Miami Beat
Peace out, Champs. Russ Bengtson takes you through Game Four of Bulls/Heat.
by Russ Bengtson
It’s the NBA on ABC! And it’s 1 p.m., which is an ungodly start time for a Sunday. So uncivilized. This had better be a good game, at least.
It may as well be an ESPN game. Same pregame show. It’s kind of confusing, actually. In fact, Mike Tirico and Hubie Brown are actually holding ESPN microphones.
*cue inspirational Luol Deng segment*
FIRST QUARTER
Sure, let’s talk through the jump ball and the first basket, shall we?
DOWN GOES HINRICH.
Guess he’s OK. And so is Shaq as he misses the first free throw. And the second. And the Bulls have two turnovers on two possessions.
Shaq has both buckets for the Heat. The Bulls turn it over again, and Shaq dunks it again. 6-0, Heat. Make that 8-0. P.J. Brown stops the bleeding. Hubie says something about the Bulls “maximizing the width of the floor.” Right.
Gordon gets hammered, hits a pair. Meanwhile, Udonis Haslem has four points, as does P.J. Brown. Posey misses a three, Wallace rebounds, and Ben Gordon hits a three in transition. 12-9.
Wade throws up an airball over a double team, and then fouls Gordon in the backcourt.
Heat turnover, Big Ben layup on the break, 12-11.
Shaq rebounds a J-Will miss, sinks a jump hook while getting fouled. And nothing.
Deng misses at point-blank range. Settle for the 20-foot jumper! Luol’s like the anti-Vince—you WANT him to not drive.
Ben Gordon, corner three. 14-all. Miami calls time.
I’ve been quite impressed by the Bulls poise in this series—no matter what happens, they just play their game. And so far, it’s worked out quite well. Outstanding job by Scott Skiles.
Heat turnover, and Gordon squanders it with an absurd shot. Posey hits a three on the other end. And Ben Wallace delivers a textbook hook that leads to a Hubie Brown chuckle.
Hey look, it’s Gary Payton!
Wade hits a pair of free throws and Wallace runs over Posey. Offensive foul. And Wade hits Haslem with a driving alley-oop, and the Bulls call time. 21-16, Miami.
SPLIT SCREENS FOR INTERVIEWS ARE THE WORST. I really wish there was another channel where I could just watch the damn game without any stupid distractions.
Mourning stretches the Heat lead to seven.
Wade with a nice spin move that leads to nothing. Nocioni gets snuffed for the second time in a row, and Wade finishes. And Nocioni skips the lane and hits a three. 25-21, Bulls. Gordon adds a pair of free throws, and it’s a two-point game. And of course Antoine Walker ends the first quarter with a 30-footer—which puts the Heat lead back where it should be. 28-23 after 1.
SECOND QUARTER
Zone!
Shaq and Wade both pick up offensive fouls. “It’s like the side of the building falling on top of you, OK?” OK, Hubie. Here’s your soup.
And there’s another offensive foul on Shaq, this time on the perimeter off the ball. Gordon follows that up with a three, and it’s 31-29.
Shaq catches the ball in deep and…yeah.
Kapono picks up his third foul and wanders off with a pained look on his face. Wade comes back in. Walker misses a deep three, Sefolosha rebounds. The Bulls offense is, how you say, anemic. Wallace goes out with his third foul.
Sefolosha with a nice move to the basket that comes up short, but Deng is there to clean up. 34-31 Miami.
I forgot that the Heat retired Jordan’s jersey. So weird.
Wade to Shaq, and Deng comes back with a jumper. About time he got on track. Shaq misses a pair, Hinrich hits a three, and it’s 36-all.
Sefolosha has three fouls already somehow.
Wade hits a pair, and P.J. Brown gets an and-1 and makes it look like he meant to hit the shot. Suuuure he did. That’s three on the Diesel, who takes a seat. Brown casually misses the free throw, then fouls Mourning underneath on the other end. He goes out for Malik Allen as Zo misses a pair.
Nocioni misses from the corner, and Wade hits a jumper on the baseline.
SPLIT-SCREEN INTERVIEW WITH BEN GORDON’S MOM. Clutch. Totally couldn’t wait until halftime or anything.
