Heat-Bulls Preview

By CHRIS ALTRUDA
Posted Apr 11 2012 4:41PM

Coming off their worst defensive effort since LeBron James and Chris Bosh brought their talents to South Beach to join forces with Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat need a victory for any realistic chance to claim the Eastern Conference's top seed.

The Chicago Bulls have done quite well maintaining that position despite Derrick Rose being slowed by injuries as role players have consistently stepped up in his absence.

The Heat's talented trio comes to the United Center for a showdown Thursday night versus the Bulls, who are uncertain if the league's reigning MVP will be unavailable for the 14th time in 15 games.

Miami (40-16) is three games behind Chicago (44-14) with two games in hand and should finish no worse than second in the East. While the teams play again April 19 in Miami, the Bulls know they can significantly improve their chances of being the No. 1 seed with a win.

"It's a big game because of the team they have, the record they have and we're trying to fight for the top seed in the East, so it's a big game to determine who gets that top seed in the East," guard C.J. Watson said.

Additionally, the Heat have fallen off the pace recently and split their last 10 games. They also were shockingly exposed defensively in a 115-107 home loss Tuesday night to Boston.

The Celtics shot 60.6 percent, the best any opponent has put forth against the Big 3. More disturbing for Miami is three of the nine worst shooting percentages allowed in the 138 games since James and Bosh were acquired have come in these past 10 games.

"None of us were expecting that," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "To give up 115 points on our home floor, that's not our style. And we're being made to feel uncomfortable right now. That's really the residual of the last three weeks or so."

In the last 10 games, the Heat have yielded an average of 95.8 points on 47.3 percent shooting, the latter notably higher than their season mark of 43.2 percent.

The lack of defense was the primary reason Chicago defeated Miami 106-102 on March 14 as Rose watched due to a groin injury. John Lucas scored 24 points off the bench as six players scored in double figures for the Bulls, who made 10 of 19 from 3-point range.

Rose currently has a sprained right ankle suffered in Sunday's 100-99 overtime loss at New York - his only action since March 12. Despite practicing before Tuesday's 98-86 win over the Knicks, coach Tom Thibodeau left out his star guard.

"I just think it was the smart thing to do in this situation," Thibodeau said. "If we're going to err, we're going to err on the side of caution. He wanted to play and we felt it was best that he didn't."

While replacing Rose's 23.0 points per game presents a challenge, the Bulls are 16-7 without him, and Thibodeau has many players capable of doing so any given night. On Tuesday, Richard Hamilton became the fifth Bull in the 14-game span Rose has battled injuries to reach the 20-point mark, scoring 18 in the third quarter.

"That's what I've been doing my whole career," said Hamilton, who has been limited to 20 games due to injuries. "But on this team, I've got to pick my moments. There are so many guys on this team that can score."

Wade, a Chicago native, scored 36 in last month's loss while James added 35. Wade has three consecutive 30-point games in the regular season at the United Center, but the Bulls have won all three.

Boozer scores 19, Bulls beat Heat 96-86 in OT

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
Posted Apr 13 2012 4:40AM

CHICAGO (AP) LeBron James hit the go-ahead 3-pointer, and the Miami Heat looked as if they were in good shape.

Instead, they were shaking off another loss.

C.J. Watson scored 16 points, including the game-tying 3 at the end of regulation, and the Chicago Bulls pulled away in overtime to beat the Heat 96-86 on Thursday night.

Carlos Boozer scored 19 points and Kyle Korver added 17 for the Bulls, who outscored Miami 12-2 in overtime to boost their lead in the Eastern Conference to four games.

"This is one of the worst feelings in the regular season I've had this year," James said.

The Bulls were able to pull out the victory despite a horrible shooting night by Derrick Rose, who scored a career-low two points.

His team did just fine, at least.

James scored 30 points for Miami but missed a free throw that would have made it a two-possession game late in regulation. Dwyane Wade added 21 points, Chris Bosh scored 20, but the Heat lost for the sixth time in 11 games.

"It hurts," James said. "I think as a team we fought and played well. Gave our self a chance to win, but we gave up a 3 at the end to send it to overtime and they pretty much dominated the overtime."

Things were looking good for Miami when James made a 3 that made it 83-81 with 49 seconds left in regulation. But with a chance to seal the game, he missed the first of two free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining.

That kept the Bulls in it and Watson made a 3 to tie it at 84 with 2.2 seconds left. The game went into overtime when Wade missed a baseline jumper at the buzzer.

Luol Deng started the extra period with a jumper. Taj Gibson dunked on Ronny Turiaf for a three-point play and scored on a neat spin move after Wade hit a free throw, making it 91-85, sending the Bulls to a dramatic win on a night when their superstar had perhaps his worst game as a pro.

"I'm not worried about my stats or anything," Rose said. "Can I make up excuses? Yeah. But you know me, I'm not going to use no excuse. My shots weren't falling. Shots I normally hit, I wasn't hitting. My teammates had my back. I'm happy I have them on my team."

Rose hit just 1 of 13 shots and sat out the extra period, a brutal night for the reigning MVP. Then again, he hasn't played much lately, so this wasn't a total shocker.

He returned from a 12-game absence due to a groin injury for Sunday's overtime loss at New York, only to sprain his right ankle. He did not play Tuesday, when the Bulls beat the Knicks at home, and he's missed 23 games total this season.

