CHICAGO -- Bring on Dallas, again.
The Heat won the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday at United Center with an 83-80 victory against the Bulls. Miami now plays an old foe, the Mavericks, in the NBA Finals, which will begin Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The Heat ended the Bulls’ season in dramatic fashion Thursday, clinching the best-of-7 series 4-1. A wild comeback in the final minutes lifted Miami to its first NBA Finals series since breaking the Mavericks’ hearts in six games in 2006. Miami broke the hearts of thousands in Chicago on Thursday, outscoring the Bulls 18-3 in the final three minutes. The Heat trailed by 12 points with 3:03 left in the game before Wade made four consecutive points to begin the rally. Favoring his left shoulder, Wade struggled mightily for the majority of Thursday’s game but, along with LeBron James, was spectacular in the clutch.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called the Heat’s comeback “pretty emblematic” of his team’s entire season.
“We’ve been through a lot together, and we had to go through the fire again tonight,” Spoelstra said. “The majority of the game was not going our way but this team has built up a lot of resiliency and toughness to be able to still hang in there.”
Tight finish
The United Center crowd deflated with 25 seconds left when Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, missed the second of two free throws to tie the score at 81. James’ midrange jumper with 29.5 seconds left gave the Heat its lead.
Heat forward Chris Bosh made a pair of free throws with 16.8 seconds left, and James blocked Rose’s desperation three-point attempt to tie the score at the buzzer. James and Udonis Haslem, who doubled-teamed Rose on the play, hugged after capping the unlikely finish.
“We don’t even know what happened,” Wade said. “I’m not going to lie to you and say we do.”
Added James: “We want to watch the final four minutes of the game to see exactly what happened.”
For the majority of Thursday’s game, the Heat played some of its worst basketball of the season. Wade played poorly for three quarters but came alive at the end.
Wade, who was taken out of the game midway through the third quarter, received treatment on his shoulder before reentering the game with 10 minutes left in the fourth. He finished with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting but perked up with the game on the line. His four-point play with 1:30 left cut the Bulls’ lead to three points. Rose fouled Wade in the act of shooting just his second three-point attempt of the game.
“He’s got something different — a different makeup inside,” Spoelstra said of Wade. “He’s able to rise up to the occasion no matter what’s happened. When it’s winning time, there’s no one better than him.”
Wade’s brilliance was sandwiched by a pair of three-pointers by James. His second three tied the score at 79 with 1:01 left. His midrange jumper gave the Heat the lead for good. James finished with a game-high 28 points on 8-of-19 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds and six assists. Bosh finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The United Center was a cauldron of noise with 3:53 left in the fourth quarter after Ronnie Brewer’s three-pointer to give the Bulls a 12-point lead but was silent in the final seconds as the Heat took a moment to celebrate before refocusing for the Finals.
The Heat shot just 33.3 percent in the third quarter but managed to outscore Chicago 19-17. The period highlighted the physical nature of the series. Carlos Boozer clotheslined James during the quarter and was whistled for a flagrant foul. The Bulls shot just 23.8 percent in the period but managed to hold onto their lead with an inspired defensive effort.
Poor start
Wade was called for a traveling violation with 6:20 left in the first half. The turnover was the Heat’s fifth of the game and led to a midrange jumper from Boozer that gave Chicago a 12-point lead. On the Heat’s next possession, Wade again was whistled for traveling. The turnovers highlighted a difficult three quarters for Wade. He had nine turnovers, which tied a franchise record in the postseason.
The Heat defeated Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago in five games to advance to the NBA Finals..
