Hot Bulls put Heat to Freezing Point

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Argentine swing man Andres Nocioni quoted during a post-game interview following their Game 2 win that his Chicago Bulls can't sweep the Miami Heat, but American teammates Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon and Sudanese stalwart Luol Deng all said to Nocioni, "Think first before predicting." Gordon garnered 27 points, while Deng and Hinrich scored 24 and 22, respectively, as the Bulls put the Heat to a situation that no one in 78 previous times made, coming back from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. In their first playoff home game since winning the title last June, star players Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal got some game going, making 28 and 23 in order, with Kazaam adding 13 boards, but a big second half siege, added by muffed free throws, got the win for Chicago, on their way to win their first playoff series of the post- Michael Jordan era. Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman spearheaded the club's last playoff series victory, a 4-games-to-2 win over the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA finals. The Bulls win snapped the winning streak of the Heat when leading at halftime in a playoff game to 26, the second longest all-time, leaving Miami 14 wins shy of the 2004 Los Angeles Lakers, starring Shaq, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, who was with the Jazz squad who became runners-up to the Bulls in the '98 Finals, and Gary Payton, now joining O'Neal with the Heat. The Bulls didn't give up a Game 3 win to the Heat in their five playoff series, including earlier. Miami only made 16-of-35 free 15-footers. Kazaam only made 3-out-of-12, while Wade, a career 78% free throw shooter, and 81% for the season prior to Game 3, only shot 4-of-10, continuing his woes from the charity line after making all seven in Game 1. He split his six free throws in Game 2. Nocioni, the "feeling Nostradamus", made 10 points off the bench for Chicago, who will stay at the beach for Game 4 on Monday at 1:00 AM (Manila Time). There is only one other team in this year's first round who holds a 3-0 lead, the East's top seed, the Detroit Pistons, and they are going for a sweep at the other Florida city, Orlando tomorrow as the Pistons will try to put the host Magic to an early summer vacation tomorrow at 3:00 AM (Manila Time). The Cleveland Cavaliers on the other hand also eyes for a 3-0 lead in their series against the Washington Wizards as the Cavs visits D.C. in their third game, scheduled at 5:30 AM tomorrow (Manila Time).