Friday, May 27th, 2011 at 8:53 am  |  192 responses

Post Up: Don’t Look Down

LeBron James and the Miami Heat reach the NBA Finals.

Miami 83, Chicago 80

If it was surreal watching the final three minutes and change of Game 5 unfold from the comforts of your living room, imagine watching it in the company of 23,000+ people. The best way to describe what happened at the United Center last night it is the NBA talking all commercial, the one with Charlie Murphy doing the voiceover telling the story of Derek Fisher’s miraculous Playoff shot against the Spurs. It was the exact same thing.

All of the air went out of the building like, pffffffffffffffffffffff…

The Bulls led the Heat by 12 points with just over three minutes to go in regulation when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade—who struggled all game—and Chris Bosh took over and stole what seemed to be a sure-fire trip back to Miami for Game 6.

While most Bulls fans will blame the loss on poor officiating (Miami took 9 FT’s in a two-minute span late in the final quarter), credit goes to the Heat for stepping it up on the defensive end, but more importantly, for making big shots in critical moments. Whether it was Bosh hitting a baseline jumper while being guarded by two defenders or making two huge, late FT’s; or Dwyane Wade driving to the lane and converting time and again or getting fouled by Derrick Rose to earn a 4-point play opportunity; or LeBron James once again hitting big shot after big shot, shaking the criticism that he isn’t a closer by once again proving that he clearly is. All of these things buried Chicago and helped Miami advance to the NBA Finals for the opportunity to face the Dallas Mavericks.

As disappointing as the loss was for all of Chicago, what stings is they way that they were defeated and who it came at the hands of. Still, the team had a season that no one expected them to have.

Derrick Rose will receive the bulk of the blame today for this loss and the Bulls’ failure in the postseason, but that comes with the territory of being an NBA superstar. But say what you want about him, it can’t be denied or argued that DRose and his stellar play this season are the real reason they even made it this far, and at 22-years-old, he’s the reason Bulls fans can feel confident that this isn’t the last time this team will be in this position. —Bryan Crawford (@_bryancrawford)

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  • feez22

    logues using “ifs”… if you use “ifs” for the future than fine. but you cannot use “ifs” for the past. using “ifs” for past stuff that already happened just tells me that you are reaching for straws. btw, bosh doesn’t need to be a “post presence” for miami. why? because dirk is mostly a face up perimeter player AS WELL. so by that criteria, the nba champion won’t have a post presence regardless in terms of having a back down paint scorer. Both teams PF’s are Face up players that can drive to the rim or shoot over the top.

  • tRay

    Anyone else wish Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr didn’t cover this series? I can’t tell you how many times I changed the channel cuz I needed a break from those two. Also Kenny Smith and Charles are such haters sometimes it’s disgusting. When the Heat did something well they down played it and harped more on the Bulls mistakes.

  • feez22

    @1982 that wade 4point play was not “gifted”. Rose clearly fouled his arm on the jumper. that was probably the clearest jumper foul all series since most of the others were flops/flails.

  • feez22

    tRay… it gets worse come finals time. The finals will be on ABC… u know what that means. JVG and Mark Jackson banter about foolishness all nba finals… smh.

  • feez22

    BTW what scottie pippen said about jordan should REVOKE HIS TO BE BRONZE STATUE FROM CHICAGO. This is ridiculous… Scottie just said lebron may be the best player ever? Scottie is an idiot. Revoke your HOF pass, revoke your bronze statue, revoke your 6 championships… oh my goodness. Pub enemy #1 in chicago=scottie pippen.

  • tRay

    @feez yeah they get on my d@mn nerves too smh but at least Mark Jackson is pretty fair at times but hearing Reggie Miller this series was almost unbearable. I think I like Hubbie Brown and Mark Turiko(I’m sure I killed that lol) but those guys are great to me.

  • http://slamonline.com 1982

    @Eboy Damn skippy, listing MJ era Bulls’ centers is almost like making a list of people who were gifted rings. Many backup centers today would run laps around them, but not their team defense. Even their famous centers were taken long after their prime. From Parish to King to Wennington, the only notable guy was…Luc Longly? I’m kidding.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Hubie needs to get the color work for this series….f*ck Mark Jackson and his “hand down, man down” bullsh*t.

