TNT’s Ernie Johnson presents the Eastern Conference Championship trophy to the Miami Heat after defeating the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 83-80.
Here are the highlights:
Rematch: Heat v Mavericks NBA Finals
May 26, 2011 By 1 Comment
The Running of the Bulls is over. The supposedly deeper bench and stronger defense was rooted from the ground while Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh put the final dagger in the Bulls to take the deciding game 83-80.
With about three minutes to go, it looked like the Bulls were going to force a Game 6 back in Miami. But the Heat were determined to find a way and a couple of threes by Lebron and a 4 point play from Dwyane Wade was the formula. It took a miracle for the Heat to steal this game, a game they had no business being in while shooting 39% from the field.
The Heat would go on to score 11 points in the final 1:47 of this game to tear the heart out of the Bulls and the city of Chicago.
Now, the Heat finished off dinner and are looking forward to dessert. Which seems to be an old house favorite, a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks.
For now, the Heat will enjoy the plane ride back to Miami having earned to the title, Eastern Conference Champs. In a tumultuous season, which saw them garner undue criticism from the media despite winning 58 games, the Heat are now starting to be where they want to be. They have lost a total of three games in this entire post season and have past the test of beating the best in their way each time out.
Congrats, Miami Heat. You are the 2011 Eastern Conference Champs. Now your work is beginning.
Wade Gives Gritty Performance And Gets Some Help From His Friends in Game 4
May 24, 2011 By 1 Comment
Without having scored a basket in the entire second half, you’d think it would be easy for a star player like Dwyane Wade to get down on himself. Then again, he is not a champion for no reason. Instead, with a turnover, he leads the charge running hip to hip with Derrick Rose and instead of panicking and pulling back, he launches at the rim and lays the ball in the hoop off the glass. Everyone gasps, Wade is ok.
There had to be some whispers because during the game, Dwyane Wade all but disappeared on offense. Defensively, he was sticking to his assignments, helping hold Derrick Rose to a 8/26 performance. He even threw in 3 blocks himself, a huge one coming in overtime when it looked like Derrick Rose was going to get to the rim but instead was met by a Wade right hand – which resulted in Lebron James diving on the floor to gain possession.
Wade started off OT with a block on Rose. Then hit a fall away prayer to get a basket – and get his offense on track. He would go on to score 6 points in OT with 2 huge blocks.
“They told me to stick with it, stick with it. And I did. The game is not won in the first minute, but in the last,” Wade said. He was relentless. The game may not have been pretty, but instead gritty. When it came down to it, Wade dug in and helped his team. He did make huge plays at the end of the game to get the win, but it was his friends that helped carry him to this point.
This is why the Heat assembled the Three Amigos, Run DLC, Miami Thrice. On a night where Wade was off, he could be lifted by his teammates. And so it was Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller – each logging huge minutes. Tonight it was also Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers that helped bring home this win. Only Mike Bibby was the other Heat player to record minutes in this game as coach Erik Spoelstra went to a shortened rotation to steal a win and tear the heart out of the Bulls in OT.
The Heat faced heavy scrutiny all season for the way they brought this team together, but it is nights like this that validate why it was done. Wade was 5/16 on the night, but Lebron was 11/26 and Chris Bosh was 6/12 from the field. Yet it wasn’t just offense but defense that really defined this game. Lebron had to defend Derrick Rose from time to time, showing his versatility and his desire to take on the challenges to get wins in the post season.
Mike Miller probably saved this game. He has been battling back from injury and just working his way into this rotation to be a part of it as envisioned. Tonight, he delivered, with 12 points and 2/5 from three point range. He had a total of 7 points in all of the games in this series. He provided energy and offense to a Heat team verging on a loss.
The Heat got the win 101-93 in OT and take a 3-1 series lead back to Chicago. The story should be how Dwyane Wade was carried through most of this game by his teammates – where he helped deliver the win by making plays despite having an off night. Instead, you will probably hear other story lines: how much fight do the Bulls have left, how did Derrick Rose miss that last shot. But it was Miami who was able to get a true team win tonight – and it came in a pit fight against the Bulls who were fighting for their lives.
Haslem Returns; Heat Take Game 2
May 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I have to admit, I gave up on this team tonight. Not proud of it, and probably another reason why Twitter, Facebook, and the MiamiHeatwave Forum is not a good thing to have access to instantly. Gives you no temperance and patience.
Yet, to be fair, the Heat looked like the same, listless team that played in Game 1 on Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. The Heat offense was predictable, lacked energy. The Bulls defense extra tough, their threes were falling – anything the Heat did in the second half of that game was a disaster.
That is why heading into tonight’s game, you just knew things should have been different. There is no way, I thought, that Dwyane Wade and Lebron James would combine for 33 points again in this series. There is no way this Heat defense would continue to allow the Bulls second and third chance opportunities off of wild tips that fell into Bulls’ hands. But that is the way it was looking after the first quarter.
Then, things changed. Udonis Haslem entered the game. His energy made an impact right away. He only played 23 minutes, but he was 5-10 for 13 points and 5 rebounds. He had a couple of dunks in transition which gave the Heat a lift and the confidence it needed to push for the win on the road.
What is also crucial about Haslem’s contributions is that he provides an experienced, low post presence while also adding depth to the bench. Let’s face it, the Heat’s bench this series thus far has been light. Mike Miller and James Jones have yet to provide any significant scoring of any kind. Mike Bibby was 1-5 from three point range. In fairness, the Bulls have played excellent defense and closing out even the tiniest of spaces, crowding Heat shooters who just can’t get good looks. In fact, the defenses on both sides are so good that one has to feel that whomever emerges from this series, the winner is going to have a pretty good chance of taking the title because of their defensive strengths.
Lebron James came alive at the end of this game and much like he did to close out the Celtics, he hit big shot after big shot to take home the win. It was Haslem’s energy that lifted this team and gave them the zip they needed to get out of the doldrum they were in during the 1st quarter.
And so I ventured back to Twitter, Facebook, the forum, saying yes, I did doubt the team tonight but they gave me reason to doubt. Watching how the Heat managed to win this game despite going scoreless for about 4+ minutes in the fourth, was very encouraging. It wasn’t until Lebron hit a three to break the 73-73 deadlock that the Heat scored – and that was precisely the punch they needed to get going.
Right now, the Heat head back to Miami having beaten the Bulls for the first time this season. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Not to mention, this is the first time the Heat have beaten the Bulls in the playoffs since May 4, 2006 – the first time the Heat ever won a title. If the Celtics series was about beating up on the neighborhood bully, then beating the Bulls is about chasing away the ghosts of the past. And don’t think those ghosts weren’t felt – Scottie Pippen had a seat right by the Heat’s bench.
Now, they’ll all come back to Miami to try and pin up two more wins with the possibility of heading back to Chicago to close it all down.
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