"He's going to be a little rusty," Korver said. "I don't care who you are, you're going to be a little rusty."

But even with Rose struggling, the Bulls managed to pull this game out.

Deng scored 16 points. Boozer grabbed 11 rebounds and passed to Watson for that tying 3. Korver came up big again, hitting 5 of 6 from beyond the arc after scoring 14 on Tuesday.

He let out a big smile after hitting one in the extra period and helped send the game into overtime with eight points in the fourth quarter.

Wade, however, kept Miami in it.

He scored on a drive and a jumper to make it a one-point game, and Bosh came up with a key rebound off a miss by Wade, passing to James for the 3 that made it 83-81. But things unraveled for the Heat, particularly when Watson hit the 3 to force OT.

"I looked up and saw CJ wide open when Boozer caught it," Wade said. "I didn't know what was going on. I tried to get over there and make a play on it. He still made a tough shot. That play hurt. We never recovered back from that shot."

Notes: Wade tied Alonzo Mourning's franchise record for games played at 593. ... Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made a late switch and decided to have Udonis Haslem, battling stomach flu, start at center instead of Ronny Turiaf. ... The Bulls and Heat meet one more time at Miami on April 19.

Notebook: Bulls 96, Heat 86

Posted Friday April 13, 2012 12:40AM

By Paul Ladewski, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Neither the Heat nor the Bulls wanted to place too much importance on a game that figured to have no bearing on the standings, but it was difficult to argue which one had more on the line. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra conceded that his team was in need of a signature victory on the road, but once again, the Bulls would have none of it. Now that the Bulls have beaten the Heat and the Boston Celtics in a span of eight days, there should be no doubt as to which team is the Eastern Conference favorite.

Once again, second-chance points and the so-called Bench Mob were the difference. While Bulls starters Richard Hamilton, Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose struggled from the start, reserves Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson and Taj Gibson came to the rescue with 17, 16 and 11 points, respectively. Watson took advantage of a defensive breakdown to convert a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds on the clock and send the game into overtime. The Heat were limited to a pair of free throws in the extra session.

The big three of LeBron James (30 points), Dwyane Wade (21) and Chris Bosh (20) did their parts, but they were left to do it alone. None of the Heat reserves scored more than three points.

THE QUOTE: "To look up and see (Watson) wide open when (Carlos) Boozer caught it ... I tried to make a play on it, going from guarding (Hamilton) in one corner. He made a tough shot. That play hurt. We never recovered from that shot."
-- Wade

THE STAT: In his second game in 31 days, Rose displayed some serious rust and watched the overtime period on the bench. The reigning Most Valuable Player misfired on all except one of his 13 field goal tries, and his team was outscored by 27 points while he was on the court.

THE QUOTE II: "I'm not worried about my stats. I'm just trying to get my rhythm to get ready for the playoffs, get my timing back. My shots were not falling, but my teammates had my back. Our confidence will be high after this win."
-- Rose

THE STAT II: The Bulls increased their lead to four games in the race for the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs.

THE QUOTE III: "It's tough. You reach these moments at times when you feel like you put so much into it collectively but can't get over the hump. We talked about it right before the game. We said, 'There is no easy road. What we're trying to do will be the hardest thing that we'll have to do collectively.'"
-- Spoelstra

TURNING POINT: The home team trailed late in the third quarter, 58-48, when Thibodeau took Boozer (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Rose out of the game. With Gibson and Watson in lead roles, they went on a 12-4 tear to get back in the game.

THE QUOTE IV: "They give us great flexibility because you can start them or bring them in off the bench. Now that everybody has gone back to their accustomed roles, for the bench guys, that's not a big adjustment for them."
-- Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau

GOOD MOVE: Gibson arrived only 75 minutes before the tip-off because of heavy traffic en route to the stadium, but he redeemed himself in 28 productive minutes.

BAD (STOMACH) MOVE: Udonis Haslem was a late replacement for Ronny Turiaf at center, and the Heat veteran provided the hoped-for jolt of energy at the outset. But a case of the stomach flu limited him to 11 minutes, as he sat out the second half.

HOT: Next time the Heat may want to defend the three-point line, beyond which the Bulls drained 11 bonus balls in 22 tries. Korver was unconscious, as he flushed 5-of-6 three-pointers, the last of which came from the vicinity of Wheaton in overtime.

NOT: The backcourt combination of Hamilton and Rose, who combined for nine points and six turnovers. Both sat out extended periods this season, and coupled with a lack of practice time because of the condensed schedule, they haven't had sufficient time to build chemistry between them.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Former Bulls star and Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen was among those in the sellout crowd.

NOTABLE: This season the Heat have yet to win a game at the United Center, where they will have do so at least once if the two teams meet in the playoffs. ... At an average yield of 88.9 points per game, the Bulls are in position to surpass the team record (88.6) that was established in the 1997-98 campaign. ... The Bulls have above-.500 records without All-Stars Rose (16-7) and Luol Deng (7-2).

UP NEXT: Miami plays Charlotte on Friday, at New York on Sunday, and at New Jersey on Monday. Chicago plays at Detroit on Sunday, at home vs. Washington on Monday, and at Charlotte on Wednesday.

• Heat: Curry, Pittman
• Bulls: Scalabrine

• Heat: --
• Bulls: --

• Lead Changes: 9
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: United Center, Chicago, IL
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #30 John Goble, #45 Brian Forte
• Attendance: 23015
• Duration: 2:47