Bulls’ Noah: We’ll be back
MIAMI — Even the ugliest loss in Bulls playoff history still counts as just 1 loss.
The only good news for the visiting team Wednesday was they upset defending champ Miami in Game 1 and will head back to the United Center with the series even at 1-1.
Joakim Noah, who was ejected early in the fourth quarter, was in a happier mood by the time he reached the interview room.
“We got punched in the mouth tonight. We’ll be back,” Noah said. “We’ll be back in two days. That game isn’t going anywhere. The ball’s going up and we’ll be there.”
The Bulls will have to change some things to come out with a better result in Friday’s Game 3. Come to think of it, they’ll have to do just about everything better.
“Study the film, make our corrections, get ready for the next one,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Nothing changes.”
Earlier in the day, Thibodeau scoffed at a rumor Derrick Rose might suit up for Game 3 and be ready in case of emergency. The return of Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich remains unknown.
During the Power Trio era, Miami has twice lost Game 1 of a playoff series. Both times that happened, the Heat swept the next four games. It happened against the Bulls in the 2011 conference finals and again against Oklahoma City in last year’s Finals.
Both times, the Heat lost on the road, then came back home. This time, they lost at home and now must play two games in Chicago.
“We came here. We did our job. We won a game,” Noah said. “We’ve got the home court (advantage). Now we’re a confident group. It’s not the end of the world. It’s 1-1 and it’s going to be a big Game 3 in Chicago.”
Nate Robinson, the hero of Game 1, couldn’t get going Wednesday. He finished with 11 points, 4 turnovers and hit 3 of 10 shots. At least he didn’t need stitches this time.
“We just flat-out (stunk),” Robinson said. “Today, something was different. Not just with our play, but today was a weird day. We have to look at the bright side, we’re going home. We’ll have to make it hard to come in and get a victory.”
Playing better basketball will solve most problems, but one of the Bulls’ biggest complaints in Game 2 was too much complaining, which resulted in 6 technical fouls and 2 ejections.
“I don’t want to put it on the officials,” Thibodeau said. “In an NBA playoff game, there are going to be calls that could go either way. If it doesn’t go your way, you can’t allow it to impact the next play. You can’t allow that to get you sidetracked so you don’t do your job. You have to have great concentration.”
Added Miami’s LeBron James, who scored all 19 of his points in the first half: “I was just trying to make sure we kept our composure throughout everything that was going on. We know it’s going to be physical each and every minute. We like it that way. We’re not going to shy away from that.”