The Miami Heat concluded their three-game road trip with a win, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 84-78 on March 16.

With the win, the Heat are 5-4 since the All-Star break, trailing the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls by two and a half games.

The Heat manhandled the 76ers in the first half of their Friday encounter, taking a 27 point lead into the halftime break.

The 76ers did turn things around in the second half, holding Miami’s offense to 15 points or less in the third and fourth quarter. Luckily for the Heat, their superstars stepped up to the plate in the final minutes of the game, securing the victory.

“We can take some good from the second half or we can take all the bad from the second half,” LeBron James told reporters after the game. “We will learn from the mistakes we had [Friday night], but that won’t take away from being on the road in a really good building and against a really good team and winning this game.”

LeBron was Miami’s leading scorer against the 76ers, putting up 29 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds.

Dwyane Wade has some problems with his jumper against Philadelphia, shooting 38 percent from the field. Wade did find other ways to help his teammates out though, finishing with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Mario Chalmers, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem finished with 10 points apiece against the 76ers.

Collectively, Miami’s bench played a little better against the 76ers – after struggling in their last three games, but there’s definitely still a lot of room for improvement. They’ll have to step it up a little more in the Heat’s subsequent games.

The Heat will now head back home, where they’ll face the Orlando Magic on March 18. At the American Airlines Arena, the Heat are virtually unbeatable, and they should be able to get some payback against the Magic.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Joseph Goodman, “Miami Heat avoids epic collapse, holds off 76ers”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Miami Heat Increase Win-streak to Seven Games

Miami Heat Frustrate Jeremy Lin in 102-88 Victory

Miami Heat Increase Win Streak to Nine Games

Miami Heat Fall Short Against Orlando Magic

Miami Heat’s Struggles Continue Against Bulls

The Miami Heat ran into some problems against the Chicago Bulls on March 14, losing 106-102. To make the loss even more disappointing, the Bulls were without their star player, Derrick Rose, but the Heat’s defense still struggled against them.

The Heat actually looked good in the first quarter of their encounter against the Bulls. But a poor second quarter got them in serious trouble. By halftime, the Heat were down 11 points. Miami couldn’t close the gap in the third quarter, but they did fight back in the final quarter, putting up 32 points on the Bulls’ defense. Unfortunately for the Heat, it wasn’t enough to secure the victory.

Dwyane Wade led the Heat against the Bulls, putting up 36 points (game-high) and 7 rebounds (team-high). LeBron James had a big game as well, finishing with 35 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Chris Bosh had a tough time shooting the ball against the Bulls, converting on only 20 percent of his field goal attempts. He finished with 12 points and three rebounds.

Once again, Miami’s role players couldn’t get anything going against the Bulls, with no other players on the Heat’s roster — besides the “big three” — finishing with over 6 points against Chicago.

Rebounding was also a factor in the Heat’s loss to the Bulls, as Miami’s big men struggled on the glass. The Heat finished the game with only 34 rebounds, compared to Chicago’s 50.

“This game was won in the trenches,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “They absolutely annihilated us on the glass. We need to get into that fight under the glass.”

The Heat struggled on the glass in their previous outing against the Orlando Magic, and they’ll definitely need to make some adjustments before concluding their three-game road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 16.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Joseph Goodman, “Two Straight: Miami Heat Lose OT To Orlando, Then Fall To Bulls”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

LeBron Leads Heat to Blowout Victory Against Cavaliers

Miami Heat Increase Win-streak to Seven Games

Miami Heat Frustrate Jeremy Lin in 102-88 Victory

Miami Heat Increase Win Streak to Nine Games

Miami Heat Fall Short Against Orlando Magic

CHICAGO —
If anyone thinks the Miami Heat will walk over the Chicago Bulls in this year’s Eastern Conference playoffs like it did last year, they haven’t been paying attention this season.

For casual fans just getting up to speed with the season, the Bulls on Wednesday provided a preview of what could be an exciting postseason series between the two best teams in the East. Without their best player – point guard Derrick Rose, the reigning MVP – the Bulls defeated the Heat 106-102 at United Center.

The Heat (31-11), which has now lost two in a row overall and four straight on the road, entered with a five-game win streak against Chicago, including last year’s Eastern Conference finals. All of that dominance seems like ancient history after the Bulls exacted revenge in Chicago with Rose (strained groin) watching the game in a suit. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 71 points and the Heat still lost.

James had 35 points and Wade 36 but their teammates struggled against the Bulls’ relentless pressure, managing just 31 points between eight players. Chris Bosh had 12 points on 3-of-15 shooting. It was a not-so-subtle reminder of Bosh’s 1-of-18 performance in Chicago last season.

