Eastern Conference Finals – Game 5: (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat, United Center
Final Score: Miami 83, Chicago 80- The Bulls played their best game since Game One in this series. Luol Deng sent a thunderous dunk over LeBron James in the first quarter that sparked Chicago to a double-digit lead for most of this game. Chicago led 10 points with three minutes to play. What followed was a shocking and stunning comeback. The Bulls offense went cold and the Heat — especially James — turned things up a notch. Miami finished with an 18-3 run, highlighted by James’ difficult shots and Dwyane Wade’s four-point play. Derrick Rose missed a free throw to tie the game, forcing Chicago to go for three at the end of the game. The Bulls could not get a good shot, ending their season.
- Bulls: Derrick Rose- 25 points, 9-29 field goals, 8 assists.
- Heat: LeBron James- 28 points, 8-19 field goals, 11 rebounds, 6 assists.
- Key Stats: Both teams shot under 40 percent and Miami hit only 26 of its 66 shots in the game. Chicago was 29 for 81. … The big difference then came at the foul line, much like in Game Four. The Heat made 25 of their 33 free throw attempts while the Bulls hit 15 of 21. … Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combined to score 69 of the Heat’s 83 points. Wade had 21 points and Bosh contributed 20.
- “We had to go through the fire again,” Erick Spoelstra said. “But this team has built up a lot of resilience and toughness.”
- “At the end, it’s on me,” Derrick Rose said. “Everything is on me. Turnovers. Missed shots. Fouls. If anything, learn from it. That’s all I can do right now.”
- Game One of the NBA Finals is set for Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The Heat will host the Mavericks in a rematch of the 2006 Finals.
