HEAT GON' FISHIN'

Oh Baby! Bulls Sweep the Heat
Bulls 92, Heat 79

By Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 30, 2007; Page E01

MIAMI, April 29 -- A year after winning the NBA championship, the Miami Heat couldn't get through the first round of the playoffs. Why, the Heat couldn't win a game. Miami's players didn't even bother running the court in the last minute of Sunday's 92-79 loss to the Chicago Bulls, seemingly overwhelmed by the frustration of their relentless opposition, and the season's hard reality.

A day after Heat Coach Pat Riley stepped to the middle of the locker room before practice and started shadow boxing, challenging his players to step up and fight with him, the Heat met that challenge.


Alonzo Mourning and the Heat officially and meekly gave up its title, becoming the first defending NBA champion to be swept in the opening round of the playoffs in 49 years."They are a great team," said Miami Head Coach Pat Riley. (J. Pat Carter - AP)


Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Heat fought Sunday. They just weren't nearly good enough.

The Chicago Bulls officially shed their Baby Bulls moniker and made a powerful statement with a powerful series, sweeping the Heat in four games, three of which were not competitive in the waning minutes. Especially Sunday's. Despite the stakes and locale, it was the young Bulls, not the veteran Heat, who looked cooler and smarter as the clock wound down.

So while the Heat officially and meekly gave up its title, becoming the first defending NBA champion to be swept in the opening round of the playoffs in 50 years, the Bulls advanced to a second-round matchup with the Detroit Pistons.

"We ran into more than a formidable opponent," Riley said. "They are a great team."

When the clock ran out, Riley sought out third-year Bulls coach Scott Skiles in front of the scorer's table. "You," Riley barked into Skiles's ear, "can go a long way."

Far removed from the days when Michael Jordan led them deep in the postseason year after year, the Bulls had been ousted for two straight years in first round of the playoffs, last year by Miami and in 2005 by the Washington Wizards. But for the past eight days, Luol Deng, who scored 22 points and posted 12 rebounds Sunday, and Ben Gordon, who had 24 points, played the part of wily but spry veterans, outrunning and outgunning the Heat.

"We're in a place we have never been before," Deng said. "It was good for us to come out and show our maturity as a team."

Chicago seemed unshakable no matter what Miami threw at it. The Heat energized the home crowd early, jumping to an 8-0 lead that it did not relinquish for nearly three full quarters. But when Deng hit a 20-footer to put Chicago up by two with just under three minutes remaining in the third period, the Bulls never trailed again.

"They were the better team," Wade said.

The game's final minutes proved almost embarrassing for the Heat. It wasn't that Miami mounted a weak comeback. It mounted no comeback. Down by one with 5 minutes 27 seconds left, Miami committed five turnovers and missed 10 shots, eventually losing by 13 in a largely emptied and significantly quieted American Airlines Arena.