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Miami Heat eliminate Chicago Bulls from playoffs in five games

A fast start and faster finish were enough to send the Miami Heat back to the Eastern Conference finals.

LeBron James scored 23 points, Dwyane Wade added 18 and the Heat rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls 94-91 on Wednesday night and close out their second-round series in five games.

Chris Bosh scored 12 points and Udonis Haslem added 10 for Miami, which ran out to a 22-4 lead, then was outscored by a whopping 29 points over the next 27 minutes before recovering. The Heat outscored the Bulls 25-14 in the fourth.

Carlos Boozer finished with 26 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulls, who were without Derrick Rose for the 99th straight game. Nate Robinson and Jimmy Butler missed potential tying 3-pointers on the final possession of the season for Chicago, which dropped the last four games of the series.

Robinson scored 21 points, Butler had 19, and Richard Hamilton 15 for the Bulls.

And there was drama, all the way to the end.

Robinson’s 3-pointer with 1:43 left got the Bulls to 94-91, and Butler knocked the ball away from Chris Bosh for a turnover on the ensuing Miami possession. But Boozer missed an open 15-footer with about a minute remaining and, when Wade knocked the ball off Boozer’s leg after a Miami miss with 45 seconds left, the Heat retained possession – with a fresh shot clock to boot.

But Miami didn’t score, and the Bulls had a final chance. Robinson missed a 3, and Butler faked his way free for a good look that hit the rim, before bouncing away.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Dwyane Wade dealing with a bruised knee

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade will be a game-time decision for Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls after participating in Wednesday morning’s shootaround.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra provided the update on Wade’s status, saying that the All-Star guard’s bruised right knee will be evaluated prior to the start of Wednesday’s contest.

“He had a very good day [Tuesday] and a good shootaround,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll evaluate him before the game and go from there.”

Wade did not address the media Wednesday, but Heat forward Chris Bosh said he expects the nine-time All-Star to play. Miami owns a 3-1 series lead against Chicago and can advance to the Eastern Conference finals for a third straight year with a victory Wednesday.

— Reported by ESPN.com

After 19-rebound effort, inside approach will not change for Chris Bosh

In the current playoff series against the Bulls, Bosh had six rebounds in Game 1 and five rebounds in Game 2. So, it begs the question: What happened in Game 3 for Bosh to pull down 19 rebounds, a career postseason high?

Bosh said on Monday after shootaround that much of his effort in the post during the regular season was focused on boxing out opponents, which allowed his teammates to grab rebounds. In Game 3 against the Bulls, Bosh’s strategy shifted. With everyone crashing the boards, securing rebounds became his primary objective.

“Boxing out, there’s a bunch of different techniques you can use and everything,” Bosh said. “I’ve really been searching this season to find what works best for me and a lot of times I’m in situations where people only pay attention to numbers. I never really got caught up in that.”

— Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Blog)

Nazr Mohammed ejected for shoving LeBron to ground

Nazr Mohammed tossed for shoving LeBron to ground

Chicago Bulls center Nazr Mohammed was ejected from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat on Friday night after shoving LeBron James to the court.

As James dribbled up the floor early in the second quarter, Mohammed reached in and tried to steal the ball near midcourt. Their arms got tangled and Mohammed fell.

He then got up and shoved James to the court.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Miami Heat owner praises Sacramento effort to keep Kings

Explaining why the NBA’s relocation committee recommended against moving the Kings to Seattle, one of the league’s most influential owners says Sacramento did everything necessary to keep the team.

Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, in a Twitter exchange with a Seattle fan, suggested the committee’s 7-0 vote amounted to a referendum on Sacramento, not a rejection of Seattle. The private tweets became public Thursday, less than a week before the NBA board of governors is expected to settle the Kings’ situation once and for all.

Arison, a member of the committee, said the April 29 vote boiled down to whether Sacramento has “done all it should to keep the team. The answer is yes.”

He said Seattle never would have lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 if city officials had responded the way Sacramento’s did to the threatened loss of the Kings.

— Reported by Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee

Heat dominate Game 2, beat Bulls 115-78

For the first time in these playoffs, the Miami Heat were facing some real adversity.

They responded with a technical knockout.

After nine technical fouls, two ejections and a whole lot of extracurricular pushing and shoving, the end results were as follows: The biggest postseason win in Heat history, the biggest postseason loss in Chicago Bulls history, and tons of fresh venom pulsing through the veins of this now-tied Eastern Conference semifinal series. Miami won 115-78, a stunning outcome for a game that was basically back-and-forth for much of the first half.

That is, until the Heat started embarrassing the Bulls, and the Bulls started embarrassing themselves for good measure.

”No matter if you win by 20, 30, or one point, it’s a 1-1 series,” Heat star LeBron James said. ”They came in and did their job. They got one on our floor and took home court. So, we’ve got to try to go Chicago and get it back.”

