Round Three: Sam Smith Reviews Postseason History, Bulls and Heat Rekindle Play-In Rivalry
For the third time in as many seasons, the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat collided in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and once again, the basketball gods served up drama, grit, and echoes of postseason past. What’s becoming an annual late-season tradition between two of the East’s grittiest franchises has deepened into something more than just a Play-In matchup—it’s a rivalry born not from geography but from desperation, history, and high-stakes basketball.
In the latest chapter of what’s quickly becoming an emotionally charged series, the Miami Heat eliminated the Bulls with a dominant 109-91 victory in front of a raucous home crowd. It was a complete team win for Erik Spoelstra’s squad—defensive intensity, timely shooting, and a masterclass in controlling tempo. For Chicago, it was a night of missed opportunities, misfired shots, and a sobering end to what had been a roller-coaster season.
Veteran NBA columnist Sam Smith—who’s covered the Bulls since the days of Michael Jordan and penned the iconic The Jordan Rules—was once again on hand, offering historical perspective on the matchup. According to Smith, what’s unfolding between the Bulls and Heat isn’t just about recent games—it’s the continuation of a narrative arc that stretches back decades, rooted in identity, rivalry, and evolving expectations.
“This is the kind of matchup where history breathes through the jerseys,” Smith said. “It’s not Bulls-Knicks from the ’90s. It’s something new. It’s two franchises trying to find themselves again, and along the way, they keep crashing into each other.”
When the NBA introduced the Play-In Tournament concept during the 2020 bubble season, it was met with skepticism. But what’s become clear in the years since is that it fosters meaningful basketball late in the season—and for teams like Miami and Chicago, who haven’t been consistent top-four seeds in recent years, the Play-In offers not just a path to the playoffs, but a shot at redemption.
The Bulls entered this year’s game having dispatched the Atlanta Hawks in the opening Play-In round, thanks in large part to Coby White’s 42-point eruption—one of the best performances of his young career. Chicago came into Miami with momentum, hope, and the scars of last year’s heartbreaker. In that 2023 elimination game, the Bulls led by three with under four minutes left, only to collapse down the stretch as Jimmy Butler and Max Strus took over. That one stung. Badly.
This time, the Bulls hoped for vengeance. Instead, they were met by a Miami team that executed a perfect game plan and sent them home again.
Chicago’s 2025 Play-In loss didn’t follow the same script. There was no late-game collapse because the Bulls were never really in it. Miami opened the game with blistering defensive intensity, forcing turnovers and converting them into points. Tyler Herro, often knocked for his inconsistency, played like a star, burying deep threes and slicing through defenders. Bam Adebayo controlled the paint on both ends, and even without Jimmy Butler—who missed the game due to a sprained MCL suffered just days earlier—the Heat looked every bit like the seasoned, playoff-tested unit that made the NBA Finals last season.
Meanwhile, the Bulls couldn’t find rhythm. DeMar DeRozan tried to carry the offense, but Miami’s defensive schemes were locked in. Zach LaVine, who missed the second half of the season due to injury, was sorely missed. Nikola Vučević was productive early but faded as the Heat ramped up pressure. And Coby White, the hero of the Hawks game, couldn’t replicate the magic.
“I told our guys, this game wasn’t going to be about Xs and Os—it was about composure, discipline, and pride,” Spoelstra said afterward. “And that’s what we showed. That’s Miami Heat basketball.”
For the Bulls, this third consecutive postseason exit in the Play-In has sparked bigger questions about the team’s trajectory under head coach Billy Donovan. Since the promising 2021-22 season that ended with a first-round playoff loss to Milwaukee, the Bulls have hovered in mediocrity. The Lonzo Ball injury saga continues to loom over the franchise like a cloud. Despite aggressive moves to keep their core intact, Chicago has not advanced past the Play-In and seems stuck in a holding pattern.
Sam Smith sees the echoes of the post-Derrick Rose era in this current iteration of the Bulls—a team built around capable stars but lacking that extra spark to push them over the top.
“They’ve got guys who can score 20, guys who can defend, but they don’t have the identity they once had,” Smith explained. “They’re not a defensive juggernaut. They’re not a three-point shooting machine. They’re somewhere in the middle, and in today’s league, the middle gets you exactly what the Bulls just got—an early exit.”
The Heat, on the other hand, continue to defy expectations. Last season, they reached the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed, toppling Milwaukee, New York, and Boston along the way. That run solidified Miami’s reputation as the league’s ultimate playoff chameleons—able to morph into whatever version of themselves is needed to survive. Whether it’s the sharpshooting version led by Herro and Duncan Robinson, the gritty, grind-it-out squad centered on Butler and Bam, or a bench mob that scratches out wins through sheer will, Spoelstra’s teams never go away quietly.
Against the Bulls, it was about balance and belief. Miami’s bench outscored Chicago’s 35-22. They won the rebounding battle. They committed fewer turnovers. They made more threes. They didn’t panic. Even without Butler, the Heat played like a team that knew who they were.
In the locker room, Kyle Lowry spoke about the respect he has for the Bulls—especially DeRozan, his close friend and former Raptors teammate. But he also noted that in the postseason, there are no moral victories.
“We respect them. They play hard, they’re tough. But we’re here to win,” Lowry said. “This is the third time we’ve seen them in this game, and each time, we’ve found a way. That’s not by accident. That’s the work.”
The work. That phrase resonates with both franchises, because work—blue-collar effort, attention to detail, and sacrifice—is at the core of their respective cultures. Yet the Heat continue to find ways to maximize their talent, while the Bulls are still searching for answers.
In his postgame analysis, Sam Smith reflected on how the Play-In format may be highlighting some uncomfortable truths for teams like Chicago.
“It’s a great innovation for the league. These are meaningful games. But if you’re in the Play-In every year, you’ve got to ask yourself—what are we building toward?” Smith mused. “For Miami, it’s always been about the playoffs. For Chicago, I think they’re still trying to recapture something that’s been gone for a while.”
He’s not wrong. The Bulls haven’t won a playoff series since 2015. The days of Tom Thibodeau, Joakim Noah, and peak Jimmy Butler are a distant memory. So are the glory years of Jordan and Pippen. And while Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley have made bold moves to reshape the roster, the results haven’t matched the ambition.
That’s the harsh reality of the NBA middle class: you’re either competing for titles or stuck chasing Play-In survival.
For now, Miami moves on to face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round—a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Whether Butler will be back remains uncertain, but Spoelstra’s team has earned the right to keep fighting.
As for the Bulls, the offseason begins. Decisions loom—on DeRozan’s contract, on roster direction, on whether to lean into a rebuild or retool for another run with the current core. The fans will demand answers. The front office will need to provide a vision.
Sam Smith isn’t ready to write off the Bulls entirely. He’s seen too many twists in the NBA story to give up on any franchise. But he does offer a word of caution.
“Sometimes it’s not about one big move—it’s about understanding who you are, who you want to be, and then doing the hard work to get there,” Smith said. “The Bulls and the Heat are both chasing something. But only one of them seems to know what that is.”
And for the third year in a row, that clarity belongs to Miami.