Mourning hits a shot, gets fouled, and acts like a jackass. It’s hard to see. And he actually makes the free throw. Three-point Miami lead.
Deng hits a 20-footer while holding his face. Mourning gets a dunk on the baseline, he’s got 10. The Bulls are jacking threes. Hinrich saves a possession that ends with Nocioni free throws. One of two. Wade throws up an airball that goes out of bounds off of Haslem. And Gordon is fouled on the shot with 5.7 seconds left. Miss, ice, hit.
And Wade drives for the and-one with .6 seconds left. Impressive. He hits the free throw, and it’s 48-44 at the half. Chicago has never led.
THIRD QUARTER
Gordon strikes first in the third with a deep two. And Hinrich misses a three off a Heat turnover. Heat miss, and P.J. Brown scores in the paint. All knotted up at 48, until Wade breaks it with a layup. Gordon miss, Deng miss, Heat ball. Williams splashes a three, and the Heat are back up five. In to Shaq, and it’s seven. P.J. misses a baseline jumper, but Deng is there to clean it up.
Hinrich misses a clean look at a three in transition, Haslem scores on the other end, and the Bulls need a time out. 57-50 with just over seven minutes left in the third.
If that’s the play Scott Skiles drew up, wow. Back to the drawing board. Clipboard. Whatever.
Posey fouls Deng, who hits both. And Hinrich fouls Wade, who also hits both.
Shaq snuffs P.J. Brown, Deng misses from deep, and the Bulls are cold as ice.
Hinrich gets called for his fourth after swatting Wade from behind. He takes a seat. Wade hits one of two, his first FT miss of the game. And Ben Gordon scores before anyone knows what’s going on. Including me. Shaq misses, Duhon hits a three on a second look. 60-57, Miami.
Shaq scores over Ben Wallace, and Deng rattles home a 20-footer. Miami calls time—they still haven’t trailed, but for a team that’s led all game they look incredibly vulnerable.*
And Deng hits another baseline jumper to give the Bulls their first lead of the day, 63-62. Posey misses a three, and Haslem is called for a loose-ball foul.
*that was legitimate foreshadowing. I didn’t go back and write it after the fact like, well, this.
I’m pretty sure Mourning is trying to orchestrate a trade back to the Nets.
Gary Payton, charge. Somehow beating Gary Payton to the spot can’t be all that satisfying anymore. Deng hits another jumper, this time from up top, and the Heat call for time. 65-62 Bulls with 1:20 to go in the third.
Walker misses a three badly, but Wade is right there to put it up and in. And Posey fouls Deng in the paint. Non-shooting. Nocioni misses from the top of the key, Posey rebounds, and Wade misses a layup. Duhon hits a three over a Nocioni screen, and Wade launches from 50. Miss. End of three, Bulls lead 68-64.
FOURTH QUARTER
I love that the buzzer beater in that Ray Allen WNBA commercial is a layup.
Dwyane Wade has nine assists.
Wallace gets fouled underneath by Mourning, and makes his first trip to the line. Uh-oh. Miss, hit. 69-66.
Dwyane Wade has two more points than he did a second ago.
Nocioni for three. Four-point Bulls lead, under 10 minutes.
Wade to Mourning underneath, who’s fouled by Nocioni. Good foul. Short, short. Wallace rebounds. Deng misses a hotly contested jumper from the corner, and Wallace is fouled trying to tip out the rebound. Nocioni throws up a prayer over Walker, and hits again. 74-68, Bulls.
Mourning catches it in deep and scores over Wallace (Wade’s 10th assist, I think), and Gordon responds with a fallaway over Payton with the shot clock winding down. 76-70, 8:10 remaining.
Alonzo Mourning is a lunatic.
Ben Wallace just hit two free throws in a row. Three! Somebody call Harvey Pollack!
Shaq and Kirk are back in. Shaq misses his first shot. Kapono misses a three, but Miami gets the offensive rebound and he doesn’t miss the second time. Wait, that was Wade’s 10th assist? I’m confused. Heat trail by three.
