I said this in an earlier thread. Of the top 4 seeds this is the team I think the Bulls have the best chance to beat. This is one of those once every 4 years EG. They are gonna beat them in 7. (Taking a sip from my black and red koolaide, I put Vodka in mine.)

They must get one of the first two games in Miami. The best chance will be game 1. The bulls must shoot at least 48% from the field for the game. This will have to include a 6 for 10 three point barage from Gordon. Pinch down on Wade's drives. If he kicks it to an open man for 3's Ill take it. I'll accept getting beat that way. Use all 6 fouls by our white Austaralian dude on Shaq. Nocioni will have to average 12 rebounds and Chandler will have to average 11. We can dominate them on the boards. For as great as Shaq is he never seems that interested in rebounding. Hinrich needs to be a good floor leader and can't take bad shots. All of this will happen and the Bulls will win in 7.

Yessssssssssssssss. I'm kidding, no breakdown here, Bulls lose every game, good night.

I am cautiously nastamistic, but I'm having trouble envisioning the Bulls taking anything more than 2 games in this series.

_________________
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Any chance you can do it between 10 and 2 tomorrow on the Score?

You'd do a better job than Murph and Jesse.

ESPN will be televising the Bulls game Saturday on three of there Networks. Each one will have a different camera angle. If you remember they did this with Duke vs NC late in the season. It kinna cool to flip around and get different angles of the game.

I'm anxiously awaiting Nas's breakdown. Everybody get on reccord with predictions.

Heat in 5

I concur. I expect the Bulls to take 1 of their home games, that’s it. In no particular order regarding the 4 Heat wins, I predict: one of the games in Miami will be a beating. There will be 2 Heat victories where the Bulls hang in there and lose by 5-10 points. There will also be a game in which the Bulls have a chance to win but their inexperience takes over and they blow it. Heat in 5. A good learning experience, good for the fan base, but this team is not going to be a legitimate threat until 2008.

_________________
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Very good stuff Nas. I wish I shared your optimism. The Bull will be lucky to win two games. Hinrich will be in foul trouble most of the series. Mourning and Shaq wil eat Sweetney, Harrington and the dopey Austrailian alive. And doesn't Gordon have problems with taller guards?

_________________
We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Good stuff, Nas, but I’m afraid I’m not nearly as optimistic as you are…

For one thing, I don’t believe Wade struggling twice against the Bulls is enough to base a trend on. Did the Bulls truly crack the code to stifeling Wade or did he simply have two crappy games? Well, we’re about to find out, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s the latter (not taking anything away from Skiles’ scheme or Hinrich’s effort, I don’t think those defensive performances were a fluke, but I also don’t think they can do it night in & night out for the course of the series). I’m also not prepared to write off the Diesel just yet. My hope is that Mourning is not completely healthy and Shaq will need to play more minutes than they’d like him to. This would be especially beneficial if we had an inside scorer that could actually get the big man in foul trouble. Our best hope for a 5-foul Shaq is having Chandler being aggressive, yet under control, beneath the boards. If Chandler plays smart (which is a huge if, he’s been known to regress to playground style hoops at times), beats Shaq in establishing position for boards, and can draw a few fouls that way, the Bulls may be in business. That’s asking a lot out of a young man who has lapses in discipline, who’s wife will be going into labor any moment now, but that’s what we’re paying him $60 million dollars for, so go earn it Tyson. We could also use some jump shooting from Malik Allen & Othella Harrington. If Malik & Othella can drop a handful of 12-15 footers, pull Shaq away from the bucket, and start finding a streaking Luol/Noce, that changes things dramatically. Antoine Walker is swiss cheese on defense, and while I have some respect for Udonis Haslem in the paint, he’s no Ben Wallace.

Nas has covered most of the statistical analysis, so here are a few thoughts/concerns, in no particular order, on some of the secondary matchups:

Will Kirk & Du win the turnover/assist battle against Jason Williams & Gary Payton? My guess is it’s a draw, on paper, but what makes me nervous is the crucial ones at the end of the shot clock, and more importantly the end of the game. And, like Mr. Reason, I'm very concerned about Kirk getting into foul trouble while guarding Wade. Unless the game goes into triple overtime, I really don't want to see Jannero Pargo on the floor.

