Second round to begin on Monday; NBA gives Dwyane Wade 11 days of rest
The Heat’s second-round series will begin on Monday, the NBA announced on Tuesday evening, regardless if the first-round series between the Bulls and Nets ends Thursday night.
The Bulls have a 3-2 lead in the best-of-7 series. Chris Bosh said the long wait is a “gift and curse” and that “just staying in shape, keeping our edge and keeping our mental focus where it needs to be” will be “a huge challenge,” this week.
“So, we have our work cut out for us this week,” Bosh Bosh said.
While the Heat swept the Nets the season, Bosh said he doesn’t favor playing one team or the other. The Bulls ended the Heat’s 27-game winning streak.
“They’re going to have to play their series, they’re going to have to battle it out, but there is no such thing as an easy road to a championship—whether that’s playing Chicago and battling it out or playing a motivated Nets team, nobody wants to get beat, period,” Bosh said.
While Bosh and the Heat likely will grow tired with waiting for the second round to begin, 11 days of rest between starts should give Dwyane Wade and his balking right knee time to heal.