The Heat played well late in the game – Wade scored 19 points in the final period – but each time the Heat would cut into the Bulls’ lead, Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau would call a timeout and the Bulls would score immediately following the break.

The Heat trailed by as many as 17 but cut the lead to two with six seconds to play on two three-pointers by James Jones. But Kyle Korver and John Lucas III combined to go 6 of 6 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to ice the game.

UNLIKELY HERO

Lucas III – the victim of a spectacular dunk by James in the earlier meeting between the teams – scored 24 points off the bench, including 11 points in the fourth quarter. Guard C.J. Watson started for Rose and finished with 11 points.

“We know him [Lucas] well,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told the Associated Press. “That was probably part of it. We were one of the teams that cut him. He’s a tough-minded player. That’s a good story line for a lot of young players out there that don’t have the mental toughness to stay with it. I don’t know how many times that kid has been cut, but it’s made him tougher.”

Even when the Bulls literally were tripping over themselves, they still managed to score on the Heat in the third quarter. On one play, Lucas III lost his balance but managed to roll the ball to Omer Asik, who fell awkwardly to the rim for a layup.

Ronnie Brewer’s three-pointer with 4:06 left in the third quarter put the Bulls ahead 72-57 and Watson followed with a 15-footer to complete a 10-2 run. The Heat lumbered through the rest of third quarter before James provided a spark with a few what-the-heck three-point attempts. James made two three-pointers and Norris Cole added a three of his own to cut the Bulls’ lead to 79-70.

The Heat trailed 81-70 entering the fourth quarter.

KEY SECOND-QUARTER RUN

The Bulls (36-9) broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring the Heat 34-19. Led by Watson, the Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and 3 of 5 from three-point range in the quarter. In the period, Watson was 3 of 4 from the field and 1 of 1 from behind the arc to lead the Bulls with nine points.

It wasn’t a good sign when the Bulls’ second team went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter. It only got worse from there.

Luol Deng re-entered the game and immediately sank a three-pointer to increase the Bulls’ lead to 12 points. Joakim Noah added to the energy in the second quarter with a series of an excellent plays. First, he bounded high into the air to block Wade from behind, near the basket. Moments later the former University of Florida center was dunking over Joel Anthony, waving his fists in the air and screaming.

The dunk gave the Bulls a 42-30 lead. Next, it was Lucas III’s turn to carry the team in Rose’s absence. He reeled off seven straight points in less than a minute, giving Chicago a 49-34 lead with 2:22 left in the third quarter.

“We’re like a brotherhood,” Lucas told the AP. “When one brother goes down, we have their back.”

The Miami Heat struggled against the Orlando Magic on March 13, losing their second straight game at the Amway Center.

The Heat came out firing on all cylinders against the Magic, taking an eleven point lead into halftime. Unfortunately for the Heat, they weren’t able to get anything going in the third quarter, getting outscored by 10 points.

Both teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter, setting the stage for some fourth quarter theatrics. Unfortunately, Dwyane Wade missed the potential game-winning shot, forcing the game into overtime.

The Magic took control in overtime – aided by some controversial calls, walking away with the six point victory.

“The third quarter we did not play our best basketball,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “We gave them life, gave them an opportunity to get back into the game. … We had opportunities in the fourth quarter and overtime but we weren’t able to capitalize on them. The rebounding really was a factor in this game.”

Rebounding was certainly a factor in Miami’s loss, with the Heat getting out-rebounded by 10. Udonis Haslem — who is usually a strong rebounder for Miami — finished with only three rebounds against Orlando.

Dwyane Wade led Miami’s offense against Orlando, finishing with a game-high 28 points. He also added 6 rebounds and 5 assists to the stat sheet.

Chris Bosh also played well against the Magic, putting up 23 points and 8 rebounds.

LeBron struggled with his shot, shooting 35 percent from field. But he still found other ways to help his team, pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out eight assists.

Miami’s “big three” definitely did their part against the Magic, but they didn’t get that much help from their bench. For the third straight game, Miami’s bench struggled on the court, putting up a combined 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Miami’s next game will be against the Chicago Bulls on March 14. The Bulls are currently at the top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference standings (leading the Heat by 2 ½ games), and the Heat will be in for another tightly contested game.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Joseph Goodman, “Miami Heat falls to Orlando Magic in overtime”

Player and game information from ESPN

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

LeBron Leads Heat to Blowout Victory Against Cavaliers

Miami Heat Burns Orlando Magic 90-78

Miami Heat Increase Win-streak to Seven Games

Miami Heat Frustrate Jeremy Lin in 102-88 Victory

Miami Heat Increase Win Streak to Nine Games

MIAMI—

   By the end of last season, the Miami Heat were battle tested, with 10 of their games decided by three or fewer points.

