004-2005. Something that garnered much criticism, by the way. Yet, EJ did a good job defending Gordon, who finished 7-19 from the field and 0-5 from three point range despite finishing with 24 points.

That shift could come in the form of James Posey, who matches up better with Deng physically and can build on the success he had in only 19 minutes of play in Game 1. Most likely, Posey will have to deal with a more confident player, one who is building on his lack of past success against the Heat. Not an easy task, but Posey will be up for the challenge of defending Deng. Wade noted, "I think because he didn't have a good playoff series last year, he's trying to be more aggressive this year. You just try to be more aware of his aggressiveness."

So, what happens? Riley understands the nuances of the NBA playoffs arguably better than any coach in the game today. He knows his team's psychology and what buttons to push. If Riley opts to start Posey over EJ, it won't be because of EJ's defense but rather because of Wade's tough assignment on Deng in Game 1.

Then there is Shaq. His rant against the officiating in Game 1 is not going to be well-recieved, but it is well deserved. Le Batard wrote about it, as did others. The fact of the matter is the officiating was horrible, not just for the Heat but also for the Bulls who didn't benefit as much with Kirk Hinrich bouncing out with 6 fouls in just 19 minutes. Shaq cannot play tentatively. He has to be allowed to absorb and dish out physical contact while on the court. One of the hardest things to do is call a game with Shaq playing in it. What is a foul and what is not?

Shaq has gone on the record stating he "hates" flopping players. The Bulls, thanks to PJ Brown, admit they flop and are just better at it than Miami is. It would be nice to see such a comment work against the Bulls, with the referees not blowing the whistles on plays where flopping happened - but that is unlikely to occur. What the Heat can do is limit Shaq's situations where he will pick up needless fouls - namely trying to draw charges in the lane. He could always bust out his "finesse" game, but the success of that and its logistics are questionable.

Still, Shaq will have to use his old noodle and his basketball IQ to get around this obstacle. Drawing double teams he can kick out to the open man, the Heat will repost and force the Bulls defenders to hesitate and guess what decision Shaq will make. This will require the Heat getting the ball to Shaq early in the shot clock and often -- they will have to run the offense through Shaq and he will also have to be quick to get into position on each possession.

For this to occur, the Heat have to make one final basic adjustment -- better rebounding. The Heat were outrebounded by 13 (46-33) by the Bulls, which enabled the Bulls to control the tempo of the game more often and get out and run as a result. The Bulls ended up with 25 fast break points while the Heat lagged much further behind, only squeezing out 4. Getting rebounds and forcing the other team to take the ball out of the hoop slows the game down and allows Miami to run their bread and butter -- half court offense. If Miami is to do this, they will need to do a better job of boxing out and being aggressive on the glass.

There are great expectations in place for the Heat. Not just dictated by their coach, but within themselves. After all, the reason why Wade opted to come back over surgery is because he wanted the chance to defend the title with his teammates. The challenge is before them, now they will have to make the first of many adjustments on their way to meeting that challenge.

White Hot HEAT Playoffs - Round 1/Chicago

GAME 1 | Sat. Apr. 21, 2007
HEAT @ Bulls | 3:00 p.m. - ABC (WPLG-Ch. 10)

GAME 2 | Tue. Apr. 24, 2007
HEAT Tonight Presented by Pontiac/GMC (30 min. before game) - Sun Sports
HEAT @ Bulls | 8:00 p.m. - Sun Sports/TNT
Bacardi HEAT Post Game (immediately following game) - Sun Sports

GAME 3 | Fri. Apr. 27, 2007
HEAT Tonight Presented by Pontiac/GMC (30 min. before game) - Sun Sports
Bulls @ HEAT | 8:00 p.m. - Sun Sports/ESPN
Bacardi HEAT Post Game (immediately following game) - Sun Sports

GAME 4 | Sun. Apr. 29, 2007
Bulls @ HEAT | 1:00 p.m. - ABC (WPLG-Ch. 10)

All HEAT Playoff games will be broadcast via local radio on NewsRadio 610 WIOD (English) and WAQI-710 AM Radio Mambí (Spanish)

All HEAT First Round Playoff games will be broadcast in High Definition on Sun Sports HD, ABC HD, ESPN HD, and TNT HD.

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.

We're Built for This

Miami saves their dominance for the playoffs

The Miami Heat had a sub-par season. Sure, you can say that. The 2006-2007 Heat have underachieved - yet, the season isn't over.

They did finish with a 44-38 record, hardly the kind of numbers you want from a defending championship squad. But this team has hardly even resembled that team on the court at any point this season and it isn't because they have diminished skills or a lack of coaching and motivation.

It was simply that they couldn't push out the starting lineup consistently all season long due to a huge rash of injuries.

Now, I am not trying to make excuses and it is well-documented how many games players have missed and how many times the starting lineup has been on the court together at the same time.

Throw it all out the window. Because NOW matters.

Now, the Heat will have all their starters healthy and ready to go.

Now, the Heat will be playing for the championship title, again. That is what truly has been the focus of this team, that is what this veteran squad has been eyeing all season long, despite the turmoil, drama and obstacles that have befallen this team.

"We are built for this," said Dwyane Wade. "We are built for the playoffs."

It is well established, even by Phil "Benedict Arnold" Jackson, that Shaq doesn't really take the regular season seriously. He hasn't in years - and you can't blame him. He is used to playing for a bigger piece of the pie; not just measley, meaningless wins in a marathon season, but for grinding, intense victories on the court when it matters - in the playoffs. In fact, Shaq only took the regular season seriously this season when Wade went down with his shoulder injury on Feb. 21st. From that time on, Shaq took the team on his shoulders and carried them - proving he was still the dominant force in this league that borders on creating his own gravity field.

