Miami Heat Expect Chicago Bulls To Get Rough With Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade is from Chicago and he is loved in his hometown. However, the Chicago Bulls rarely show affection towards him.

Two years ago after a play, Bulls forward Andres Nocioni pushed Wade in the back and Wade fell. Last year again Nocioni delivered hard hits on Wade during Miami-Chicago series which the Heat won by six games. While this season Kirk Hinrich pulled so hard on Wade's arm, he ended up spraining his wrist.

When the Heat and the Bulls open an Eastern Conference first round rematch in Chicago, Miami expect Chicago to be a lot more rough with Wade.

Heat center Shaquille O'Neal expressed his concern. He said that knowing Scott Skiles, Bulls' coach, he would expect him to be shouting out to his players to foul Wade and to foul him hard.

However, Wade is not too concerned as yet. A year ago, Bulls four losses in the series came by 43 points. Wade made 31 free throws in those games and this was because he was fouled so much. This also ensured that the Heat got to the second round, a first step for the Heat in winning the NBA title. So, if the Bulls want to play hard with him, Wade is fine with their tactics.

After missing 23 games because of a dislocated left shoulder, Wade is trying to recover fully from the injury. So, there is no doubt that the Bulls will make every effort to test the joint and his pain tolerance. However, if the Bulls go too far, Wade always has O'Neal and backup center Alonzo Mourning watching over him. Mourning is 6 foot 10 and does not shy away from physical play.