Former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah recalled the rivalry they had with the Miami Heat during the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, where he also appreciated the value of his then-teammate Derrick Rose.
In a special video titled “Memory Lane,” where Derrick Rose and Joakim touched on the highlight of Rose’s career, one topic they discussed was the rivalry between the Bulls and Heat in 2011, which they ultimately lost.
As Noah recalled, they were the hopeful underdogs, pitted against the biggest names in the league back then.
“Pooh is as special as they come,” he said, complimenting Rose. “And you know, looking at these highlights is just crazy. You know, it was also okay LeBron decided to go to Miami with Chris Bosh. And I felt like we were really the team that America wanted. We were the team that had a chance to beat them. So we win game one by 40, and we really felt like we were going to the NBA finals.”
“And, we lose the series. But I think that we were young and I think we were confident and we thought we were going to be there for a really long time.”
Derrick Rose also touched on how it felt for him when they had to compete against the Miami Heat’s roster back then. The Heat had a star-studded lineup, and the Bulls…not so much. However, that did not prevent them from putting up a good fight against the Florida team.
“That was real. It’s the truth,” Rose said. “Oh, that’s what it was. I mean, I feel like it was very intense, especially with us having, like, that old-school vibe of competing no matter who’s on the opposite side. And with them having, like, three Hall of Famers. It made us want to beat them even more.”
For that 2011 game, Joakim Noah made 9 points and 14 rebounds.
Joakim Noah’s “Hollywood as Hell” Comment
Back in 2011, Joakim Noah called the roster of the Miami Heat “Hollywood as hell,” referring to their star-studded lineup of the most popular names in the league back then.
His statement back then was: “You gotta give credit where credit is due. Miami’s one hell of a team. They’re Hollywood as hell, but they’re very good, so you’ve gotta give credit when credit is due. And it’s just tough to be in this position right now.”
Joakim Noah retired from professional basketball in 2021, after signing a ceremonial contract with the Chicago Bulls, just so he could retire on the team where he spent a huge part of his career with.
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