The 2011 NBA Finals are set to air on ABC on June 2. This season, fans are optimistic as the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have been knocked out in the second round of the playoffs. As of May 24, the 2nd seeded Miami Heat has taken control of the Eastern Conference Finals against the top seeded Chicago Bulls with a 3-1 record. The Western Conference Finals reflect similarities, as the 3rd seeded Dallas Mavericks defeated the 4th seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 as well.
On May 26, the Bulls are battling against the Heat in Miami for a chance to bring the series to 3-2 and avoid elimination. The Chicago loss on May 24 was primarily due to the efforts of Lebron James and Mike Miller. James recorded 35 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals to seal the game for Miami in overtime. Due to the dreadful night of scoring team leader Dwayne Wade faced, James stepped up in scoring, facilitating, and playing defense on the league MVP Derrick Rose. However, Mike Miller had the best game of his 2010-11 season, recording 12 points and 9 rebounds off of 5-8 shooting.
In fourth quarter, Heat coach Eric Spoelstra played Lebron on Rose, which immediately made an impact and won the game for them. Unfortunately for Chicago fans (as myself), the league MVP was shut down by the most overrated player in the league and missed the buzzer beating step back jump shot (rimmed out) to force a Chicago victory.
The key to a Chicago victory will revolve around an increase in bench productivity. In game 4 against Miami, the Chicago starters played an average of 45 minutes, whereas the league MVP Derrick Rose played throughout the second half and overtime without breaks. Derrick Rose cannot physically match up against Lebron James without rest, which will call for the back-up point guard C.J Watson to step up. Furthermore, the offense has to become more efficient and require shooting guard Kyle Korver to create shots, pick and rolls over isolation plays, and better ball movement. Overall, the key to defeating the Heat will be to shut down the Miami ‘Big Three’, because Bosh, James, and Wade on average score half of the Miami points.
Chicago fans should keep a positive attitude and continue to cheer on for the Bulls. The last 3-1 comeback came from the 2006 Phoenix Suns against the L.A Lakers through the league MVP point guard Steve Nash; we have our very own league MVP, the youngest in NBA history, Derrick Rose.
