The Chicago Bulls took the opening game of the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals in somewhat convincing fashion 10 days ago. Taking down the Miami Heat by 7, Chicago looked poised to contend with the defending NBA champions.
Since taking that 1-0 series lead however, the Bulls have been a completely different team as they've fallen into a 3-1 deficit following an embarrassing Game 4 loss. The Heat dominated Chicago Monday night, outshooting the Bulls while controlling the defensive intensity of the game en route to an 88-65 victory.
Looking to advance to the Conference Finals, Miami will host Chicago in Game 5 on Wednesday, May 15th. Tip time is set for 7:00pm, EDT with coverage available through the TNT network.
Playing on their home floor with a chance to even the series at 2 games apiece, Chicago never got into an offensive rhythm and struggled to slow a torrid pace set by the Miami offense, most notably LeBron James.
LeBron torched Chicago with 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the floor while dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 7 rebounds. In 43 minutes of action, the 28-year-old League MVP was a constant nightmare for a Bulls team that had nothing positive going in Game 4.
Chicago shot a dismal 25.7% from the field in the loss on 19-of-74 shooting. Carlos Boozer led the way for the Bulls in scoring with 14 points while pulling down 12 rebounds but he received little help from his teammates, including guard Nate Robinson.
Robinson has been fantastic this postseason but in the Game 4 trouncing, the former University of Washington standout was an offensive liability, shooting 0-for-12 from the floor and finishing with a zero in the scoring column. Frustrated with his performance, Robinson knows his Bulls have to get back to the basics if they're to extend the conference semis.
"Nobody said this was going to be easy," Robinson said to NBA.com reporters. "We're professionals for a reason. We'll go back to the drawing board and figure it out."
Chicago will look to prolong the series Wednesday night and as they've done for most of this postseason, they'll have to do so without the services of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. The trio of players are not expected to suit up for Game 5 due to various injuries.
With their season on the line, Carlos Boozer is fully confident his team can once again overcome a significant obstacle.
"We have bounced back from a lot of adversity," Boozer said to ESPN. "We've been the underdog all season with the injuries we've had, with the players we've had out and we've always responded and we'll respond tonight.
The task to stay alive will surely be a tough one as Miami knows they can close out the Eastern Conference Semifinals in front of what will be a raucous American Airlines Arena in South Beach.
Be sure to catch Game 5 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday, May 15th. Tip time is set for 7:00pm, EDT with television coverage provided by the TNT network.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS From Miami's 88-65 Victory In Game 4:
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