Are you ready for a Mavs-Heat Finals?
Eastern Conference Finals – Game 4: (1) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat, AmericanAirlines Arena
- Final Score: Miami 101 – Chicago 93 (OT)
- Chicago had an 11 point lead early in the game and a six point lead early in the fourth quarter, but Dwyane Wade woke up from a horrible game to take over in the OT scoring six points and blocking two shots. Much like they did to the Celtics in their OT game in the last series, the Heat imposed their will down the stretch in OT… showing an ability to close out a game that they had been roundly mocked for during the regular season. 9 of LeBron James’ 35 points came with 2:10 left in the game and OT. Meanwhile, the Bulls execution down the stretch and overtime was marred by ugly turnovers, rushed plays and a general lack of composure. With eight seconds to play, the Bulls had the ball in Derrick Rose’s hands after a timeout (and a LeBron offensive foul), but they ultimately ran a simple isolation. Rose tried to juke LeBron, but couldn’t… firing a step-back airball to send it into OT.
- Heat: LeBron James: 35 points (11-26 fg) , 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 5 turnovers
- Bulls: Derrick Rose: 23 points (8-27 fg), 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 7 turnovers
- Key Stats: Chris Bosh had a very efficient 22 points on 12 shots. Mike Miller hit for 12 points on 5-8 shooting off the bench and was +36 on the night. Miami hit just two baskets in the OT… one of them a 3 by Corey Brewer. Brewer had only hit six 3’s all season. Joakim Noah had 14 rebounds. Carlos Boozer finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Luol Deng also scored 20. Miami’s Big 3 combined for 71 points. This is the first time all season the Bulls have lost three games in a row.
- “Tonight definitely was on me,” Rose said. “It really was my fault, but I’m going to learn from it.” … “It’s not over,” Rose said. “We still have games to play. We’ve just got to stay positive. They are beatable.”
- “I think I was the only person in the arena that was happy we were in overtime,” Wade said after the Game 4 win. “I knew I had another five minutes to make up for the first 48.”
- “Sometimes effort isn’t enough,” Noah said “You got to do more than that. We had mental lapses. We can’t turn the ball over against this team at all because they get on the break and they’re really tough to stop in that situation.”
- The Heat now lead the series 3-1. Game Five is Thursday night at 8:30 in Chicago on TNT
