In the Play-in eliminator, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Atlanta Hawks 131-116 behind an electric 42-point performance by Coby White. As a result, they will visit the Miami Heat for the eighth-seed Play-in tournament battle. The winner of this game will take on the first-seeded Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the First-Round playoffs battle on Sunday. Interestingly, Fox Reporter Andy Slater revealed suspicious travel plans of both squads.
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Referring to the FAA records, Slater claimed that while the Heat has booked a Saturday-night flight for Boston, the Bulls will board a flight for Chicago.
This stunning revelation indicates that the Bulls have already conceded defeat and Miami has already captured the eighth seed, despite not having the services of their ace Jimmy Butler. If Slater’s claim is true then it is astonishing that the feisty Bulls have already given up. Naturally, this brought a stream of reactions from fans on X. A fan claimed that Anthony Slater revealed a secret, “Leaking the script”,
Further, the Heat have been inconsistent throughout the regular season and their offense whittled in the seventh-seed game versus the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, high-scorer Terry Rozier has also been ruled out for the game against the Bulls.
Besides, there were many other intriguing comments under Slater’s observations. NBA fans gave different analyses of the situation with both Heat and Bulls fanbases pitching in.
NBA fans respond to the claim
As per a fan, the Miami Heat President Pat Riley booked the tickets to play one of his mind games. Riley is known for taking advanced measures that set him apart from his peers. While bringing up the executive’s persona, the X user predicted a Heat win. The commenter wrote, “This is the most Pat sh** ever. Heat win tonite.”
Another fan didn’t believe that the Bulls had already conceded defeat, in the absence of Jimmy Butler. For the fan, since only Butler can lift the Heat to a win, their plans for Boston will be thwarted, “They aren’t going anywhere unless Playoff Jimmy shows up.”
Meanwhile, a fan even touched upon the possibility of the Bulls booking an additional flight to Boston but Slater hasn’t reported it, “It wouldn’t surprise me if Chi has another flight booked for Bos in case they win.”
Andy Slater’s post has led to a ton of speculations. It is hard to believe that the Bulls would concede premature defeat considering the Heat’s short-handed roster. Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic looked in terrific rhythm in the eliminator win and would fancy their chances against the Heat minus Jimmy Butler.
