FIRST-ROUND RESULTS (HOME team in CAPS)

Miami wins 4-2 SU (Chicago 3-2-1 ATS)
OVER 4-2

5/4/06 - Game 6: Miami 113, CHICAGO 96 (ATS winner: Miami -1.5 | OVER 194.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: Miami center Shaquille O'Neal was able to stay out of foul trouble for the first time since Game 2, and the result was an easy victory for the Heat.  O'Neal totaled 30 points and 20 rebounds for his best game of the series, as the Bulls got down big early and had to resort to shooting 3-point shots just to hang with Miami.  Chicago trailed 29-19 at the end of the first quarter and attempted 30 3-pointers, hitting 10.  The Bulls were outscored in each quarter and saw the Heat hit one more 3-pointer despite five less attempts, contributing to the OVER.

5/2/06 - Game 5: MIAMI 92, Chicago 78 (ATS winner: Miami -8.5 | UNDER 199.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The teams were tied going into the fourth quarter when the Heat took charge, scoring the first 10 points and then going on a decisive 14-0 run after the Bulls had pulled within 77-73.  Chicago held Miami to just 15 points in the second quarter and trailed 40-38 at halftime, setting the pace for an easy UNDER.

4/30/06 - Game 4: CHICAGO 93, Miami 87 (ATS winner: Chicago +3 | UNDER 200.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Bulls saw a 13-point third-quarter lead disappear late in the game before Chris Duhon broke an 83-83 tie with a runner and then Kirk Hinrich hit a long 3-pointer from well beyond the top of the arc to extend the lead to 88-83 with 1:09 remaining.  The Heat then missed three straight shot attempts on one possession around the basket with 26.3 seconds left and were forced to foul.  Miami shot 26 less free throws than Chicago, scoring 20 less points from the foul line, contributing to the UNDER.

4/27/06 - Game 3: CHICAGO 109, Miami 90 (ATS winner: Chicago +1 | OVER 199.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Bulls finally got off to a great start and were able to hold off the Heat throughout, leading 31-23 at the end of the first quarter and then using a 39-29 third quarter to blow the game open.  Those two high-scoring quarters along with 32-of-46 shooting from the free-throw line helped turn the tide strongly in Chicago's favor and pushed the game OVER.

4/24/06 - Game 2: MIAMI 115, Chicago 108 (ATS winner: push | OVER 196.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Heat looked to have an easy cover but saw a 20-point lead shrink to four at 108-104 with 1:15 left.  Miami also missed three free throws in the final 46 seconds, any one of which could have beat the line.  Chicago point guard Kirk Hinrich's driving layup with 2 seconds remaining gave bettors on both sides their money back.  The Bulls have not played good defense in either of the first two games so far - translating to two easy OVERs - as they had surrendered 111 points or more just four times during the regular season and led the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage.

4/22/06 - Game 1: MIAMI 111, Chicago 106 (ATS winner: Chicago +9 | OVER 194.5)
Recap | Boxscore
SUMMARY: The Bulls were able to cover the spread thanks to a strong third quarter that pulled them within five points going into the fourth.  They rallied back from a 14-point deficit similar to the last regular-season meeting and took a very brief lead before Miami's Dwyane Wade took over, scoring 14 of his team-high 30 points in the final quarter.  The Heat's 63-51 halftime lead set the pace for an easy OVER.

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

Miami wins 2-1 SU (Chicago 3-0 ATS)
OVER 2-1

4/16/06 - Chicago 117, MIAMI 93 (ATS winner: Chicago +2.5 | OVER 194)
3/18/06 - Miami 85, CHICAGO 84 (ATS winner: Chicago +4.5 | UNDER 201.5)
12/13/05 - Miami 100, CHICAGO 97 (ATS winner: Chicago +4 | OVER 189.5)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES RECAP: You can basically throw out the latest meeting since the Bulls obviously needed the victory to get into the playoffs while the Heat were more concerned with keeping players healthy.  However, Chicago showed a lot of character in rallying from a 15-point deficit in the first half to win by 24.  That game also snapped an 11-game slide in Miami for the Bulls, giving them some additional confidence.  The other two meetings were close games that Chicago lost late due to youth and inexperience more than Miami won.  It's important to note that Heat star Dwyane Wade is a Chicago native who has struggled immensely this season against his hometown team.  Wade is averaging just 12.3 points in the three meetings, shooting 24 percent from the field.