Was this how it ends for the Miami Heat?
The Chicago Bulls came back from a 19-point halftime deficit to steamroll the Heat in the second half and pick up a much needed victory. The Bulls (47-32) used a 39-8 run to start the second half to take control of this game, and now have a half game lead over the Toronto Raptors for the third seed in the East.
For the Heat? While they might not admit it, Thursday’s game in Miami might have been the knockout punch for the season that has been a dumpster fire. The loss drops the Heat to 35-44, falling a game and a half behind the Brooklyn Nets for the final playoff spot in the East. The loss also leaves them with the tenth worst record in the NBA, which means they would keep their first round pick – assuming another team doesn’t jump them in the lottery.
The Heat now finds themselves at a pivotal crossroads: win and try to get into the playoffs where they will likely face a daunting task to get out of the first round, or lose and try to get a much-needed asset. The Heat have three games remaining to come up with those answers.
The Bulls had five players score in double-figures, led by Pau Gasol’s 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Taj Gibson also had a double-double off the bench, going for 14 points and 12 rebounds. In his second game back from his third major knee injury, Derrick Rose finished with 12 points in 20 minutes, as the Bulls had him on a minutes count as they prep for the playoffs. But they didn’t need that much from him, as Mike Dunleavy and Aaron Brooks combined for 26 points, on 10 of 24 shooting.
For the Heat, Dwyane Wade just didn’t have it going, scoring just 9 points, on 4 of 20 shooting. His jumper wasn’t falling, but no one seemed to tell him that. Wade went full Chalmers on a night when the Heat needed him to bail them out.
Things that pleased me: Hassan Whiteside didn’t play like a guy that only had one healthy hand, going for 19 points, 16 rebounds, and a block. He was very aggressive when he got the ball, taking it strong to the basket or putting up hook shots with ease. If there’s a bright spot to this season, it’s Whiteside.
The other bright side would be Goran Dragic, who finished with 15 points. Dragic’s midseason acquisition sparked hope into a season that was on the brink, before Chris Bosh’s blood clots sent the Heat crashing back to reality. Assuming he re-signs with the Heat, Dragic should have a lot of fun playing alongside Bosh and Whiteside.
Maybe it was the opportunity to play against Rose, or the thought that this might be his last few games in Miami, but Michael Beasley had an incredible game. Super Cool Beas led the Heat bench with 13 points, on 5 for 8 shooting, and hitting 3 of 4 from three.
Things that annoyed me: Do I even have to point it out? Coming out of the half with a 19-point lead, Heat fans still had to feel hesitant to be overly confident, as blowing second half leads has been a running theme for this team. And when things go bad, the third quarter tends to be when it begins.
The Bulls started the third on an 11-0 run as the Heat couldn’t muster anything on offense. These situations tend to play out with Miami settling into becoming a jump-shooting team, something that isn’t their strength. The Heat shot 3 for 22 in the quarter, and 1 of 13 from outside the paint, as the wheels quickly fell apart for them. Chicago would outscore Miami 33-8 in the quarter, as the tide turned from a +19 margin to a -6 deficit in the span of 12 minutes. Game…blouses.
Things that perplexed me: But it’s one thing to completely collapse on offense, it’s another for their defense to do so against a Bulls team that came into this game 20th in field goal percentage on the season. They also were 0-9 from three in the first half.
So naturally they would play unconscious in the third quarter, going 14-21 from the field (4 for 8 from downtown) as they took complete control of the game. And it wasn’t Rose, Gasol, or Joakim Noah doing the damage; it was guys like Dunleavy and Brooks (By the way, what is it about the random Bulls third point guard that seems to have a great performance against Miami?) The Heat just doesn’t have the pieces to lock down on the defensive end of the court when everything is going up like a forest fire on offense. This game was just the final straw.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how badly did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers? 7. You only realized when Chalmers was on the court when something bad was happening, like his ridiculous charge into Dunleavy’s chest in the third quarter. He scored just 2 points, with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and committed 2 more turnovers.
What we learned: This game was the Heat’s season in a nutshell: shoot lights out early while other team shoots poorly; flip the script in the second half. Lather, rinse, repeat. Reality sucks, but this Heat team isn’t very good. Everyone is hurt, and they are relying way too much on guys that probably wouldn’t crack nine-man rotations on any of the playoff teams.
So now where do the Heat go from here? They are a game and half out of the eighth seed, with three games to play. Much has been made about the pros of tanking the rest of the season to insure Miami keeps the top-10 protected pick that they would have to give to Philadelphia in the event it falls past ten. This was something Heat fans couldn’t envision two weeks ago, but life comes at you fast. Yet this franchise has too much pride to wave the white flag; not the message you want send out after making it to four consecutive Finals, while winning two titles.
The Heat finish with home games against the Raptors on Saturday, followed by the Magic on Monday, before closing out this dreadful season Wednesday night in Philadelphia.