Will Ben Gordon be smart in his shot selection? The 9 for 9 games are great, but there are plenty of nights where he goes 2 for 9. Why? Because he’s shooting fadeaway 3’s from the baseline coming off of screens. Can’t have that crap. High percentage shots, Ben, gotta be more selective. Also, the “giant killers” can make for pretty highlights, but if Luol is wide open on the wing, pass the ball son.

I have no doubt that Nocioni will continue to do the dirty work, but to what effect? Will he fluster Antoine Walker, James Posey, Udonis Haslem, etc, and get them bickering amongst themselves? I hope so. He’s done it before and can certainly do it again. But I’ve also seen nights were the refs view Noce as an instigator and don’t hesitate to T his ass up. If the game gets physical and the technicals fouls start to come out, I guarantee you bad boys like Nocioni, Tyson, and Skiles get dinged long before NBA darlings like Wade, Shaq, and Riley are whistled.

Don’t place too much emphasis on bench strength. Outside of foul trouble, the best players will be on the floor the majority of the time. These are playoff games, the networks cut to commercial every time a guy needs to tie his shoes. Fatigue is not nearly as significant here as it is during a Wednesday night matchup with the Bucks in January.

I maybe reaching on this one, but if the Bulls were to pull this upset off, the MVP of the series has to be Luol Deng. He is the one guy on the Bulls that Miami really has no answer for. Yes, Gordon may light your ass up from beyond the arc, but most teams will rotate on him. It’s kind of foolish to chase him around all game when he’s no threat to post anyone up. Luol is going to be guarded by Antoine Walker (who will be slightly more of a pest than Luol’s shadow) and James Posey (who historically has been a very tough defender, but the guy is battling an achilles injury and is far from 100%). If the Man from Sudan has himself a coming out party, things could get exciting.

I agree, Nas, Miami is not nearly as far ahead of the Bulls as most of the pundits would have you think. The problem, though, is that the Bulls need to execute their plan nearly flawlessly in order to pull this off. Miami has much more room for error, which is why, over the course of a 7-game series, I don’t see the Bulls coming out on top.

_________________
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Forgot to add the distraction of Riley's mom passing. Sorry if I sound like a heartless bastard, I do feel bad for him, but this may pose a problem for his squad. I can't imagine his focus is on his team right now. Plus, this guy has won titles before. It's not like he's going to put his head down and charge through it, thinking this may be his only shot at a ring. He's got 6 of 'em already. The question is, how does he handle it? Does he spend the coming weeks grieving the loss and let one of his assistants take over? Or, is basketball therapeutic for him during this tough time and in fact he becomes more focused/determined than ever? Who knows, but it will certainly play a factor in the series.

_________________
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Solid work Prez & Nas! You guys have provided more insight into this series than any so-called expert in town. Come on bigfan, pony up a t-shirt or something for these cats.

_________________
I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out. - Bill Hicks

Let's do it for Johnny!

Yeah. Hell of a job Nas. Your better then Tom Door. He was on the radio the other day and he broke down the Bulls by saying. "If the Bulls make shots then they could win." He's made that comment on a handful of broadcasts this year. What a dolt.

and that little detail of the series being tied and not 3-1 in favor of the Bulls

I think they can win again in the UC but stealing a game in Miami is going to be much tougher. IMO, they are more likely to win on the road in game 7 than in game 5. Outside of Wade, Miami looks old and don't appear to be getting any younger as the series goes on. Plus, the Bulls might not have Chandler for game 5. If Luke Schenscher plays 20 minutes on Tuesday, I have a feeling Shaq will miraculously regain his mojo.

_________________
"There's an old saying in Tennessee—I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee—that says, fool me once, shame on—shame on you. Fool me—you can't get fooled again."

Jeez Nas don't pull something patting your self on the back. Hey I had them winning in 7 too. But your research of the Heat reccord with multiple days off have come to be an accurate trend. I knew we could beat them in rebounds and thats been the key to the series. Next time make predictions as Nas and compliment yourself as Dynasty.