Gordon drives into the teeth of the Miami defense and gets chewed up. Out of bounds to Chicago. And again. Two seconds on the shot clock. Nocioni misses the jumper, Posey gets his 16th rebound, and Wade gets called for an offensive foul after he knocks down Hinrich. Wallace misses a hook, Haslem gets the board, and Shaq goes to the line. Misses the first really badly, and the second not quite as badly. Posey gets the rebound, but dribbles out of bounds.
Gordon fouls Posey in the backcourt, and it’s called a clear path foul. He hits both, and Miami inbounds down one. Wade and Haslem run a high screen and roll, and Haslem tries to get it underneath to Shaq but it spills out of bounds.
Ben Wallace! Offensive rebound putback. Wade misses off glass, Nocioni clears out. On the other end, he bricks a three.
Deng scores, is fouled, misses the extra. Bulls up five with just over three minutes to go.
The Heat are scrambling for loose balls right now, scrappin’. And you get the feeling that it’s probably too late.
Hinrich strips Wade, Shaq winds up on the floor, and Wade picks up his fifth foul. The Heat are over the limit. Gordon to the line, hits both. 84-77, Bulls, 2:45.
Wade on the baseline. “That was a lucky play, and a very difficult shot.” Ah, Uncle Hubie.
And it’s hack-a-Ben for the next 22 seconds. He hits the first, a lovely rainbow job. And another—that’s six straight! I can barely hit six straight!
Shaq can’t score, and someone fouls Ben Wallace off the ball on the wrong end of the court while Nocioni is attempting a layup. Before it, actually. And Wallace coolly hits two more. And Hinrich gets a steal in the backcourt, the Bulls are up nine, and we’re inside of two minutes. Hinrich misses a deep three, but the Heat commit another turnover—Wade is on his way to a dubious triple-double.
SWEEP.
This is ridiculous.
Ben Gordon goes back to the line, hits both.
Scottie Pippen is wearing a shirt with epaulettes on it.
Hey look, it’s Malik Allen.
And this is in the books. Final score, 92-79 Bulls, who have won their first playoff series since MJ and Pip were in town. I’m going to get some extra enjoyment out of those T-Mobile commercials for the rest of the playoffs.
POSTGAME ANALYSIS
Man, I love double- and triple-headers, but it would have been nice to hear some more postgame interviews. Where you at, Zo?
The Heat became the first-ever defending champs to get swept out of the first round. And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer bunch. Actually, I like some of the Heat players as individuals—quite a few of them—but as a team, they’re so unlikeable. Maybe it’s Pat Riley’s fault, I don’t know. (Also, in the year of the UF repeat, it’s interesting that Florida went 0-8 in the NBA Playoffs.)
The Bulls, man. I’ll definitely be posting the other half of my interview stuff from the SLAM story this week as we wait for the second round to start. They’re just playing remarkable basketball right now, and their confidence should be skyrocketing. Even when their jumpers aren’t falling, they get a lot of second opportunities and find ways to make the defense pay.
It’s sort of hard to believe that the Heat were the defending champs.
The series with the Pistons should be interesting. The Pistons have a lot of similarities to the Bulls—long defenders, mid-range shooters, a veteran frontcourt. The biggest difference is experience, but the Heat had that as well, and look where it got them. The head says Pistons, but the heart disagrees. Bulls in six.
71 Responses to “Miami Beat”
Apr.29 at 5:12 pm
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Yes, Mourning, Payton, Eddie Jones, Walker (all way past their prime players trying to ride Shaq and Wade to a championship) - that team sure is (or is it was?) hard to like. The Chicago-Detroit series should indeed be intriguing. I think the Bulls might prove too young, too energetic and too talented for Detroit to handle.
Apr.29 at 6:10 pm
Nadav Mor says:
spurs got swept too in 2000, but it’s good.
Apr.29 at 6:19 pm
Nadav Mor says:
mah bad mah bad. im wrong
Apr.29 at 6:28 pm
deestarbuckz says:
Let the re-rebuilding begin…
Apr.29 at 6:56 pm
whooo! says:
1st time since 1957 was it? so… whats’ the over/under on which heat players retire and which stay on?
