If the playoffs started today, the Miami Heat would be the No. 2 seed and the Chicago Bulls would be No. 3 in the Eastern Conference.
If tonight's 93-89 Bulls victory is any indication, LeBron James' first season with the Heat will end the same way his last one with the Cleveland Cavaliers did: in the second round.
James and Wade (29 and 34 points, respectively) outscored the rest of the Miami Heat by 37 points. Let me repeat that: outscored the rest of the Miami Heat by 37 points.
On top of that, they were the only Miami players who scored at all in the third quarter, when Chicago took over the momentum of the game.
In the Heat's previous game, a victory over the Western Conference cellar-dweller Sacramento Kings, James, Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 76 points.
Depending on the "Big Three" to score the majority of Miami's points may work when playing against mediocre teams such as the Kings. But as the Heat's two losses to the Bulls and three losses to the Boston Celtics proved, it just isn't a winning formula against the big dogs of the NBA.
Of course, Bosh was 1-of-18 shooting tonight en route to scoring seven points. That definitely doesn't help Miami when it has to play a quality NBA team.
However, the fact is that the "Big Three," even if Bosh has a good scoring game, cannot carry a team to a championship on their own.
Why not the Chicago Bulls?
On the flip side, if the Bulls weren't already considered to be a championship contender before tonight's win, they are definitely one now.
Not only have they proven capable of beating the top dogs of the NBA such as the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, but who knows what to make of the Boston Celtics right now.
Just today, the top-ranked team in the Eastern Conference traded away Kendrick Perkins, potentially leaving them vulnerable in the low post. With Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, Chicago could easily expose that weakness.
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