   The problem was, they were also battle worn, having lost all but two of those games.

   It was a concern they carried into the playoffs, a statistic magnified when they came up short in the NBA Finals.

   This season, the magnitude of victory has been so severe that Wednesday’s 89-86 victory over the Atlanta Hawks marked only the fifth time this season they had played in a game decided by three or fewer points and the first time it has happened at home.

  With Wednesday’s victory, the Heat are now 4-1 in such situations.

   “I think last year, a game like that, we probably would have lost it,” guard Dwyane Wade said. “But we’re more together as a team. And we know that if we continue to keep slugging we can give ourselves an opportunity.”

   The irony for the Heat is they played a game with almost identical twists and turns Friday on the road against the Utah Jazz, falling 99-98. Redemption proved to be only five nights away.

  “That’s something we had a tough time doing last year, in those games. It’s good to have one of those,” forward LeBron James said.

   This time, unlike last season and even last week in Utah, the Heat made the needed plays, inspiring confidence as the schedule toughens, with the next five against the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers and then the Magic again, teams all at the top of the Eastern Conference.

   “It was good to see our step of maturity, to be able to execute during crunch time,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the finish against the Hawks, which included rallying from 10 down in the third quarter, “and to trust each other and to be able to move the ball in crunch time and make the right plays, particularly when it wasn’t necessarily going our way.”

   For Wade, it was redemption, having missed a critical late free throw against the Jazz. This time he made both attempts with 2.7 seconds to play and the Heat up one.

   “I was thinking about that when I went to the line, that same position, maybe later in time. I was thinking about that,” he said. “And I said after the Utah game, ‘Put me in that same position again, I want it.’

   “So I wanted that ball at the end, to get up there and do the same thing, make them this time. So, yeah, it’s kind of good that a couple of days later you can get back to that same kind of moment and see what you’re made of.”

   Even if such close games have been the exception this season.

   “It’s great to have the rest in the fourth quarter,” James said of what otherwise has been the case in this blowout-bloated season. “But you’re going to have to have games like this where you need all 48 minutes to win the game.”

Zoned in

   The previous time the Hawks visited, they flustered the Heat with an aggressive zone defense that resulted in a 100-92 Jan. 2 home loss, one of only two losses this season for the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.

   With the Heat having grown against zones in the interim, the Hawks utilized the approach only in a few late-game situations Wednesday, with the Heat largely getting the shots they wanted, even with Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers off on a pair of open attempts.

  “We’re a lot better [against it] and will continue to see zone. We know we’re going to see a lot of it,” James said. “Teams are reluctant to play man against us because we’ve got so many great options offensively, so they fall back into the zone. I think we did a pretty good job of attacking it.”

  To a degree, that Jan. 3 loss to the Hawks was a needed eye-opener.

  “We feel a lot more comfortable,” Spoelstra said. “We spend more time on it and see it a lot more. They guys understand how important it is to work on it.”

 [email protected] Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat

The Miami Heat won another close encounter on March 7, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 89-86 at the American Airlines Arena. With the win, the Heat are now 3-2 since the All-Star game, trailing the Eastern Conference leading Chicago Bulls by two games.

The Wednesday encounter between the two teams started out competitively, but the Hawks started pulling away in the third quarter. Luckily for the Heat, a late third quarter surge brought them back into the game. And Dwyane Wade stepped up big in the final moments of the game.

“You have to sometimes win them ugly and that was ugly there for a while,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after the game. “We certainly weren’t in a great flow offensively … but we were able to push through and grind out a win.”

LeBron James had another big game against the Hawks, putting up 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists.

“We needed one of these games,” LeBron told reporters. “It’s about time we had one of these games where we had to fight for every minute, all the way down the stretch. … It was good for us to close this game out.”

Wade played a huge role in Miami’s win as well, finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.

“Tonight was one of those nights where we couldn’t get it going, couldn’t get it going, couldn’t get it going but we stuck with it and finally got the lead,” Wade said. “I think last year in a game like this we probably would have lost.”

Chris Bosh struggled with his jumper against Atlanta, shooting 21 percent from the field. He finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds.

Besides LeBron and Wade, no other player on the Heat’s roster finished with double-digit scoring against the Hawks. They’ll certainly need to address that issue, before their March 10 matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Associated Press, “LeBron James, Dwyane Wade lead Heat past Hawks”

Joseph Goodman, “Miami Heat rallies to defeat Atlanta Hawks”

Player and game information from ESPN.com

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

LeBron Leads Heat to Blowout Victory Against Cavaliers

Miami Heat Burns Orlando Magic 90-78

Miami Heat Increase Win-streak to Seven Games

Miami Heat Frustrate Jeremy Lin in 102-88 Victory

Miami Heat Increase Win Streak to Nine Games

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

LOS ANGELES — For a guy who has seemingly played the entire season in considerable
pain due to one injury or another, Kobe Bryant was feeling pretty good
Sunday — until it was pointed out that he seems to be indestructible.