Apr.29 at 7:04 pm
ab says:
this was the best read ive had online in a LOOONG time. forget that my Tivo didnt record the game…this play by play was MORE entertaining than the game might have been. EXCELLENT JOB! GO BULLS!!!
Apr.29 at 8:40 pm
tike says:
Miami was bad but i got a feeling there going to come back strong next year…As for the Bulls i picked them to go to the finals…mite happen, detroit defintley going to come on strong…but i agree Bulls in six.
Apr.29 at 9:06 pm
namik says:
Does anyone realize how easy the Cavs have it to the ECF? F*cking King James…some people have all the luck. Well except for never knowing his dad and his mom having no place to live for herself and him as a kid. Anyway, good to see Wade learn the other side of Karma. Dunno how to feel about Shaq. As a Laker fan its good to see him get owned after all that ish he talked. But its also really sad to see how far he has fallen. Superman is definetly dead.
Apr.29 at 9:08 pm
namik says:
whoooo! if the Mavs loose too, then it will be the first time since 1957 that both finalists got bounced. This has happened a lot. Last team was the Pistons I think. The original Bad Boys. What happened Lakers? Kobe’s incosistency is maddening.
Apr.29 at 10:24 pm
Chris says:
how bout ben wallace going 7-8 from the line thats a small miracle in itself.
Apr.29 at 10:46 pm
tanktastic says:
When Shaq went down early, the Heat should’ve gone into tank mode to be in a position to draft Oden or Durant. Just imagine Oden being mentored by Shaq. Or Durant playing with Wade. Anyway, at least Miami got one title out of Wade before he goes to New York to play with Lebron on the Knicks in 3 years’ time.
Apr.29 at 11:10 pm
Brian says:
At least Shaq will have plenty of time to think up new nicknames for everyone.
Apr.29 at 11:16 pm
James says:
Shaq really should retire. What happened to “I’ll retire if I was at David Robinson’s level”? Guess the $100 million was too good to walk away from.
Apr.30 at 12:01 am
8-Ball says:
ben gordon + bulls, “shorty we bury finals champs,and yu know what it is the undertaker!” so i guess shaq is gonna retire after the season is over…sh*t shaq is gonna become a 5-0 now, maybe even a fed thats not good…….
Apr.30 at 12:23 am
Chief says:
SPLIT-SCREEN INTERVIEW WITH BEN GORDON’S MOM. Clutch. Totally couldn’t wait until halftime or anything.
Hilarous. I hate those interviews too.
Apr.30 at 12:30 am
Drolfe says:
I was rooting for the Heat to come back and at least make this a series, but goodness me seeing Alonzo Mourning lose makes me happy. There’s your unlikeability factor right there.
Apr.30 at 12:32 am
Russ Bengtson says:
There were a few moments today when I thought Zo would have to be dragged off the court in a straitjacket. I was kind of disappointed it didn;t happen.
Apr.30 at 12:59 am
8-Ball says:
ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!warriors lead 3-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!yu suckass dallas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apr.30 at 1:09 am
2G40 says:
Next time I hear someone compare Dirk to Larry Bird I’m going to throw up! Next time I hear Dirk mentioned as a mvp selection I’m going to throw up! MVP my ass…mvp’s put teams on their back in the fourth, and win games. MVP’s drop forty when their teams struggling. MVP’s whip teams like the warriors ass night-in and night-out.
Apr.30 at 1:13 am
Brian says:
I’ll believe that the Taliban are women’s rights pioneers before I’ll believe that Dirk is an MVP. He’s horrible. How do you think Tim Duncan would do if Steve Jackson covered him?
Apr.30 at 1:37 am
Max Airington says:
The Most Dominant Player Ever has now been swept outta the playoffs five times.
Apr.30 at 2:19 am
Bryant Reeves says:
Do you think Stan Van Gundy was watching? Laughing?
Apr.30 at 3:57 am
Drolfe says:
Five times.. snap. I didn’t realise that. Is that including the ‘five game sweep’ by Detriot in 2004?
Apr.30 at 4:16 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I really can’t emphasize enough how much I’m going to enjoy seeing those T-Mobile commercials all through the rest of the playoffs.
