Wednesday, May 18, 2011
CHICAGO — LeBron James came up big down the stretch and scored a game-high 29, Dwyane Wade added 24 and the Heat beat the Bulls 85-75 Wednesday to tie the Eastern Conference final at one game apiece.
Coming off a lopsided loss in Game 1, the Heat recovered down the stretch after blowing an 11-point lead to gain homecourt advantage.
James shook off a brutal opener and scored nine over the final 4:27, starting with a 3-pointer that put Miami ahead for good, 76-73. Miami outrebounded the Bulls 45-41 after getting pounded 45-33 in the opener.
It was big turnaround after he scored 15 on 5-for-15 shooting while being harassed by Luol Deng in Game 1.
"I put it all on the line and did whatever it took for our team to win," said James, who played with a head cold.
Udonis Haslem provided a spark off the bench with 13 points and five rebounds, and the Heat beat the Bulls for the first time this season even though Miami's Chris Bosh scored just 10 after hitting 30 in the opener.
"It was a grind,'' Bosh said of the defensive game. "We just have to stick with it. We're really looking forward to going home.''
Haslem had played just seven minutes since mid November because of a foot injury.
"I ran out of gas," the former Gator said. "For the first time in my life, I was happy to come out of a game."
Derrick Rose led Chicago with 21 points, two in the fourth.
The Bulls missed layups and got outshot 47.1 percent to 34.1 percent. They were 3-of-20 on 3-pointers and 16-of-26 at the line.
"We played low-energy offense, we played low-energy defense and the result was not great," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They have so many weapons.''
Before the game, former Bull Dennis Rodman, 50, presenting the ceremonial first ball. The seven-time rebounding champion and two-time defensive player of the year says his favorite player is a Bull who rebounds, plays defense and has a noticeable hairstyle — former Gator Joakim Noah. "I love Noah," Rodman said. "He's more like me, but a little taller."
Heat 85, Bulls 75
MIAMI (85): James 12-21 3-7 29, Bosh 4-8 2-2 10, Anthony 0-1 0-0 0, Bibby 1-6 2-2 5, Wade 8-16 8-10 24, Magloire 1-2 0-0 2, Haslem 5-10 3-3 13, Miller 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Chalmers 0-1 0-0 0, Howard 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-68 18-24 85.
CHICAGO (75): Deng 5-15 2-2 13, Boozer 3-10 1-2 7, Noah 4-9 1-2 9, Rose 7-23 7-10 21, Bogans 2-5 0-2 5, Brewer 2-4 3-4 7, Watson 0-2 2-2 2, Asik 0-0 0-1 0, Gibson 4-7 0-1 8, Korver 1-7 0-0 3. Totals 28-82 16-26 75.
Miami 19 29 23 14— 85
Chicago 26 20 19 10— 75
3-Point Goals—Miami 3-13 (James 2-6, Bibby 1-5, Chalmers 0-1, Miller 0-1), Chicago 3-20 (Bogans 1-4, Korver 1-5, Deng 1-7, Watson 0-1, Rose 0-3). Rebounds—Miami 55 (James 10), Chicago 51 (Noah, Boozer 8). Assists—Miami 18 (James 5), Chicago 15 (Rose 8). Total Fouls—Miami 26, Chicago 25. A—23,007 (20,917).
how to stop nowitzki? Thunder coach Scott Brooks jokingly suggested not guarding Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki after the West final opener, when Nowitzki made 12 of 15 field goals and set a playoff record by hitting all 24 free throws on his way to 48 points.
"There were nine shots that he made, no matter what you did, you couldn't have guarded him any better," Brooks said. "We put smalls (on him), we put medium-sized guys on him, we put big guys on him, we put everybody on him. The only thing we didn't do was not guard him. … Maybe we don't challenge him. We play a zone and let him go free."
Nowitzki expects something different in Game 2 tonight: "Whatever comes, comes."
Pistons: Owner Karen Davidson says she'll retain part ownership of the franchise, its arena and Palace Sports & Entertainment after the sale to Beverly Hills, Calif., billionaire Tom Gores is complete.