They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but not for the Heat.

 

Because they served the Bulls a hot bowl of whip-ass.

 

It seems the Miami Heat try to invent things to keep them motivated these days. All the normal milestones have been matched.

 

Playoffs? Check.

 

Home-court advantage? Check.

 

Best Record? Check.

 

Running out of stimulus, the Heat decided to used revenge as a tool, citing payback to the team that ended its 27-game winnng streak. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra tried to up-play the significance of this game by poking at some supposed ramifications if they lost. Maybe he was poking at the fact that, by beating the Bulls, they are now pushed into the sixth conference playoff spot and out as their second-round bracket.

 

Based on the combativeness between these squads, we expected aggressive and very physical play. Correct on that one!

Sunday's game was a foul fest, with the Bulls getting the louder end of the whistle. One would say this was a one-sided battle, as it seems like the Heat and the referees were on the same side. The Bulls closed with 30 fouls, compared to only 29 baskets.  

 

No Comment?

 

While Miami is getting all the attention for their fantabulous play, I can only imagine what could have been. Really, think about it. The Bulls held their own without Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah, and Richard Hamilton ... not to mention the obviously very  absent Derek Rose.

 

So while the Heat are racking up accolades -- including chants of Lebron and MVP -- maybe, just maybe, everyone should bag the hype and take a hard look around. Because if teams with less talent are hanging tough against them, maybe games like this are leaving the Heat not so hot.