Apr.30 at 4:50 am
John from Miami says:
As a life-long Miami Heat fan I can honestly say that I saw this coming since the 40 point loss the first game of the season. Shaq doesn’t put forth maximum effort, Antoine has had a lack luster career, always going 1 for 8 on three pointers, Wade was 70%, The Glove is more like “the mitten” nowadays, and it seems that Zo’ is the only player on the team that has heart. No one really seems to care much; or as much as they have to to win.
Apr.30 at 4:51 am
John from Miami says:
Jason Kapono for M.V.P.!!!
Apr.30 at 6:06 am
Esco says:
Where are Cheryl and whit hot eboy???
Apr.30 at 6:25 am
Drolfe says:
Hibernating.
Apr.30 at 7:31 am
German Reignman says:
Or maybe “they can`t stand the Heat ?”
Apr.30 at 8:20 am
Billions says:
The heat were not the first team to get kicked out of the first round. The 57′ Warriors(philadelphia) were also kicked out early. To the credit goes the young BULLS. The are the future…
Apr.30 at 8:40 am
white hot eboy says:
Maybe, you’re boy is reflecting on the series? I always like when a championship team (no matter who they are)takes a big, humiliating loss for all the morons to come through and say “oh, they sucked from day one. They didn’t deserve sh#t” I heard that about the Pistons 3 yrs ago, the Spurs have a championship hsitory that’s punctuated by the fact their team has never been solid enough to win back to back’s and even after the Bulls had their run ended by management people were saying “even if this team came back theor too old”. Whatever. The ultimate goal in every sport is to WIN. Preferebly championships. Only a handful of teams do that. The NBA alone has had only five teams win titles in the last 17 years. Winning is great, losing sucks. If your a loser you usually stay a loser. I was a lifelong Bulls fan until I moved to Florida and when Reinsdorf and Crumbs broke a 3 time time championship team I vowed never to cheer for them again. I loved MJ from NC, I knew every Bulls team from the 84-85 team to the end of the Reign. And I was crushed when they were torn apart by two morons. I became a Heat fan in 1990, their second year, when I came to the FLA, and have rooted for them since then. So this has been no overnight love affair with a sudden winner. And to all those Mavs fans who cried the entire year and now are on the brink, how’s second place feel now?
Apr.30 at 8:42 am
Danny W UK says:
So Kirk vs Chauncey? Kirk wins
Ben G vs Rip? Ben G wins
Luol vs Tayshaun? Draw
PJ vs ‘Sheed? Sheed wins
Big Ben vs CWebb? Draw Bulls in 6
Apr.30 at 8:49 am
not so white hot eboy says:
Don’t get it twisted either, the Bulls played their asses off. They deserved every win. There are no excuses on my end. But anyone that says that it’s great watching the Heat lose because of a teams character, have you watched the Bulls? I have never seen a team that can’t stand their ground on every possession. Gordon’s on the floor when he shoots a jumpshot, Wallace just said “f@#k it, I’m just gonna fall down when Shaq make’a a move, Hinrich is a floor burn waiting to happen, Nocioni is another one of a great line of European actors. Come on now, how can anyone cheer for the Mavs just because of Cuban alone? I hope the Heat ditch everyone but Wade, Shaq, Haslem and Posey. Shaq’s got one more productive year and I think he bounces and then build the team around Wade’s skills and go a different direction.
Apr.30 at 8:52 am
white hot eboy says:
Cheryl, what’s your take? I now your feeling the burn right now too. Not so white hot eboy. (I might go by this name for the rest of the summer)
Apr.30 at 8:56 am
white hot eboy says:
Oh, and the Bulls deserved that sh#t. They played excellent ball, and I don’t hate on another teams success. It could have been the best thing to have happened to the Heat, too since Riley will have to open his eyes if thye want to compete next year.
Apr.30 at 8:59 am
deestarbuckz says:
I was not rooting for either team, just wanted to see a good series. I was very disappointed in the Heat and the lack of effort. In the fourth they looked as if it was the first quarter of the first preseason game. There was just no fire. Shaq just is not the Shaq of old… hard to be hungry when you’re sleeping on silk sheets and have that Star Island mansion.
