With 10:42 left in the second quarter of the Bulls’ 103-82 Eastern Conference finals rout Sunday night, Taj Gibson rudely welcomed Heat superstar Dwyane Wade back to his hometown.
Soaring with a nice pass from C.J. Watson, Gibson dunked emphatically over a defenseless Wade for the highlight that most defined Game 1. Put that play on a poster under the bold words “You Got Taj’d, Bro!” and distribute it to every fan at the United Center before Game 2 on Wednesday.
It was the image that encapsulated everything good the Bulls got from their opener: They weren’t going to be intimidated by the Heat’s Big Three, who were expected to dominate the series, and much of the credit goes to Gibson and the bench.
Gibson and the group of players who dubbed themselves “The Bench Mob” ignited the Bulls after an uneven first quarter marked by shaky ballhandling and poor transition defense. Until Gibson posterized Wade, the Bulls looked like a team content to let the Heat force the action.
“I just went up and tried to make a play,” said Gibson, a major factor again in 23 minutes. “Sometimes you need small plays to inspire the team, and it was one of those that got us a little bit more motivated.”
Indeed, after Gibson’s slam tied the score and re-energized the crowd of 22,874, the Bulls’ suffocating defense returned, the ball was shared and second-chance points were scored.
“Yeah, that was a good one,” Wade said of the dunk. “But that’s a great ratio for me. That’s the first time I’ve been dunked on all year. I’ll take my 90-to-1 dunks this year.”
The Bulls will gladly take the 21-point victory.
In the early tiebreaker for the NBA Executive of the Year award, Bulls GM Gar Forman took a one-game edge on Heat President Pat Riley.
Team play 1, Talent 0.
Or, Bulls Plan B is leading Plan A in the series 1-0.
Derrick Rose scored a silky 28 points and enhanced his legend with a locker-room speech at halftime taking responsibility for some sloppy first-half turnovers. But as big an impact as Rose made, the Bulls preserved home-court advantage in a series destined to go seven games mostly because they have depth and the Heat have a bunch of reserves who look good at the airport.
Ten Bulls players played 10 minutes or more. Their bench outscored Miami’s 28-15, and the Bulls hustled for 31 second-chance points compared with only eight for Miami. The Bulls grabbed 19 offensive rebounds. That’s not accidental, it’s effort and instinct.
“It started in the second quarter with our bench guys,” Tom Thibodeau acknowledged. “That group got us going.”
Over the course of a series, I still don’t think the Bulls have enough answers in their starting lineup to combat the trio of Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh at their best. But it won’t matter if the Bulls continue to get meaningful contributions from players one through 10.
This isn’t a Gus Macker 3-on-3 Tournament. And that sure wasn’t the best of James, Wade and Bosh, who combined for 63 of the Heat’s 82 points (77 percent).
Deng outplayed James on both ends with smart defense and timely shooting. Wade didn’t take over as much as the Heat need him to or come close to matching Rose.
Bosh was Miami’s best player with 30 points and nine rebounds — just like the days he filled the stat sheet as impressively with the Raptors.
So let the Heat keep reminding us of the Raptors, Thibs.
Bosh’s outburst bugged Thibodeau so much that Gibson said, “It was the first thing he said in the locker room after the game.” That’s typical, but the Heat won’t win this series relying on Bosh to score 30. Every time Bosh leads the Heat in anything, the Bulls have a better chance of winning.
It means either Wade or James — or both — are deferring or being smothered. It says the plan worked. It says change nothing.
From the moment Jim Cornelison delivered another rousing, Chicago-style rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the Bulls believed this night had the makings of being special. When Joakim Noah grabbed the microphone after the game, he referenced the emotional boost the Bulls got from the anthem. And he meant it.
Noah was so fired up, he gave a fist pump after winning the opening tip. The Bulls treated this like a Game 7. The Heat responded like it was mid-January.
“It was just one of those nights,” James said.
It was the Heat’s longest of the playoffs. So far.
At the morning shootaround, James admitted he had trouble sleeping so he awoke at 5:30 a.m. and watched film until he nodded off again.
Can’t imagine James or his teammates slept any better after this.
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