The "Second Round Champion" Miami Heat Fall Hard To Best Team in NBA in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals

CHICAGO, IL. WARNING! The geniuses at ESPN who were responsible for Lebron's infamous, hour-long "Decision" television special escaped from their cages over the weekend. The "Heat" rabies that infected them has been spreading like wildfire in the ESPN newsroom. as analyst after analyst is calling the Eastern Conference Finals in favor of the Miami Heat.

Apparently, the Miami Heat had somehow improved as a team when they defeated a tired, geriatric Boston Celtics team that everyone knew had sacrificed their main advantage over the Heat by trading Kendrick Perkins at the trade deadline.

Or maybe they figured that the ease of their 4 - 1 series victory over the same Celtics means that the Heat are now clicking on all cylinders, neglecting the obvious fact that Rajon Rondo, whom Doc Rivers has called the Celtics most important player, was injured and playing with one arm, as a result of a dirty play by Miami Heat guard, Dwayne Wade.

Anyway, ESPN, like the geniuses they are, called this Miami Heat team the favorite to win the Eastern Conference Finals.

In Chicago, they have a vastly different description for the Miami Heat and the Miami Superfriends, and they did not hesitate to share it with the world that was watching.

"Overrated!"

Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls defense allowed only 11 points for Wade and Lebron combined in the second half; Wade scored just 18 points and Lebron scored only 15 for the game.

NBA basketball fans have been unimpressed with the underachieving Miami Heat all year, as has most everyone outside of the Miami-Dade County area (save for a couple of self-proclaimed Lebron dick-riders), but as of the final day of the season, when the Chicago Bulls secured the best record in NBA this season, NBA fans were thoroughly impressed at how the Bulls have come together so quickly.

And the fact that the Chicago Bulls are the product of hard work, team effort, great coaching, and lead by a talented, yet humble homegrown superstar, just makes them a team everyone can root for. They are the anti-Heat.

Despite being the top seeded team in the playoffs, with homecourt advantage throughout, the Bulls have not acted entitled in the way that the Heat and Lebron have from the day they threw their party in South Beach talking about winning "not 5, not 6, not 7,...."

And after a Game 1 beatdown of the Heat, the Chicago Bulls certainly proved that Miami should be worried about them. Miami should be downright scared of the Chicago Bulls.

Anyone fantasizing about a 2006 NBA Finals rematch between Miami and Dallas has been out in the South Beach sun too long and is demonstrating symptoms of "heat" stroke.

Miami, with their "championship" celebration after eliminating the Celtics, are overlooking the real threat to their title aspirations. And not just this year. The Bulls are a much younger team, running the schemes that befuddled Wade and Lebron for the last two years and made the Boston Celtics the NBA Champions in 2008.

The Miami Heat have been dumbfounded for answers when it comes to getting a win against the Chicago Bulls.

Including Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Chicago Bulls have beat the Miami Heat four straight times, and in the most important of those games, the Bulls won by a margin of 21 points.

And after the game, the Miami Heat admitted that they were demoralized by the 19 offensive rebounds that the Bulls' frontline pulled in to help propel the Bulls to their Game 1 victory.

In the four games between Miami and Chicago, the Bulls have grabbed 44 more rebounds for an 11 rebound/game edge. That kind of dominance is not accidental; the Chicago Bulls were built to beat the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, specifically.

The Boston Celtics had interior toughness and rebounding, but they traded Kendrick Perkins away. Now, Oklahoma City, Perkins' new team, is playing in the conference finals while Boston sits at home.

Taj Gibson had the biggest plays in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals for the Bulls, including this monsterous dunk on Dwayne Wade.

The Chicago Bulls had the "opportunity" to trade Omer Asik or Taj Gibson for a more offensive shooting guard, but they held on to their advantage. And after Game 1, no doubt Taj Gibson's trade value has gone up.

But with the Bulls retaining their great young frontcourt depth, Chicago held on to the advantage that will get them passed the Miami Heat and into the NBA Finals. And "not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4,..." because combined with their 22-year old NBA Most Valuable Player, the Chicago Bulls will potentially be dominant for as long as the Miami Heat window is open.

