For the first time ever, Charles Barkley is the smartest man in the room
Charles Barkley recently told ESPN Chicago that he thinks the Chicago Bulls are the best team in the Eastern Conference. After Thursday’s overtime win, how can you disagree with him? With Rose scoring only 2 points the entire game, the Bulls beat the Miami Heat 96-86. What this win made apparent to the world was that a possible 7 game Eastern Conference Finals matchup between these two teams will not come down to the superstars on either team. It is going to be a matchup of the bench players that will decide the outcome.
In the last two meetings of these teams, the Bulls bench has outscored the Heats bench 103-22. That is just crazy. The Bulls have starting quality players on the bench and the Heat hardly have anyone that can contribute on theirs. When the “Big 3” are not on the court, the Heat are not competitive at all.
When asked what it would take for the Heat to win another playoff series against the Bulls he said, “I think that LeBron James has to play at a Michael Jordan-type level every single night because that team has so many holes on it,” Barkley said. “Between their bench, lack of scoring inside … I said this earlier in the year, they’re only going to go as far as LeBron James takes them.”
Last night’s victory with Rose hardly being a factor can only strengthen people’s belief in the Bulls. Once Rose gets back in his rhythm after missing so many games this season, the combination of his play mixed with the bench will be a knockout combination. Charles Barkley said it first: “I think the Bulls are better.”
