Some nights, LeBron James is just normal, which means he plays better than most NBA players and not every single one of them. Luckily for him, he’s got a good enough band of teammates at the Miami Heat to make up for these weaker games, and notch up another win that was more about revenge and feeling good than anything else.
A lot was said about LeBron complaining that the Chicago Bulls were a little bit too physical when the two teams last met, as the Bulls ended the Heat’s 27-game winning streak. So Miami bulked up accordingly, and didn’t mind the once again very physical Bulls who kept on sending Heat players to the line while trying to win the game while focusing entirely on three point shooting, not really finding any offensive rhythm against the excellent Heat defense.
James finished with 24 points, adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists as the Heat won 105-93, improving to 64-16 this season. It probably was his final regular season game as well, which is also the same story with Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem and Shane Battier. James started out with 7-7 from the field, but finished by missing his last five field goal attempts, although it really didn’t matter. The Bulls took a 61-60 lead early in the second half. The rest?
Miami went on a 45-32 run, leaving the Bulls to once again wonder what they’re going to do about their lack of creativity on offense, forcing them to settle for tough three after tough three pointer, and making their ability to score in the paint off an actual basketball move quite a rare sighting, still waiting for Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah to return and give them a little bit more options offensively.
For the Heat, Dwyane Wade added 22 points and Chris Bosh had a nearly flawless day on both ends of the floor, scoring 12 points with 6-8 from the field, while adding 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Chris Andersen, probably buoyed by seeing a tiny version of him on the big-screen, tattoos and all, had one of his best games of the season with 15 points, enjoying the freedom Carlos Boozer allowed anyone who got near the rim.
James will finish the season averaging just under 27 points per game, with 8 rebounds, 6.8 assists while shooting over 56% from the field. Yes, you might have guess it, it’ll be the first time anyone has ever done that in an NBA season.