Hollywood as hell.

That’s what Bulls center Joakim Noah called the Heat after last season’s Eastern Conference finals.

“They’re Hollywood as hell, but they’re still very good,” Noah said begrudgingly after the Heat defeated the Bulls in five games to advance to the NBA Finals.

Such words are the window dressings of a budding rivalry. The bright lights of the Heat’s big screen shine upon the Bulls for the first time this season Sunday. It’s a nationally televised matinee game at AmericanAirlines Arena between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference.

“I think they’re going to approach it with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, but we have a chip on our shoulder, too,” Heat forward Chris Bosh said. “Aren’t they No. 1 in the East? So, you know, we’re the underdog.”

Bosh smiled sheepishly after delivering that line on Saturday following the Heat’s practice. Any false shows of modesty dissolved away quickly moments later.

“We’re the best team in the NBA,” he said.

That’s up for debate.

The Bulls (17-4) own the best record in the conference, but the Heat (14-5) isn’t far behind. Like any good rivalry in the NBA, this one likely won’t be settled until the postseason, but Sunday’s outcome will add plenty of intrigue to the regular season for both teams.

It’s the first of four regular-season matchups between the teams. Chicago went 3-0 against the Heat during the last regular season, a record that helped point guard Derrick Rose wrest away the MVP trophy from LeBron James. But James and the Heat got the last laugh. After dropping the first game of the Eastern Conference championship, the Heat won four in a row against the Bulls, which had the best regular-season record in the NBA last year.

“The more we play them, the bigger it will get,” Bosh said of the rivalry. “It was a hard-fought series last year. Even though we wrapped it up in five, it didn’t seem like it. It seemed like it was a lot closer, which it was.

“And they’re a good basketball team. They’re going to be around for a long time, and I think every year if we want to get to where we want to go, we’ve got to beat those guys.”

The cores of both teams returned intact this season but the Bulls added veteran shooter Richard Hamilton, who shares a postseason history with the Heat guard Dwyane Wade. Hamilton is averaging 14.5 points per game but missed the Bulls’ game on Friday with bruised left thigh. He is listed as day-to-day, but the Heat expects he will play.

“He’s going to make you earn everything,” Wade said of Hamilton. “It was amazing to me that he went through waivers untouched, but they had an opportunity to pick him up — kind of a perfect situation for them.

“Chasing him around is always a challenge for me. Some days I don’t like it. Some days I love it, but it’s not about me and him. It’s going to be team defense.”

Both teams are similar in that they pride themselves on defense but Chicago, which will look to slow down the pace against the fast-paced Heat, leads the NBA in opponent’s points per game (86.95). The Heat is second in the NBA in scoring (104.16 points per game).

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” James said. “They don’t make many mistakes defensively. They’re going to try to pack the paint and make you take contested shots. But you’ve got to try to get into the paint, find some creases and put some pressure on the defense.”