The Chicago Bulls look for a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat tonight, Wednesday May 18th, as Game 2 tips-off at the United Center, Chicago, IL. NBA oddsmakers have the Bulls as -2 point home favourites over the Heat with the over/under set at 181.5 points. Be sure to check the Heat vs Bulls NBA Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
Miami (8-3, 2-3 V) got pounded in Game 1 by the Bulls losing 82-103, in Chicago. The only good thing to come out of this loss, is they can only get better. Chris Bosh had 30pts with nine rebounds; Dwyane Wade added 18pts and LeBron James chipped in with 15. They shot 47% from the field, 37% beyond the arch and made 15 of 15 from the line. Full credit to the Bulls, but Sunday’s combined ineffectiveness of James and Wade has proved so rare that the certainty of a big night from one or both in Game 2 is inevitable. James and Wade had shared the basketball court in 85 regular-season and playoff games before Sunday night, and only ONCE the two had previously combined to score fewer than their 33 total points in Game 1. What’s troubling is that even if James and Wade had hit their season scoring average Sunday Miami still would have lost by two points — even with Chris Bosh’s 30. Not only is the heat on the Big 3, but it’s also on Coach Erik Spoelstra. Here are just some of the issues and quandaries squarely in Spoelstra’s lap as Game 2 approaches. Isn’t it time to unleash a still-rusty Udonis Haslem for bigger minutes? Should Miami use more of a small lineup with Bosh at center and James at power forward? Or is this the series for 7-footers Zydrunas Ilgauskas or even Erick Dampier to focus on rebounding? What can be done to offset Chicago’s depth advantage so Bulls role players like Omer Asik don’t inflict such damage?
Chicago (9-3, 6-1 H) got great production from Derrick Rose who added 28pts, while Luol Deng added 21pts with seven rebounds and Carlos Boozer’s 14pts and nine rebounds. Joakim Noah was a rebounding animal pulling down 14 rebounds and adding nine points. The Bulls say they want to improve upon their Game 1 performance against the Heat is that near-perfection would be the only level to reach after that. "We're not satisfied," Derrick Rose said following a film session and practice Monday. "Every time we feel good about ourselves, something knocks us down. We're trying to keep things going, making sure everybody stays positive, stay right and stay hungry." The Bulls defense was near perfect and it was more than just Luol Deng bothering James with good body position or Ronnie Brewer staying within arm's length of Wade. It was the way five Bulls defenders choreographed their reactions to work as one. "Every time they went to the basket, they had to go through three guys," Barkley said. "Their defensive guys are on a string. They're beautiful to watch. Getting the ball to LeBron or Dwyane one-on-one isn't going to work. They work their behinds off." For Noah and the Bulls to continue to control the game defensively, they need to slow down the Heat in transition as they did the final three quarters. The Heat scored eight fast-break points in the first quarter but, after the Bulls adjusted, managed just one more fast-break basket in the final 36 minutes.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Chicago.
Home team is 6-2-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings.
Under is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings.
Underdog is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Heat are 1-4-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Chicago.
Heat are 0-3-1 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Bulls are 8-1-2 ATS in their last 11 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
Bulls are 8-1-2 ATS in their last 11 games as a home favorite of 0.5-4.5.
Bulls are 13-2-2 ATS in their last 17 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Heat vs Bulls
When: Wednesday, May-18, 8:30 PM ET
Pick: Bulls -2
Point-Spreads.com recommends you check out NBA Point Spreads before Heat vs Bulls game.
The Bottom Line: This will no doubt be a closer game, but the Bulls will prevail. Be sure to check Heat vs Bulls Basketball Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
