Rhona Wise/European Pressphoto Agency
The Bulls' Marquis Teague, left, and Jimmy Butler defending the Heat's LeBron James on Monday.
MIAMI — When Nate Robinson chased after a loose ball in the second quarter of Monday's second-round playoff game, he quickly discovered that he had company in the form of the 6-foot-8, 250-pound LeBron James. At 5-8, Robinson paid the price. He retreated to the locker room to receive 10 stitches on his upper lip, and the Bulls pressed on without him.
Robinson soon returned, and so did his team's determined attitude. During this most surprising postseason run, little has been able to slow the undermanned, injury-ravaged Bulls. No Luol Deng? No Derrick Rose? No problem. The Bulls opened their series against the defending champion Heat with a 93-86 victory that left a once-festive crowd at American Airlines Arena in near disbelief.
"Nobody had us winning any games," said Robinson, who finished with 27 points and 9 assists. "I heard we were going to get swept."
Not quite, not after Robinson broke open a tie game by scoring the final 7 points. It was a one-man surge that featured a step-back, 19-foot jumper and a finger-roll layup over a cluster of Miami defenders. He stifled the crowd as well as James, who had done his best to keep the Heat involved late.
"He's as confident as they come," Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau said of Robinson, adding: "He always thinks he's hot. He's never afraid."
The Bulls limited the Heat to 39.7 percent shooting, held a 46-32 rebounding advantage and seized early control of the series.
"We're not going to make excuses," Chris Bosh said. "We have to do a better job of getting into rhythm. We never found it."
Coming off a seven-game series against the Nets, the Bulls have refused to buckle without the considerable services of Deng, who experienced complications after having a spinal tap to test for viral meningitis; Kirk Hinrich, who has a bruised left calf; and Rose, a former most valuable player who has not dressed at all this season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the playoffs a year ago.
"They have a no-excuse mentality," James said before the game. "No matter who's in the lineup, they play the same style of basketball: hard-nosed, together and with a sense of urgency each and every possession. That's why they continue to win games."
The Heat, meantime, were fully rested and raring to go since sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks more than a week ago. The latest homage to James took shape in the hours before the game. The front facade of the arena suddenly featured a huge black-and-white mural of his profile, along with the headline "2013 MVP." In a pregame ceremony, Commissioner David Stern presented James with his fourth M.V.P. trophy.
The Bulls took all this in and promptly made James's life as miserable as possible. He went 1 of 6 from the field in the first half, and much of the credit belonged to Jimmy Butler, who was dealt the challenge of defending James in Deng's absence. Butler, who played a full 48 minutes for the third straight game and finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, said he conferred with Deng by telephone before the game.
"I just tried to make everything difficult for him," Butler said of guarding James. "It's all about containment."
James finished with 24 points, and his 3-point play put the Heat ahead, 76-69, late in the fourth quarter. But the Bulls responded with a 9-1 run, which set the stage for Robinson's dramatics — stitches and all.
"I've played on some tough teams, but this is a little different," said Robinson, an eight-year veteran. "There's something special about this group."
During the Heat's extended layoff since dispatching the Bucks, Coach Erik Spoelstra tried to keep his players sharp at practice by creating what he described as a "training camp" vibe. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to replicate the toughness of the Bulls, who are surviving and thriving against all odds.
REBOUNDS
Bulls guard Marco Belinelli was fined $15,000 by the N.B.A. for making an obscene gesture in the fourth quarter of Chicago's 99-93 victory at Brooklyn in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. Belinelli made the gesture as he made his way back down the court after connecting on a 3-pointer that gave Chicago a 91-81 lead. (AP)
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