No Rose, no Noah, no problem. The Bulls, who at times resembled the Bears, the way they twice tackled LeBron James, in their extinguishing of the Heat's red-hot roll, six short of the all-time record. However, it wasn't a 3-4 defense, rather a 3-forward offense that got the job done. Jimmy Butler (17 points, 1 stirring slam over Chris Bosh), Carlos Boozer (21 points, 17 rebounds) and Luol Deng (28 points) came up big against the big three. "Wow" was back in the lineup after missing two games, but the wow factor came from those playing for - and in front of - his home city.
Miami had a low number of turnovers (13, five fewer than the Bulls) and a high number of blocks (12), so something was lost in translation for "El Heat*," as they're known during Hispanic Heritage month in The Association, because those stats would suggest a favorable result.
The 1971-72 Lakers can breath a sigh of relief, their streak is safe, although those players have been gracious, not grudging. The same can't be said of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who are known these days for pettiness as much as perfection. No less than the logo, Jerry West, feels the Heat lit an eternal flame, "People will talk about this forever." You can't win them all, but for February and most of March, the Heat did and it sure seemed like they could continue to do so. Yes, the streak is gone, but it also lives on.
*Spanglish, one of the romance-y languages
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