The untouchable Miami Heat fell short of history Wednesday night, losing to the Chicago Bulls 101-97. The Bulls took the court minus Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Richard Hamilton but their remaining pieces made it work. Vets Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer led Chicago, finishing with 28 and 21 apiece, and received strong help from Nate Robinson (14 pts, 3 assists) and the ever-exciting Jimmy Butler.
Playing from behind finally caught up with the Heat, who trailed the majority of the game. LeBron paced the Heat with 32 points and 7 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh both held their own weight (21 and 18), but the Big Three got little help from elsewhere on the roster. They were hit especially hard on the inside. Chicago out-rebounded the Heat by 12, allotting them some much-needed second possessions.
What does this mean? The Heat finished six games short of the record held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers but still had a remarkable run. As it relates to this season, the loss probably means nothing. But for those of us who hate being reminded about how good the Miami freaking Heat are, consider the next few weeks before the Heatles inevitable playoff run.