Starting Strong, Not Finishing That Way

I'm on a time crunch as I write this, so I'll keep it short.  The Bulls stayed with Miami for much of Game 3, but were outscored by 10 points in the final quarter to lose 104-94.  LeBron James (25) and Carlos Boozer (21) were the leading scorers for their respective teams.

This all took a backseat however to the physicality the Bulls displayed early in the game.  First, Joakim Noah distributed a hit to Chris Andersen after a play beneath the basket.  More notably, Nazr Mohammed shoved James and was ejected almost immediately.  Tom Thibodeau responded by playing only seven of his guys the rest of the way, resulting in the latest of heavy minutes for most of his available regulars.

Yes, the Bulls really need to calm down with these unnecessary shots as it's making them and Thibodeau's discipline look bad.  Yes, this game probably destroyed any remaining goodwill James had toward the organization.  And yes, I have no clue how many people at the United Center realized Mohammed's ejection meant the rotation was going to get even thinner at a very inopportune time.  I'd rather talk about the Heat outmuscling the Bulls towards the end though.

They say no matter how gritty and determined you are to win in the playoffs, talent always wins out.  Miami has plenty of that and I wonder just how much I underestimated their bench players not named Ray Allen or Shane Battier.  Norris Cole has not missed from beyond three-point territory in this series.  Andersen is making big plays as well.  One thing that doomed the Bulls in the conference finals two years ago was the Heat receiving unexpected help from their bench.  It really makes you wonder if they've had that edge all along.  Probably, because they wouldn't have been to the Finals two years in a row otherwise.

When Miami has the talent and depth they do, that's typically going to mean more stamina, which turns into the ability to close out games.  We don't always see it, but if the stakes are high, it's almost sure to happen.  The Bulls have gone about as deep as they can go.  They can only lose so many players for an extended period before the bench is shown for just what it is:  the bench.  There's a reason these guys usually don't get these many minutes.

Home-court advantage is gone now, but the Bulls can still tie the series Monday in Game 4.  Keep the environment hostile in Game 4, fans.  We want this to become a best-of-3.