MIAMI—

Next stop, Chicago.

Finding clarity instead of extended rest, the Miami Heat now have a definitive destination for the franchise’s fourth appearance in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Chicago Bulls took care of that with Thursday night’s 93-73 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena, in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Taking that series 4-2, the Bulls will host the Heat on Sunday night at the United Center in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.

Chicago secured that advantage by finishing four games ahead of the Heat during the regular season, including a 3-0 regular-season sweep achieved by a combined margin of eight points.

“Obviously, it’s the next step, so we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after Thursday’s victory.

Just as Heat players tuned in Thursday, so did the Bulls on Wednesday night, when the Heat closed out the Boston Celtics 4-1 in the other East semifinal with a 97-87 victory.

“We all knew they were going to be better in the playoffs,” Bulls forward Luol Deng said. “The season is so long; you have ups and downs. But they have great players.

“When it comes down to locking down and focusing, you’re going to get their best. That’s really where Miami is at right now.”

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who ended the two-year run of Heat forward LeBron James as NBA Most Valuable Player, said he was duly impressed with the Heat’s performance.

“They put on a show at the end of the game. It was exciting,” Rose said of the Heat’s 16-0 game-ending run against the Celtics on Wednesday night, with James scoring the final 10 points of that surge. “They’ve been playing well. It’s hard to stop them when those guys got it going.”

Thursday, it was the Bulls who looked unstoppable.

“It’s going to be a great matchup,” said Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer, who led the Bulls with 23 points and 10 rebounds Thursday. “We look forward to it, and it’ll be fun.

“They just got done beating a championship-caliber team in Boston.”

Of the Heat possibly being viewed as the favorite despite being the road team, Rose said following Thursday’s game, “We’re fine with that. We put a lot of work in this year. To us, we’re not here by surprise.

“We know we have something special in front of us.”

Had the Bulls lost Thursday, the Heat would have been idle until Wednesday. Instead, the East finals will have extended breaks between the first three games, with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday at the United Center and then Game 3, the first at AmericanAirlines Arena, not scheduled until Sunday, May 22. Only then will the series revert to the typical every-other-night schedule starting with Game 4 on May 24 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

If nothing else, the schedule takes into account the typically late-arriving South Florida crowds, with the three games scheduled for AmericanAirlines Arena, including the May 28 Game 6, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. tip-offs.

Although the Bulls swept the three-game season series, each game was competitive.

MIAMI—

Next stop, Chicago.

Finding clarity instead of extended rest, the Miami Heat now have a definitive destination for the franchise’s fourth appearance in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Chicago Bulls took care of that with Thursday night’s 93-73 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena, in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Taking that series 4-2, the Bulls will host the Heat on Sunday night at the United Center in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.

Chicago secured that advantage by finishing four games ahead of the Heat during the regular season, including a 3-0 regular-season sweep achieved by a combined margin of eight points.

“Obviously, it’s the next step, so we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said after Thursday’s victory.

Just as Heat players tuned in Thursday, so did the Bulls on Wednesday night, when the Heat closed out the Boston Celtics 4-1 in the other East semifinal with a 97-87 victory.

“We all knew they were going to be better in the playoffs,” Bulls forward Luol Deng said. “The season is so long; you have ups and downs. But they have great players.

“When it comes down to locking down and focusing, you’re going to get their best. That’s really where Miami is at right now.”

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who ended the two-year run of Heat forward LeBron James as NBA Most Valuable Player, said he was duly impressed with the Heat’s performance.

“They put on a show at the end of the game. It was exciting,” Rose said of the Heat’s 16-0 game-ending run against the Celtics on Wednesday night, with James scoring the final 10 points of that surge. “They’ve been playing well. It’s hard to stop them when those guys got it going.”

Thursday, it was the Bulls who looked unstoppable.

“It’s going to be a great matchup,” said Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer, who led the Bulls with 23 points and 10 rebounds Thursday. “We look forward to it, and it’ll be fun.

“They just got done beating a championship-caliber team in Boston.”

Of the Heat possibly being viewed as the favorite despite being the road team, Rose said following Thursday’s game, “We’re fine with that. We put a lot of work in this year. To us, we’re not here by surprise.

“We know we have something special in front of us.”

Had the Bulls lost Thursday, the Heat would have been idle until Wednesday. Instead, the East finals will have extended breaks between the first three games, with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday at the United Center and then Game 3, the first at AmericanAirlines Arena, not scheduled until Sunday, May 22. Only then will the series revert to the typical every-other-night schedule starting with Game 4 on May 24 at AmericanAirlines Arena.

