Bulls' sweep leaves Heat in disarray

0 Comments | USA TODAY, April, 2007 | by Roscoe Nance

MIAMI -- The Chicago Bulls ran circles around Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat, eliminating their older and slower opponents in four games.

The Bulls beat the Heat 92-79 Sunday to complete the sweep and advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since the Michael Jordan era ended with the franchise's sixth title in 1998.

It was the first time a defending champion had been swept in the first round in 50 years. The last time was 1957, when the Philadelphia Warriors were beaten 2-0 by the Syracuse Nationals in a best-of-three series.

The Heat ended the year the way they started in their season opener -- with an embarrassing loss to Chicago. Miami lost 108-66 on Oct. 31, but being swept by the Bulls raises even more questions...