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Sports / NBA

Heat beat Bulls to reach Eastern final

Published: 17 May 2013 - 04:47 am | Last Updated: 01 Feb 2022 - 04:26 pm

MIAMI: The Miami Heat reached their third straight Eastern Conference final after a 94-91 win over Chicago yesterday secured a 4-1 series victory for the defending NBA champions.

Miami will face the winners of the series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Indiana currently lead 3-1 going into today’s Game Five in New York.

A series that began with a Chicago upset win in Miami and included some fierce, physical encounters, ended with a strange game as Miami blew an 18-point first quarter lead but somehow managed to claw their way back to victory.

“It was very challenging to be up like we were and then to be down like we were in second half. Mentally, we had to not get too high, not get too low in the whole game,” said Miami’s LeBron James, who ended with 23 points.

“Emotionally, this game took a lot out of both teams,” added the league MVP, who said he was left with “no energy”.

The Heat made a blistering start, putting up 10 unanswered points to start the game and upped their advantage to 18 in the first quarter but once again the Bulls fought back.

Miami’s sharp movement of the ball fell away dramatically, as did their shooting, as Chicago, led by the livewire Nate Robinson and powerhouse Carlos Boozer, roared back. Chicago led 53-47 at the half and went into the fourth quarter with a 77-69 advantage but Miami got their second wind when it mattered. A three-pointer from Shane Battier and a Chris Anderson dunk helped Miami close the gap before Norris Cole’s left-handed dunk put the Heat back in the lead with 6:40 left on the clock.

Meanwhile, the Memphis Grizzlies advanced to the NBA semi-finals for the first time in franchise history by beating the top seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 88-84 to take their playoff series in five games. Zach Randolph finished with 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds but missed two late free throws with the Grizzlies holding a two-point lead.

“We got a great win,” Randolph said. 

“They came out blasting and we stood and fought. We kept fighting and now we will get some rest and get ready for the next series.”

Thunder superstar Kevin Durant had a chance to tie the game with the clock winding down but he shot long on an open 15-footer. That allowed Memphis’ Tony Allen to seal the outcome by making his two free throws.

“We knew Kevin would get the ball. Luckily he missed the shot,” Memphis guard Mike Conley said. 

The Grizzlies will meet either the San Antonio Spurs or the Golden State Warriors for the right to go to the 2013 NBA finals. The Spurs lead that quarter-final series 3-2 with the next contest scheduled for today in Oakland, California. 

Conley finished with 13 points, 11 assists and seven boards for the fifth-seeded Grizzlies, who won the final four games of the series after losing game one. AFP