Bulls snatch Game 1 vs Heat in East Finals
CHICAGO — Derrick Rose scored 28 points and Luol Deng contained LeBron James as the Chicago Bulls struck first in the Eastern Conference finals, pulling away to beat the Miami Heat 103-82 in Game 1 on Sunday.
The Bulls are off to a good start in this series after sweeping the Heat during the regular season. They went on a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth. As the final minutes ticked away, fans could not contain themselves, chanting “Over-rated!” and “Beat the Heat!”
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Chicago, and they’ll certainly take another performance like this.
Rose settled down after committing three early turnovers and showed why he is the MVP. He hit three 3-pointers and the Bulls converted 10 of 21 in all.
Deng had 21 points. He hit four 3s, had four steals, seven rebounds and simply put the clamps on The King, holding James to 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Carlos Boozer added 14 points and nine rebounds. Joakim Noah had 14 rebounds and the Bulls pounded the Heat on the glass, 45-33. Chris Bosh led Miami with 30 points and nine rebounds. Dwyane Wade scored 18 points, but the Heat simply were overmatched down the stretch. Thunder 105, Grizzlies 90
At Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant bounced back from his worst playoff performance ever to score 39 points and Russell Westbrook had his first playoff triple-double as Oklahoma City beat Memphis in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference finals.
Fans started chanting “We want Dallas!” in the final minute. The Thunder will start the Western Conference finals Tuesday night against the Mavericks, just down Interstate 35.
Durant, the NBA scoring champion the past two seasons, followed the lowest-scoring game of his two postseason appearances with one of his best. He heated up in the second quarter after an entertaining exchange with his mother, put the Thunder in control late in the third, then put it away with a pair of two-handed slams in the fourth. Westbrook, criticized throughout the playoffs for taking too many shots, was at his all-around best with 14 points, matching his season-high with 14 assists and producing extra possessions with 10 rebounds.
Mike Conley led Memphis with 18 points, and Zach Randolph was limited to an inefficient 17 points and 10 rebounds. Randolph averaged 28.3 points and 14.7 rebounds in the Grizzlies’ three wins in the series.