Game 3 is Friday in Chicago, where the Heat will have to win at least one game if they’re going to win the series.

Ray Allen scored 21 points in only 19 minutes, James finished with 19 points and nine assists, and the Heat led by as many as 46 points. Sure, the Heat have lost home-court advantage when they dropped Game 1. But this domination made the reigning NBA champions look like the clear-cut team to beat in this title race once again…

Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson were ejected in the fourth quarter for Chicago, and the league will almost certainly review some of the things said and done in a game that was close for the first 20 minutes. The Bulls were called for six player technicals, the most by any team in a playoff game since Boston had that many against Indiana in 2005.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Luol Deng still out for Bulls, will miss Game 2 vs Heat

Luol Deng is staying in Chicago and not rejoining the Bulls for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

Deng was recently hospitalized because of illness, needing a spinal tap. He was planning to fly to Miami and at least be with his teammates, but now Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says Deng’s status for the rest of the series is unknown.

Thibodeau also says guard Kirk Hinrich’s calf injury is improving, though he remains listed as day-to-day.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Bulls take Game 1 of second round, beat Heat 93-86

Nate Robinson was spitting blood in the first half, then delivered the deepest cuts of the night in the final moments. And the Chicago Bulls reminded the Miami Heat that no one in the NBA plays them any tougher.

Yes, the streakbusters struck again.

Robinson scored 27 points, Jimmy Butler added 21 points and a career-high-tying 14 rebounds, and the Bulls beat Miami 93-86 on Monday night in Game 1 of the teams’ Eastern Conference semifinal series. The team that snapped Miami’s 27-game winning streak in the regular season – the second-longest in NBA history – found a way to topple the champs again, this time ending a run of 12 straight Heat victories overall.

”I’ve played on some tough teams,” Robinson said. ”But this one, there’s something a little different, something special about this group.”

A seven-point deficit midway through the fourth wasn’t enough to doom the Bulls, who finished the game on a 10-0 run in the final 1:59. And to think, the Bulls weren’t anywhere near full strength. Kirk Hinrich was out again with a calf injury. Luol Deng isn’t even expected to rejoin the team until Tuesday, after dealing with an illness apparently so severe that a spinal tap – and other tests since – were needed to rule out things like meningitis…

LeBron James got his MVP trophy from Commissioner David Stern before the game, then struggled to a two-point first half before finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Dwyane Wade added 14 for the Heat, who had no one else in double figures, finished shooting 40 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 46-32…

Joakim Noah scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who got 12 from Taj Gibson and 10 from Marco Belinelli. Game 2 is Wednesday night in Miami…

Wade dove into the second row of seats to save an errant ball, and grimaced after appearing to hit his sore right knee. ”I wish somebody would have grabbed me. That would have been kind of nice, especially at home,” Wade said.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Ray Allen is a key member of Miami Heat

Was there any worry about Allen fitting in with a championship team he had battled against?

“I didn’t have apprehension. My whole life I’ve had to travel and had to fit in somewhere,’’ said Allen, who faced off against the Heat in the playoffs three times as a member of the Celtics.

“It wasn’t unusual coming here. This is a pretty good group of veteran guys. We share a common goal, and everyone looks to see where they can help. Sometimes you have to sit back and get out of the way. Knowing when to be passive and when to be aggressive comes from all of us playing all these years of basketball. Being a team requires sacrifice.’’

Allen might not have started a single game for the Heat this season, but there’s no doubt of his importance as Miami gets after another championship.

“There’s no surprise here,” James said. “Ray was brought here to stretch the floor for us, to add another champion to our team, a professional. We know what he’s capable of doing, especially in the postseason. He’s always raised his game.”

— Reported by George Richards of the Miami Herald

Banged-up Bulls prepare to battle Heat

Luol Deng was in the emergency room undergoing a spinal tap for viral meningitis. Kirk Hinrich, immobilized by a bruised calf, was limited to cheerleader role. Nate Robinson was so queasy he leaned over a garbage pail during his turns on the bench. Feverish Taj Gibson had the shakes. Joakim Noah was limping or grimacing or on edge about when the next flare-up of plantar fasciitis would force him to sit.

The injured, sick and exhausted Chicago Bulls arrive at AmericanAirlines Arena Monday night for Game 1 of their second-round NBA playoff series against a Miami Heat team that has been sleeping like a baby for an entire week.

Now would be the perfect time for Derrick Rose to make his comeback. The Bulls, who almost gagged against the Brooklyn Nets before surviving Game 7 on Saturday, need bodies in uniform. Rose has been wearing a suit.

But don’t count on Rose coming to the rescue. The dynamic point guard — MVP of the league two years ago — has been out since major knee surgery on May 12, 2012. After a grueling rehab, Rose returned to full-court scrimmaging Feb. 18. Doctors cleared him to play. But Rose has not felt right. A strange waiting game has persisted since.

— Reported by Linda Robertson of the Miami Herald