Apr.30 at 9:50 am
Cheryl says:
I’m here. This was about as disappointing as watching the Laker’s implosion when they lost to Detroit in ‘03. I’m a Shaq fan, I admit it. Having moved to Fla from L.A., I was happy when Shaq “followed me” here. I was also a Heat fan from Riley’s reign til now. I agree with white hot eboy, I won’t diss the Bulls, they were the best team and are going to be good for a long time. This Heat team will undergo a roster overhall and will probably have a better year next year. I think Walker, JWill and one of the youngsters (probably Wright) will be traded. ‘Zo and Gary will retire (I hope) and Posey will probably move on. He is the one player besides Wade and Shaq that I hope will stay. Udonis could get traded, but if so, I hope he’s traded for another “blue collar” PF with a mid range jump shot. Detroit should beat this Bulls team in 6 or 7 games. I see a Detroit-Cleveland ECF with the Pistons in the Finals. I love basketball, so I will continue to watch, but I will be in mourning for the next few days.
Apr.30 at 9:54 am
Cheryl says:
And I hope the Warriors run the Mavs out. I won’t feel so bad about the Heat loss if that happens.
Apr.30 at 9:59 am
white hot eboy says:
Cheryl, I was tring to make my way to your section at Game 3, but security guards were not havin’ it. And what was the deal with Eddie Jones? No PT in the biggest game of the year? Something was up for sure. Oh yeah, I’d rather see Kapono move on then Posey. I know it will cost more money to keep Pos, but Kapono showed nothing in the 4 games.
Apr.30 at 10:00 am
Ryan Jones says:
Hey Namik, check the Cavs’ head-to-head record against Jersey over the past two few seasons. The Nets could EASILY win that series.
Apr.30 at 10:01 am
Ryan Jones says:
Also, Russ: I thought the Heat played in Miami, not Spokane…
Apr.30 at 10:56 am
Nguni says:
I agree with Cheryl. Definitely going to be Pistons in 6 or 7, and they gon’ win the finals against the spurs in 7, in SA. I love the mavs, but I don’t see them coming out of this hole. The ‘baby bulls’ no longer babies. The playoffs keep getting more and more interesting. Loved this article. Keep doing your thing SLAM.
Apr.30 at 10:57 am
dez says:
“OK, Hubie. Here’s your soup.”
Nearly choked on my fork laughing.
Apr.30 at 11:18 am
Rich says:
Man, look. I’m so anxious for the Bulls-Pistons series to start. I’ll make my prediction after the first half of the first game. But B.G. for Prezident. Been saying it for the longest. Him and Deng are the franchise. Nike should be proud.
Apr.30 at 11:22 am
Rich says:
Here in the Chi, it’s like we’ve seen this whole team grow up before our eyes. This season isn’t any different. This series was sweeter than the last Bulls championship. But they gotta long way to go. Props to Pax and Skiles.
Apr.30 at 11:27 am
» Magic-Pistons Series Recap - SLAM ONLINE says:
[…] I’ll happily concede to Russ for in-depth coverage of the Pistons’ Round 2 endeavours against his beloved Bulls, but a few thoughts before I go back to my day job… […]
Apr.30 at 11:42 am
white hot eboy says:
Rich, if wiinning a first round series against an aged team of mostly lazy fools is sweeter than having the most dominant sport dynasty play in your town for 6 rings you must REALLY be desperate for any type of accomplishment to hang your hat on. Come on, son. It’s been a DECADE since the Bulls have won anything, and I was the MOST die-hard Bulls fan back in the day so I know what a great, great time it was to witness the greatest player of all-time in his prime. The Bulls still have 3 series to win to make a REAL name for themselves and if they can pull THAT off, than you have every right to celebrate a great team effort, not just a one-time series show-out.
Apr.30 at 11:43 am
Cheryl says:
white hot eboy, EJ will probably retire (at least, he needs to). Shaq’s been saying for years that he crumbles in the money games. This was no different.
