MIAMI: The Miami Heat reached their third straight Eastern Conference final after a 94-91 win over Chicago on Wednesday night 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 Thursday’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.
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.
Still the Bulls kept on scrapping and it was not until Jimmy Butler’s hopeful three-point attempt in the final moments was off-target that Miami could finally celebrate.
Memphis finishes off Thunder
In Oklahoma: The Memphis Grizzlies advanced to the NBA semifinals 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.
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.
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 quarterfinal series 3-2 with the next contest scheduled for Thursday 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.
Oklahoma City made it to the NBA finals last season where they lost to the Miami Heat who also advanced with a win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
The Thunder earned the top seed in the Western Conference postseason, but lost all-star point guard Russell Westbrook in game two of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
Their fate was also sealed after trading away NBA Sixth Man of the Year and Olympic gold medal winner James Harden to the Rockets after last year’s playoff run.
Oklahoma City averaged a mere 89.6 points in the series — 16.1 points less than they did in the regular season.