Don't believe me? Just watch.

HIGHLIGHTS of THE CHICAGO BULLS vs. MIAMI HEAT, 2011 NBA PLAYOFFS, EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS, GAME 1:


With the Chicago Bulls up 1 - 0 in the best-of-seven series, what do you think will be the series outcome?

Tony Parker Returns To Help The League-Leading Spurs Beatdown DWade, Sidekick, and The Heat By 30 Points

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. The league's best team proved it once again as they also proved that good team basketball trumps a Big Three every time.

A night after the Orlando Magic erased a 24 point deficit to beat the Heat, the Spurs had eight players in double figures and pummeled the Heat on their way to a decisive 30 point victory, adding to their league-leading record.

Tony Parker returned in just a week from a calf injury that Spurs trainers had expected to keep Parker out of the lineup for at least a month. Parker was extremely efficient, putting up 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists. Tony Parker was a plus/minus of +31 for the game.

Tony Parker returned early from injury to help lead the Spurs to a 30 point win over Lebron. 

The Spurs started hot from downtown, hitting eight 3-pointers, and built a 24 point lead in the first quarter. Ginobili lead the charge with 11 of his 20 points in the first quarter. The Spurs built on their lead in the second quarter and cruised to the easy victory.

The Spurs connected on a franchise best 17 three pointers, lead by Matt Bonner, who went 4 for 4, and Manu Ginobili, who went 3 for 4.

The 30 point loss was the biggest of the season for the Heat. The previous biggest loss of the season was a 28-point loss to the Denver Nuggets, before the huge midseason trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks.

It was a crushing embarrassment after giving up a 24 point lead to lose to Orlando the night before. The Heat have now lost 3 in a row and 4 of the last 5 games.

The Heat are now 1 W - 8 L vs the Spurs, Celtics, Mavs, Bulls, and Lakers.

It continues a disturbing trend of failure against the NBA's best teams. The Heat are now 1 win and 8 losses against the 5 top teams in the league: San Antonio, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

It seems that teams have figured out how to beat the one-dimensional Heat. The teams that have had success against the Heat boast strong point guard play, great rebounding, and are committed to defending in transition, where the Heat try to score most of their points. The Spurs executed that formula to perfection tonight.

Things don't get easier for the embattled Heat who face the NBA MVP leader, Derrick Rose, and the charging Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

DRose Outduels DWade To Claim Jordan Mantle In "The House That Michael Built" As Sidekick Watches From The Sideline

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.  It seemed that a lot of people were disappointed when Lebron announced his "Decision" this past July, however Derrick Rose was not necessarily one of them. 

DRose raised his game higher than any other star in the United Center tonight.

Rumors emerged that DRose did not want Lebron to come to Chicago because he wanted to be "The Man".

Then, DRose stated in an interview before the season that he wanted to be MVP, the Most Valuable Player, in the league.

Well, as of this week, Rose is the frontrunner for the award according to ESPN. And while in Miami, it will always be DWade's team, there is no doubt that Derrick Rose is "The Man" on the Chicago Bulls; and he has delivered in the clutch, when it mattered most.

In many ways, DRose's entry into the NBA mirrors Lebron's: both were super-talented, homegrown products drafted #1 Overall by their local team and heralded as the hometown hero who would save their respective NBA franchise. However, that is where the similarities abruptly end.

After promising to bring a championship to the championship-deprived city of Cleveland, Lebron's decision to leave town to join a stacked team in Miami revealed his complete selfishness and lack of integrity and perserverence. His announcement of "The Decision" in a one-hour special on ESPN was a self-aggrandizing act of pure hubris. While Lebron chose the easy way out to get his championship, the people of Cleveland were witness to nothing but a single NBA Finals appearance and several early playoff exits.