Miami is built for this. They know what is at stake, and they have done it before. Besides, they are also a year wiser and hip to this championship game. In an interview on BSPN this morning, Wade was waxing philosophically about being patient and staying the course and taking it one game at a time. No one play will win a series, and no one win will either. Miami, to a man, understands this.

They are unshakeable.

"We know what we have to do and how we have to do it and whatever we have to fight through, we're going to do that." Riley sounds like a confident man, and with his words there is no posturing behind it. Miami is so proven a commodity that even Mark "Heat Hater" Stein is picking this team to surge forward. Now, some may cite that as a jinx, and that is probably the true intention behind Stein's pick, but even he recognizes you cannot pick against a Shaq and Wade combo.

Adding to the mixture the return of Eddie Jones, who was practically a god-send once Wade went down. In 20 games at home, EJ was averaging 11.2 points per game on 51% shooting. He also peaked in March, with Wade out, getting 13.1 points a game - all the while providing excellent perimeter defense, drawing charges and setting up Shaq with excellent post placement.

EJ has plenty of playoff experience, as does the rest of his mates that will compliment Shaq and Wade on this journey. It will be interesting to see how Kapono responds and how Riley uses his best three point weapon during this run, but Kapono definetly adds another piece to the arsenal.

Amidst all the doubt and concern, stands a confident Heat team. They understand what is at stake and they also know they haven't exactly taken full advantage of what this season had to offer to this point. They also know they haven't been in the best place to take advantage, either.

Now, they are. And Now matters.

Rerun: Miami Takes on Bulls for First Round Test

Looks like the Chicago Bulls got EXACTLY what they wanted: a rematch with the Miami Heat.

Last year, Miami took out the Bulls in the first round in 6 games, but the Bulls gave the Heat a scare when they played on their home court in Chicago - taking 2 games (games 3 and 4) from Miami. The Heat were able to take their next two games to close out the series, one at home in Miami and the final on the road. Still, this left the Bulls feeling like they would have taken the series if they had home court advantage, instead of Miami.

Now, they will get their chance to prove it. The Heat, however, aren't dismayed one bit.

"Chicago feels like they can beat us," said Wade. "Kirk Hinrich came out and said it. We'll find out. It would be a great matchup. They have the opportunity now to be at home. They feel that's the only reason we won last year, because we had home-court advantage. So the only thing you can do is throw the ball up and play."

O'Neal also weighed in. "I don't care who they are or what they say, nobody wants to play us in a seven-game series. And if they do, we're coming."

Be careful for what you wish for. This sentiment was echoed by Zo, and this Heat team, banged up all season, seems to be coming together at just the right time. Gary Payton made a surprising appearance in last night's finale against the Magic, showing promise by playing 35 minutes whereas only a few days ago he was slated to be on the DL for at least 2 weeks.

The first game will be at 3pm this Saturday in Chicago and will prove to be a crucial game for both teams. For the Bulls, the focus will be on trying to stop Shaq and control the painted area. For the Heat, it will be beefing up their perimeter defense. Yet, there is a sense that this series takes on greater meaning than just simply a playoff series. It is loaded with built-in angst and drama, and close to being a rivalry.

As Wade noted, both Hinrich and Nocioni blabbed to their Chicago media that they feel they should not only have won last year's playoff matchup, but they are confident going into this year's rematch.

"We feel we should've won last year's series, honestly," Captain Kirk quipped. "We felt we should've won Game 5. So we're confident. It's a team we're familiar with."

Is it really a team they are familiar with? The Heat hasn't had it starting lineup together practically all season long, yet has been getting its various components back and healthy throughout the year. The Bulls have not played that team yet, but they soon will. Not to mention, Eddie Jones was added to this roster on Feb. 1st and the last time the Heat played the Bulls - in Miami on March 7th - the Heat blew out the Bulls 103-70. That was also without Dwyane Wade, whereas on January 27th the Heat lost to the Bulls by 3 points (100-97) in Chicago without Shaq.

The Bulls may be disillusioned here, blinded by the constant propoganda and preaching of their head coach, Scott Skiles. I have no doubt they will be a tough opponent for Miami in the first round, but also don't overlook the fact that Miami was actually looking forward (and hoping) for a first round rematch, too. They were crowded around the TVs last night watching the end of the Bulls/Nets game instead of watching the end of their own game. They feel disrespected by the Bulls, who definetly ruined their night on opening night by blowing out an apathetic and distracted Heat team looking forward to their ring ceremony.

Still, the excuses, like the injuries, have faded away. The Heat need to step up and prove they are the champions of the NBA and this post season will give them the rare chance to defend their title. The Bulls will prove a tough opponent, but will they prove to be enough to overtake the champs while also gaining the added bonus of home court advantage?

Get ready for a rerun.

Miami Heat First Round Playoff Schedule

The Miami Heat's first round opponent will be a familiar face, the Chicago Bulls. The Heat's first round playoff schedule looks like this:

Game 1: at Chicago, 3 p.m. Saturday (ABC)

Game 2: at Chicago, 8 p.m. Tuesday (TNT)

Game 3: at Miami, 8 p.m. next Friday (ESPN)

Game 4: at Miami, 1 p.m. April 29 (ABC)

Game 5: at Chicago, May 1 (if necessary)

Game 6: at Miami, May 3 (if necessary)

Game 7: at Chicago, May 5 (if necessary)

Get ready, the real season is beginning. What do you think this season's playoff slogan should be? Post your's HERE.