The Miami Heat's defense, especially in the latter stages of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, was absolutely suffocating on Wednesday night. Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls couldn't get any shots to fall all game, and once the offensive rebounds started to dry up, they had no shot at scoring. The Bulls scored 26 points in the first quarter, but just 29 points in the entire second half.
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls Have Trouble Scoring In Paint Vs. Miami Heat
There were a lot of things the Heat were doing to slow Chicago down, but the most important factor was how they defended the rim. Chicago had plenty of shots in the paint, but the Heat did an unbelievable job of contesting them and forcing misses without fouling. This shot chart is something to behold.
(via @Clintonite33)
Overall, the Bulls shot just 17-40 on shots inside of nine feet, including a ghastly 3-18 on attempts from between 3-9 feet. Rose, known by some as the best finisher in the entire league, was 2-11 from those distances, including 0-7 from 3-9 feet. Lots of credit goes to the Heat for converging whenever someone got to the rim and using their athleticism to bother the shots without fouling.
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