When Dwyane Wade went down with a dislocated left index finger early in Saturday night’s loss to the Wizards, LeBron James wanted to come in and help his teammates.

But Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, looking to rest his Big 3 before the playoffs, “put the plug on me,” James said.

There was nothing that could keep James off the court Sunday night — not even a game that probably won’t mean much for the Heat when it comes to seeding in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Playing with the same intensity he has all season, James put on another MVP-worthy performance on Fan Appreciation Night, finishing with 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Heat rallied for a 97-88 victory that knocked the Houston Rockets out of playoff contention.

The Heat (46-18) still has dim hopes of overtaking Chicago for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. But they need the Bulls (48-16) to lose their final two games — at Indiana Wednesday and home versus Cleveland Thursday. The Heat, meanwhile, must win Tuesday in Boston and Thursday at Washington.

“I love the game and that’s what it’s about,” said James, who scored at least 30 points for the 24th time this season, tying him with Kobe Bryant for the most in the NBA.

“I just like being out there with my teammates, playing the game. I’m happy to contribute to get a win on this homestand.”

With Wade and Chris Bosh sitting out, the Heat fielded its 16th different starting lineup of the season with James starting alongside Norris Cole, Udonis Haslem, James Jones and Dexter Pittman.

Point guard Mario Chalmers also sat out for the first time since Feb. 8 due to flu-like symptoms.

Slow start

And things didn’t start well.

The Heat missed its first six shots and trailed 23-10 in the opening quarter before going on a 17-6 run to take a one-point lead at the half. Mike Miller’s three-pointer with 25 seconds left gave the Heat its first and only lead of the half at 45-44.

Former Florida Gator Chandler Parsons scored a career-high 23 points for the Rockets (33-32) and helped Houston build a 79-73 lead with 6:31 remaining in the game.

But James rallied the Heat, hitting a three-pointer with 2:45 left that put Miami up for good at 86-83. Miller hit a three on the Heat’s following possession to give Miami more cushion.

‘Special season’

James scored 12 points in all in the fourth quarter.

“Kevin Durant and the Thunder have had a great year and played great. I just think LeBron has had a special, special season,” said Heat forward Shane Battier when asked who was deserving of the league MVP. “Some of my boys on Houston [where Battier played before] just shook their heads and said, ‘That guy is animal.’ I’m like: ‘I know. That’s what I’ve been telling you guys.’ ”

Cole finished with 16 points. Joel Anthony, who provided a nice lift off the bench, added 11 points and six rebounds. Miller finished with 11 points on 4 of 12 shooting.

“Those are the kind of wins that coaches like,” Spoelstra said. “Segments of the game that were tough and ugly. We went through spells offensively where the ball was not going in.

“But we were able to stay in it offensively, weather offensive storms and break the game open at the end. Good team win. It was nice to have LeBron back. But other guys stepped up.”

With the win, the Heat concluded their home schedule with a league-best 28-5 record. It is the second-best home winning percentage in franchise history. The .848 win percentage ranks second all-time only to the 35-6 home record (.854) the Heat posted in 2004-05.

MIAMI (AP)

As LeBron James was walking to Miami’s home bench for the final time this regular season, he raised his left arm to acknowledge the roars of another sold-out crowd. And when the obligatory ”M-V-P” chants started up, James waved again.

He’ll be back next weekend, with bigger goals in mind.

James finished with 32 points and eight rebounds, Norris Cole added 16 points and the Heat pulled away in the final minutes to beat Houston 97-88 on Sunday night and eliminate the Rockets from postseason contention.

”It’s very humbling, honestly,” James said. ”The fans have been amazing this year and they’re going to continue to be amazing going into the postseason. … It’s humbling.”

Mike Miller scored 11 for injury-depleted Miami, which still has a mathematical chance of catching Chicago for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Joel Anthony added 11 for the Heat on 5-for-5 shooting.

But James controlled the game, especially late as Miami needed a 31-19 fourth quarter to win its regular-season home finale. The Heat played without starters Dwyane Wade (dislocated left index finger), Chris Bosh (leg muscle fatigue) and Mario Chalmers (flulike symptoms). Backup center Ronny Turiaf missed his seventh straight game while recovering from a hamstring problem.

On this night, they could relax and enjoy.

”I think LeBron is having a historic season,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Chandler Parsons scored a career-high 23 for Houston, which led by as many as 13 in the first half. Parsons tied the game at 83 with a layup late in the fourth, before James’ 3-pointer sparked an 8-0 run that put Miami in control.

