It was one of those nights when the Bulls had to be thinking, “Oops.”
As in getting behind by 20 points on the way to a 115-108 loss that left them trailing the Miami Heat 2-0 in this first-round playoff series–in part because of alley-oops.
There were just four big ones from Dwyane Wade to Shaquille O’Neal, but they seemed to symbolize the dominance the Heat has shown in both games. Miami has opened double-digit leads that have had the Bulls trying to jump-start themselves throughout the second half.
The Bulls have a mountain to climb in many ways in this series, having to win four of five to advance and having to scale Mt. Shaq, the Everest of NBA giants. He’s proving formidable, adding 22 points and three more blocks Monday, along with those four giant slams.
“Those plays are there to be made,” Heat coach Pat Riley said. “It’s pretty fundamental. Anytime our guys drive to the basket and a guy comes off [O’Neal], you don’t want to throw a bounce pass to those size 23s. You just put it up there.”
And this is what the Heat has put up in front of the Bulls: 50.3 percent shooting and 113 points per game against a team that considers defense its business card.
“We played at a real high level again, tremendous amount of energy, spirit and ball movement, but we didn’t finish,” Riley said, alluding to the Bulls’ late scare.
“That disturbs me, and it should disturb our players after working so hard and playing so well. It happened the other night, and we continued to allow open shots and drives to the basket.
“But we’re ahead 2-0, and that’s what it’s about.”
It’s about many things for the Bulls now, though put most succinctly by coach Scott Skiles.
“It was a beating,” he said. “We just have to go home now and win one game.”
Though the Bulls lost Game 1, they felt good about the way they pushed the Heat and were in position to tie the game with 18 seconds left. So they figured to tweak a few things, switch up with an occasional zone defense to throw the Heat off-balance, change some of their screen positioning on offense and throw a double-team a little more at O’Neal, who had 27 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in Game 1.
It didn’t work much as the Heat concentrated on Ben Gordon, closing better and shadowing him into an early benching and 5-for-16 shooting. The Bulls were unhappy with Heat runouts in Game 1 as the guards missed some assignments. But Miami again doubled the Bulls on fast-break points in the first half, though it got only one basket on a fast break in the second half.
But the ultimate difference is the size deficit the Bulls have against O’Neal. And as he’s 19-for-30 shooting and dunking in the series, he even went so far as to dare the Bulls to foul him, as he had made 11 of 15.
“I was actually looking forward to going to the line 30 or 40 times,” O’Neal said. “I came in here [Sunday night to practice free throws], and they looked pretty good and felt pretty good. Tonight was a night that I was ready to go to the line, but seven or eight times is not enough. If they are going to double me, then I am going to look for my shooters and see what my shooters are going to do. My guys are shooting the ball well. Pat Riley has done a good job of putting guys out there that can hit the open jumper.”
That was a question about this Heat team, but Jason Williams was 7 of 11 on Monday, Antoine Walker was 7 of 15 and James Posey was 4 of 8. As a team, theHeat hit nine three-pointers.
Really, little the Bulls did worked. Miami, even without the suspended Udonis Haslem, made the better adjustments and reads.
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The Heat players were the ones to draw the charges to end the first quarter on a 6-0 run for a 33-26 lead. And they were quicker to close the first half with two baskets in the last 1.2 seconds for a 68-57 lead. And they pulled up on their drives and kicked to shooters instead of finishing and committing charges as they did in Game 1 and seemed to break the game open with a 19-point lead after three.
Wade admitted he still was sore from his mysterious leg cramps and attributed that to getting just one free throw, though his isolations for scores saved the Heat late as the Bulls were reluctant to help.
“I didn’t have my athletic ability tonight,” Wade said.
And, in the end, the Bulls could only watch as O’Neal soared above them.
“Shaq is very active and motivated right now,” Riley said. “There’s a lot that’s been written of his philosophy for the regular season. He really wants it, and he really wants the ball too.”
He is erasing plenty of doubts.
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