Another Fan Reaction: Why the Chicago Bulls Are Not Hopeless Against the Miami Heat in the Playoffs

I know what you're thinking: The Chicago Bulls swept the season series against the Miami Heat, so of course they aren't hopeless against them in the playoffs, right?

Well, almost everyone thinks that.

Interestingly enough, it seems that the Miami Heat players' sense of entitlement extends beyond the bowels of its own organization. As the NBA regular season enters its final act, fans of the ultra-talented, yet mercurial Heat have clung to their aura of invincibility that was so evident during their premature championship celebration last summer. For the majority of basketball fans around the country, that aura of invincibility surrounding LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh has been replaced by a sense of vulnerability (How else would Crygate have come to be?).

Despite all of this, there are some out there who have no doubt when it comes to the prowess of the Heat. The regular season is not a large enough sample size, they say. They are simply the better team, they say. The better team almost always wins in a seven game series.

They say.

Now, if basketball games were won on intimidation, the Heat would be on their way to an 82-0 regular season record, and four consecutive series sweeps en route to the first of multiple NBA titles. Much to their chagrin, Miami actually has to play all of these games, and come out on top for the right to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in June. As they have found out, it's easier said than done, even with a team full of superstars.

On paper, Miami looks like a great team. What we have found out is that they are is a team loaded with scorers, and not much else. It's the fundamental reason why the Heat have been able to overwhelm bad and mediocre teams, but unable to take out the elite ones. Bad teams don't capitalize on another team's weaknesses; good teams make a living doing it. The Heat have the ability to be great, but the sacrifice isn't there, and it will take a real coach to mold this group into one that can match the Bulls dynasty of the 90's. Eric Spoelstra might have been a great video coordinator, but dropping a dime on his crying players after those inferior Bulls hung another loss on them was an amateur move.

Now, unlike the aforementioned Miami Heat fans, this writer is not caught up in his hometown team's success. While the Bulls have had a great season up to this point, the fact remains that nothing has been won yet. The Heat are still an incredibly dangerous team, even if they are incapable up to this point of operating at peak efficiency. But make no mistake about it: The Bulls are the better team right now, led by a coach who has created one of the best defensive teams in the NBA in Tom Thibodeau, a kid (and MVP front-runner, by many accounts) who brings it every single night in Derrick Rose, and a supporting cast that has established itself as one of the best in the NBA, albeit without the flashy numbers. The Bulls are primed for a deep playoff run, and possibly many more in the future.

Still, some Miami fans simply can't wait until the Heat meet the Bulls in the playoffs, because in their entitled world, elite teams are no match for elite players. The Heat will roll in a seven game series, send the "try-hard" Bulls packing, go on to win the first of their many titles, and South Beach will become the basketball mecca it was destined to be when the new Big Three stepped on to that stage on that summer night last year.

Oh, that's right. Intimidation doesn't win games.