Eastern Conference Playoffs Second Round
Game 1 - Series tied 0-0
Tip-off: Monday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Miami -11.5 Total: 186.0

The Miami Heat host the Chicago Bulls on Monday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Miami Heat swept their first round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks and they won Game 4 without Dwyane Wade (knee). Wade is, however, probable for Game 1 of the Bulls series. The Bulls on the other hand played a full series with the Nets in which most of their lineup was banged up at some point. Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich both sat out of Game 7, with Deng dealing with the flu and Hinrich a bruised calf. The Bulls still were able to handle their business, going on to win 99-93. During the regular season, the two teams split wins SU and ATS at two a piece. During the regular season, Miami was a solid home team ATS finishing 22-19 at American Airlines Arena but the Bulls were an even better team on the road. Chicago finished the season 23-18 ATS away from their home building and definitely will be thinking about stealing Game ! in Miami.


The Chicago Bulls escaped from Brooklyn with a Game 7 victory in which they played without Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. Joakim Noah’s fingerprints were all over the victory as the big man finished with 24 points (12-of-17 FG), 14 rebounds and six blocks in 41 minutes of play. Noah was willing Chicago to the next round and his effort on a sore foot was admirable. Marco Belinelli was on fire for Chicago in the game, finishing with 24 points (8-of-14 FG). Carlos Boozer continued to play well offensively for Chicago, putting up 17 points (6-of-13 FG) and seven rebounds in just 29 minutes of play. Taj Gibson played 20 minutes and gave Tom Thibodeau an extra boost defensively. Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich are both questionable for the start of the series as they attempt to get better from their respective lapses.

The Miami Heat absolutely dominated the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs, winning every single game they played by double digits. LeBron James was spectacular in the first round and was even able to get some rest in some of the games. James played 36.8 MPG, which was down from his regular season 37.9 MPG, and averaged 24.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 6.8 APG on 62.7% FG. James was taking excellent shots the entire series and also played lockdown defense the whole series. Chris Bosh didn’t have to do too much against the Bucks’ guard-oriented play-style, but he did average 12.8 PPG and 8.0 RPG on 53.8% FG. Dwyane Wade was dealing with an injured knee in the series, but Ray Allen was more than capable of stepping in for him. Allen played 28.8 MPG in the series and averaged 16.5 PPG on 46.7% FG. Allen was also on the money from downtown, where he shot 46.4% 3PT in the series.