Schuster: Defense Could Win The Eastern Conference
By David Schuster--
CHICAGO (WSCR) It seems like this Bulls-Heat series was been destined to happen when back to last July when LeBron James appeared on his infamous TV show, "The Decision." A bunch of us reporters were watching it, waiting to see if he might come to the Bulls, stay in Cleveland or go elsewhere. In the end he opted for playing with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. As the show ended Joakim Noah came out here at the Berto Center and spoke to us for about 10 minutes. Noah wasn't aware of James' decision until we told him, instantly his competitive spirit took over. With a sly smile on his face he said, "We'll be seeing them down the road." And so here we are.
Yes, the two teams faced each other during the regular season (the Bulls winning all 3 matchups), but this was always about the postseason and a chance to win the Eastern Conference.
All three of those regular season games were close, with the Bulls winning the three contests by a total of eight points. James didn't play in one of them but the Bulls at least have the knowledge that they can beat this team, especially in close affairs.
James and Wade are without question two of the five best players on the planet, and Bosh is really good also. However, Rose is on that best list too and the Bulls are incredibly cohesive. This series could come down to how the teams try to defend the other team's star players. Luol Deng will get the assignment on James while Keith Bogans will start on Wade. The interesting part will come on the other end of the court where Wade will likely check Rose. Wade is a very good defender but Miami would be taking a huge risk because Wade could easily get tired covering Rose and also could quickly get in foul trouble. So it's possible that Mike Bibby gets the initial assignment and then the Heat switch to Wade or even James with the game on the line.
This series has already been hyped like it's the NBA Finals and the question is: Will it live up to it's hype? I believe it will and I believe the Bulls will win it in seven games.