Rose is essentially the anti-lebron; he is a modest, hard-working phenom who relishes the burden of the Jordan legacy, including the effort it takes to be the best. While Lebron and his posse played with the emotions of GMs, cities, and teams' fans, Derrick Rose played the point for the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the World Basketball Championships this past summer.

Then he got in the gym, and in his understated, modest tone, "I've been working on my shooting range." All the way out to 3-point range; he is shooting 3-pointers at 37.9%, higher than Lebron's 35.8% clip for the season. Just as Jordan worked to add new facets to his game, Rose has gone from great to unstoppable.

Lebron quit as Rose and Wade battled for the Legacy of Jordan

On the other hand, when faced with stepping into Jordan's shoes, Lebron ran away as fast as he could to join another Chicago product who found inspiration in the miracles Michael Jordan performed as the face of the Chicago Bulls.

Dwayne Wade, more than any other player on the Heat, embodies the will to win that helped Jordan claim 6 NBA Championships. Wade's incredible performance in the 2006 NBA Finals was one for the ages.

How appropriate that Lebron "not Jordan" James stepped aside to allow two Chicago boys to duel for the Legacy of Michael Jordan.

And in the end, it was Derrick Rose who claimed the win and the mantle of heir to the Jordan Legacy in Chicago. In the victory, Rose put up 34 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 blocks, and most importantly for the young man and the city of Chicago, the win.

The true Legacy of Jordan was to not only say what you are going to do, but to do it.

Michael Jordan Responds To Lebron's "What Should I Do?" Nike Ad In Jordan Brand Ad

Michael Jordan lived these words every day of his career. He rewrote the record books through his own hard work and exceeded every basketball player that came before him. His play won him individual accolades.

His leadership fueled team success and carried his Chicago Bulls teams to 6 NBA Championships, winning every NBA Finals Series that he ever played in, and an NBA record, 72 win season.

Lebron James was offered the chance to follow in Jordan's footsteps in the Chicago Bulls campaign to bring the coveted free agent to the Bulls last summer. Even Jordan himself felt that the best situation for Lebron would be Chicago.

Lebron proved that he was not the player or the man that even Jordan believed him to be when he chose to join Dwayne Wade's Miami Heat, and Derrick Rose has lived up to his word after saying that he wanted to be "The Man" in Chicago.

Lebron is not and will never be on the same level as Jordan. What more needs to be said?

ACHIEVE GREATNESS LeBiatch Design T-Shirt

GREATNESS... his name is synonymous with it.

He is the unquestioned Greatest of All Time, His Airness, Michael Jordan. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls third overall in the 1984 NBA Draft, and immediately put the League on notice with a first year campaign that included a selection as an NBA All-Star and culminated in the 1985 Rookie of the Year Award.

By the prime of his career, Jordan and his Chicago Bulls teams were a perennial fixture in the NBA Finals having overcome the challenge of the "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons teams of 1989 and 1990. From 1991 to 1993, the Chicago Bulls established their dynasty by appearing in three consecutive NBA Finals, and Jordan powered the team to victory in all three.

During the summer of 1992, Michael Jordan was the star of the greatest basketball team ever assembled, the original Dream Team. Despite the marquis names of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, Jordan was the in his prime, and he was the unchallenged best player in the league. The Dream Team dominated the 1992 Olympics winning their games by an average of 42 points, and we caught a glimpse of the boom in the global popularity of basketball that Jordan had catalyzed.

The high of winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 1992 and the NBA Championship in 1993 was followed by the tragic murder of Michael Jordan's father leading to a nearly two year hiatus from basketball, during which Jordan applied his trademark focus, determination, and perseverance to the sport of baseball. Jordan's switch to the sport of baseball was in honor of his father, for it was the sport that his father envisioned him playing. Although he met with limited success in his short professional baseball career and eventually returned to basketball, basketball fans gained some insight into the greatness of Michael Jordan.

The world saw that despite being the greatest basketball player in the world, when it came to baseball, he worked hard to become better and he stayed late to put in extra batting practice, the same way he worked on his basketball skills after being cut from his high school basketball team when he was a Junior at Laney High. It was his incredible work ethic was what made Jordan a success.