“Don’t
jinx me, man. Don’t jinx me,” Bryant said following the Lakers’ 93-83
win over the Miami Heat at Staples Center. “But if I can walk and I can
run, I’m gonna play.” And usually play very well.

Wearing a
bothersome face mask to protect the broken nose he suffered when the
Heat’s Dwyane Wade mauled him in the All-Star Game, Bryant has scored
102 points in the three games since, all Lakers victories. On Sunday he
shot 14 of 23 from the field for 33 points, leading the Lakers to their
first win over Miami since LeBron James joined the team. James had 25
points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Metta World Peace had
17 points and seven rebounds for LA, while Andrew Bynum had 16 points
and 13 rebounds. Pau Gasol added 11 points and 10 boards. The bench also
stepped up on both ends of the floor, actually increasing the Lakers’
lead from seven to 16 points in the second quarter.

Bryant
said prior to the game that this was an important test for the improving
Lakers, to see how they match up with one of the NBA’s elite, and a
team they lost to by 11 on Jan. 19 in Miami.

“We did
extremely well,” Bryant said. “I felt like we’re much better than we
were when we played them in Miami. We matched their physicality and
their energy, which was a big problem for us in Miami. I thought (the
win) was very impressive.

“It’s fun to compete against the
best. It’s always enjoyable. They pose so many problems on the offensive
end and the defensive, so it’s always a fun matchup.”

And it
was even more enjoyable for the Lakers to watch Wade, who scored 16
points, foul out with 5:14 left in the game and the Heat trailing by
just seven. The Heat already were without forward Chris Bosh, who missed
his third straight game following the death of his grandmother.

“He’s
a huge part of their team,” Bryant said of Bosh, who’s averaging 18.4
points and 8.3 rebounds. “He can go inside, he can go outside and he
causes problems on the defensive end.”

For Heat coach Eric
Spoelstra, not having Bosh is no excuse for the loss — the Heat’s second
in a row, dropping them two games behind Chicago for the top spot in
the East.

“Chris is a major component to what we do on both
ends of the court, that’s why we don’t listen to anybody when they
(criticize) Chris’ importance,” Spoelstra said firmly. “He’s one of the
very best players in this league, but more importantly he has a great
impact on how we play. He settles us. He’s very even.

“But we’re a no-excuses team and this is a no-excuses season.”

Unlike
the All-Star Game and Friday night’s loss to the Utah Jazz, in which
LeBron passed to a teammate for a possible tying or winning shot instead
of taking it himself, Sunday’s loss produced no excuses from James. He
had his usual outstanding all-around performance and gave the Lakers
credit for simply outplaying his team.

“(In Utah) we gave
ourselves a chance to win but we just couldn’t finish it,” James
lamented. “(Today) was a little bit different. They played exceptionally
well and came away with another win on their home court.

“That’s
a good team. That’s a really good team. They’re 16-2 at home for a
reason. They’re one of the best teams in the league at home.”

On the road, however, it’s a much different story.

The
Lakers have lost two-thirds of their games away from Staples Center,
going 6-12, and if they want to be taken seriously as a championship
contender, they’ve got to improve dramatically in their last 15 road
games.

“We’ll be all right,” Bryant said. “I have no doubts
about that. We’ve been playing a lot better (on the road) than we were
earlier in the season. It’s just about understanding what your strengths
are and playing to that. The testament to any championship team is to
understand what your weaknesses are and protect those, then understand
what your strengths are and playing to those.

“I feel like we’re starting to figure out how to support each other in that department.”

Some things to keep an eye on when the Lakers (22-14) host the Miami Heat (28-8) Sunday afternoon at Staples Center.

1. The Masked Mamba can have his last word against his supposed non-rival. Of course, we’re referring to Kobe Bryant against Dwyane Wade. Bryant has worn a plastic mask ever since Wade’s hard foul in last week’s All-Star game gave him a concussion, a broken nose and whiplash symptoms in his neck. Bryant and Wade say they remain friends and have cleared the air over the incident. I hardly think Bryant will retaliate physically. But let’s not kid ourselves. The two will definitely look to have the last word. Since wearing the mask in the last two games, Bryant has averaged 34.5 points on 51% shooting.

However, it remains to be seen if Bryant can surpass that rate against Miami. In the last three games against the Heat stemming back from last season, Bryant has only averaged 21.66 points on 19% shooting. Shane Battier, who often does play making Bryant make difficult shots, will likely guard him. And Miami ranks fifth overall in opponent’s field-goal percentage (42.4%).

