Haslem key to Heat hopes - With emergence of Haslem, Heat improve odds of beating Bulls

CHICAGO -- No way was it going to happen again.
No way were Dwyane Wade and LeBron James going to be little more than decorative pieces in a second Miami Heat loss in two Eastern Conference finals games against the Chicago Bulls.

Udonis Haslem scored 12 points in the second half of Game 2, but it's his defense that's key for Miami. (Getty Images)

No way was Miami going to allow the Bulls to throw themselves a post-Oprah Winfrey celebration on the United Center stage.
No way.
So, on Wednesday evening -- the night after Chicago's iconic talk-show host's celebrity-laden farewell party in the same building -- the Heat recovered to even the best-of-7 series at a victory apiece.
The Heat now return to American Airlines Arena for the next two games, on Sunday and Tuesday nights, with an opportunity to seize control of a series that began miserably for them. What else would anyone call a 21-point loss, which was Miami's fourth to Chicago in four meetings going back through the regular season?
But if an NBA playoff series is about anything, it's about perspective.
And from Miami's perspective, the series has turned in its favor, at least temporarily, on the basis of the emergence of Udonis Haslem and its defense. If those two elements remain strong, it would seem the chances of the second-seeded Heat beating the top-seeded Bulls and moving onto the NBA Finals remain strong too.
And at the core of things for Miami stands the superstar tandem of Wade and James.
They combined for just 33 points in the Game 1 loss, making only 12 of 32 shots. Their numbers in Game 2 improved dramatically as they made 20 of 37 shots and scored 53 points.
Little wonder the Heat emerged with a 10-point win.
Here's the thing: Miami is a Big Three, including Chris Bosh, constructed with the notion that the sum of those parts more often than not is greater than the sum of the parts of any opposing team. And if significant assistance comes in any form -- a wonderful Wednesday night performance by Haslem, for example -- well, the Heat become all but unbeatable.
Haslem, who missed most of the regular season with a foot injury, not only filled the box score (13 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot), but also provided 23-plus minutes of inspiration.
"The player of the game," Wade called him.
True, and the Heat's near invincibility under such circumstances was evident despite Bosh scoring only 10 points.
Something else Haslem will do, if he continues to contribute big minutes, is unclutter Miami's mix-and-match rotation. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra might not have to go beyond Wade, James, Bosh, Haslem, Joel Anthony, Mike Bibby and either Mike Miller or James Jones, depending on what's required.
It has been quite some time since Miami exhibited such a clean look.
The Heat insist all the animosity they've dealt with this season after signing James and Bosh and re-signing Wade in formation of a supposed super core steeled those players for whatever comes next. At a point when Chicago could have put them in a 2-0 hole, they demonstrated more than a little moxie.
James and Wade were great, and got unexpected help from Haslem.
It's a recipe that's almost always going to be good enough for Miami to succeed, which may serve to heighten the resentments against it. But the Heat insist adversity makes them stronger.
They took a big step toward proving it by getting even against the Bulls, and the latest Miami perspective is that the Heat are more dangerous than they've looked in a very long time.