Apr.30 at 12:34 pm
white hot eboy says:
Cheryl, I think they should move whoever they can, maybe start Shaq, Haslem, Wright (unless we pick up another SF), D-Wade and a new PG. Posey coming off the bench brings a spark that D-Wright doesn’t have. I’d like to see them make a run at another big man, since we’re gonna probably lose Zo to retirement and Doleac to a trade (and Barron and Simien are not ready). And if the Bulls make a run at Garnett and can pull it off without losing too much, they’re the East favorites for a couple of years, without question. Riles better be planning and scheming, whether he’s coaching or not. Maybe a move for Artest is what he need to infuse some legit “Heat” into this team, kind of like what the Bulls did when they got the Worm. I think we have enough chips to make that move. I think the headaches could go away surrounded by Shaq, Riles & Wade.
Apr.30 at 12:39 pm
Tommy Patron says:
New Jersey will beat the Cavs.
Apr.30 at 12:54 pm
Cheryl says:
Artest would be a big risk–and it’s not about teammates keeping him in line. He is talented for sure, but he’s totally unpredictable. There’s some players out there who’d be good for the team, but that would force Arison to go over the cap. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking AK47, Rashard Lewis, Ed Najera (if we lose UD in trade), Derek Fisher (with AK47 for DWright and JWill). I’m sure there are others that I’m not thinking about right now who may be ready to leave the clubs they’re with or whose clubs want them gone. I trust Riles and Randy to find the right mix. They know what they have to do.
Apr.30 at 12:56 pm
javed says:
laad jesaz mi caan even seh nutin’- transleation i’m from jamaica yeah we watch basketball down here miami sucks!!!
Apr.30 at 12:58 pm
javed says:
*****P.S. look out for Justin Day the NExt oh and Samardo *******
Apr.30 at 12:58 pm
Co Co says:
Not so white hot eboy, you wanna talk about a player falling on his ass after every shot. Have you seen D Wade play??? He falls down after every jumper and he falls out of bounds after every layup. He gots to be the clumsiest mutha in the world or he is just FLOPPING. it depends on who you ask, but I’ll say FLOPPING!
Apr.30 at 12:59 pm
Cheryl says:
BTW, if you’re saying to yourself: ‘AK47! Cheryl didn’t you see him disappear in the playoffs?’ My answer is that sometimes a talented player who’s talent suddenly looks like a fluke, can rebound in a brand new atmosphere and with coaches and teammates who appreciate his talents. I read where DFish told a reporter that he was glad that AK shed tears recently, cuz it meant he cared about what was happening. I think that indicates that the two of them have a nice relationship and that Kirelinko cares. Having them could really be advantageous for us.
Apr.30 at 1:01 pm
javed says:
tell STEVE NASH to do a summer camp in JAMAICA at Belair the no. 1 HS team on the island tell him to call this number 1-876-363-6027
Apr.30 at 1:04 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
It’s still crazy to me that Luol Deng didn’t take a single three. He lives and dies with the straight-up 20-footer from the wings. And he was LIVIN’.
Apr.30 at 1:10 pm
white hot eboy says:
Co Co, your harpin’ on one series from last year that the Sternbot may or may not have had a hand in. Wade tried to AVOID falling this last part of the year at all costs due to his shoulder problem. Or was that imagined too? He also had an entire ad campaign that revolved around his style of play not the fact that the entire starting 5 of his team was taught to flop for moron’s to take pity on them. I don’t see the Suns guys laying on the ground after each play and they play the small ball game better than ANYONE.
Apr.30 at 1:17 pm
rob stewart says:
I really think the Heat could have won yesterday but it seemed like they decided to pack it in because they knew if they won they would have to go through the trouble of traveling to Chicago and eventually losing somewhere down the road. KG to Chi-town?
Apr.30 at 1:18 pm
Co Co says:
Did you watch any of the games. When did he stop falling this series? Me and my friends were all asking why in the hell he fell down after every shot! Puhleeze! He’s a drama queen! He looks for foul calls even when no one touches him and the ish reached a whole new level of ridiculousness in this series. Maybe he wouldnt have to worry about re-injuring his shoulder if he didn’t throw himself into the photographers after every layup attempt!