2. The Lakers-Heat game should be chippy. Andrew Bynum might profess that he won’t deliver a blow to Wade in protest of his hard foul. He’s already learned his lesson when he drew a combined six-game suspension when he leveled Minnesota’s Michael Beasley and Dallas’ J.J. Barea last season. But that doesn’t mean his other teammates won’t. Matt Barnes already suggested this week that he might. Metta World Peace downplayed the issue, but no one can ever predict what he will do. Bryant won’t retaliate against Wade, but he’ll surely jaw at him. The Lakers should embrace this physical play, but not allow it to detract from actually playing well. 

3. The Lakers must control the tempo. As the Lakers have discovered in previous games against Oklahoma City and Miami, the strategy can only hold up for so long. They can slow the pace down through running half-court sets. They can ensure strong discipline on defensive rotations. They can remain deliberate with their shot selection. The Lakers aren’t fundamentally constructed to beat Miami, but the Lakers have no other choice but to follow this strategy. If not, the Heat will just burn the Lakers in the open floor, and the Lakers won’t be able to catch up.

4. Will Metta World Peace match up well with LeBron James? Don’t look now, but Metta World Peace has actually strung together a few strong performances. Before the All-Star break, World Peace held Portland’s Gerald Wallace to seven points on two-of-seven shooting and Dallas’ Vince Carter to two second-half points. In the last three games, World Peace has also averaged 10.8 points on 50% shooting. Before Laker fans start thinking the old Ron Artest has emerged, still consider that he had trouble limiting Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant, dropping 33 points on a 12-of-22 clip. This game will show if World Peace has truly rounded into form.

5. The game is a good measuring stick. The Lakers have shown slivers of progress, winning seven of their last nine games. But the Lakers still haven’t proved themselves among the NBA’s elite, going 1-7 against Miami, Chicago, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, Orlando, Indiana and Philadelphia. The Lakers have a good opportunity to do so. Though Miami has won nine of its last 10 games, the Heat have played two games in the last three days. All-Star forward-center Chris Bosh has missed the last two games to attend his grandmother’s funeral and remains a game-time decision. (Lakers Coach Mike Brown thinks he’ll play). And the Lakers have a 16-2 home record. A signature win like this would give the Lakers a huge confidence boost that they’re actually developing enough to remain strong against playoff-contending teams.

RELATED:

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Andrew Bynum doesn’t plan to retaliate against Dwyane Wade

Kobe Bryant sits out of Saturday’s practice

LeBron James top-scored as the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 85-75 on Wednesday to level the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at 1-1.

The Bulls, led by MVP Derrick Rose, opened the seven-match series with a 103-82 home win on Sunday, but it was the turn of the Heat’s superstars to shine in Game 2, as James netted 29 points and Dwyane Wade added 24.

Small forward James, who also had 10 rebounds, tipped the balance of a tight contest in the Heat’s favour.

After they had earlier given away an 11-point lead, Miami went 76-73 ahead courtesy of a James three-pointer.

They were the first of nine points the two-time former MVP would score over the final five minutes to secure victory for the visitors.

It was a major improvement for James, who had been held to just 15 points in the opening match.

‘I put it all on the line tonight and did whatever it took for our team to win,’ James said.

Udonis Haslem contributed 13 points off the bench in what was the Heat’s first victory over the Bulls this season.

Rose led Chicago with 21 points but could score only two in the fourth quarter, while Luol Deng, who scored 13, was the only other Bull to reach double figures.

Game 3 takes place in Miami on Sunday.

By Tom Ziller

– NBA Contributor

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May 19, 2011 – When TNT’s broadcast did its shot on Miami Heat big men Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Erick Dampier — each was wearing a suit, not sweats — seven minutes into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was already in trouble. To that point, the Chicago Bulls had nine offensive rebounds. The Heat had five defensive rebounds. That’s exactly the sort of deficit that killed Miami in Game 1, where Chicago won more than 40 percent of their offensive rebound opportunities.

By keeping Ilgauskas and Dampier in street clothes, Spoelstra opened himself up to pre-game ridicule and a world of hurt had Game 1 followed the Game 2 script. When the cameras showed Z and Damp, that’s exactly how Game 2 was going, with Miami completely unable to keep Joakim Noah and the Bulls off the offensive glass. Doom for Spoelstra was crawling across the screen — the shot of the coach himself, with Spoelstra in a couch, face concerned as always — and a spate of column calling for his head couldn’t have been held off beyond Thursday.

