Heat wins on Wade's audible
Even though he ended up looking like a genius, Miami coach Eric Spoelstra admitted the game-winning dunk in Thursday's 95-93 decision over the Bulls was a player audible.
Spoelstra said the Heat thought about running a give-and-go to inbounds passer Shawn Marion on their second-to-last possession with 6.5 seconds left. Wade decided to cut toward the basket and the entry pass was stolen by Kirk Hinrich.
After Wade intercepted the Bulls' ensuing inbounds pass with 3.5 seconds on the clock, the next play was designed for Wade all the way.
"We didn't think we had enough time to cut Shawn through there," Spoelstra said. "So we were actually going to hold him there and let Dwyane go. But they read it and Dwyane made a very unselfish play and poised play to not just jack one against two guys but have the poise enough and trust enough to dump it off to Shawn."
Wade, who hit 9 of 23 shots for 24 points, described the ending: "We were really fortunate tonight. We had a great play set up the first time, but Kirk made a really good play on it. Then I was in the right place at the right time to get that steal."
Marion looks back: Miami forward Shawn Marion played Thursday with his left eyelid taped open. He said the lid wouldn't stay open because of a bruised orbit.
Marion was traded from Phoenix to Miami about a year ago for Shaquille O'Neal. Before the game, he was asked if he ever thought former Suns teammate Amare Stoudemire would follow him out of Phoenix. Stoudemire has been linked to the Bulls and Heat in trade talks.
"Everybody's tradable in this league," Marion said. "They said the same thing about me: 'Man, I never thought they would trade Shawn.'
"Things happen. I wish him luck, whatever happens. Amare's a talented player. He's definitely one of the best scoring power forwards in this league. It's just a matter of where he goes and what system he's in, how it's going to work out."
The buzz in Miami suggests the Heat is not likely to land Stoudemire. But Marion, who has a $17 million expiring contract, is probably headed to Toronto with guard Marcus Banks for Jermaine O'Neal.
Bulls play from behind: There was plenty of action in the final 10 seconds of Thursday's game. But the Bulls once again put themselves in a bad spot by falling behind. They trailed Miami by 14 late in the third quarter and by 11 heading into the fourth.
They recovered from a 15-point deficit with 7:30 left to beat Detroit on Tuesday. Against the Heat, the Bulls took an 86-85 lead with 3:17 left, then allowed Miami go on an 8-0 run. Dwyane Wade hit 3 straight baskets to put the visitors up 93-86 with 1:12 left before another Bulls' rally.
"You can't just play one quarter well and expect to beat Miami," Del Negro said. "We had our opportunities. I like the resolve of the guys; I like the fight in them. But we can't afford to dig ourselves holes. What beat us tonight was turnovers."
Bull horns: Center Aaron Gray posted a season-high 12 points, plus 11 rebounds, in the Dec. 26 game at Miami but never got off the bench Thursday. ... Andres Nocioni played despite a bruised calf muscle. He hit just 2 of 10 shots for 7 points..