Heat vs Bulls | Game 1 Prediction & Pick

Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls NBA Pick

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The top two teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference during the regular season meet in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Chicago Bulls host the Miami Heat in Game 1 on Sunday night.

Date/Time: Sunday, May 15, 8:00 PM ET
Venue: United Center in Chicago, IL.
Broadcast: TNT

Money Line: Chicago -125, Miami +105
Spread: Chicago 2
Over/Under: 180½

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Chicago advanced to the conference finals for the first time since the halcyon days of Michael Jordan in 1996. The Bulls defeated Indiana in five games and then Atlanta in six games to reach this series.

Meanwhile, Miami reached the conference finals for the first time since 2006, their only NBA Championship season. The Heat knocked off Philadelphia and Boston, both in five games each, to qualify for this series.

During the regular season, Chicago won all three contests against Miami, but each one of those games were decided in the last minute of play.

Like the great Chicago teams of the past when Jordan was the central figure, the current Bulls squad is paced by the play of league MVP Derrick Rose. The third-year point guard led the club in scoring during the regular season, averaging 25.0 points per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the field, and he also led them with 7.7 assists per game. In the playoffs, Rose has improved upon those numbers with 28.8 points and 8.8 assists per contest.

But Rose isn’t a one-man gang as the Bulls supporting cast contributes in numerous ways, with eight players playing 10-plus minutes per game and three more at 9-plus minutes. Luol Dang is second on the club in scoring at 16.7 PPG in the postseason; Carlos Boozer is third at 11.8 PPG and second in rebounds with 9.5 per outing; and Joakim Noah leads the team in boards with 10.4 per contest while chipping in 9.9 PPG.

Of course, Miami counters with their ‘Big Three’ superstars leading the way. Dwayne Wade has scored an average of 26.2 points per contest in the post-season, shooting 48.4 percent from the field while LeBron James is right behind him with 26.1 points per game scoring, and is also second of the club in rebounds at 9.4. Chris Bosh is third in scoring at 16.3 PPG and leads with an average of 9.6 boards per game.

This is the fifth ever post-season series between these two franchises. The last meeting came in the first round in 2007, when the Bulls stunned the then-defending champions with a four game sweep.

The odds makers have the Chicago Bulls as a -2 point favorite with an over/under of 180.5.

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Matt’s Free Prediction: Bulls – Even though their last series went just five games, it was an emotionally cleansing series for the Heat to defeat Boston, which had been their nemesis the last few years in the playoffs. This series figures to go the full seven games, but it will take a game for the Heat to adjust to the much different style of play presented by the Bulls.