The Miami Heat’s winning streak halted at 27 Wednesday night, after a 101-97 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Miami finishes six shy of 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers' mark of 33 straight. The Heat finish with the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.
"It's one of the best that this league has ever seen," MVP Candidate LeBron James told reporters. "We recognized that and rightfully so.
"We haven't had a chance to really have a moment to know what we just did," he said. "We had a moment, just very fortunate, very humbling and blessed to be part of this team and be part of a streak like that."
The streak, which began Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, included many close calls. The Heat, who trailed for the entire game, coudn't pull off one late run for a win.
According to ESPN, the win streak included 11 games in which the Heat were down heading intot the fourth quarter.
"It's amazing we avoided this for as long as we did," Shane Battier said according to Sports Illustrated.
The Bulls win was not anything less than impressive. They were without MVP point guard Derrick Rose for the entire season. All-Star center Joakim Noah and guards Rip Hamilton and Marco Belinelli were also out of the lineup.
Luol Deng stepped up with 28 points ,7 rebounds, and 5 assists in the win. Carlos Boozer added 21 points and 17 rebounds. James finished with 32 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in the loss. He also added four blocks.
The game was not without controversy, James drove into the lane and was apparently horse-collared by Taj Gibson. Originally, a flagrant one was called, but was rescinded. On the next bulls possession, James, who seemed frustrated, lowered a shoulder into Boozer, who was setting a screen for Kirk Hinrich.
That was called a flagrant one. Earlier, Hinrich wrapped up James on a fast break, trying to stop him from scoring. The two subsequently fell to the ground. The Bulls also committed a few more hard fouls on James throughout the night.
"Those are not basketball plays and it's been happening all year," James said in a post game interview in the locker room. "I've been able to keep my cool and try to tell Spo, 'Let's not worry about it too much,' but it is getting to me a little bit."
The Heat’s next game is against the Hornets on Friday, at New Orleans Arena. The Bulls will play the Mavericks on Saturday in American Airlines Center.
