Both conference finals series should hold plenty of intrigue as they move sites this weekend.

The Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder both notched critical road wins to even their series in game 2 of their respective Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals matchups. And while both lower seeded teams need wins, how the Heat handles Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls in game 3 could set the tone for the remainder of the series.

After being blasted by the younger and less celebrated Bulls in game 1, LeBron James and the Heat bounced back nicely in Wednesday night’s game 2 at the United Center in Chicago. Should the Heat take a 2–1 lead in the series with a resounding performance in game 3 on Sunday, it could very well signal the official shift in the series.

Whether you like Miami or not, you have to be impressed with the strategy and lineup Erik Spoelstra came up with in the fourth quarter Wednesday night. For the first time since mid-November, he paired Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem with the Big 3 of Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and James and for the first time this season the Bulls looked like they were no match for the Heat.

It will be interesting to see how Spoelstra explores this lineup on Sunday because it spreads the floor and opens up lanes for James and Wade to slash through. That would make for another long night for Chicago.

While it’s still too early to count the Bulls out, another haymaker like the Heat landed Wednesday could be too much for a young team still learning to win to get back up from.

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com.

(Photo: AP Photo/Charlie Arbogast)