  • http://slamonline.com 1982

    What did Pip say about Jordan? Was this recent? And @feez I was watching on an internet feed, I thought it was a phantom foul, but it was grainy so I’m taking your word for it…

  • http://slamonline.com 1982

    Mark Jackson repeats himself so much he sounds like the 2K11 commentators.

  • feez22

    hubie would be perfect this series… he actually has good basketball insight. i don’t want to hear about mark jackson’s “its time to dance” or JVG’s incessant need to change every nba rule in the book w/ ongoing rambling. I want to be educated while i watch these finals. hubie would make these finals enjoyable to me. A lot of casual fans don’t like hubie brown. why? bc they don’t want to hear good insight & a guy talk really slow. i want to hear that.

  • http://www.fiba.com Darksaber

    Jackson should keep changing that lame catchphrase. make it more risqué.
    My suggestion? “pants down, hand down.”

  • feez22

    @1982 Pip said that mj may have been a better “scorer” than lebron but then went on to say that lebron was the best player of all time. over jordan. take it as you will. i was offended and im not even a chicago fan.

  • tRay

    LOL @1982 comment at 11:43 am
    JVG does so much rambling it’s not even funny. By the time he’s done 4 f*ckin plays have occured.@feez Hubbie has so much insight it makes watching a great game even better but casual fans want to hear horrible “catch phrases” and sh*t like that smh.

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com/ airs

    hubie is the man.
    now to get bill walton back…

  • Tyrant56

    @feez22 get ready cause momma there goes that man, excuse me (insert name) may I have this dance?, and of course you know the rules hand down man down!

  • Double J

    co-sign bull22 of the first variety

  • http://slamonline Brion

    I cant agree more w/ tRay, Reggie Miller needs to go. Hes horrible. It seems all the old vets that are now commentators wanna hate on the the Heat.

  • el_larsen

    yessssssss.no bulls revival.
    think i ll support the mavs .dirk it s now or never.

  • tRay

    I always enjoyed Sean Elliot and even Bill Walton. Like Brion just said all the old vets are just so bitter it clouds there ability to actual call the game down the middle. OH and I’m so sick of Kenny Smith he’s so full of himself. Walking his knock kneed a$$ to that jumbo tron.

  • T-Money

    i actually watched the miami-chicago series on mute. gave me a chance to catch up on all the new albums!

  • feez22

    @tRay man i used to despise bill walton’s commentary and still do because he would drift off into nothingness every game (for example, a lebron james pass would make bill walton drift off into his trip to spain and fighting of the bulls LOL). However his “parody” account on twitter is too hilarious. the guy doing the bill walton parody account has been awesome. sort of has changed my opinion of bill from annoying to comedic lol.

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com/ airs

    bill has been HILARIOUS, even if he might not mean it.
    im sure it went something like “Robert Horry is the greatest inbounds passer of all time”

  • tRay

    @feez LOL yeah you kind of have to get past that because he goes on those drifts due to his age lol but dude is funny as hell

  • http://slamonline Brion

    I still think Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson make a great commentator duo.

  • mjNotkobe

    How bout them Bulls? :-D

  • tRay

    But on the real shout out to the real Bulls fans on this site who been riding with them for years through the ups and downs. BC, airs, Rigo and I’m sure I’m missing someone else lol maybe ThaWindy, Diesel and Jahmai

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    Unsurprised. I apologize for jinxing the Bulls. Last night I had a game at 9 I left my house with 3 minutes left thinking the game was as good as over. Chi was up 12, and before I left I tweeter “I hope Chicago holds onto this lead” – when I got to the gym I had like 30 messages talking about a Miami comeback, I’m so p*ssed I didn’t see it live.

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com/ airs

    just for sh*ts and giggles i was looking at some of the previous articles i’ve posted on and saw something i thought was funny. 2009 -
    Lang Whitaker Posted: Oct.2 at 8:45 am
    If Derrick Rose is better than Joe Johnson, then I am, too.

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com/ airs

    and thanks for the shoutout tRay

  • JTaylor21

    For all those sensitive MJ fanboys out there, Pip actually said that Bron “could” be the greatest.
    Reading is fundamental, folks!

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    He said could be as in right now. Not could be as in could become.

