2011 NBA Finals Schedule
BEST OF SEVEN (2-3-2)
| Date | Matchup | TV Network | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, May 31 | Mavs vs. Heat | ABC | 9 ET |
| Thursday, June 2 | Mavs vs. Heat | ABC | 9 ET |
| Sunday, June 5 | Heat vs. Mavs | ABC | 8 ET |
| Tuesday, June 7 | Heat vs. Mavs | ABC | 9 ET |
| Thursday, June 9 | Heat vs. Mavs* | ABC | 9 ET |
| Sunday, June 12 | Mavs vs. Heat* | ABC | 8 ET |
| Tuesday, June 14 | Mavs vs. Heat* | ABC | 9 ET |
LeBron James leads Heat into NBA Finals
LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami to win a championship. Well, now they have their shot.
James scored 28 points, Wade added 21 and they both led a furious rally in the final minutes as the Heat eliminated Derrick Rose and the Bulls with an 83-80 win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night.
James and Wade took over down the stretch, scoring eight points each during a game-ending, 18-3 run as Miami wiped out a 12-point deficit to win the series.
Now the Heat are headed back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2006 - and, in an odd twist, they'll be facing the Mavericks, whom they beat in six games that year.
Miami will host Game 1 on Tuesday.
"There's no sense of relief right now," James said. "We've still got work to do. We'll look at this moment tonight, have a little bit of time tomorrow to go over this moment, what we just accomplished. But we get ready for Dallas very soon. We don't take for granted this win and take for granted being Eastern Conference champions."
Even so, this is exactly where the Big Three intended to be right from the start. The Heat had their difficulties along the way, including a five-game losing streak in March, but look at them now.
They just knocked off the team that won more games than any other in the league this season and sent expectations soaring around Chicago in a way not seen since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were collecting championships.
"We had to go through a lot of adversity," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That struggle that we went through in March, where we lost five straight ... that helped us. As painful as that was, we had to go through that fire together to be able to gain the confidence where we could be successful now in the postseason."
Rose led Chicago with 25 points but hit only 9 of 29 shots. He fouled Wade on a key four-point play and missed a potentially game-tying free throw with 26.7 seconds left.
"At the end, it's all me," Rose said. "Turnovers, missed shots, fouls. The series is over."
James also had 11 rebounds and six assists. Wade's late surge helped negate his nine turnovers. Bosh added 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bulls looked like they were in good shape leading 77-65 with about three minutes left, but Wade started the deciding run with a runner and layup. James hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 77-72 with 2:07 left. Rose then scored on a spin move in the lane, but he fouled Wade as he nailed a three, resulting in a four-point play.
Then, after a miss by Rose, James tied it 79-79 with a three with 1:01 left, sending a loud groan through the arena.
James buried another jumper to put Miami ahead 81-79 with 29.5 seconds left. Rose immediately was fouled by James, but he missed the second free throw after making the first.
Bosh's two free throws pushed the Heat ahead by three. The Bulls had one more chance to tie it, but Kyle Korver got doubled up top and passed to Rose on the wing. His three-pointer was blocked by James, with Udonis Haslem doubling him as time expired.
NBA Finals
Mavs vs. Heat
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