The Bulls had nowhere to hide from the bright lights last April in Miami, where flashy and bright is a way of life.
They led the Heat by one point with just over two minutes left in their final win-or-go-home play-in game. But former Bull Jimmy Butler, the six-time All-Star forward, made a go-ahead layup, and from there, the Heat ran the Bulls off the floor and right into early summer vacation, winning 102-91 as they began an improbable run to the NBA Finals.
Butler matched teammate Max Strus with a game-high 31 points that night and went 9-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Guard Zach LaVine, then the face of the Bulls, was a comparative no-show with 15 points on 6-for-21 shooting, including 0-for-6 from three-point range.
“I remember that plane ride home vividly,” Bulls veteran forward DeMar DeRozan recalled Wednesday. “Everyone was frustrated. That feeling sucked. I know, for me, that was one thing on my mind [this week] when I realized we’re going back to Miami — not to have that feeling.”
There’s a much better chance the Bulls won’t this time. Yes, guard Alex Caruso (left ankle) is questionable for Friday’s rematch with the Heat in the Play-In Tournament after the ninth-seeded Bulls surged past the 10th-seeded Hawks 131-116 on Wednesday. But Butler is a definite no-go after injuring the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in a narrow loss to the 76ers.
“[Butler is] one of the great competitors this league has,” Caruso said. “He turns this time of year into his time. If he can’t go, that would be a big loss for them because he’s kind of the head of the snake, the heartbeat for them. But they still have plenty of talented and capable guys who can play.”
Could this be the Bulls’ time for redemption? Perhaps a little, considering how much they’ve overcome this season — including losing LaVine and forward Patrick Williams to season-ending foot surgeries.
But the reward for Friday’s winner is a trip to Boston to face the Celtics, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference — a series that likely won’t end well.
First things first.
“[The Heat] have a culture,” Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu said. “Whoever steps up in [Butler’s] spot, they’re not going to bring everything he does because he’s an All-Star. But Miami is one of those teams that when you play them, you know what to expect. They play hard. They play physical. They don’t quit. They always keep coming and bringing energy.”
Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. likely will start for Butler, but the Heat’s offense undoubtedly will run through guard Tyler Herro, fresh off a 25-point showing against the 76ers. Throwing Caruso, a defensive specialist, on Herro would be a great counter, but it might not be an option.
“What I’ve been dealing with the last couple of weeks [with the ankle], my mindset is to play until my body tells me I can’t,” Caruso said. “[I] was kind of ineffective [coming out of halftime Wednesday], so better those guys finish the game, and they did a good job.”
He believes the Bulls have enough to cover for him if he can’t go Friday.
“We’ve got guys on the team [who], when the lights come on and they are bright, they step up to the challenge,” Caruso said. “I’ve had moments like that in my career. DeMar, countess numbers. [Nikola Vucevic] has played playoff basketball. Ayo, in the short time he’s stepped up and helped us. I think that’s one of great strengths that we do have: guys who can go off any given night.”
