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The Bulls have a complete team, and that's the difference between Chicago and Miami.
One game into the Eastern Conference Finals and this we know so far. A team needs more than three individuals to be successful.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are among the best in the NBA and Chris Bosh is good as well. At this stage in the postseason though you need a team. This includes a bench and role players, which the Heat are seriously lacking. I know one game doesn't make a series and the Heat's Big Three could still give the Bulls a big challenge, but if I was a fan of the Heat I would be worried.
The other nine Heat players not named James, Wade, or Bosh combined for 19 points in Game One on Sunday Night. Nineteen points, combined, by nine players? Yes the Bulls wanted Wade and James in the off season and for a time looked like they could land the Chicago native Wade, and LeBron who along with the 2011 MVP Derrick Rose would have made for a great threesome. The Heat's "Decision" to put all their eggs in three baskets could keep LeBron from his first NBA title for at least one more season.
Role Players and a quality bench are keys to winning an NBA title. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were the faces of six NBA titles for the Bulls in the 90s but others like Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, John Paxson, and Luc Longley knew their roles and were important parts of these championships as well.
Looking at the benches of both teams the Bulls clearly have the advantage with players like Taj Gibson, CJ Watson, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer. The Heat counter with Juwan Howard, Jamaal Magloire, Mike Miller, and Udonis Haslem. Washed up veterans who made more of an impact in the NCAA Tournament back in the day then they did for the Heat this season.
You know Lebron, Wade, and Bosh will get their points and will probably outscore the Bulls top three of Rose, Deng, and Boozer. It's the other nine players on each team that will give the Bulls the advantage in this series and prove that game one was no mirage. If the trends of game one continue, Miami will learn that an NBA celebration happens on the court in June and not in a free agent spending spree party in July.
Taj Gibson Dunk Over Dwyane Wade Earned Well-Deserved Poster
by Scott Schroeder
When Taj Gibson dunked over Dwyane Wade in Game 1 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Finals on Sunday night, every fan of the Chicago Bulls -- and probably most fans of the Miami Heat -- had to suspect that it would end up on some sort of poster.
While there's nothing available in the official NBA Photo Store quite yet, the Twitter machine has those clamoring for a new desktop background covered with a beautiful black and white picture that should live up to everybody's expectations.
Before we get to that, however, let's take a minute to see how Wade is taking it.
"First time I got dunked on all year. I'll take my 90-to-1 (ratio) of my blocks and my dunks (upon). He really got pumped, it was good," Wade told the Chicago Tribune. "It was a very athletic play. I knew I didn't have a chance when I started back-pedaling when I saw him take off. It won't be the last time I get dunked on."
After the jump is a high-resolution poster courtesy of Ryan Hurst, but in case you haven't watched it yet, here's the actual dunk set to some awe-inspiring music courtesy of NBA.com.
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May 16 6:02p