Then Spoelstra simply executed his plan by putting in Udonis Haslem, the brawny roleplayer who was crucial in defending Dirk Nowitzki in the Heat’s 2006 NBA Finals run. The offensive boards dried up for Chicago immediately. The Bulls didn’t register another offensive rebound in the first quarter. Haslem stayed in for the first seven-plus minutes of the second quarter, too; Chicago didn’t get a single offensive rebound with Haslem on the floor in the second quarter, either. The Bulls got three in the last four-plus minutes of the half with Haslem on the bench.

In the end, the Bulls still got way too many offensive rebounds: 17, or 32 percent of all opportunities. Again, Chicago had a chance to win despite being outshot from the field. Spoelstra understood that Haslem was the answer on the glass — not Ilgauskas or Dampier, the inactives that drew pre-game catcalls and in-game second-guessing. But Haslem can only play so many minutes after being injured all season and playing so little in the playoffs, and his defense really isn’t up to speed just yet; the Bulls scored pretty easily in Haslem’s minutes, especially compared to when Joel Anthony (a good defender but atrocious defensive rebounder) was on the floor.

So in the end, Spoelstra needed another bail-out. He needed LeBron James to save the day.

In the end, that’s what all coaches need: someone to make them look smart. Spoelstra rolled the dice by replacing Haslem with Anthony in the back half of the fourth quarter, with the game knotted up in a dogfight. Chicago had incredible trouble scoring late, and a few putbacks could have saved the Bulls — to allow Anthony in the team, opening up that possibility, was a real risk.

But the Miami defense held, and LeBron took over. Spoelstra took a 20-second timeout with 4-1/2 minutes left; Miami had gone scoreless in five game minutes, and the game was tied at 73. Right out of the timeout, LeBron nailed a three-pointer. He ended up scoring nine in the last 4-1/2 minutes as Miami outscored Chicago 12-2 down the stretch.

Consider the roller coaster for Spoelstra’s reputation in this single game: a fool for benching Z and Dampier, a genius for using Haslem so much, a potential fool for pulling Haslem with five minutes left, a genius for letting the best player in the world play his game. No single turn of the tracks is fair, but we all think it. We all — subconsciously or out-loud (or Twitter) — question the decisions when they violate our sense of what should happen.

Coaches deal with this about 110 times a year. In every game, decisions go right or wrong or upside-down, and coaches take the heat. That’s the job description, and there’s no question that many of the questions are fair. But it’s worth keeping in mind how many factors going into that binary result at the end. Is Spoelstra a genius for playing Haslem? Well, Haslem was a -11 in the game. Did he play with fire by benching Haslem in crunch time? Well, Haslem was out-of-control in the run-up to the substitution.

Just understand that if LeBron doesn’t go nuts down the stretch, and the Bulls pull out a win? Spoelstra’s receiving a media beating for the next three days. For all the level of detail these coaches pour into their gameplans and playbooks, for all the risk assessment they do in filling out the active roster, it usually comes down to whether their star players have it. LeBron had it, and Spoelstra looks like a champ today. Derrick Rose had it all season, and Tom Thibodeau looked like even more of a genius than he is. In the end, this is a players’ league — not in the way that’s usually meant, but on the court, with the game on the line. Stars win, and it’s the job of coaches to put their star in positions to win.

Spoelstra succeeded in that in Game 2.

Read More: heat vs. bulls, Erick Dampier (C – MIA), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (C – MIA), LeBron James (F – MIA), Joel Anthony (F – MIA), Erik Spoelstra (H – MIA), Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat

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CHICAGO—

This wasn’t about being dominated on the boards, shaky shooting, too much isolation offense.

The Miami Heat solved those problems in Wednesday’s Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls.

No, this 85-75 Heat victory at the United Center was the essence of playoff basketball, the make-or-break moments that can define a series, the type of lockdown defense that breaks the will of the opposition.

“What I’ll take from this,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, “is how physical it was and how small a margin of error there is on both sides.”

Blown out in Sunday’s Game 1, the Heat this time got key late scoring from forward LeBron James and limited Chicago to 10 fourth-quarter points to take this best-of-seven series back to AmericanAirlines Arena for Sunday’s Game 3 tied 1-1.

“It was a great collective effort of endurance,” Spoelstra said. “We were able to play more to our identity.”

With James scoring 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting, guard Dwyane Wade adding 24 points, and Udonis Haslem providing unexpected inspiration off the bench with 13 points and five rebounds, the Heat erased the sting of Sunday’s series-opening 103-82 loss to steal homecourt advantage.

“That fourth quarter is what’s going to epitomize this entire series,” Spoelstra said of the Heat outscoring Chicago 14-10 in the final period.

