The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 94-91 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive year. It was a game that saw the Heat at their best and at their worst, but with LeBron James, a rejuvenated Dwyane Wade and the home crowd on their side, the Heat were able to leave the best for last as they defeated the Bulls.
The Heat were up big early in this game. How big? They were up by 18 points as they quickly led 22-4. They Bulls looked done and seemed to be suffering from a Game 4 hungover. However, in a blink of an eye, the first quarter concluded 30-21. Then, the Bulls did the inevitable as they outscored the Heat 32-17.
It was a blow the Heat didn't see and they were knocked out momentarily. However, the fought back in the final quarter outscoring the Bulls 25-14. Norris Cole only had five points, but they were huge energizers for the Heat. Shane Battier only had nine points, but six came on huge back-to-back threes. Wade finished with 18 points and four of these also came in back-to-back fashion as they helped the Heat inch their lead late in the game.
In the final possession, with 26 seconds remaining, the Bulls wasted three opportunities to tie the game. Nate Robinson heaved up a three that hit off the back of the rim. The Bulls grabbed the offensive board and Jimmy Butler missed another opportunity. Richard Hamilton, who came up huge in this game off the bench, didn't have enough time to step behind the three-point line to sink the tying bucket.
James almost put the Heat's chances of clinching on the line as he inexplicably missed free throw shots in this game. The Heat proved resilient, but they also looked careless as they let an early lead get wiped away. The Bulls should go home with their heads up as they played injured and still challenged the defending champions. Imagine what the Bulls could do with a healthy lineup featuring Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich?
Now for the Heat, they await for a winner to surface between the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers. Indiana leads that series 3-1.
