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The Chicago Bulls fell just short in Miami as the Heat hung on to take the win on Sunday afternoon.
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This doesn't really need much context. At the conclusion of Sunday night's matchup between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James had a moment. They glanced at each other as the dust was settling, LeBron popping his mouthpiece in-and-out, and had some kind of odd moment.
Whatever the reason, Wade looked LeBron in the eyes and gave him the old "shakin' my head." No idea why, but it's funny no matter.
Kids are the best. Their tendency to get caught up in the moment, combined with their innocence, can lead to hilarious and ironic moments. Like on Sunday, when Carlos Boozer's kids were caught on camera in Miami. Boozer plays for the Bulls, the kids were in Chicago jerseys, but they decided to join in with Heat fans cheering on their team.
It led to the ultimate moment of sports confusion: Chicago Bulls jersey, "Let's Go Heat" chant, all caught on camera.
LeBron James scored 17 points in the first half to help the Miami Heat to a 56-51 halftime lead over the visiting Chicago Bulls. He's had some help, too, with Chris Bosh adding 14 with six boards and Dwyane Wade chipping in six with seven assists.
The Bulls have received 13 and 11 points from Derrick Rose and Rip Hamilton, respectively, but they've shot a combined 8-of-20 to get there. Carlos Boozer, meanwhile, has been outworked by Bosh, scoring just four points in a little over 14 minutes.
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John Lucas has played a scoreless 2:44 ... but he'll still get a spot on the highlight reels by allowing James to jump completely over him for an alley-oop dunk in the first half. And no, that's not an exaggeration. Witness it yourself, as seen on Quickish:
He's not going to forget that for a long time.
For more on Chicago, visit Blog-a-Bull. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.
ABC will broadcasts its first Sunday NBA game since Christmas, giving a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals to the masses as the Chicago Bulls will visit the Miami Heat at 3:30 p.m. ET. It is the first meeting between the two clubs since Miami pummeled Chicago 4-1 last spring to win a trip to the NBA Finals. The Heat fell to the Dallas Mavericks in six games in the championship series.
Both the Bulls and Heat are national TV regulars, and as possibly the league's best current rivalry, it's no surprise they'd be featured in ABC's return to action. The teams are also No. 1 and No. 2 in the East. Chicago leads the conference standings at 17-4, and Miami follows two games back at 14-5.
ABC will broadcast just one game on Sunday, but ESPN will pick up San Antonio Spurs-Dallas Mavericks at 6:30 p.m. ET.
For more on Chicago, visit Blog-a-Bull. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.
When the Chicago Bulls last faced the Miami Heat, expectations were high as Derrick Rose and company had rallied to finish with the NBA's best record and the East's No. 1 seed going into the playoffs. They matched up with Miami in the Eastern finals, and the winner would become the favorite to win the NBA Championship.
But the Heat smoked the Bulls 4-1, winning both games in South Beach and two of three in Chicago. In the series, Rose, the regular season MVP, got his numbers, averaging 23 points and six assists per game. But Miami held him to an effective field goal percentage of just .379, and Rose averaged just under four turnovers per game as the Heat defense controlled the games.
The Bulls didn't seek major upgrades in the abbreviated offseason, adding Rip Hamilton and otherwise keeping the roster static. Miami drafted Norris Cole to help out at the point and signed Shane Battier to provide more defense and deep shooting. Those additions and a healthy Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem have helped Miami survive the injury to Dwayne Wade -- who is now back on the court -- but the Heat still haven't been able to keep pace with Chicago in the East.
Going into Sunday's game, Chicago sits atop the conference at 17-4, two games ahead of the 14-5 Heat. Miami is No. 2 in the conference, just a half-game ahead of surprising Philadelphia and Atlanta. While Miami didn't need home-court advantage against the Bulls in the playoffs last season, they'd certainly prefer it.
Miami and Chicago will meet three more times in the regular season, with the Bulls hosting on March 14 and April 12 and returning to South Beach on April 19. All games will be broadcast on national TV.
For more on the Bulls, visit Blog-a-Bull. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.
Bulls Vs. Heat: Derrick Rose Unable To Lead Chicago To Road Victory
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat put on a pretty incredible performance on Sunday afternoon, but Derrick Rose was unable to hit a game-tying shot as the Heat held on for the victory. LeBron James finished with a double-double as the Heat pulled out a 97-93 victory at home over their Eastern Conference rivals.
The Heat took a five-point lead into halftime, but Chicago kept it close throughout the second half, eventually narrowing the lead to just one point with 49 seconds left in the contest when Rose converted on an and-one attempt. Rose missed a pair of free-throws the next time down the court, however, setting up a second game-winning attempt closer to the final buzzer.
The Bulls receiver their second chance with 9.9 seconds left in the contest, but Rose couldn't convert on a pick-and-roll and Miami was able to hit their free-throw attempts to close out the contest. Rose looked off Richard Hamilton in the corner for a potential game-winner as the reigning MVP pivoted back toward the rim and took a chance to tie the game with a jumper that caromed off the rim.
Rose finished the game with 34 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists, but he wasn't able to get enough help from his fellow teammates as nobody else on Chicago's roster scored more than 11 points. Joakim Noah did his part, however, as he corralled 13 rebounds to go with his 11 points.
The Heat were led by James as he scored 35 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished five assists. Chris Bosh scored 24 points and picked up 12 rebounds himself while Dwyane Wade, the third member of the Big Three, finished with 15 points and seven assists.
For more on Chicago, visit Blog-a-Bull. For more on the Heat, visit Peninsula Is Mightier.
Jan 29 6:31p by Scott Schroeder - 0 comments