Bulls vs. Heat Conference finals game made us take a look back at the Bulls & Heat rivalry.

The Bulls–Heat rivalry began once the Miami Heat became playoff contenders during the 1990s, a decade dominated by the Chicago Bulls. During that period, the Heat were eliminated three times by the Bulls, who would go on to win the NBA championship each time.

The rivalry has returned due to the return of the Bulls to the playoffs in the post-Michael Jordan era and the emergence of rising superstar Dwyane Wade. This rekindled rivalry has been very physical, involving rough plays and hard fouls between players, most notably the actions of former Heat player James Posey.

This rivalry began once the Miami Heat, having played in the league only since 1988, became a playoff contender. Unfortunately, this occurred during the time Michael Jordan was leading the Bulls to championship three-peats.

The first playoff meeting between the teams occurred in the first round of the 1992 NBA Playoffs. The Bulls, led by Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant and coached by Phil Jackson, were the defending champions and had accumulated a 67-15 record, the Central Division title, and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat, with Glen Rice, Steve Smith, and Rony Seikaly, had just reached the NBA Playoffs for the first time in its young franchise history with the 8th seed. The Bulls would sweep the Heat in three straight games en route to their second consecutive NBA Championship.