Bulls send Heat to 4th straight defeat

3/7/2011
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIAMI -- The perspectives could not have been more different. Luol Deng either got pushed in the back by Mike Miller on what became one of the final two game-deciding moments or tripped over his own feet stumbling for a rebound.

That point could be argued.

What's inarguable, however, is this: Another final-second opportunity slipped away from the Miami Heat, and the Chicago Bulls -- spurned last summer in their bids to land Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh -- swept all three regular-season meetings from the team that signed them.

The Big 3? They're No. 3 in the East at this point, after Derrick Rose scored 27 points, Deng capped an 18-point effort with two free throws on a hotly debated play with 15.9 seconds remaining, and the Bulls beat Miami 87-86 Sunday to hand the Heat their fourth straight loss.

"The Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games," Wade said. "The world is better now because the Heat is losing."

Carlos Boozer scored 12, and Joakim Noah added 11 for the Bulls, who moved a game ahead of Miami into outright possession of second place in the Eastern Conference. Chicago was down by 12 late in the first half, then became the fourth team since Feb. 24 to erase a double-digit deficit against the Heat.

"We have guys who can close," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Few would say Miami doesn't -- but closing games has been, and continues to be, the biggest Heat challenge.

James had a chance to win it on a drive with six seconds left, missing a contested shot, and Wade's desperation toss from the right baseline bounced away as time expired.

Those were the 12th and 13th consecutive shots that the Heat has missed with a chance to tie or lead a game in the final 10 seconds of regulation or overtime. James has missed four in this four-game losing streak alone.

"I told my team, I'm not going to continue to fail late in games," James said. "I put a lot of blame on myself tonight. I told the guys that I just keep failing them late in games, and I won't continue to do that."

James scored 26 points, Chris Bosh added 23, and Wade had 20 for the Heat.

Miami was down 82-76 with 3:30 left when Rose made a jumper over Miller, before Mario Chalmers led the comeback effort. He hit a 3-pointer to tie it with 1:05 left, then got an easy layup to put the Heat ahead 86-84 with 25 seconds remaining.

With Chicago down by two, Deng made one free throw, missing the second. Noah got a hand on the ball, keeping James and Erick Dampier from grabbing it cleanly, and in the chase for the carom referee Tony Brothers called a foul on Miller for pushing Deng in the back.

Deng went back to the line and made both this time, putting Chicago in front.

"That's the right call," Rose said.

The ball went to James, who drove on Noah and missed a layup from the left block. Wade got the rebound, tried a 15-footer from the baseline that bounced away, and time expired as the Bulls leaped in celebration and Thibodeau punched the air.

In the Heat locker room, some players shed frustrated tears.

"One of these days, we will break through," coach Erik Spoelstra said.