Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls
From Jordan's Bulls in the 1990s to the Big Three era and the Play-In.
The Heat–Bulls rivalry began once the Miami Heat became contenders in the 1990s, a decade dominated by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, who eliminated the Heat three times and went on to win the NBA championship each time. Miami beat Chicago 4–2 in the first round of the 2006 playoffs on the way to its first title, and the Bulls swept the defending champions in the first round a year later. The rivalry revived with Derrick Rose's Bulls and the Heat's Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and Miami won the 2011 Eastern Conference finals in five games.
Quick Facts
- Play-in meetings
- 2023, 2024, 2025 (Heat won each)
Facts from the source article.
Background
Chicago swept Miami in the 2010–11 regular season and won Game 1 of the 2011 conference finals 103–82, but the Heat took the next four games, erasing a 12-point deficit in the last three minutes of Game 5 to win 83–80. On March 27, 2013, the Bulls ended Miami's 27-game winning streak with a 101–97 win at the United Center while playing without Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Richard Hamilton and Marco Belinelli. The teams met again in the second round of the 2013 playoffs: the Bulls won Game 1, the Heat took Game 2 115–78, the largest margin of victory in franchise playoff history, and the physical series brought ejections and flagrant fouls before Miami advanced. They have since met in the Play-In Tournament in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and the Heat won each time.
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