Following a 66-win regular season and complete domination of the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs, the Miami Heat haven't experienced too many lows this year.
Welcoming the Chicago Bulls to South Beach for Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series however, Miami struggled to find any rhythm on offense against a superb Bulls defense, eventually dropping the opener 93-86.
As they try to avoid falling into an 0-2 hole, Miami will host Chicago once again as Game 2 is set to tip Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm, EDT. Television coverage will be provided by the TNT network.
Shooting below 40% from the floor as a team, Miami was never able to control the game and struggled to contain some of Chicago's explosive offensive threats.
In 40 minutes of action, Bulls guard Nate Robinson was in control, shooting 8-of-16 from the floor for a game-high 27 points. Robinson was also able to work his teammates into the mix as he led all players with 9 assists.
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Watching his team struggle right from the opening tip, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knows a bigger effort will be needed to even the series.
"Playoffs are all about revealing who you are," Spoelstra said to NBA.com reporters. It's either a win or a loss, and so we lost the first game. We have to figure it out. We have to fight for our playoff lives right now, to play a much harder and much more committed game."
Miami's top two scoring threats - LeBron James and Dwayne Wade - did their best to carry Miami down the stretch as they combined for 28 points on 15-33 shooting, but their efforts simply were not enough. Despite the poor team performance, Wade is confident his squad will fight back.
"We haven't lost in a while, so it was very different to come in here and deal with a loss and to deal with it in the playoffs at home," Wade said to reporters. We've been in tough moments. We've lost games before."
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While Nate Robinson and the Bulls were able to control the tempo offensively, Chicago was clearly the more physical team in Game 1 as well.
Joakim Noah dominated underneath with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Jimmy Butler was fantastic in 48 minutes of action, pouring in 21 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds.
Not happy about the Game 1 willpower of his team, LeBron James is fully aware that Miami's intensity must change moving forward.
"We've got to get into the fight and understand what they're going to bring to the table," James said to reporters from ESPN. "It ain't about X's and O's in this series. It's about will and determination to win."
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Falling into a one-game hole to start the series, the Heat have much to improve upon if they're to win a second-consecutive NBA Championship.
Be sure to catch the second game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm, EDT. Coverage will be provided by the TNT television network.
Watch Highlights From Chicago's 93-86 Game 1 Victory Over Miami:
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