Superstars abound as the Heat travel to Chicago for the opener of their first-round matchup with the Bulls tonight. Expect to see Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Derrick Rose dotting your Sportscenter highlights throughout the Eastern Conference finals. What you won’t see in the top plays is what will actually determine the winner of this series: defense.

Chicago was the best defensive team in the NBA this year by almost any metric used, a big accomplishment of first-year coach (and widely regarded defensive mastermind) Tom Thibodeau. Miami was the fifth-best team in terms of defensive efficiency, a quality that seems to follow LeBron James wherever he goes. Dwyane Wade has been surprisingly adept at creating turnovers and blocking over the course of his career, especially for his size.

Both teams play at a relatively slow pace despite the athleticism of their rosters. While both teams are scary when running the fast break, their half-court offense consists of a lot of late-clock isolation and pick-and-rolls because of the wide discrepancy in offensive capabilities between the top and bottom of their rosters. These teams are ’90s throwbacks that win on defense and isolation.

While the superstars will garner headlines, don’t be surprised to see grind-it-out games marked by quality defensive rotations and forcing tough shots. It’ll be defense, not offense, that carries the victor to the NBA Finals.