(670 The Score) The Bulls have a chance to flip the script and exact a measure of revenge.
After Chicago lost in Miami in the play-in game for the No. 8 seed last season, the Bulls and Heat will meet again Friday in the same arena with the same stakes. The Bulls advanced to this round with a 131-116 win against the Hawks in their play-in opener Wednesday, while the Heat find themselves in it after a 105-104 loss to the 76ers.
The winner will advance to face the top-seeded Celtics in a series that begins Sunday. The Heat will be playing without star Jimmy Butler, who suffered a knee injury Wednesday. The main injury concern for the Bulls is forward Alex Caruso, who continues to deal with a nagging left ankle sprain. He's questionable to play.
The teams split the season series 2-2, though all of those games took place in November and December with rosters that have changed a fair deal since then.
So, what are the keys to the game? Bulls television play-by-play announcer Adam Amin joined the Mully & Haugh Show to discuss them. One big storyline to follow in Amin’s mind will be how Bulls guard Coby White fares against a tough defense after he scored a career-best 42 points in the win Wednesday. The challenge will be much tougher Friday against a stronger defense.
“Can he be the playmaker?” Amin said. “If it’s going to be harder for him to be a scorer against a better defense in Miami tonight, if it’s going to be harder to get some blow-bys, if it’s going to be harder for him to penetrate, if it’s going to be harder for him to probe defenses, can he be a playmaker? Can he set other guys up? And there are nights where I do get the feeling that Coby has figured out or at least has a better sense of when to be a scorer and when to be a playmaker."
Listen to Amin's full interview in the audio player above as he previews the Bulls-Heat matchup.