In each of the Bulls’ last three losses to Miami, LeBron James has taken control down the stretch, hitting big shots to ice a late victory. That’s not going to happen tonight, according to Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has ordered injured 12th man Brian Scalabrine to handcuff himself to the Heat superstar before Game 5 at the United Center.
“We’ve tried pretty much everything,” said Thibodeau, whose Bulls are mired in their first three-game losing streak of the season. “Might as bust out the handcuffs and give Scalabrine a chance to make an impact for once.”
Thibodeau said that just before tipoff tonight, Scalabrine will be on the court for pre-game handshakes at which point he’ll cuff himself to James for the duration of the game. The chain on the cuffs will be four feet long, so Thibodeau said he hopes it will basically make it a four-on-four game whenever James is on the court.
“We’re pretty confident our guys can handle any other four the Heat sends our way,” said Thibodeau. “Unless of course they put Bosh, Wade, Haslem and Miller on the floor. In that case we’ll still be in trouble.”
