Bulls - Heat: 1 - 0

Yesterday night I, as usual, has problems sleeping and so I watched almost all of the game between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat. I missed 2/3 minutes in the second quarter and the beginning of the third, until around 6 minutes left (well, lets say half of the third).

I will say in advance that I'm a Lakers fan since my youth, but that I really started watching NBA only with Jordan and his last three years with the Bulls.

And also that I think that LeBron James is an incredible player that everybody in the league management wants to succeed.

This said the night was simply incredible. The Bulls played a strong and gritty game, Noah was simply unbelievable with his heart and energy on both ends on the floor and that Butler is a HUGE player. I've read a lot today about this game: the Heat were rusty, they played flat and all of these kind of things. Maybe it is true, but I think that the truth was the Bulls simply played with more earth and brains. Bosh, Wade, LeBron, Battier and Allen all missed open shots or shots that they normally make, but so the Bulls. The first half ended 37 - 37, so who was playing worst offence? The truth is simply that the Bulls always believed that they could stay in the game... and they stayed in it until the end. They were without Deng and Hinrich (and without Rose) and they simply found ways to score when they needed and to made stops when it was necessary.

And at the end Robinson stole the stage and made play after play to simply sank the Heat. And, since now this is LeBron's team, sank LeBron. Who played well, that's for sure, it's not his fault if the Heat lost, but... But when they win is always thanks to LeBron, and when they lose is always somebody else's fault: Bosh that is too soft, Wade that shoots bad, or the other that are not as good as LeBron...

Well, I'm not so happy with this. LeBron played 43 minutes and was a -15 for the night. Only Allen has been worst with -16 in 23 minutes. Wade was a +8, Battier +5, Haslem and Andersen +1. Bosh -11 and Chalmers -9, so half the team had a bad outcome, but you are not half the team, you, LeBron, are the MVP of the year, the self proclamed King and managed a -15 in a night where your team lost by 7? And you managed only 2 points in the first half? TWO points?!? But then comes the second half and he scored 22 and almost recorded a triple double... and missed two of the last three shots of his team. So, Nate Robinson sank LeBron James in the final 3 minutes of the game.

Now game 2 will come and the Heat will come out strong and we will see a different outcome... maybe. If the Bulls can manage to stay in the game until late, if the can shoot better than 43%, if Boozer finally shows up, if Belinelli and Robinson keep on making big shots, if Butler keep guarding LeBron so good, if maybe Rose can come out of the bench for 10/15 minutes where he destroys the Heat bench...

A lot of IFs... but it will be a nice game to watch...