"I'm back," was the simple statement that heralded his return to basketball in 1995. Upon his return, the doubters questioned what the effects would be of his hiatus from basketball. However, Jordan quickly silenced the doubters with an epic 55 point performance at the Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden, against one of the Chicago Bulls most hated rivals. Jordan was certainly back.

Jordan lead the Chicago Bulls back to the NBA Finals in 1996, and again, he fueled his team to the NBA Championship. The Chicago Bulls dynasty was back on top, and following 1997 and 1998 campaigns that ended in two more Bulls Championships, Michael Jordan retired in his prime, from the game he loved, promoted, and dominated.

Michael Jordan not only dominated the sport of basketball, but the effects of his life and presence reverberate beyond the sport. He is still a hero to millions, and held up as a role model and example of success. And that is why his greatness will never be matched in the history of basketball.

ACHIEVE GREATNESS LeBiatch Design T-Shirt
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BECOME LEGENDARY Chicago Bulls LeBiatch Design T-Shirt

How do you become an NBA LEGEND? Follow in the footsteps of the ultimate NBA LEGEND.

He already blazed the trail. His story is legendary.

From his days as a Junior at Laney High, where he was initially cut from his high school basketball team, and the extra work and practice he put into his game to finally make the team. Since then, he has worked tirelessly on the road to becoming the Greatest of All Time.

He is His Airness, Michael Jordan. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls third overall in the 1984 NBA Draft, and immediately put the League on notice with a first year campaign that included a selection as an NBA All-Star and culminated in the 1985 Rookie of the Year Award.

By the prime of his career, Jordan and his Chicago Bulls teams were a perennial fixture in the NBA Finals having overcome the challenge of the "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons teams of 1989 and 1990. From 1991 to 1993, the Chicago Bulls established their dynasty by appearing in three consecutive NBA Finals, and Jordan powered the team to victory in all three.

During the summer of 1992, Michael Jordan was the star of the greatest basketball team ever assembled, the original Dream Team. Despite the marquis names of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, Jordan was the in his prime, and he was the unchallenged best player in the league. The Dream Team dominated the 1992 Olympics winning their games by an average of 42 points, and we caught a glimpse of the boom in the global popularity of basketball that Jordan had catalyzed.

The high of winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 1992 and the NBA Championship in 1993 was followed by the tragic murder of Michael Jordan's father leading to a nearly two year hiatus from basketball, during which Jordan applied his trademark focus, determination, and perseverance to the sport of baseball. Jordan's switch to the sport of baseball was in honor of his father, for it was the sport that his father envisioned him playing. Although he met with limited success in his short professional baseball career and eventually returned to basketball, basketball fans gained some insight into the greatness of Michael Jordan.

The world saw that despite being the greatest basketball player in the world, when it came to baseball, he worked hard to become better and he stayed late to put in extra batting practice, the same way he worked on his basketball skills after being cut from his high school basketball team when he was a Junior at Laney High. It was his incredible work ethic was what made Jordan a success.

"I'm back," was the simple statement that heralded his return to basketball in 1995. Upon his return, the doubters questioned what the effects would be of his hiatus from basketball. However, Jordan quickly silenced the doubters with an epic 55 point performance at the Mecca of Basketball, Madison Square Garden, against one of the Chicago Bulls most hated rivals. Jordan was certainly back.

Jordan lead the Chicago Bulls back to the NBA Finals in 1996, and again, he fueled his team to the NBA Championship. The Chicago Bulls dynasty was back on top, and following 1997 and 1998 campaigns that ended in two more Bulls Championships, Michael Jordan retired in his prime, from the game he loved, promoted, and dominated.

Michael Jordan not only dominated the sport of basketball, but the effects of his life and presence reverberate beyond the sport. He is still a hero to millions, and held up as a role model and example of success. And that is why he is the greatest legend in the history of basketball.

BECOME LEGENDARY Chicago Bulls LeBiatch Design T-Shirt
In Stock and Available
ORDER HERE!