It was the playoff physical type game you come to expect from these two teams. The Bulls went into the game without Joakim Noah and Derek Rose. Defensive-minded head coach Tom Thibadeaux has another plan to cool the Heat. They decided to rewind the clock back to the 80's and play rough.
Unlike most teams in the NBA, the focus was to make every foul count on LeBron James. Kirk Hinrich grabbed LeBron with both hands to slow him down, but seemed to hold on long enough to bring him to the floor, a play he commented on. "He grabbed me and pulled me to the ground." "Those are not basketball plays." He also expressed his frustrations on the court with a retaliation flagrant foul on Carlos Boozer in the 4th quarter.
James made it clear that he is not complaining about the hard fouls. He feels that it has been happening all season and even mentioned the he and Coach Spo have talked about it during the season. He knows it is apart of the game the has become of the best to play. Teams across the Eastern Conference will be studying the game in hopes to employ a similar strategy in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if the NBA does the same for different reasons.
- Rodney Fisher
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