How the Heat can Beat the Bulls

After the Chicago Bulls drubbed the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, fans have jumped off the Heat bandwagon in a major fashion. Just a couple days ago, their bandwagon was full. Now it’s difficult to find a fan who still believes that the Heat can beat the Bulls.

But it’s still very much possible.

Why did the Heat look so bad in Game 1? I think it was mostly due to a hangover from beating the Celtics. Let’s be honest, the Heat viewed the Celtics as their main roadblock to winning a championship. After they beat the Celtics, the Heat acted like they had won it all — somewhat understandably.

That sense of accomplishment carried over to their first game against the Bulls. As a result, the Heat didn’t have the physicality or the mental toughness to win the game on the road.

Going forward, the Heat need to play tougher to beat the Bulls. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will need to attack the rim with ferocity. Chris Bosh will need to do a better job of controlling the paint. The Heat role players need to knock down shots.

And most importantly, the Heat as a team need to get over the excitement of beating the Celtics and realize there is still a lot more work that needs to be done to actually win a championship.

LeBron James and the Heat can still win this (Image: TSN.ca)