Goran Dragic scored 16, while Courtney Lee and Patrick Patterson had 14 apiece for the Rockets. Luis Scola scored 12.

”We had chances,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. ”The game was kind of in the balance at 83-all. They got some separation. LeBron is a hell of a player.”

Houston missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season, even though it won’t finish below .500 in any of them.

”Failure is a horrible word, I don’t like it and I don’t consider it a failure,” Scola said. ”Our goal was to make the playoffs and we are hurt because we couldn’t qualify. But a failure? No, I don’t see it that way.”

It’s unclear if Wade — who after getting hurt on Saturday said he will be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs next weekend — will play in either of Miami’s two remaining regular-season games, at Boston on Tuesday and at Washington on Thursday.

Miami would like to have Bosh and Turiaf back for at least a portion of that road trip, and Chalmers is listed as day-to-day. He was a late scratch from Miami’s starting lineup on Sunday.

And for that matter, James — who sat out Saturday’s loss to rest, though said it wasn’t exactly a refreshing one-day break – might not play again before the postseason starts, either, saying he would like some rest, although Spoelstra said he’ll evaluate the who-plays-and-who-doesn’t issue daily.

So it was yet another pieced-together starting lineup that Miami sent to open the game, the 16th different one for the Heat this season — and their seventh in their last seven games.

And things didn’t start well.

The Heat missed their first six shots and trailed 23-10 after Scola made a hook shot with 3:54 left in the opening quarter. Houston’s lead was still double digits at 38-28 with 6:59 remaining until halftime, before Miami used a 17-6 run to take a one-point lead at intermission. Miller’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds left gave the Heat their first — and only — lead of the half, 45-44.

Parsons had his second-best scoring quarter of the season in the third, finishing with 12 of Houston’s 25 as the Rockets took a 69-66 lead into the fourth. Back and forth it went, the game being tied on four separate occasions in the final quarter, the last of those coming when Parsons drove on James for a layup and his 23rd point, setting the season best for the rookie.

”Fortunately, I hit shots,” Parsons said. ”My teammates got me open. I just hate losing so at the end it doesn’t matter how well I played. A loss is a loss.”

Playing back in his home state for the first time as a pro, Parsons finished 10 for 13 from the floor. He spent four seasons at Florida, appearing in 142 games and averaging 10.2 points before the Rockets grabbed him in the second round of last year’s draft.

”It was great,” Parsons said. ”I had a lot of family and friends here. You always want to play well for them but at the end of the day you want to get the win. It was a good learning experience and it’s exciting to be back in Florida.”

After that last tie, James took aim from the left wing and hit a 3-pointer over Parsons to put Miami up for good. And following a steal by Shane Battier, Miller added another 3 from the right corner 24 seconds later to give the Heat what was then their biggest lead at 89-83.

”Those are the kind of wins that coaches like, when there’s segments of the game where it’s just tough and ugly,” Spoelstra said. ”We went through a few spells offensively where the ball was just not going in. and we stayed in it mentally.”

NOTES: Miami finished the regular season 28-5 at home, the second-best percentage in team history. The Heat will finish no worse than tied for the NBA lead in home wins this season. … Houston’s Kyle Lowry did not play and is expected to sit the Rockets’ regular-season finale against New Orleans as well. He missed 15 games after the All-Star break because of a bacterial infection and struggled since returning. … Udonis Haslem had a game-high 11 rebounds for Miami.

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.”

MIAMI—

The debate has come up repeatedly since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade became teammates.

Which player takes the last shot?

After a season and a half together, the answer is just as cloudy.

Both say it varies each game, but also are getting into the habit of looking for teammates in crucial situations. It’s happened twice in the last week, with James or Wade finding Udonis Haslem or Chris Bosh for late-game shots.

Bosh and Haslem had key buckets in the final two minutes of Wednesday’s victory against the Atlanta Hawks.

If Saturday’s game against the Indiana Pacers should come down to a last-second shot, it’s not a given James or Wade will take it.

“You think about the other night Chris Bosh shooting 2 for 13 at the time and you feel confident enough to get him the ball and him making a big shot when he’s not having a good night shooting,” Wade said.

“UD, in almost the same situation. … You’re just trying to show your teammates how much confidence you have in them, especially guys that don’t get as many opportunities as you.”

