NBA Playoffs 2013: Shorthanded Bulls shock Heat; Spurs win in double OT

The Miami Heat’s offense was stuck in neutral in Game 1 against the Chicago Bulls on Monday. It was anything but in Game 2 on Wednesday. Miami scored 115 points, shattering the vaunted Bulls’ defense in order to tie the series at one game apiece.

We know Miami is capable of doing that against anybody, so it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that it happened against the Bulls. But what could possibly explain the huge difference in the Heat’s offense between Games 1 and 2?

One of the great things about watching Joakim Noah is that he is totally a new breed of player. That’s rare in the NBA; most stars are, at the very least, homages to legends gone by. Kevin Durant is a smoother Larry Bird, or a longer George Gervin, or something in between. LeBron James is an explosive, strong Magic Johnson. Stephen Curry is Steve Nash with a selfish streak. Chris Paul is Isiah Thomas. Derrick Rose is a bigger Isiah Thomas. Russell Westbrook is a manic Isiah Thomas.

Noah is ... Ben Wallace with guard skills? That doesn’t make sense, because part of what made Ben Wallace Ben Wallace was that he had no skills. None that weren’t related to rotating and rebounding, at least. Tim Duncan with fast-twitch muscles and a Chardonnay buzz? That’s not quite right -- the results may match that definition, but the style isn’t remotely close. And that’s the whole thing with Noah: the style he plays in no way matches his production. He plays like an erratic Bond villain, yet he puts up Duncanian lines. On Monday, he finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Duncan put up 19 and 11. Their performances looked like different sports entirely. (And not just because Big Fundamental was retching with the flu.)

The Golden State Warriors jumped out to an early lead and are still hanging on at halftime, leading the San Antonio Spurs, 53-49, in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night.

Points in the paint were largely in Golden State’s favor, 24-10, as the Warriors were able to penetrate the Spurs’ defense and shoot 55 percent from the field. San Antonio was held to 38.1 percent shooting.

• Ziller: Kevin Durant’s greatest test

• Betting on Paul George or the Knicks’ shooting

While Wade told the Miami Herald that his injury is still considered day-to-day and that he’s unlikely to get better in the playoffs, there’s a good bit of evidence that he’s been very good when he does play. In three games played against the Bucks, Wade played 34 minutes per game and although he shot just 37 percent from the floor, he also averaged seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.

• Ziller: MVP voting and the perils of anonymity