Apr.30 at 1:36 pm
white hot eboy says:
Co, CO, 5 free throw attempts per game in this series does not seem like he get’s every call imaginable. You must be a Mavs fan!!! Ha, ha!!! That’s funny! Thinking back on the entire year and hearing every snide remark about how they gave the championship away last year makes me very happy. I guess their giving away round one this year too. Mark Cuban should have been on American Idol last week since his team is the most genourous in the league. Maybe you can’t decide who you’re rooting for yet because it’s still too early to tell who might have the best shot at the chip. Take your losses like a man, win like you’ve done it before. If YOU watched the game yesterday, you saw what a CLASSY team is all about as each player and coach from the HEAT congratulated each player on the Bulls for an old fashioned ass whippin and wished them luck. Didn’t see that from the Mavs last year, right. Classless. Per usual with Cuban.
Apr.30 at 1:49 pm
Co Co says:
I am in no way a Mavs fan and not once did I say anything about free throw shooting. He does throw himself out of bounds after every layup and you’re kidding yourself if you can’t see that 90% of the falls he takes are unnecessary. I don’t give a damn about the Heat or the Mavs! And I’m not a man, so I can’t take losses like one! Yes the Heat is full of Classy players. Hahahahah! Stop it, what were they supposed to do? Storm off the court in anguish because they got beat by a better team. Get over yourself.
Apr.30 at 2:40 pm
Cheryl says:
oooh, getting a bit catty, aren’t we?
Apr.30 at 2:55 pm
deestarbuckz says:
Blog beef… so gangsta…
Apr.30 at 3:20 pm
white hot eboy says:
CoCo, on the real, I’ve never seen your name anywhere before so I apologize to you for thinking you’re a man. And forgive me for coming off sounding pig-headed here, but Sheryl is Slamonline’s resident female voice who know’s this game better than 70″ of the guys I know. Take a cue from her, and appreciate the opinion’s of everyone here and not just your own and some gripe you have against a certain player. And as for sportsmanship/womenship, if you don’t give props to a team who beats you down, you’re a little to full of yourself. I don’t know if you where checking out ball back in the late 80’s or early 90’s but when the Bulls finally got past the Pistons, Detroit walked off without a hint of sportsmnaship and proved jsut how moronic several (not all, thanks Joe D for class) of their players were. Nowady’s it’s more about money to some of these guys than rings, so to see some old-fashioned respect between teams is refreshing. Regardless if it was the Heat or someone else.
Apr.30 at 3:26 pm
white hot eboy says:
Typo’s and misspellings are killing me today. Not so white hot.
Apr.30 at 5:04 pm
albie1kenobi says:
a month ago, well, before the playoff started, who woulda thought that warriors were gonna win both their home games and heat losing both their home games? i sure as hell didn’t believe that even before yesterday. this nba playoff is turning into an ncaa tourney.
Apr.30 at 7:12 pm
Dennard C says:
Russ, as always a great post. I gotta got with you on the prediction for the next round as well. Bulls in 6.
May.1 at 10:11 am
Rich says:
Been watching the Bulls my whole life. Ten years ago, it seemed we took some of those championships for granted. That’s why I relish this sweep. They really played like men, not no ‘Baby Bulls’ garbage. They the real deal. B.G. for Prez, Deng Vice-Prez!
May.2 at 8:42 pm
slate says:
Hey DWade whatcha think about Bulls vs Pistons?Like Chuck in tight shorts,’SEXXXXXXY’.Yo D,Iwant you to pull a Shaq,enjoy your entire summer living it up and a week before training camp then decide you’re gonna get your shoulder surgery,so that you can return just before or after the allstar break well rested for the playoff run.Yo Deisel it didn’t work this time did it.
May.17 at 3:58 pm
glen says:
Give me a freakin’ break, you losers. You beat the Heat and all of a sudden you all act like you won the title. Nice job coming back from an 0-3 hole against the Pistons but it’s inevitable that the bulls will lose. They’ve already won 2 straight but there’s no way they’re winning four straight… Pistons in 6(yes, I think they will close it out on your homefloor) and see ya next year, “BABY BULLS”. emphasis on “BABY”….