The Bulls swept Miami for the first time since the 2010-11 season, winning all three games — including two in Miami. Before this season, the Bulls had lost 18 of the previous 23 against Miami. The teams have played each other seven times in the playoffs. This is not officially a playoff series, but it's a postseason elimination game.
The last time the teams met in the playoffs was 10 years ago in 2013 when Miami won 4-1 in the conference semifinals. Miami also won 4-1 in 2011. In 2007, the Bulls had an historic first round sweep of the defending champion Heat. Miami won 4-2 in the first round the previous season when the Heat won the title. In the Bulls championship 1996 and 1997 seasons, the Bulls swept Miami 3-0 in the 1996 first round and won 4-1 in the 1997 conference finals. Here’s how this season’s games went:
October, 19. Opening night in Miami. Bulls win 116-108.
After being swept the previous season and losing eight of the last nine to the Heat, the Bulls — without Zach LaVine recovering from his offseason knee surgery — pull off a 116-108 surprise that becomes a harbinger for the Bulls’ 2022-23 season. DeMar DeRozan picks up where he left off with 37 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block. Miami’s Big Three of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry play in what becomes rare for them in the season. Ayo Dosunmu, starting for LaVine (or Lonzo Ball), dominates Lowry and has 17 points. Nikola Vučević has 15 points and 17 rebounds and former Heat player Goran Dragić makes four three-pointers.
“So called experts, look for another job to do or something like that,” DeRozan says after the game. “They can say what they want. I learn never to get caught up in that, never going to change the way I approach the game, my passion for the game, the things I put in. Let everyone say what they want; everyone got freedom of speech, right? We had a hell of a learning lesson of all the mistakes we made against the good teams (last season, 2-21 against the top four from each conference) and what it really took to compete at a high level if you really want to beat the good teams. We have that blueprint and that’s all we’ve been stressing through training camp is that’s what wins games, the IQ, the grit, getting dirty, attention to detail late in game; I think we did a great job of that.
“Everybody stayed locked in,” said DeRozan. “When they hit a big shot or we made a mistake we didn’t get down on ourselves, made it up on the next play and the one after that. Last year we used to let other teams steam roll and we’d lose a lead and let mistakes affect the rest of the game. Tonight we stayed the course when they made big shots; we made big plays when we needed them.”
Miami, after falling behind by 19 points in the third quarter, drew within 100-95 in the fourth. DeRozan closed it out with nine points in the last seven minutes. The Bulls had 12 steals and 17 points on Miami turnovers. Joakim Noah sat in the stands to watch his former team.
December 20. Bulls win 113-103 in Miami.
It may have been the biggest game of the season coming off the worst loss — the 150 points given up to the Minnesota Timberwolves — and rare controversy for the team with media reports of Zach LaVine supposedly being challenged by other players in the locker room. There were subsequently differing versions of whether that occurred. The Bulls were in the national media’s scope for a potential team meltdown at seven games below .500. But LaVine got the Bulls going with 11 first-quarter points and had 21 points and seven assists with a team-best plus/minus. Vučević had 29 points and 12 rebounds and DeRozan had 24 points. Butler and Lowry didn’t play for Miami.
“It was good to get the win, that positive feeling especially after that tough, terrible loss in Minnesota the way we played,” said Vučević. “It was needed; hopefully, we can learn from this and start to play consistently. Obviously, we were very disappointed with our effort Sunday; it’s one thing to lose, but to lose the way we did to sum up in one word: Embarrassing.
“We just wanted to rebound from that, play better, show a little more competitiveness, a little more heart; I thought we did that,” Vučević added. “We did what we had to do. Obviously, they were shorthanded. But it was a good win for us to get back in the winning column; hopefully, it gives us positive energy moving forward. Hopefully, it’s a good lesson for us and we can start something good.”
“Every great relationship is a work in progress,” DeRozan added. “You’ve got to go through the good and the bad; not necessarily saying the bad is a bad thing. It just comes with it. I’ve never seen nobody in a long term relationship be all smiles and giggles every single day. Sometimes you have to go through things to make that marriage even better at the end of the day; that’s all it is. The first couple of days with a person is always awesome. Then sometimes if somebody orders the wrong meal and don’t like it, you’ve got to talk about it and fix it.”
Bam Adebayo had 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and Tyler Herro chipped in 19 points for Miami. But the Bulls chased Miami into 15-of-44 on threes and got 21 points off Miami turnovers, out-rebounded Miami and shot more efficiently on threes.
March 18. Bulls in Chicago win 113-99.
This was the Pat Bev Effect game with a raucous home crowd urging on the Chicago favorite who made three straight threes and four in six possessions and had 14 points in the second quarter to rock the Heat with a 25-point Bulls halftime lead. Butler and Adebayo did play, but the Heat were never much even in the game until a run at the close thanks to Beverley. The game was sandwiched between two double overtime wins for the Bulls.
“I’m a basketball player,” Beverley said. “I’m 38% in my career from the three over a decade. But no matter how well I shoot it, I think it’s the look of me. People want to leave me open. Keep letting them do it. They see me as a defensive guy. They don’t see me as a three-point shooter. My numbers are up there with the best of them. (But I guess) you’ve got to take away something. I’ve played with a lot of great guards and am fortunate to play with DeMar (DeRozan) and Zach (LaVine). No one person can guard them. I guess it’s Pat Bev (they’re leaving open). I like it that way. They double teamed (LaVine and DeRozan) and they were able to kick it out. I’m a basketball player. I’m always going to make the right play.”
DeRozan and LaVine had just combined for a franchise-best 88 points in the previous night’s win over Minnesota. But when Miami did a series of traps and double teams, Beverley found himself available. Beverley sprinted into the stands after his third three. That fourth one came a basket after the barely six-foot Beverley had driven for a layup and lowered his hands to signal the defender was too small.
DeRozan led the Bulls with 24 points with LaVine getting 18, Beverley 17 and Vučević 13. Coby White had 18 points and four-of-eight threes off the bench. Miami had a 19-5 edge in second-chance points, but the Bulls had eight steals and got 22 points off Miami turnovers. The Bulls had 34 assists, with DeRozan leading with 10.
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