Miami Heat knock down the Chicago Bulls 96-85 to go 2-1 up in series – Part 2
Link for Part – 1
http://www.senore.com/Miami-Heat-knock-down-the-Chicago-Bulls-96-85-to-go-2-1-up-in-series-Part1-a70538
After a tightly contested first half, the third quarter saw more of the same as the two teams went toe to toe on each possession. The lead changed hands twice and the scores were tied three times as the Miami Heat and the Chicago
Bulls wrestled for an advantage going into the final period. When a running jump shot from Derrick Rose gave Chicago the lead with 7:33 remaining in the quarter, Miami responded brilliantly.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were the architects, as the Heat went on a 10 -2 run to give themselves a healthy advantage. Soon after, two consecutive shots from Udonis Haslem gave Miami a 9 point lead with just 1:24 left on the clock.
Chicago were having none of it though as they scored 8 points and conceded only two in the last 1:05 of the quarter to shorten the gap and end the period at 65 – 68.
Miami killed off the game in the middle of fourth quarter. With 6:24 on the clock and already leading by 4, the Heat went on a decisive fourth quarter run, the sort that has become a feature of their play this post season. They
scored nine without reply to the utter joy of a packed American Airlines Arena as the Bulls faded away. Chicago just couldn’t get near the Heat afterwards and the game petered out to a close at 96 – 85.
The Chicago Bulls’ point guard and league MVP Derrick Rose was visibly upset after the loss. He wasn’t happy with the effort shown by the Bulls, with this being the second game in a row that got out of their hands in the final
period,
"It's definitely frustrating," Rose said. "Our will wasn't there tonight. They still found a way to win."
It was a strange loss for Chicago. Many of their players performed well and the team shot at a respectable percentage from the field and from the beyond the arc, 41.6 and 41.7 percent respectively. They also outrebounded the Heat
41-to-32, including 13-to-5 on the offensive glass.
However the best defence in the league let in 53 points after the interval, with Miami shooting at an impressive 54.3 percent after the break. The Bulls inability to make stops and get in Miami’s faces drew the wrath of their coach
Tom Thibodeau after the game,
"Rebounding was good," Tom Thibodeau said. "Challenging their shots wasn't."
The win has put the Miami Heat firmly in control of the series at 2 – 1, and with the next game to be played at home court again, they will be confident of going 3 – 1 soon enough. Their coach however warned of any complacency,
saying there is still a long gruelling series ahead,
"There is absolutely nothing easy in this series," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It's still all about enduring, sustaining and finding a way to grind it out."
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