Heat at Bulls
THE STORY: The MVP against the Big Three. That's what NBA fans have to look forward to as Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls entertain the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final Sunday. Chicago is coming off a six-game triumph over the Atlanta Hawks in second-round action, while the Heat were impressive in rolling past the Boston Celtics in five games.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE BULLS: Chicago possesses plenty of talent, particularly up front with the tandem of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer. But make no mistake - this is Rose's team, even more so in the postseason. The first-time league MVP credentials throughout the second round, averaging just under 30 points and 10 assists for the series. The Heat have given veteran point guard Mike Bibby the assignment of guarding Rose in Game 1, but neutralizing the lightning-quick 22-year-old will be a tall task. The key for Chicago will be how well it can use Noah and Boozer to take advantage of a key mismatch in the frontcourt.
ABOUT THE HEAT: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are looking every bit as dangerous as experts predicted they would when it was first announced the trio would be uniting in South Beach. Their five-game evisceration of the aging Celtics made Miami the easy choice to come out of the East - at least according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, who have made the Heat 2-to-1 favorites. James and Wade were at their most lethal in the series-clinching game, combining for 67 points in the 97-87 victory. Wade (26.1) and James (26) rank fifth and sixth in league scoring in the playoffs, while Bosh has been strong as well with a 16.3 scoring average.
WHO'S HOT/WHO'S NOT: Boozer was quiet for most of the Atlanta series but came alive in the clincher, scoring 23 points and adding 10 rebounds to complement another strong effort from Rose. James reached the 30-point plateau three times against Boston, while Wade did so twice while averaging more than 30 points for the series.
KEY STATISTIC: 91.3 - The Bulls' average points against in the regular season, good for second in the NBA. The Heat have already dispatched the top defensive team in the league in the Celtics, and with the way they are rolling on offense, they could make things even more difficult for Chicago.
SEASON SERIES: Chicago won all three regular-season meetings, but each game was decided by four points or fewer. The teams last faced off March 6, with Rose leading the way with 27 points in an 87-86 triumph.
LAST WORD: "I think all of us have to do our jobs. We've been a team all season. It hasn't been a one-man show, but our one man's pretty good. It's been a team effort. We rely on everybody." - Boozer