It's Not Over

The Bulls played their heart out in Game 1. They won in a big way, but in the last three games they have looked flat. Granted, the referees have not been giving them any of the calls they deserve. I, as a Bulls fan, am tired of fans complaining about the refs. They are doing the best they can and there is nothing I, or any other Bulls fan, can do about it. The Bulls are going to have to fight through that disadvantage and still find a way to win. The biggest problem in the last three games is that the Bulls have not been playing with heart. They need to want to win the game more than anything else. Right now, the Heat want it more than the Bulls do. The Bulls have to change that if they want to win three games in a row, like the Heat did, and win this series. If the Bulls truly want to get to the NBA finals this year, they can. They have to fight, though. There are six other things that the Bulls need to do.

1. The Bulls need to spread the court more, which will help Derrick Rose get to the basket more and hopefully get to the free throw line more often. He has not shot nearly enough free throws and has not been able to drive on the Heat. Part of this is because the Heat are playing good defense on him and shifting into the paint quickly, the other part is that the Bulls have not shot well from the perimeter. If the Bulls don't make enough shots from outside the three-point line, Derrick Rose will not have enough spacing to do what he does best. Derrick has to be driving to the hoop, but he can't do that successfully if our outside shooters don't spread the court. Kyle Korver has been terrible this whole series and needs to start hitting shots. Deng is a good outside shooter that needs to get it going, and Bogans needs to hit his normal two or three. If these three guys step it up, the Bulls can win a lot easier.

2. The Bulls have been playing good defense, as they have all season and in the post season. They need to keep that up. Letting Bosh score a lot helped in the first game, and I think that is a good plan. Let him take all the scoring opportunities. Keep Wade and LeBron on the perimeter and make them shoot. This is a good plan against the Heat, because they have no inside game. If the Bulls can limit their outside shooting percentage, they can win.

3. Derrick Rose needs to start playing like the MVP. He has not had a single great game throughout the whole series. He needs to score more. Granted, he needs help from the outside shooters like I mentioned before. He needs to start shooting better, drawing fouls better, making smarter decisions, and just being the leader of the team. He can be that guy, if he actually plays basketball. During the regular season, his best games were against the Heat and other top teams. He needs to go back to doing that. If he is productive in the next three games, I don't see why the Bulls can't win this series.

4.  The bench has to start playing like they have in the past. Taj Gibson was huge in game 1 and needs to do the same again. Kyle Korver needs to start hitting shots. Ronnie Brewer needs to start playing better. C. J Watson was fantastic on a few plays the other night. He was looking like Derrick Rose running through the Heat's defense and needs to do that again in these next few games. Asik is out, but Thomas will fill his roll very well. The Bench Mob better be looking good in the next three games, because that's how you beat the Heat.

5. Kurt Thomas. I know there was a rumor going around that the Bulls only wanted to put him in so that he could injure people, but I don't understand that at all. He is such a gentle giant. I'm not sure if that person was kidding or if they are truly dumb, but the Bulls do need him for other reasons. He is a good medium range shooter that plays down low. This is helpful because his defender will be up higher in the paint and will leave more room for Derrick Rose to get through before the defender has time to shift. When the defender does shift, Derrick can throw the ball back to Thomas and Thomas will hit the shot. The big problem with Noah and Boozer down low is that neither has a great jump-shot. Thomas solves that problem and will be huge in the next three games.

6. The final thing the Bulls need to do is adjust to what the Heat have been doing. Thibodeau is a great coach that studies a lot of film. He needs to watch and see what Miami has done to change their game and make it better. The Heat adjusted to what the Bulls have been doing all year, and now the Bulls need to adjust to what the Heat are doing. It should be like a chess match between the two coaches, and the better and smarter coach is Thibodeau. This means the Bulls should win thanks to Thibs smart coaching. The Bulls defense is getting exposed and that needs to be fixed. The Bulls offense is turning one dimensional, so the Bulls need to start spreading the ball more and giving other players the chance to score. Those are a few of the adjustments that need to be made to beat the Heat.

In the end, this series is going seven games. I don't know who will win that seventh game. It's all about who wants it more. Right now, the Heat want it more. The Bulls can change that, they need to regain their confidence and regain their heart and desire to be in the NBA Finals. When that happens, the Bulls will be a force to be reckoned with.