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but with the Game 1 rebounding problem eliminated by Haslem’s energy, with James regaining his shooting stroke, and with the Heat less reliant on isolation scoring, a mere 21 points from guard Derrick Rose weren’t enough for Chicago.

“He missed some he normally makes,” Spoelstra acknowledged.

With the Heat limited to a single basket over a seven-minute span at the start of the fourth quarter by a Bulls defense living up to its league-best reputation, the game turned downright bloody with 4:36 to play, when Wade and Bulls backup center Omer Asik had to be treated for bleeding wounds after an earlier collision.

Out of that break, James converted a 3-pointer with 4:28 to play for a 76-73 Heat lead. Point guard Mike Bibby then came up with his own defensive moment, blocking a Luol Deng shot in transition.

James followed with a jumper with 3:15 to play for a 78-73 Heat lead.

Bulls forward Kyle Korver then rimmed out a 3-pointer, but James was called for traveling on the other end.

That’s when Game 1 dunking star Taj Gibson scored inside to bring Chicago within 78-75 with 2:29 to play.

Wade then earned his way to the line with 2:06 to play, his foul shots putting the Heat up 80-75.

The Heat held on from there.

“You got to give them credit,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Their defense was outstanding. I thought they were into us. They fought us.”

Said James, “If you don’t like defense, if you like offense and high power, you didn’t like this game.”

CHICAGO—This wasn’t about being dominated on the boards, shaky shooting, too much isolation offense.

The Miami Heat solved those problems in Wednesday’s Game Two of the Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls.

No, this 85-75 Heat victory was the essence of playoff basketball, the make-or-break moments that can define a series.

Blown out in Sunday’s Game One, the Heat this time got key late scoring from forward LeBron James and lockdown defense to take this best-of-seven series back to AmericanAirlines Arena for Sunday’s Game Three tied 1-1.

With James scoring 29 points on 12-of-21 shooting, Dwyane Wade adding 24 and Udonis Haslem providing unexpected inspiration off the bench with 13 points and five rebounds, the Heat erased the sting of Sunday’s series-opening 103-82 loss to steal home-court advantage.

It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty, but with the rebounding problem eliminated by Haslem’s energy, James regaining his shooting stroke and the Heat less reliant on isolation scoring, a mere 21 points from guard Derrick Rose weren’t enough for Chicago.

With the Heat limited to a single basket over a seven-minute span at the start of the fourth quarter by a Bulls defense living up to its league-best reputation, the game turned downright bloody with 4:36 to play, when Wade and Bulls backup center Omer Asik had to be treated for bleeding wounds after an earlier collision.

Out of that break, James converted a three-pointer with 4:28 to play for a 76-73 Heat lead. Point guard Mike Bibby then came up with his own defensive moment, blocking a Luol Deng shot in transition.

James followed with a jumper with 3:15 to play for a 78-73 Heat lead.

Bulls forward Kyle Korver then rimmed out a three-pointer, but James was called for traveling on the other end.

That’s when Game One dunking star Taj Gibson scored inside to bring Chicago within 78-75 with 2:29 to play.

Wade then earned his way to the line with 2:06 to play, his foul shots putting the Heat up 80-75.

The Heat held on from there.

The Heat opened the fourth quarter with the lineup they essentially had waited an entire season to unveil, with Wade and Mike Miller in the backcourt, James and Haslem at forward and Bosh at center.

Miller’s preseason thumb injury and Haslem’s early-season foot injury scuttled those plans for nearly six months.

Competitive for a rare time in a third quarter against the Bulls, the Heat moved to a 71-65 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Efficiency out of the halftime break set up as a prime challenge entering the night.

In the teams’ previous four meetings, including this series’ opener, the Bulls had outscored the Heat, 99-62, in the third quarter.

This time, with James and Wade continuing to provide pressure and Haslem continuing to inspire off the bench, the Heat avoided the third-quarter lull that essentially decided Game One.

With Haslem, in his first extended minutes since late November foot surgery, providing two third-quarter slams, the Heat used an 8-0 run midway through the quarter to move ahead, 65-56.

Earlier, with Wade and James stepping up their offense, the Heat moved to a 48-46 halftime lead.

Down seven at the end of the opening period, the Heat worked back into the lead with Wade scoring 17 points in the first half and James 14.

In early foul trouble, with two centers forced to the bench midway through the opening period, Heat trailed 26-19 at the end of the opening period.

The foul trouble had Heat coach Erik Spoelstra mixing and matching lineups to the point that Haslem, Miller and Juwan Howard all received early minutes, with the Heat going 11 deep in the opening period.

The first quarter ended with Bulls forward Luol Deng tossing in a halfcourt three-pointer. Deng led all scorers with nine first-quarter points.

