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 "I told him that's his paint," Wade said. "You protect it. Block
everything that comes down here."
Message received.
Whiteside notched a triple-double off the bench with 14 points, 13
rebounds and a franchise-record 12 blocked shots, and the Heat
cruised to a 96-84 win against the Chicago Bulls.
Wade scored a game-high 26 points, and center Chris Bosh added 20
for Miami (20-24).
The Heat never trailed after the first four minutes. They shot 45.2
percent (38 of 84) and posted a 54-43 advantage on the boards.
"This was one of our most complete games of the season," Wade said.
Meanwhile, the Bulls continued to search for answers after losing
for the seventh time in the past 11 games. Chicago shot 35.6 percent
(31 of 87) and dropped to 13-11 on its home court.
 Guard Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 19 points. Forward Pau Gasol
notched 13 points and 17 rebounds, and guard Aaron Brooks scored 17
points off the bench for Chicago (29-17).
"We got behind early, played low energy and couldn't come back,"
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.
Wade scored 12 points in the fourth quarter to prevent any hopes of
a late comeback by Chicago. He made six of nine shots while playing
all 12 minutes in the final frame.
"We needed to put the ball in his hands to settle us in the fourth
quarter," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It was getting a little
bit disjointed, so we simplified and put (the ball) in his hands and
let him make the plays from there. In the fourth quarter, you need
your great players to be great, and he was."
Yet Wade's first-half lecture to Whiteside might have been his most
valuable play of the game. Whiteside's 12 blocks marked the most by
any player in the NBA this season.
"I played with Alonzo (Mourning), one of the best shot blockers to
ever play this game," Wade said. "That's the mentality he had: 'I
own this down here. If anybody comes down here, I'm at least going
to make it tough on them to make this shot, or I'm going to block
it.' I was just making sure that Hassan understands that. When he's
down there, nobody can feel comfortable laying it up."
Whiteside said Wade's speech allowed him to refocus.
"I was thinking, 'OK, the refs might call a foul,'" Whiteside said.
"But he was like, 'No, block everything.' I went back to what I do.
That's what I've done my whole life."
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Miami led by as many as 14 points during the third quarter, which it
finished with a 74-62 lead. Rose trimmed the Bulls' deficit to
single digits with a jump shot from the elbow, but Bosh answered
with a turnaround jump shot against Bulls forward Taj Gibson.
Bosh, Wade and guard Mario Chalmers each scored in double digits by
halftime to give the Heat a 48-38 advantage. After the Bulls pulled
within four points, Miami responded with four free throws by forward
Luol Deng and a running layup by Bosh to extend the lead to 10.
Poor shooting plagued the Bulls, who hit 14 of 45 shots (31.1
percent) during a quiet first half that included back-to-back
airballs by guard Kirk Hinrich. Chicago missed 11 of its last 12
shots of the first half and scored four points in the final 5:30.
Miami led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter behind 12-for-23
shooting (52.2 percent).
In some ways, Rose said, the Bulls still were trying to find
themselves as a team.
"It shows," Rose said. "Tonight, if we would have come out and
jumped on them pretty quick, it would have probably changed the
game. It's something we didn't do, and it kind of messed us up at
the end."
NOTES: Bulls F Mike Dunleavy missed his 12th consecutive game
because of an injured right ankle. Dunleavy, 34, could be shut down
until the NBA All-Star break. "To be honest, no one knows," Bulls
coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's doing everything he can." ... Heat
F/C Chris Andersen started in place of C Hassan Whiteside, who came
off the bench because of a recent ankle injury. ... Bulls C Joakim
Noah made his second consecutive start after a four-game absence
because of a right ankle injury. ... Heat F Luol Deng, who spent
nine-plus seasons in Chicago, was honored with a video tribute
during the game. ... The Bulls held a moment of silence before the
game for Chicago Cubs icon Ernie Banks, who died Friday at age 83.
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