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com/ airs

    no, not really jtaylor.
    “…But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game”

  • http://slamonline.com 1982

    @Brion they do, but when they start telling random stories or going off on these weird theories that have nothing to do with the current game, it’s like listening to The View with men. When they’re actually commentating, I think they’re good too. No one else has said this, but I actually quite like Kerr in the booth. Since we’re talking about Hubie Brown, I miss Bob Costas.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    As arrogant as Pip is I’m surprised he didn’t end that with “besides me, of course”.

  • tRay

    No prob airs

  • http://slamonline.com 1982

    @Feez thanks, I’m going to try to find it

  • JTaylor21

    Aight, maybe I dissected it wrong but what does it matter what pippen says? He was probably being a prisoner of the moment at that time after watching bron destroy his team on the offensive and defensive end. Also the guy was one of the greatest all-around players of all-time so he probably appreciates Bron’s all-around abilities.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Cheryl

    re: Eboy @ 9:43am–and to you too, my friend. We’ve been here for a long (long) time together and we both deserve to gloat a little today. It’s been a wild ride as fans of the Heat, BBall in general, and Slamonline. I tip my Presidente to you and the team! :)

  • Lz – Cphfinest3

    Congrats to the Heat – the better team prevailed (and made me look real smart predicting 4-1 series win after game 1). LeBron and Wade played extremely well during the last 3-4 minutes. And Lebron’s defense was awesome throughout locking down Rose and swatting shots left and right. However let’s not get carried away with the MJ comparisons, after the hot 1stQ start James had a strect where he went 1/11 from the field, before eventually turning up the play in the end (impressive to see him play that well in the clutch, gotta love it). James played for him a good game with a great finish, nothing legendary about that performance like most Bron fanboys are screaming (I didn’t read the comments yet, so no pun intended). Chicago are still a bit away but hopefully they will make some smart moves and persuade Rose to channel his inner Chris Paul instead of his inner Iverson. They should be allright I think. Regarding the Finals, I’m cheering for Dallas – Dirk need to get that ring, him and Kidd are the most deserving in the L. I belive the Mavs will take it in 7, but it can go either way no doubt. The refs in the Bulls game were not the best, especially not for the home team let’s leave it at that – doesn’t really matter to much as the best team won. However one thing; what was up with LeBron’s flop in the 2nd (3rd?) that ish was worse than anything Manu or any other player has done… Just plain embarrasing for the game’s arguably best player to be doing that… Looking forward to the Finals. Dirk will be a beast and I think that the combo of Mavs interior size and their hot shooting will give Heat (and their great D) trouble.

  • http://www.twitter.com/nflem41 Nicolas Fleming

    I’m going out on a limb here and predicting the Lakers to beat the Mavs and Heat in 6 for Kobe’s sixth ring. Book it.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Bron is more Pippen than Jordan in my opinion. With Jordan’s scoring mentality.
    LOL @ listening to The View for men.
    It’s so true tho. I can’t stand when they go off on some weird tangents.
    And Reggie Miller I just wanna choke. I don’t mind Steve Kerr when he’s not partnered with Reggie.
    Plus, it’s Steve Kerr. I love that dude. He’s one of the few NBA players I’ve met in person, and he’s a cool dude.
    Bob Costas was dope! I still remember that crazy circus shot MJ hit in some Finals game and Bob Costas saying “SOMEHOW….SOMEWAY…it went in.”

  • el_larsen

    what a fantastic serie for the mvp d rose!!lol
    OVERRATED

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Here we go with that bullsh*t again…

  • http://bulls.com airs

    bob costas tried a little too hard at times.
    dick stockton before he went senile was pretty cool though

  • http://twitter.com/BeezKneezy LA Huey

    LeBron just did his impression of Dream over Admiral in ’95.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Can you imagine if they had Dick Vitale doing NBA games?
    *shudders*

  • http://www.facebook.com/joe.l.brewer3 BlackPhantom

    I wonder why Slam hasn’t posted what Scottie said about Lebron yet.

  • tRay

    If Dick Vitale commented on NBA games Rigo I would literally hang myslef infront of ESPN and TNT studios. He actually did a game back in 08 I believe it was Denver against Miami and all he harped on was the match up of DWade vs Melo and their college days like GOD D@MNIT!

  • Fat Lever

    Darksaber’s comment at 10:44 is hilarious. Nice.

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