The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls played an old school brand of basketball on Wednesday night.
Heat vs. Bulls: Game 2 gets chippy, physical with 51 fouls
Analysts say Wednesday night’s showdown in Miami reminded them of an old school playoff game.
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No, they didn’t bring back eight-inch shorts or take the three-point arc off the floor at American Airlines Arena.
Game 2 was as physical of a basketball game as fans have seen in decades. No layup was without contact, no loose ball was without an elbow or shove -- intentional or not -- and no whistles were spared by the officiating crew.
The two teams combined to commit 51 personal fouls. Nine technical fouls were called, including six against the Bulls. Most of them came from players barking at officials for a call -- or no-call. Chris Andersen was assessed a flagarant one foul after blatantly shoving Marco Belinelli into the bench midway through the second quarter.
As the TNT analysts described it at halftime, the chippiness and physicality reminded them of a playoff game from the 1970s. That brand of basketball may not be popular anymore, but it’s a welcome change for a playoffs that has lacked standout moments.
And while both teams gave out their fair share of hard fouls, all of the rough play seemed to bother Chicago a bit more. Not only did they shoot just 36 percent from the floor, but their defense was totally overmatched on the other end. It led to the worst margin of defeat in franchise history as they fell, 115-78.
Even with the loss, the Bulls head home with confidence after splitting the first two in Miami. No one really gave them much of a chance without Derrick Rose, and Game 1 proved they can hang with the defending champs. Look for plenty of whistles to be blown yet again as the series shifts to Chicago for Games 3 and 4.
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