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Great way to finish the qtr.
Miami at Chicago
Miami at Chicago
Preview - Box Score - Recap - Series Breakdown
Game Info: 8:00 pm EDT Tue Apr 24, 2007
TV: TNT Add to Calendar
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By ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer
DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Luol Deng expects the adjustments to be as subtle as some of the hard fouls the teams have exchanged in recent seasons.
He knows the Miami Heat have to do something.
The defending champions had two days to digest what happened in Game 1 Saturday, when Deng scored 33 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 96-91 victory. Two days to figure out how someone who struggled against them in the regular season went off like that. And two days to correct it before the series resumes Tuesday in Chicago.
"I know they're going to come with a different look," Deng said.
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He knows the Heat are physical, will try to wear down the Bulls, but it's tough to do when a team can't catch its opponent. And the Heat couldn't stop Chicago in the opener.
"Everybody could have done a better job," coach Pat Riley said. "All of us."
The Bulls took three of four in the regular season and the loss came when Miami dictated the tempo, so it was no secret they wanted to pick up the pace. And Chicago did just that.
The Bulls outscored the Heat 25-4 on the break, but what they did in the halfcourt was just as important.
They penetrated. They moved the ball. Deng got open shots, and that's why the Bulls were quick to downplay his five-inch size advantage over Dwyane Wade, the man guarding him.
"Having a small guy on me, it's not as if I kept posting up," Deng said.
That's why he thinks it won't matter if the Heat put the bigger Eddie Jones or James Posey on him. Deng's points come from his ability to move without the ball, to break away from his defender and cut to the rim or pull up for a mid-range jumper.
Still, Posey indicated he wants a chance, and the two have a history.
Posey got ejected for a hard foul on Deng when Miami lost by six at Chicago on Dec. 27. Deng was 2-for-10 with eight points in that game, and he didn't fare much better in the other three. A guy who scored in double digits 78 times during a breakout season had another eight-point effort against the Heat and scored 12 against them twice.
Deng looked like a different player Saturday.
He made a total of 12 and never attempted more than 14 in a game against the Heat during the regular season, yet he hit a layup in the opening seconds and finished 14-for-22.
"I didn't play well against them in the regular season, and my thoughts were I just have to be aggressive at the start of the game," Deng said.
The Heat had no counter.
Shaquille O'Neal dominated early before fouling out, and Wade delivered late. Otherwise, it was a rough afternoon for both superstars.
Knee and shoulder problems limited Wade on both ends of the court. Although he carried the Heat late in the game, scoring nine of his 21 points in the fourth, Wade was 3-for-10 through three quarters and could not shake Chicago's Thabo Sefolosha.
"I'm not the D-Wade I used to be right now," Wade said. "My quickness is not there. So I'm trying to be smarter and use my mind more than my body."
Things went awry for O'Neal after scoring 10 of his 19 points in the first quarter. The fouls started to mount, he accused the Bulls of flopping and said referee Eddie F. Rush "derailed" him.
The odds Wade and O'Neal get into foul trouble again are slim, and coach Scott Skiles realizes the Bulls have to do a better job against the big man early. Ben Wallace did his best to contain O'Neal, but others were slow to rotate.
"Any great player, you never want them feeling good about themselves early in a game," Skiles said. "A guy settles into a rhythm and then you have your hands full."
On the other end, Deng quickly settled into one.
After averaging 18.8 points and shooting 51.7 percent during the regular season, he finally broke through against the Heat.
To Riley, it was no surprise. He thought Deng should've been an All-Star.
"I thought he was almost head and shoulders above a lot of the threes in our conference as an All-Star, save for maybe Caron Butler and somebody else like that," Riley said. "He had a great year. He plays like that every single night."
Updated on Monday, Apr 23, 2007 5:29 pm EDT
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Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10
Miami 44-38 1st Southeast / 4th East 94.6 95.5 Road 17-24 Lost 2 5-5
Chicago 49-33 3rd Central / 5th East 98.8 93.8 Home 31-10 Lost 1 7-3
Miami Notes
Apr 21 The Heat meet the Bulls for the fifth time in postseason history. The series is a rematch from last season's first round - won by Miami in six games. The 2007 playoffs mark the fourth straight postseason appearance for the Heat, the second longest streak in team history. Miami made the playoffs six straight seasons from 1996-2001. ... The Heat have the best postseason record over the last two seasons at 27-11. ... Entering the playoffs, 12 of Miami's 15 players have playoff experience. The combined roster has a total of 784 games of experience, led by C Shaquille O'Neal's 194 playoff contests.
Chicago Notes
Apr 21 The 2007 playoffs mark Chicago's 28th appearence in the postseason. Chicago has won six NBA championships - the third most by a single franchise. ... Entering the postseason, the Bulls have appeared in 265 postseason games, posting a 151-114 mark. ... Chicago is 26-3 in Game One of series played in Chicago. ... Bulls coach Scott Skiles is coaching in the postseason for the fifth time, posting a 9-16 record. ... Chicago has nine players with postseason experience - led by C Ben Wallace, who had appeared in 93 playoff games prior Saturday. ... The Bulls sold out all 41 home games during the regular season, and the first two home playoff games are sold out
Great way to finish the qtr.
Nice 3 from Noc. Heat don't look like they came to play again. Gordon and da Bulls off to a good start
Man, Nocioni is killing the Heat.
refs helping Dwhine. but Chapu is clutch
Bulls should win this one going away. They will have trouble back in Miami. I think this goes 7 games with the bulls winning game seven at home.
Love your sig
(prays that the Bulls let Nocioni go and the Spurs can use the full MLE on him)
DL Wade.
Too many turnovers.
Agh Shaq and his fat ass!!!!
Heat don't look good in this game. Fine by me, I like the Bulls, so much hustle and passion.
C'mon Bulls!
da Bulls making them look like . I think a lot of people underestimated how good they were. Miami have no answers.
Miami looks like .
I want Miami to win...but only because I want to be sure this series goes as many games as possible.
Go Bulls. I hope they win the east. Ben Wallace does great against Shaq.
didnt expect for this to happen.........heat getting punked out right now.
wheres THE TRUTH or whatever that fools name is
That was a flagrant?
i think hes proved hes worth much more than that R U ?
at the start of the season i actually picked the Bulls to win the East.
Gordon
Deng
Big Ben
PJ
Nocioni
defensively, a scary line-up.
i think they can actually pull this off. Unless Wade play like the way he was against Dallas. But he's not 100% healthy. Health concerns might limit him.
Miami is getting owned. Bulls got this game.
Time for the bulls to hack a shaq
Bennnnnny G
Where did all the heat trolls go?
Well...Bring on the bulls
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