Miami Evens the Series, What Will be DeMar DeRozan’s Chicago Legacy? And Other Bulls Bullets

The Miami Heat are the true mosquitos of the NBA.

The moment you think you’ll cruise through a nice summer night filled with relaxation and a couple of brewskis is the moment they strike. You can only swat them away for so long. Sooner than later, they’ll bite. And Game 2 of the NBA Finals proved to be the perfect example.

  • I thought the Denver Nuggets had it in the bag after they erased their early double-digit deficit in the first quarter. I felt even more confident when they were up 83-75 at the end of the third quarter. The Heat were hanging around, but the Nuggets had an ice-cold Jamal Murray, an MVP in Nikola Jokic, and a raucous home crowd. But then the Heat reminded us of what they did against the Chicago Bulls. Jimmy Butler and Co. outscored the Nuggets 36-25 in the final 12 minutes. This included a 12-4 run from the 6:06 mark to the 3:39 mark to take control of the game.
  • While Butler had his hand in the big-time victory, it was truly a team-wide blood-sucking effort from Miami. Kyle Lowry drew a huge foul behind the 3-point line and knocked down all his freebies in the fourth quarter. Bam Adebayo had a miraculous game on both ends with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Both Gabe Vincent and Max Strus knocked down four 3s apiece. Even Duncan Robinson was sinking acrobatic layups and mean-mugging the crowd! The Heat have to be one of the peskiest teams in the NBA, and it’s impossible not to respect.
  • Indeed, while I don’t think the Heat’s roster build is something necessarily replicable around the league, I do think there are a few lessons for a team like the Bulls to learn from this group. The mere idea of always staying locked in and sticking to your identity is huge. Basketball is a game of runs more than ever before. Far too many times this season, we saw the Bulls panic when things didn’t go their way. The fourth quarter would turn into an iso-contest despite ball movement and transition play repeatedly putting the Bulls in the best position to succeed. Whether you are up double digits or down double digits – which both teams experienced yesterday – you have to have trust in how you play.
  • Look, I don’t know what the future holds for DeMar DeRozan and the Bulls. I also don’t know how the majority of fans would look at his tenure in Chicago if it were to end in the coming months. All I do know is that I have very much enjoyed watching this guy play. Even if the results haven’t been as consistent on a team-wide basis, he’s been the epitome of consistency. You know what you’re going to get from DeRozan every single night, which is one of the most masterful and technical players in the entire league.
  • I mean, seriously, we’ve very rarely seen the Bulls add All-Star-caliber talent that was still performing at the peak of their powers. When they added Wade and Rondo, those two were far past their primes. The last time we saw this would probably be when Pau Gasol joined the mix. He had a back-to-back All-Star campaign and played some truly great basketball in a Bulls jersey. Unfortunately, those teams didn’t achieve much and it’s gotten lost in time. I’m hoping that’s not what happens with DeRozan because – in a vacuum – his stint here has been a great story.
  • During DeRozan’s two years in Chicago, he has appeared in 91 percent of the team’s games and has averaged 26.2 points with 5.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. He’s also shot a superb 50.4 percent from the field and a solid 33.9 percent from downtown. All things considered, these have been two of the best seasons of his career. And, again, while the team’s success hasn’t followed, I’m extremely glad we’ve been able to watch this guy do what he does best.
  • More assistant coaching news after a weekend full of it! According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Rockets head coach Stephen Silas is joining the Pistons’ new staff.
  • Well-respected NBA veteran and assistant Sam Cassell is now leaving Philly to join Boston’s coaching staff. That’s a really good hire.
  • I will never look as cool as a young Michael Jordan.
  • Love a good late free-agent splash!
  • ICYMI: This is truly insane …
  • written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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