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Second City showdown: Heat and Bulls kick off East Finals

May 15, 2011 - 2:43 PM (Sports Network) - At the end of the day form held in the East and the two top teams will now battle for conference supremacy starting Sunday in the Windy City when the Chicago Bulls play host the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the East finals.

It's interesting and perhaps apropos that Bulls general manager Gar Forman and Miami president Pat Riley were named co- recipients of the 2010-11 NBA Executive of the Year award recently.

Both administrators re-made their teams in the offseason and have them in position to reach the NBA Finals.

In his 13th season with Chicago, and second as its general manager, Forman saw the Bulls win a league-best 62 games, rookie coach Tom Thibodeau earn the 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year award, and Derrick Rose become the youngest player to win the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA Most Valuable Player. Forman also helped transform a pedestrian 41-win team by signing free agents Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver among others.

Riley, of course, was the architect of one of the most successful offseasons in NBA history. In addition to re-signing superstar Dwyane Wade, Riley completed trades for perennial All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh, while successfully re-signing Joel Anthony and inking role players like Eddie House, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mike Miller. The Heat amassed 58 wins and garnered the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

The top-seeded Bulls are heading back to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1998. This time around, it's Rose leading the charge instead of Michael Jordan.

Rose scored 19 points and dished out 12 assists on Thursday, as the Bulls routed Atlanta, 93-73, in Dixie to finish off the Hawks in six games.

Selected to the All-NBA First Team earlier on Thursday, Rose helped the Bulls improve to 13-1 all-time in playoff series in which they have led 3-2 after five games. The last time Chicago found itself in the conference finals, Jordan was leading the Bulls to their third straight NBA title and sixth overall.

"We're happy to get to the conference finals," Rose said. "But we're not planning to stop right there."

The Heat, meanwhile, finished things against the C's in five games on Wednesday when James, who was the NBA's MVP in the previous two seasons, polished off the series-ending flurry with the last 10 points, capping a 33- point night that put the Heat in the conference finals for the first time since Wade led the club to the NBA championship in 2006.

"You're not beating the Boston Celtics with one guy as the focal point of your offense," Wade said. "That's why I recruited and found help ... When you have another guy that's capable of doing what LeBron does it makes the game easier. He had my back in a big way. That's what we've been dong all year."

Wade was sensational in the close-out game as well, totaling 34 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Bosh added 14 points and 11 boards.

"Part of the reason [Wade, Bosh and I] joined forces is because of the blueprint [Boston] laid a few years ago," James said. "Finally getting over the hump over this team, and with everything I did last summer with the 'Decision,' it means everything [to win]."

The Bulls swept a three-game season series with Miami this season, taking two in the Windy City and another in South Beach. All three contests were won by razor-thin margins, however, with Chicago winning by three, four and one, magnifying the Heat's biggest weakness in the regular season, the inability to close out tight games.

The clubs have met in the postseason five previous times with Chicago taking four of those sets. The Bulls swept Miami in the first round in the 1992, '96 and 2007 playoffs. Chicago also took the Heat in five games in the '97 East finals while Miami earned a six-game triumph over the Bulls in the first round of the '06 postseason. Overall, Chicago is 16-5 against the Heat in the postseason.

"I think a lot of people are looking forward to this series," James said. "Honestly, a lot of people didn't think we'd get past Boston. So we're moving on and we're looking forward to the challenge. Two good teams, two great defensive teams, so it's going to be a struggle for both teams offensively at times. May the best man win."

Game 2 of the set will also be in Chicago on Wednesday, May 18.