Chicago's confidence grows with champions reeling

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CHICAGO -- Bulls forward Andres Nocioni buried the 3-pointer to beat the first-quarter horn, turned toward the Heat bench and windmilled his right arm while letting out a triumphant scream.

Chicago's Luol Deng swished a jumper in the corner and looked briefly at the crowd -- a reprise of his Game 1 glance at Dwyane Wade after hitting a similar shot from the exact same spot on the court.

Even Bulls reserve Thabo Sefalosha got in the act, briefly twirling his hand like a six-shooter after nailing a shot in the final minute.

It was that kind of night for the suddenly swaggering Bulls, who took a 2-0 series lead over the Heat with a 107-89 win Tuesday night.

Now Chicago just has to prove it can do it on the road -- against a proud defending champion full of veteran players who surely took note of the Bulls' somewhat joyous celebrations.

"It doesn't bother me," Heat forward Antoine Walker said about Chicago's displays of emotion. "We knew coming into this series that if they had home-court advantage they'd come in confident that they could beat us. They did what they were supposed to do. They held serve on their home court.

"They have a certain confidence against us, that they can beat us. Until we stop that it's going to be a tough series."

For the Bulls, the question now is whether they can continue to play their style when the series shifts to Miami. The Heat will pick up their intensity before their home fans. Shaquille O'Neal will get deeper post position (and maybe fewer fouls). D-Wade will be energized and feeling less pain in his shoulder. James Posey won't have those chants of "Posey Sucks" ringing in his ears.

Plus, the defending champs will be reminded how they were down 2-0 a year ago to the Mavs in the Finals before turning the series around and winning four straight. And how they whipped the Bulls in the final two games a year ago after Chicago had tied their series at 2-all.

Chicago, meanwhile, is a young team that has struggled at times to show a killer instinct. Last month the Bulls blew a four-point lead in the final minute of OT at home to the Cavs in a game that had major playoff seeding implications. They then laid an egg in a loss at New Jersey in the regular-season finale, causing them to slide from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed.

Even in Game 1 against the Heat last Saturday, the Bulls let a nine-point lead with 1:51 left evaporate to one point in the final minute before hanging on for the victory. When Bulls coach Scott Skiles was asked afterward if his team had sent a statement by winning a tight game against the Heat, he seemed anything but satisfied. "I'm more concerned with why we coughed up a nine-point lead and put ourselves in that position," he said. "We need to be able to more stable right there so it doesn't get too tight."

For better or for worse, this is the way it goes for the share-the-wealth Bulls. They don't have a clear go-to guy to whom they can throw the ball to down the stretch and have him get to the foul line or silence the crowd. Chicago relies on different stars each game.

One night it might be Ben Gordon. The next night it could be Kirk Hinrich.

Deng played the role to perfection in Game 2, tallying 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to squelch any hopes of a Heat comeback.

But Deng is more of a slash-and-cut guy, getting his points on off-ball movement. The Bulls don't really run plays for him in isolation. Gordon, at 6-2, is small and often has trouble finishing. He also can be trapped at midcourt, as the Cavs did successfully in that aforementioned game.

The Bulls need to play a team game in Miami and find a way to overcome what is sure to be a revitalized Heat team. They probably also need to win at least one game in Miami. They don't want to rely on a Game 7 at home, when the pressure will fall on them and the Heat's veteran experience might come into play.

"We've got to be mature enough about the situation to understand that the series is far from over," Deng said. "We can't relax. We've got to keep being aggressive."

As for the Bulls' surging confidence, the Heat aren't surprised. Miami coach Pat Riley noted after Game 2 Chicago had deserved to win the first two games. Wade admitted the Bulls were a different team this season than the one the Heat dispatched in six games a year ago.

"I think the different people they have bring different elements with Ben [Wallace] and P.J. Brown," Wade said. "But those guys have always been confident. We went six games last year."

But as Wade and his teammates surely noticed, the Bulls seem to have a little extra going this season. It is evident in Nocioni's fist pumps and Deng's glances. It seems the Heat mission as the series shifts to Miami for Games 3 and 4 will be to disrupt Chicago's flow and maybe put some doubt back in their heads.