If nothing else, the schedule takes into account the typically late-arriving South Florida crowds, with the three games scheduled for AmericanAirlines Arena, including the May 28 Game 6, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. tip-offs.

Although the Bulls swept the three-game season series, each game was competitive.

The simple act of straightening his leg caused Heat guard Dwyane Wade severe pain Monday.

Discomfort persisted Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Wade watched as his team lost an important game to the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Thursday, Wade indicated he could have played against the Bucks but didn’t want to be a “liability” on the defensive end of the court.

The point is this: Days matter more than games at this point in the regular season. With the playoffs fast approaching, health means more than a loss, playoff seeding and potential home-court advantage in the second round of the postseason.

Four games — nine or 10 days — remain until the Heat begins the playoffs. Miami (54-24) plays the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday at AmericanAirlines Arena. It’s the Heat’s second-to-last home game of the regular season and Wade, who bruised his thigh Sunday against the Nets, didn’t know Thursday if he would be ready for a return to the court.

What Wade does know: He’s ready for the playoffs to start.

On Thursday inside the Heat’s practice facility at AmericanAirlines Arena, Wade jokingly asked reporters how many games were left in the regular season. In other words, he has playoff fever.

“How many games?” Wade said. “Four? Five? Please bring them on. Let’s get them over with and get to the playoffs.

“We’re ready.”

Wade didn’t practice with his team Thursday but did participate in a few exercises to test the strength of his leg, which he said has lacked “explosion” since colliding with Nets reserve Travis Outlaw. Wade injured his thigh in the first half against the Nets and returned to finish the game after being evaluated by the Heat’s training staff.

The next step in Wade’s return will take place Friday morning before the team’s shootaround. If the thigh bruise responds well overnight, then Wade might be available. If not, he will watch his team from the bench once again.

“Monday, I wasn’t positive at all about even Friday, that’s how much pain I was in,” Wade said. “But [Wednesday] was a good day treatment-wise and [Thursday] I woke up feeling even better, so it’s been progressing every day — it’s better and better. It’s just about when I feel I can get out there and do the things I do.”

The Heat struggled Wednesday without its star guard, who is third in the NBA in scoring (27.5 points a game). Miami shot 40.5 percent and, defensively, allowed the Bucks to gain confidence throughout the game with open driving lanes to the basket. Milwaukee finished with 42 points in the paint.

“Sometimes we take the hard way,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “[Wednesday] night was the hard way. So we had to come back, watch some film, learn from our mistakes, get back together and get ready for a win.”

The Heat entered Thursday a half game behind the Celtics for second in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics played the Bulls on Thursday night in an important game, but Wade said the game’s outcome would not have an impact on whether he returns against the Bobcats on Friday.

The Celtics, 3-0 against the Heat, hold a playoff tie-breaker if both teams have identical records at the end of the regular season.

“We’re just ready to get to the playoffs and ready to get to that time of the year — what we all came together for,” Wade said.

MIAMI—

LeBron James requested privacy. His boss, though, knows better.

Not this season. Not with a roster that features James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and the constant glare of national exposure.

So in the wake of the arrest of James’ mother, Gloria Marie James, over an early-morning dispute with a valet-parking attendant at Fontainbleau Hotel on Miami Beach, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spent Thursday discussing distractions.

“A lot of times there’s some topics or storylines that are out there that we have to address,” Spoelstra said, “but it has steeled us to the point that we understand we’re the voices that matter, the guys in the locker room, we’re the family, we’re the brotherhood.”

While players attempted to keep the conversation on the playoff race and team issues, such as Wade’s recovery from the thigh injury that sidelined him from Wednesday’s loss to the visiting Bucks, the focus following Thursday’s practice was the episode that left James’ mother charged with simple battery and disorderly intoxication.

“It’s a sensitive subject. It’s a personal matter and it’s being taken care of,” the Heat All-Star forward said of the incident involving his mother. “It is my life and there’s certain things you have to do deal with.

“The people around me are helping me and are helping her and we’ll be fine.”

James made it clear he was not with his mother at the time.

“No sir, I was at home,” he said. “Tough game last night, I decided to get my rest.”

Teammates offered their support.

“You understand in life things happens, whether you’re in the limelight or not, you’re always going to have family things that’s going to happen and you’re going to have to tend to ‘em and you’re going to have to deal with ‘em,” said Wade, who has endured a messy and very-public divorce and child-custody case over the past two years. “Our job in here is just continue to focus on each other, focus on being who we are, doing what we always do, that’s come in enjoying basketball, enjoying each other, making each other laugh.

