Miami romps, takes 3-1 lead
LeBron James scored 27 points and the Miami Heat nearly matched a franchise record for points allowed in a playoff game, pounding the listless and short-handed Bulls, 88-65, on Monday night in Chicago to take a three-games-to-one lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
LeBron James scored 27 points and the Miami Heat nearly matched a franchise record for points allowed in a playoff game, pounding the listless and short-handed Bulls, 88-65, on Monday night in Chicago to take a three-games-to-one lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The 65 points allowed were only two more than the all-time postseason low for a Miami opponent, and it was easily the worst offensive performance by a Chicago team.
Never before had the Bulls scored fewer than 69 in a playoff game or 10 or fewer in a quarter during the postseason, but both those marks fell on a night when they were dominated on both ends of the floor.
Defense, defense
LeBron James and Memphis guard Tony Allen headline the NBA all-defensive first team.
The league announced Monday that Allen received 53 points in the voting, while the Miami Heat star had 52. Each player had 25 first-team votes from the NBA's 30 head coaches.
"We pride ourselves on defense here," said James. "I'm one of the catalysts, as far as taking that side of the ball very seriously.
- Associated Press