Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

With a win in Game 3, Miami’s home court advantage was restored — but more importantly, I think Chicago’s will (and ability) to win has been shattered, and Miami’s belief has only surged after stumbling in Game 1.

It wasn’t just that they lost in Chicago.  It was that they got out-classed and out-played.  From Nazr Mohammed’s full-bodied shove on LeBron James to Chicago’s dismal fourth quarter (the Heat outscored the Bulls, 34-24), by the end of the game, the Bulls knew they didn’t deserve to win.

Four of Chicago’s players have logged more than 110 minutes this series (Belinelli — 128 minutes, Butler — 127 minutes, Noah — 113 minutes, Robinson — 115 minutes) while the only Heat player with more than 110 minutes is LeBron James, who has logged 120 minutes.

Those tired legs are going to catch up to Chicago as this series goes on, especially if it continues to be as physical as it has been.  But beyond the physical wear and tear is the mental fatigue of having played literally two hours (or more) of playoff basketball.  In any circumstance, 120 minutes is a long time but to mentally focus for 120 minutes in an environment where every split-second is incredibly important and where you have to be locked in – that has got to be mentally taxing.

However, the Bulls had three days to mentally prepare for this game — which is now the most important game in the series.  A Chicago loss here and the series is essentially over as the Heat would have to lose the next four straight games.  The Heat are 43-3 in the past 46 games — four straight Heat losses are not happening.  A Chicago win here and the series is all knotted up, and “on serve”.

I’m expecting a very tense game.  Tom Thibodeau can’t be too pleased with what he saw from his Bulls team in Game 3, and that message will carry into Game 4.  On the other side, I don’t there is a team outside of the Boston Celtics that the Heat dislike more than the Chicago Bulls.  After Mohammed’s shove, after playing Joakim Noah for three games, after hearing all the uproar about losing Game 1, this team is ready to finish the Bulls.

And I just can’t wait for Noah to get ejected again.

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

I wouldn’t ask for another series.

On one hand there are the Chicago “I-Try-So-Hard” Bulls — on the other, the Miami “Can’t-Stop-LeBron” Heat.

The Streak-killers versus the win-streakers.

The grind and the grit versus the glitz and the glam.  It’s perfect.

Individually, the matchups are

• Joakim “Butt-Ugly-But-Hustles-His-Butt-Off” Noah versus Chris “NBA-Tattoo-MVP” Andersen.

• Jimmy “How-Can-You-Not-Love-His-Story” Butler versus LeBron “BESTPLAYERALIVEEEE” James

• Marco “Didn’t-Even-Know-This-Guy-Existed-Before-This-Year” Belinelli versus Dwayne “WOW” Wade.

Add in some significant doses of Nate “Probably-The-Most-Irrationally-Confident-Human-Ever-After” Robinson, the most entertaining, lovable, hateable, NBA player in recent memory, and you have one of the more polarizing Eastern Conference Semifinal series in the past couple of years.

My Three Bold Predictions:

1. Mike Miller shoots a gazillion percent from three — Not really, but Mike Miller is going to go off on the Bulls.  They’re going to concentrate so much on LeBron and Wade, and with many of the Bulls players not 100% there is going to be a lot of drive-and-kick action.  This means lots of open threes for Mike Miller.
2. Carlos Boozer does not score in double-figures in a single game — I’m 10000000% convinced that Carlos Boozer should not be making $13.5 million this year.  It simply shouldn’t happen.  There’s gotta be something in the Geneva Convention that states that Carlos Boozer should not make more than $10 million a year.  He’s not that good, and the only reason people thinks he’s good is that he plays well against bad teams.  The Heat are not a bad team.
3. The Heat sweep – The Bulls are a shell of a team.  Joakim Noah has a plantar fasciitis problem.  Luol Deng just got a freakin’ spinal tap because they thought he had viral meningitis.  Kirk Hinrich just missed three straight games of a series (including a Game 7) due to a bruised left knee. And even if Hinrich plays, his injury might even make him a detriment to the team.  The Bulls are battered and bruised and are about to be K.O’d.