The Chicago Bulls' effort and tenacity this postseason have been the stuff of lore, outlasting the Brooklyn Nets in Round 1 over seven games despite losing several players to injury and illness, then taking Game 1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, on the road against the Miami Heat.
The Bulls' lack of depth and heavy minutes seem to be taking a toll on them, however, and their physicality is no longer fazing the defending champion Miami Heat. LeBron James has been fouled all series, and has responded by shooting 81 percent from the free throw line. He's been shoved to the floor by a larger man (seven-footer Nazr Mohammed) and calmly accepted it while Mohammed was ejected. He has been called a flopper, but continues to play his new brand of basketball, in which he cherishes efficiency over totals.
Limiting himself to 16.5 field goal attempts per fame this series, James is still leading Miami in scoring with 23.8 points a night, but it also allows his high-quality role players to flourish, rather than simply contribute. James is averaging 7.8 assists per night, a staggering number for a player who is manning the power forward position for the majority of these games.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are missing Luol Deng terribly. Nate Robinson was electric off the bench, but since entering the starting lineup in Kirk Hinrich's absence, he has been the focal point of Miami's stingy defense. He's only scoring 13.8 points per game through the first four contests, and shooting 31 percent from the field, an absolutely dreadful number for a team's second-leading scorer.
It is unclear when the Bulls could get some help from Deng or Hinrich, but if they do not return for Game 5, which is Wednesday back in Miami, one could reasonably expect the Heat to wrap up the series in five games, while the Game 1 shocker is placed in the "anomaly" category.
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