James said it depends on the situation. He’s taken several game-winning shots, but passed to Haslem in last week’s loss at the Utah Jazz.

“I mean, at times you need ‘hero ball’ if that’s what they call it,” James said.

“A lot of the big shots in big games have come from hero ball. [Michael] Jordan has made shots in what you call hero ball. He’s also made the play where he passed to John Paxson or he passed to Steve Kerr. It all depends what the game is like.”

Pittman sits

Second-year center Dexter Pittman did not practice Friday after aggravating a shoulder injury against the Hawks.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Pittman was sidelined for precautionary reasons and that he is expected to play against the Pacers.

“We’re just trying to make sure that it’s fully recovered,” Spoelstra said. “He’ll be able to play. We didn’t want to have a setback.”

Pittman initially sustained the injury Feb. 12 when he collided with Hawks center Erick Dampier.

Late-game execution

The Heat have continued to silence critics of their play in the closing minutes.

Last year it was a concern because they lost so many games by five points or less. Many pointed toward their inability to execute offensively down the stretch.

MIAMI—

Heat forward Chris Bosh was just a kid when the “Bad Boys” Detroit Pistons were dominating the NBA during the late 1980s.

Although the Heat are nowhere near that level, they are playing with more force this season and have shown they are unafraid when things gets physical.

It’s an area where the Heat say they have made great strides since the team was assembled last season.

“We don’t make a deal out of it really,” Bosh said.

“We don’t say, ‘Hey, we’re going to be tough today.’ Scuffles happen throughout the course of the season. There are going to be scuffles. Nobody is going to [fight] on the court. It’s too expensive.”

The Heat have had two on-court incidents where play had to be stopped because of tempers flaring.

Last week, LeBron James shoved Los Angles Lakers center Troy Murphy, causing officials and coaches to separate players from opposing teams. The mini-skirmish last only a few seconds, and no technical fouls were called.

The play preceded Wednesday’s minor altercation between James and Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia.

They became entangled on the ground, with Pachulia grabbing James. The two were separated before the situation heightened, but players from both sides came to the defense of their teammates.

Afterward, James described the incident by saying “I stopped playing football a long time ago,” but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it’s a sign of the team embracing when it has to play physical.

“We’re not afraid of physical games,” Spoelstra said

“We play Eastern Conference basketball. … We have physical players. We have guys that don’t shy away from those type of contests. They’re feisty and competitive players to the brink, but not past the brink.”

The Heat have fought critics who said they were a finesse team. This year, Spoelstra unveiled a new offense themed after the Oregon Ducks, an attack that uses speed more than power. Last year TNT analyst Charles Barkley referred to them as “soft.”

When speaking of the Heat’s toughness, Barkley at the time said, “You don’t see that on the Miami Heat. You don’t say ‘this is going to be a hard night on us.’ “

The Heat have since quieted the talk.

Spoelstra said the criticism of their toughness was unwarranted last season. He felt the team has never feared playing physical.

He listed James, Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers as some of the Heat players who have no problem when basketball becomes a contact sport. Rookie point guard Norris Cole has also drawn praise for his tough play.

“Again, that’s somebody else’s truth,” Spoelstra said.

“I think if you ask teams that we’ve played against, even last year, and I don’t’ think people would describe us as soft. We’re a physical, defensive team. That hasn’t changed from last year to this year. They’re not afraid of it. We know how we want to play and that’s to be an aggressive, physical team defensively. It’s been that way for a while.”

The Heat have shown their grit on several occasions this year.

Earlier this week, James took a charge on Hawks center Erick Dampier. Shane Battier has always had a reputation of being physical defender, and Dexter Pittman has displayed a mean streak of late.

Bosh said physical play has been one of the most important improvements from last season, calling it just as key as enhanced chemistry and familiarity.

“We kind of know what to expect,” he said.

“When you go through certain situations more than once, you’re going to get better. I guess people just see the flash, the points and the alley-oops but there are other things you can get better at. I think just being a tougher team, being tough on the boards and tough on defense, I think that’s more important than anything. We just have to send a message that we’re the team to beat every night.”

What’s most impressive is how the Heat have controlled their newfound aggression. The tough play has rarely led to anything other than a brief tussle.

“It’s part of the game,” Haslem said. “We’re not a team that goes out there and starts anything but we’re not going to back down. If it gets to that point, a little pushing and shoving, we’re definitely going to fight back and stand up for one another.”

