NBA Playoffs: Heat Advance to Eastern Conference Finals

May 8, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) cheers on the crowd before a game against the Chicago Bulls in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat 94 Chicago Bulls 91

 How Miami Won: It seemed like the Heat were easily on their way to a close-out victory as they got out to a quick 22-4.  But then, they fell asleep for three quarters.  The Bulls answered back with a 34-14 run, and led by as much as 11 in the second half. Miami was eventually able to pull away, dominating the fourth quarter and outscoring Chicago 25-14.

 Lebron James led the way with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Dwayne Wade added 18 points playing with an injured knee.  Miami was able to come back primarily from scoring 27 points off 16 Chicago turnovers.

 How Chicago Lost: If you were judging the game by the box score, there would be no indication that says that the Bulls lost the game.  Chicago shot 44 percent from the field, including 42 percent from the three-point line, while holding the Heat to just 29 percent shooting from beyond the arc.  The Bulls also had a 40-32 edge in rebounding and a 34-30 advantage in points in the paint.

 Carlos Boozer played a tremendous game, finishing with 26 points and 14 rebounds.  Jimmy Butler played all 48 minutes for the fourth time in the series and scored 19 points, while Nate Robinson added 21 points and Richard Hamilton chipped in with 15 points off the bench.

The Bulls had their opportunities late in the game, but shot just 2 for 8 in the final three minutes of the game.  They gave Miami all that they had as Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng both sat out for the eighth straight game.

 It Was Over When: With the Heat down by one mid-way through the fourth quarter, Wade blocked a shot, added a rebound, and had a put-back slam on a Norris Cole missed shot all in a span of 45 seconds. Miami never trailed after that.

 Quote of the Night:  “We gave it everything we had, I have no energy left.” –Lebron James

Box Score:

Chicago Bulls

STARTERS

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

42

10-19

0-0

6-11

9

5

14

1

2

1

1

2

-3

26

48

7-15

2-6

3-3

1

4

5

4

3

0

2

2

-3

19

42

1-5

0-0

1-2

1

8

9

2

0

1

3

3

-6

3

47

6-15

4-7

5-6

3

2

5

6

0

0

4

4

-1

21

14

1-3

1-2

0-0

0

1

1

0

0

0

1

1

-17

3

BENCH

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

8

1-4

0-0

0-0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

4

-2

2

4

1-2

0-0

0-0

1

2

3

0

0

1

0

1

+5

2

35

6-12

1-4

2-2

0

2

2

1

0

2

3

4

+12

15

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS

Miami Heat

STARTERS

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

23

5-6

0-0

0-0

0

2

2

0

2

1

0

4

+10

10

44

5-14

1-3

12-15

0

7

7

8

2

0

2

3

+4

23

32

4-8

2-3

2-4

3

4

7

1

1

2

2

4

+6

12

27

3-9

0-3

0-0

0

3

3

2

2

0

0

3

-3

6

37

7-13

0-0

4-4

1

4

5

6

2

1

1

1

+6

18

BENCH

MIN

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

+/-

PTS

13

2-2

0-0

2-2

0

1

1

0

0

0

1

1

+5

6

28

2-7

2-7

3-5

2

1

3

0

0

1

1

3

-15

9

21

2-5

0-1

1-2

0

2

2

1

0

0

0

2

+6

5

15

2-6

1-4

0-1

0

2

2

2

1

0

3

3

-4

5

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

DNP COACH’S DECISION

TOTALS

FGM-A

3PM-A

FTM-A

OREB

DREB

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

PTS