Haslem unlikely hero in Game 2

The Miami Heat may have found what they’ve been looking for all season, a consistent scorer outside the Big 3. Despite only playing 23 minutes, Udonis Haslem was the catalyst to a Game 2 victory for the Heat. With Miami’s frontcourt in foul trouble in the 3rd quarter, Haslem created a spark off the bench that no one saw coming. It wasn’t only Haslem’s monster dunks and mid-range jumpers that uplifted the struggling team in 3rd, but his hustle, energy, and aggressiveness on the glass that the team has been missing all year.
After being sidelined for most of the season due to a torn tendon in his foot, Haslem has had trouble getting back into the rotation. He had no foot problems last night as he flushed over Keith Bogans and Derrick Rose on two separate occasions. Haslem has heart and does a lot of intangibles that the Heat could use. If Haslem is healthy and in the lineup, he can open up things for the Big 3 and help Miami advance to the Finals. With the series tied at 1-1, the Bulls have no reason to panic; it was only Game 2. Chicago just has to make sure that they win one of the next two games in South Beach. If they don’t, it will be extremely difficult to come back from a 3-1 deficit.
With a three day layoff before Game 3 (don’t get me started on why viewers have to wait so long to see two teams play, that have brought in the biggest cable audience for an NBA Game, but I digress), the Bulls have to get back to following the script that got them here, defense energy and hustle. The Bulls only showed spurts of this in Game 2 rather than constantly throughout. The youth, size, and height of Chicago’s frontcourt towers over Miami and they showed every sign of this in the 1st period. The Bulls wanted the ball more and were rewarded with numerous second shot opportunities. The problem with gaining second shot opportunities is that you can’t settle from long distance. Just because you’re open doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good second shot. The Bulls were 3-20 from long range and their three-point shooting makes their offense less efficient. Their offense flows off of penetrating and kicking it out rather than stand still shots. Kyle Korver is the Bulls only dependable knock down shooter, so the other players need to follow their roles and stick with what got the Bulls to conference finals.
As I mentioned in my previous blog [Youth impedes top seed], Rose can’t do it by himself; he is human. The Heat did do a great job defending him, but it was self-evident that the offense can only progress when he moves. Rose missed a lot of shots in the paint and was fatigued from defending Dwyane Wade and the other side. The Bulls seemed very flustered and staggered last night. Without the rock in the MVP’s hand, the supporting cast on the floor was confused on how to operate and was unable to produce any baskets. Chicago can’t expect to win any game with Rose shooting 7-for-23 and have only one other player in double figures. Someone needs to step up for them; go HARD or go HOME! I won’t say any names, but during this summer, the Bulls did offer a power forward from the Utah Jazz an $80 million contract.