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CBSSports.com wire reports
March 7, 2012

MIAMI — There was a moment in the final seconds where LeBron James was waving his arms, motioning for another sellout Miami Heat crowd to quiet down so Dwyane Wade could shoot free throws in peace.

For much of the game, it was the Atlanta Hawks keeping them quiet — until the Heat perked up just in time.

James had 31 points and 11 rebounds, Wade added 18 points and set up Udonis Haslem for an alley-oop dunk with 12 seconds left, and the Heat rallied to beat the Hawks 89-86 on Wednesday night.

“We needed one of these games,” James said. “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.”

Miami won its 11th straight at home and had to come from 10 points down in the third quarter to extend that streak. Another Heat streak ended — it was Miami’s first time since April 6, 2006, without making a 3-pointer, a span that included 455 regular-season games and 60 more in the playoffs.

The Heat were 0 for 10 from beyond the arc.

“Sometimes you have to win them ugly,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And that was ugly there for a while.”

Josh Smith scored 23 for the Hawks, who were without Joe Johnson and Tracy McGrady, among others. Jannero Pargo had a look at a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it hit the rim and bounced away.

“He had a decent look at it. It just didn’t go down,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “We had an opportunity, but we squandered it away.”

Jeff Teague scored 16 and Jerry Stackhouse added 10 for the Hawks. The Heat only had two players in double figures, with Chris Bosh managing only nine points on a 3 for 14 shooting night.

Pargo’s three-point play with 30.5 seconds left got the Hawks within 85-84, but on the next Miami possession, Wade found Haslem at the rim to push the lead back to three. A layup by Vladimir Radmanovic with just under four seconds left got Atlanta within one, but Wade — who also had nine rebounds and six assists — made a pair of free throws with 2.7 seconds left, with James asking for quiet.

“We stuck with it until we eventually got the lead,” Wade said. “And we were able to hold on and get a good win.”

The Hawks twice led by 10 points in the third quarter, the first coming on a 3-pointer by Kirk Hinrich, the other when Smith made a pair of free throws with four minutes left to give Atlanta a 65-55 edge.

Then things got heated.

And the Heat needed the boost.

Miami went on top after a 13-0 run, a spurt that really started to roll when Wade stole the ball from Teague, got a pass back from Mario Chalmers and threw down a dunk that went halfway through the net, hit his chest twice as he held on to the goal — then finally fell through the net.

Atlanta turned the ball over four straight times, and not only were the Hawks losing the ball, they were losing their cool. During one scrum, Zaza Pachulia grabbed onto James’ head, earning both a personal foul and a technical foul as players from both sides got testy with one another and even Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton — sitting courtside — feigned wanting to run on the court to join in the fun.

Chalmers and James combined to make two free throws, and the Heat lead was at 68-65.

“I stopped playing football a long time ago,” James said. “But I still have football traits.”

Wade blocked a 3-point try by Stackhouse with 16 seconds left in the third, Shane Battier swatted away an attempt by Ivan Johnson on the final play of the quarter, and the Hawks scored only six points in a span of 10 minutes, 12 seconds stretching into the fourth quarter.

But when Atlanta snapped out of it, with Teague making two layups in a 21-second span, it was suddenly a game again, with the Heat up only 77-75. Another basket by Teague tied it, and Smith’s 3-pointer with 3:29 left put the Hawks back on top.

“We’re steadily growing each and every day,” Smith said. “We’re starting to put consistent games together where we’re playing together. We’ve been unselfish. We have to limit our turnovers more, especially down the stretch.”

Miami scored the next six, Haslem’s jumper with just over a minute to go giving the Heat an 83-80 lead.

“They put that team out there as a world-beater,” Stackhouse said. “We came in here and competing with them just as well as much as anybody else and we felt we should have won the game.”

Notes

• James passed Rick Barry for 55th on the NBA’s career scoring list. At his current pace, James would catch No. 50 Isiah Thomas in early April.
• Wade, James and Bosh are the first three teammates to all eclipse the 250 field-goal mark this season.
• Wade made the 4,000th free throw of his career in the game.
• The Hawks led 45-43 at the half, despite Miami being whistled for only two fouls and Atlanta not shooting a single free throw. The Hawks’ first trip to the foul line came with 9:06 left in the third.
• Smith tried 12 shots in the first quarter, something only Michael Beasley, Kobe Bryant and DeMarcus Cousins had done this season.