After a shocking Game 1 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James and the Miami Heat regrouped in Game 2 and bullied the road-weary, hobbled Bulls in a 115-78 laugher.
James was just the third-leading scorer for the Heat in the win, but his changed game elevated the Heat once again. King James scored 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, but contributed across the board; he had nine assists, grabbed five rebounds, and made three steals while the Heat were plus-25 with him on the court.
Still LeBron was none too pleased after the victory, though, with the memory of dropping Game 1 at home still clearly annoying the four-time MVP. "No matter if you win by 20, 30, or one point, it's a 1-1 series. They came in and did their job. They got one on our floor and took home court. So, we've got to try to go to Chicago and get it back."
Miami hit shots in Game 2 that were not falling in their opening loss. Reserve guards Ray Allen and Norris Cole were the Heat's leading and third-leading scorers respectively, combining for 39 points, nine rebounds and three assists. The pair was also 12-of-16 from the floor, and 5-of-7 from 3-point land.
In addition to beating Chicago down, they also frustrated the Bulls by giving them a dose of their own physical medicine. Chicago amassed six technical fouls in the loss, while Bulls' bigs Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson each earned ejections.
After the game, Noah told reporters, "I don't know how many techs we got. ... I would call that not keeping your cool, not being very Zen."
Diminutive Nate Robinson, who has been the Bulls' most explosive scorer this postseason was kept on lockdown by Miami's staunch defense, with James heading the defensive attack on him. Robinson managed just 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting, and only mustered two assists as opposed to four turnovers.
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