The artistic prism through which basketball is viewed is almost exclusively associated with offense.
Rarely is defense described in comparable fawning terms. But the Chicago Bulls are redefining the vernacular by which defense is being characterized. Their relentless, nearly flawless synchronization, five men moving in intense concert, is indeed a thing of beauty.
In Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals, the Bulls’ unparallel defense frustrated, exhausted and confused the Miami Heat in a 103-82 win that set the tone for what should be a long and competitive series.
The Heat went into Game 2 Wednesday with a reconfigured strategy of cracking a defense that was impenetrable in the opening game. They will undoubtedly improve offensively as the series moves forward. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade will see to that.
However, the Heat’s dilemma may not be solvable by simply making adjustments to their lineup or offensive sets. The Bulls’ methodology of grinding opponents defensively and pounding them on the glass is analogous to a boxer who applies continuous pressure for 12 rounds. While the challenger may win several rounds during the match, some even spectacularly, at the end, the punishment inflicted upon him ultimately breaks his will.
The Bulls’ core philosophy under the 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year, rookie head coach mind you, Tom Thibodeau, is to utilize their defense to break the will of their opponent. If the Heat are to win this series, the immense talent of James and Wade won’t be enough. It must be their combined will emerging stronger than the Bulls that will be the determinant.
“One game,” James said after the loss on Sunday.
But the reality is it was the Heat’s fourth straight loss to the Bulls. Despite the Heat’s collective message that they were not going to panic, their psyche had to be slightly shaken. There had to be some thought as to whether they were equipped to win four games against a clearly deeper Bulls team.
That is why last night’s outcome was critical for the Heat before they headed back to Miami for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday respectively. The Bulls, with Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah et al. are believers. They believe they are the better team.
Over the course of the next week, enormous pressure will be on the Heat to prove them wrong.