To say the playoff series between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls has gotten chippy would be an understatement. The two teams have always been extremely physical with each other, dating back to the regular season. On March 27, the Bulls ended the Heat's 27-game win streak after a game filled with shoving and frustration. Now as the two meet up in the playoffs, not much has changed. This time Miami is the one doing the shoving and Chicago is not responding well.
In Game 2 of the second-round series, the Bulls recorded six technical fouls and two ejections by Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. After vowing to keep their emotions at bay, Game 3 was really much of the same, much to the dismay of head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Noah got the ball rollings, picking up a technical foul for shoving Chris Anderson after he fell on Nate Robinson. That foul came with 23.5 seconds left in the first quarter. Then with 9:29 remaining in the first half, center Nazr Muhammed was ejected after shoving LeBron James. Thibodeau was upset by the calling, believing James flopped. However, a two-handed shove is more than likely going to be heavily penalized as sport's leagues preach safety.
"I'm watching some of the other plays with Haslem and Anderson, and I don't get it. I don't get it. Watching how things are going. I see how things are going. I watch very closely. I watch very closely. What I'm seeing is, we''ll adjust accordingly," Thibodeau said.
Both teams were aware that officials were not going to go easy on them, especially after Game 2. Thibodeau is preaching mental toughness to the team since he believes things are not going the team's way.
"We're not going to get calls. That's reality. We still have to find a way to get it done and we can."
Thibodeau continued to harp on the referees, believing they are the only reason Miami pulled away in the fourth quarter. The coach believes that fouls were the changing point of the game. During his post-game press conference, Thibodeau was careful to not say too much. The NBA could rule that he crossed the line in his comments of the officials and fine the coach in the next few days.