Rose says he’ll learn from mistakes

Derrick Rose and the Bulls have all summer to replay the stunning turn of events late in the fourth quarter Thursday night.

Just when it seemed as if the Bulls had found a way to stay alive in the Eastern Conference finals and force a Game 6, Miami’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade said not so fast.

The Heat closed out their fourth straight game with a remarkable 18-3 run to shock the Bulls 83-80.

“We’ll all just have to learn from it and try to get better next year,” Rose said. “We’re definitely sad we lost, but we’ll take a lot from it. We’ll get closer as a team and get better.”

Rose had 25 points but shot 9 of 29 and looked to be worn out at the end of the game.

Rose had 2 turnovers in the final minutes, missed a shot and a critical free throw and had a desperation shot blocked at the buzzer — all the time trying to shake two Miami defenders running at him.

“I wasn’t tired,” Rose said. “I just made some dumb decisions and it cost us the game.”

Rose, like he has done so many times this season, took the blame for the loss even if his supporting cast might have been just as guilty.

“It is what it is,” Rose said. “We ran the plays. They’re a good defensive team. If my teammates were open, they would shoot the ball.

“I told you it’s on me. Everything is on me: turnovers, missed shots, fouls. I’ll learn from it. That’s all I can do now. The series is over.”

In the end the Heat beat the Bulls at their own game, with relentless defense, particularly against Rose.

“I’m going to have to go back to some of the film, because it doesn’t feel like we contained him,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

For the Bulls, shocking doesn’t even begin to describe what transpired after they took a 77-65 lead with 3:14 to play.

Two baskets by Wade made it 77-69 with 2:36 left. Then after a Taj Gibson miss, James drilled a 3-pointer.

A basket by Rose made it 79-72 but proved to be the Bulls’ last field goal.

Wade made the biggest play of the night when he drilled a 3-pointer and was fouled by Rose with 1:30 on the clock. The free throw and 4-point play cut the Bulls’ lead to 79-76. After a Rose miss, James drained another 3-pointer to tie it at 79.

Following a Rose turnover, James stuck a dagger in the heart of the Bulls and their fans with an 18-footer to put Miami ahead with only 29.5 seconds to play in the game.

“We had a nice lead and we let it slip away,” Bulls reserve center Kurt Thomas said. “We had a golden opportunity and we gave it away. It was an amazing three minutes. They got themselves back in the game so quick. They kept hitting big shots.”

Luol Deng had 18 points but shot 6 of 17. Carlos Boozer had just 5 points.

“We made mistakes and they fed off them,” Deng said. “They are a great defensive team and we just need to find ways to win even with that pressure.”