The start was eerily similar to the Heat’s Game One loss, with the Bulls pounding them early on the offensive glass.

Chicago stood in an early 8-8 tie despite standing two-of-14 from the field at that stage. The Bulls later fell to two-of-16 from the field at the start.

The Heat’s depth was tested early, with starting center Joel Anthony forced to the bench with 6:36 to play in the opening period. Jamaal Magloire then entered only to be forced to the bench with his second foul with 4:37 to play in the opening period.

That had Spoelstra turning to Haslem far earlier than expected.

In his televised interview at the end of the opening period, Spoelstra acknowledged Chicago’s early passion.

“The first thing is we have to weather the storm,” he said. “It’s an emotional burst right now. We have not gotten into the game we’ve wanted to, but we’ve got a lot of time to change that.”

The Bulls entered coming off Sunday’s 103-82 victory in the series opener.

The Heat entered 0-2 this season when coming off losses of 20 or more points. According to Elias Sports Bureau, each of the previous 23 teams that lost Game One of a best-of-seven playoff series by more than 20 points had lost that series.

The series next shifts to AmericanAirlines Arena for Sunday’s Game Three and Tuesday’s Game Four.

James ‘happy’ for Cavs

The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers exited the National Basketball Association Draft lottery with the No. 1 overall pick, they selected hometown hero James in 2003.

The marriage lasted seven eventful seasons, until James’s free-agent parting to the Miami Heat last summer.

On Tuesday, while waiting for Wednesday’s Game Two of the Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls, James watched as the Cavaliers again exited the 2011 lottery with the top overall selection.

“I’m happy for the franchise, I’m happy for the fans,” he said. “I think it is a good step for them.

“But I’ve got a lot more things to worry about now than the lottery.”

While the Cavaliers’ top pick isn’t expected to arrive as the next Chosen One, James appreciates there will be considerable expectations.

The expected No. 1 overall pick is Duke freshman guard Kyrie Irving, who is represented by Miami-based agent Jeffrey Wechsler, a Heat season-ticket holder.

“If it’s Kyrie, I don’t think you automatically place the franchise tag on him,” James said on Wednesday, “but I think he’s good enough where, if he continues to work hard, he could be that guy for that team.

“It’s a tough situation for anyone to be given the franchise tag as soon as they come out of college or high school, but I think he’s one of the kids who is up for the challenge.”

While James arrived directly from high school, Irving would arrive nearly as raw, limited to 11 college games by a foot injury.

“But I think the experience that you get from being around college probably helped him,” James said of the time under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He played 11 games, but I think the experience, more than anything, being around Coach K, being around that campus, being around those veteran players that they had, I think it helps him.”

CHICAGO (AFP) – The Miami Heat rebounded from a blowout loss in game one to beat the Chicago Bulls 85-75 and level their NBA semi-final series at one game apiece.

“Whatever it takes,” said Heat star LeBron James, who on Wednesday finished with 29 points. “This is the conference finals and these are two great defensive teams. But you have to be patient… keep working the offence.”

Dwyane Wade added 24 points for the Heat who managed to steal home-court advantage from the Bulls as the series now switches to Miami.

James, who has been fighting a cold this week, said he was relieved to get the win but was also relishing the chance to go home and rest up.

“Do you hear my voice?” he asked. “I put it all on line tonight. I am glad I got a few days to get back down to the great weather we got in Miami and get over it (cold).”

The Heat recovered down the stretch Wednesday to pull even after surrendering an 11-point lead earlier in the contest.

James drained a three pointer in the fourth to put the Heat in front for good, at 76-73. He scored nine points in the final five minutes.

James also grabbed 10 rebounds as Miami outrebounded Chicago 45-41.

“The series has just started,” James said. “It’s 1-1. We’re excited that we were able to come here and get a win. But it’s just started.”

The Bulls ended game one on a 46-24 run en route to winning the contest 103-82. The Heat limited them to just two points in the final seven minutes in game two.

James also grabbed 10 rebounds while Wade finished with nine rebounds for the Heat, who host Sunday’s game three. Chris Bosh scored 10 points.

Udonis Haslem came off the bench to score 13 points for Miami who defeated the Bulls for the first time this season.

“We got the one that we needed,” Wade said. “Now, we go home and we’ve got to take care of business. This team right here is like us. They can win at home and on the road.”

Derrick Rose scored 21 points but had only two in the fourth quarter for the Bulls. Luol Deng added 13 but had just four after the opening period. Rose and Deng were the only Chicago players to finish in double figures.

Joakim Noah finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Taj Gibson came on strong in the final quarter, scoring all of his eight points.

Carlos Boozer struggled Wednesday sitting out the final quarter after recording seven points and eight boards.

By Sports Direct