NBA looking ahead: Miami at Chicago

By Ben Bolch

March 8, 2014 3:59 PM PT

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MIAMI AT CHICAGO: Sunday at 10 a.m. PDT. TV: Channel 7.

The Indiana Pacers suddenly aren’t looking like the only threat to Miami in the Eastern Conference. Chicago’s stunning surge since Derrick Rose was lost for the season and Luol Deng was traded to Cleveland is rooted in the collective toughness of the players left behind and the coaching brilliance of Tom Thibodeau. Center Joakim Noah has elevated himself into a most-valuable-player candidate, point guard D.J. Augustin has played like an All-Star and power forward Taj Gibson has generated a starter’s production coming off the bench. The Bulls trail, 2-1, in the season series but routed the Heat by 20 points in their first meeting of the season at the United Center.

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Ben Bolch

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. He is serving his second stint as the UCLA beat writer, which seems fitting since he has covered almost every sports beat except hockey and horse racing. Bolch is also the author of the recently released book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He previously covered UCLA basketball from 2010-11 before going on to cover the NBA and the Clippers for five years. He happily traded in gobs of hotel points and airline miles to return to cover UCLA basketball and football in the summer of 2016. Bolch was once selected by NBA TV’s “The Starters” as the “Worst of the Week” after questioning their celebrity journalism-style questions at an NBA All-Star game and considers it one of his finer moments.

NBA looking ahead: Miami at Chicago

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