Heat Rout Bulls, Keep Playoff Seed

March 26, 2010

In a full throttle performance by the Miami Heat, the Bulls were handed their 38th loss of the season early on in the game. At the half, Miami's lead equaled Chicago's total points at 33. It was clear that the Heat were on their way to victory by then.

But the story is not in the amount Miami routed Chicago by, rather how they dismantled the Bulls. Here are some impressive statistics that revealed the team's collective effort:

• Six Heat players recorded double-digit points
• Dwyane Wade was the fourth leading scorer on the team
• Three different players accounted for nine total blocks in the game
• The team shot for 51.9% from the field
• The bench accounted for 43 points, which was 41% of Miami's total points
• Four bench players played in excess of 18 minutes each

For Miami, there cannot be anything more refreshing than a team led victory, particularly as they near the postseason. Performances like these are what decide playoff series in the NBA; there's always more than one hero in a seven game series.

While it may troubling to see that Dwyane Wade has averaged 17.6 points in the last three games, his performance against the Bulls came on a 5-for-7 shooting night. In other words, he intentionally reduced his scoring attempts. What matters more is his heightened commitment towards play-making in that stretch, averaging 10.3 assists in those three games. Not to mention, Miami is on a three-game win streak.

Currently, Miami faces the prospect of dealing with the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs. Ending their season series at 2-2, these two squads have matched up well and taken three out of their four matches down to the wire. While Orlando seems to over-match Miami on paper, the results on the court have shown otherwise. If this becomes the eventual match-up, fans and analysts will be surprised to find an astonishing six to seven game series, marked by buzzer beaters, overtimes and edge-of-your seat moments. Not to play up this series, but the possibilities are sky high when these two face off.

On another note, Miami must fend off the Charlotte Bobcats and Toronto Raptors before they focus their attention on the Magic. The Heat are only 0.5 games ahead of the Bobcats with ten games to go in the regular season. Miami also stands two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks, which they play against tonight. With that said, Miami must finish strong if they hope to secure a playoff position, as the bottom half of the Eastern Conference seeds are separated by a measly four games.