“And if someone needs you, if you see someone needs your support, you be there for them.”

Bosh said it is essential that the gym remain a refuge.

“This is a place for basketball,” he said amid the questions about Thursday’s incident. “That’s how we always handle it.”

The incident occurred just before 5 a.m. The Heat lost 90-85 to Milwaukee at AmericanAirlines Arena in a game that ended just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“A lot of these other things are ancillary distractions if we let them be,” Spoelstra said. “If we don’t, then we can focus on what’s real.”

Spoelstra said it has become easier to move beyond distractions because of the intense focus on his team these past few months.

“I met with every single player during the offseason,” he said. “As a coaching staff, we talked about it. We knew there would be heightened speculation and interest about our team, both negative and positive.”

“We talked about how we keep it about us and what’s real and what’s not real. And the majority of those things are not real.”

Thursday, though, was real, at least the unexpected media crush on the practice court.

“Now,” Spoelstra said to the assembled mass, “did we anticipate that it would be to this extent? Probably not. But after the first month of the season, once we got our bearings with it, we were able to adjust and in many regards it’s helped us.”

James patiently answered each question about the incident, with Wade insisting the team remains focused on next week’s start of the NBA playoffs.

“Our team is fine,” Wade said. “We’re together. We understand that things are going to happen. We haven’t had that many issues here.”

iwinderman@tribune.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat.

Chris Bosh called them “bro hugs.”

Moments after Thursday’s game, the Heat’s star players wrapped their arms around one another to celebrate a hard-fought victory over the Lakers and the end of a five-game losing streak. From tears of frustration to hugs of joy, it has been an emotional week for the Heat. The encore: The next eight days could be just as dramatic.

It starts on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies, who defeated the Heat earlier this season. It was a memorable game. Rudy Gay scored the winner at the buzzer with a fade-away shot over LeBron James. Minutes earlier, Heat forward Udonis Haslem was carried off the court by teammates after sustaining a serious foot injury.

A home game against the Grizzlies might not register as strongly on the hype meter as a visit from the Lakers, but Memphis is playing well. Already this month, the Grizzlies — currently eighth in the Western Conference standings — have earned victories over the Spurs, Mavericks and Thunder.

After Memphis, the Heat concludes its six-game home stand with games against the Spurs and Thunder. Following those difficult tests, the Heat completes its weeks-long gauntlet of games against teams with winning records with an away-home back-to-back against the Hawks and Nuggets.

In other words, the Heat — 2-6 in its last eight games — can’t afford to cruise into the playoffs just yet. With a challenging set of games awaiting the team, the Heat tempered its important win against the Lakers on Thursday night with a measured perspective.

“It’s one game,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We certainly wanted to get over this initial hump. We have to keep moving forward. The important thing about going through a stretch like that is that the guys did not collapse.”

James sarcastically joked after the game that the victory against the Lakers was “great” but did nothing to improve the Heat’s record (5-13) in games decided by five points or less because the Heat won by six points.

“I think our bench gave us what we needed in them and they made shots,” James said.

“Everyone just did a little extra. Everyone just stayed in the moment and everyone was ready for when their number was called.”

Major contributions from the Heat’s role players on Thursday:

• After going 1-12 from the field and 0-6 from three-point range in losses to the Bulls and Trail Blazers earlier this week, Heat swingman Mike Miller had 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting against the Lakers. He was 2 of 3 from three-point range. Miller also had seven rebounds.

“It was great to see him step up from all this swirl,” Spoelstra said.

“It’s great when people go through all the adversity, speculation and conjecture that’s out there, because that just forces you to focus more.”

• Point guard Mike Bibby made his most substantial contribution since joining the Heat, making two important three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

• Juwan Howard played well in the first quarter after Bosh picked up two quick fouls. Howard also came off the bench in the third and fourth quarters.

• Erick Dampier started at center but Zydrunas Ilgauskas played the most minutes at the position, contributing four points and three rebounds in 25 minutes despite a sore right elbow.

• Now sharing time at point guard with Bibby, Mario Chalmers is playing some of his best basketball of the season. On Thursday, Chalmers was 3 of 6 from three-point range and also had five rebounds.

“When [Wade, James and Bosh] have other options, they don’t have to do everything by themselves,” Chalmers said. “It makes our team a whole lot better.”