End of the road for Chicago Bulls as LeBron James leads Miami Heat to an 83-80 victory
LeBron James once again flared up a game-high 28 points as the Miami Heat earned a hard-fought 83-80 victory over the Chicago Bulls in game-5 of the Eastern Conference finals at the United Center. With this victory, Miami finally knocked out the Chicago Bulls out of the playoffs and will meet the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association Finals.
The Heat forward also added 11 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, shooting 8-for-19 from the field. Chris Bosh followed King James with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks while Wade chipped in with 21 points and six rebounds for the Heat.
Wade again struggled to find his groove in the first three quarters of the game, but he rose to the occasion when it really mattered the most. With nearly three minutes to go and the Heat trailing by as many as 12, Wade needled a running bank shot. He then made a steal on Rose in the next possession and went coast to coast for a layup. What followed was a procession of jumpers and 3’s by him and LeBron that saw the Heat roll on to a series win.
The league MVP Derrick Rose once again led the Bulls with a game-high 25 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. However, the 22-year-old could not bear the pressure of James in the last minutes of the game. The Bulls guard missed a three-pointer with just seven seconds to go that could send the game into overtime. Rose continued to struggle with his shooting as he hit just 9- of-29 shots.
Forward Luol Deng added 18 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while guard Ronnie Brewer came off the bench with 10 points.
The Bulls controlled the first quarter, leading by as many as six points on the way to a 25-21 lead, going into the second. Chicago continued to play with focus in the second quarter and stretched their lead to 43-34, with 02:33 to go in the halftime. The Heat scored four unanswered point in the next minute to cut the deficit to five. Brewer hit a put back lay-up shot in the last minute of the quarter to put the Bulls ahead by 45-38 at the intermission. Rose scored nine of his points in the third quarter as the Bulls carried a 62-57 lead into the final stanza.
Chicago came out strong in the fourth quarter and took a 77-65 advantage with 03:14 remaining in the game. Miami went on a 7-0 run to trim the deficit to five.
Like the previous three game, Chicago was unable to handle the heat of Miami in the last one and half minute of the game. With just one minute to go in the final buzzer, James hit a sizzling three-pointer to tie the game at 79. He then hit a jump shot to put the Heat ahead by 81-79. Bosh scored two of two free throws to seal the victory for the Miami.
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