NBA Playoff Preview - Miami vs. Chicago

By Shawn Clarke, NBA analyst

Miami Heat: 4th Seed, East (44-38)

Chicago Bulls: 5th Seed, East (49-33)

The defending NBA Champion Miami Heat are in the postseason for a fourth straight year and will take on the Chicago Bulls in the opening round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is set for Saturday at the United Center in Chicago. Despite being a lower seed, the Bulls have home-court advantage because of a better record during the regular season.

Both teams are also meeting for the second straight year in the first round of the playoffs, as Miami eliminated the Bulls in six games last spring. Chicago and Miami are meeting in the playoffs for the fifth time and the Bulls hold a 12-5 advantage in the 17 meetings, including a 9-1 record in Chicago.

Miami captured its third straight division title this season despite having a big dropoff in wins from the previous championship year, but it didn't matter because now it has a chance to reel in another title.

The Heat, who went 52-30 in 2005-06, posted a 44-38 record this year. They have reached the postseason 12 times in franchise history, and the four consecutive playoff appearances is the most since the Heat made six straight postseason showings from 1996-2001.

A big reason why Miami is in the playoffs again is due to the pure grit and determination of All-Star guard Dwyane Wade. Wade, who led the team in scoring (27.4 ppg) and assists (7.5 apg) this season, missed 23 games with a serious shoulder injury.

Wade opted to put off surgery so he could return to action, and the team went 16-7 in his absence. Since Wade's return the Heat took over the Southeast standings, and are on the verge of their second NBA championship. All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal has four title rings and will be in search of one for the thumb.

Head coach Pat Riley is in familiar territory, having coached 278 times in the playoffs with five NBA titles. Riley is a proven winner, while the jury is still out on Bulls head coach Scott Skiles.

Skiles completed his fourth season with the Bulls, who are in the playoffs for the third straight year and 28th time in team history. However, Skiles has generated back-to-back first round exits, including last season's opening- round loss to the Heat. Skiles' playoff record with the Bulls is just 4-8.

The six-time NBA champion Bulls are a very young and talented team led by Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. The group battled to the end of the regular season for the No. 2 spot, but a loss to New Jersey coupled with a Cleveland victory pushed Chicago to the fifth spot. LeBron James and the Cavs are now the second seed in the East.

Chicago is riding some steam having won six of eight games during the month of April. It also posted a 3-1 advantage against the Heat during the regular season. However, Shaq did not play in two of those games while resting his surgically-repaired knee.

STARTING FRONTCOURT: Heat big man O'Neal is the most intimidating force in the NBA. O'Neal should have more wind this time around after missing 35 games earlier in the year after recovering from knee surgery, and averaged 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in 40 games this season. He will most definitely bump bodies with Wallace, perhaps the only player in the league with the strength to compete with Shaq. Wallace pulled down a team-high 10.7 rebounds per game this season to go along with 6.4 points. Big Ben had his hands full last year and it won't get any easier this time around. Miami forward Udonis Haslem is emerging as one of the top frontcourt players in the NBA. Had he been on another team, Haslem may not be able to post the kind of numbers he has been with Miami. The defensive-minded Haslem has been healthy all season and averaged 10.7 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds in 2006-07. Fellow frontcourt mate Eddie Jones is another veteran of the game and he is probably glad to be a part of this team. After 29 games with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this season, Jones was waived before being claimed by the Heat. So far the marriage has been splendid and the veteran guard/forward would agree. Deng and P.J. Brown of the Bulls are solid in the frontcourt, but the Heat have healthy future Hall of Famer O'Neal on the hunt for his fifth championship ring. Deng had a breakout year in 2006-07, finishing second on the Bulls in both scoring (18.8 ppg) and rebounds (7.1 rpg).

EDGE: HEAT

STARTING BACKCOURT: Wade and Jason Williams will run the backcourt show for Riley this postseason. Unless Wade aggravates his shoulder, he will be the main focus for the Bulls. The tough, gritty Wade has tremendous ball handling skills as well as possessing the ability to score. Wade, the Heat's all-time postseason points leader with 1,272 total points, may be hesitant at first to drive the lane, but when his confidence level is rising opponents must be alert. Wade has scored in double figures over his last 48 playoff games. Williams, meanwhile, got some more playoff experience last year and is hungry for another championship banner. Williams is an excellent point guard who makes tremendous passes and finds his way through traffic. However, his only downfall is his ability to defend the ball. The Heat have a slight advantage in the backcourt mainly because of the experience factor. Yes, the Bulls have reached the playoffs three straight years and could have been the No. 2 seed this season. But it doesn't matter now with guards Gordon and Hinrich trying to save face for their storied franchise. Gordon led the team in scoring with 21.4 ppg and has emerged as a top guard in this league. He was the only player in the NBA this season who averaged 21-plus points per game in less than 33.0 minutes a contest. The same effort can be said for Hinrich, who finished third in scoring with a career-high 16.6 points per contest. The backcourt battle will surely be a youthful and challenging one for both squads, but never count out a champion.

EDGE: EVEN

BENCH: The Heat have one of the best benches in the league, and are very lucky to have veterans Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker on the roster. The trio brings experience and an immeasurable amount of talent to the franchise, and all three earned their first-ever title rings with the squad last season. The rest of Riley's reserves consists of Chris Quinn, James Posey, Earl Barron and Dorell Wright. Skiles' bench is filled with young talent which is why he can only rely on his starting five to get the job done. Guard Chris Duhon is a three-point threat and rookie forward Tyrus Thomas is coming off a solid first year in the NBA. The high-flying Thomas will most likely have the jitters when he is called upon from the pine in his first-ever playoff game. Riley always had great bench players throughout his coaching career in Los Angeles and New York, and this year the Miami reserves may be his best ever.

EDGE: HEAT

PREDICTION: In order to become a champion one must take out the champion. And the Bulls will have a hard time grasping that concept when this series tips off on Saturday in the Windy City. Home-court advantage will mean nothing to the Bulls when O'Neal and Wade step foot on the court. Chicago will probably pay close attention to Miami's two studs, and will be burned by Haslem or a bench player in Walker or Payton. Even though the Bulls won the season series with Miami, the playoffs are a whole different ballgame. Nerves and emotions run high while mistakes and poor execution are tolerated at a minimum. Chicago, which owns an all-time playoff record of 151-114, is loaded with players who are suspect to this dilemma which is why the Heat will move closer to capturing their second straight NBA championship. O'Neal missed two of the four regular-season encounters with Chicago so Wallace must do some extra push-ups before he goes banging with Miami's big man. Wade is starting to come around after his serious shoulder injury, and enjoys the spotlight. He will be considered the most valuable asset to Miami when this series concludes.

HEAT IN SIX

2007 NBA Playoffs