Bosh drives Heat over Bulls in Game 3

MIAMI -- For the second time in three games, Chris Bosh had a monster night against the Chicago Bulls.

Unlike the first, this one paid off with a win.

And the Miami Heat is two victories from its first trip to the NBA Finals since 2006.

Bosh scored 34 points and LeBron James added 22 points and 10 assists as the Heat remained unbeaten at home in the postseason by beating the Bulls, 96-85, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals last night.

Dwyane Wade added 17 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which is 7-0 at home and handed the team that finished with the NBA's best record its first losing streak since Feb. 5-7. Udonis Haslem sealed it with a jumper with 1:29 left that put Miami ahead 93-84.

Bosh scored 30 points in Game 1 against Chicago, a game in which Miami was embarrassed, 103-82. The Heat won the next two games and trailed for only 3:22 in Game 3.

"I just wanted to be aggressive and just have some kind of imprint on this series," said Bosh, playing in the conference finals for the first time. "I had an aggressive Game 1, Game 2 was so-so, but we still won. But out here on the home floor, I just wanted to be aggressive, and it turned out to be a good game."

A really good game. It was five points shy of his postseason career best.

Carlos Boozer finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago, which had won the first four meetings of the season with Miami. Derrick Rose had 20 points but struggled from the field again, shooting 8-for-19.

Taj Gibson had 11 off the bench for Chicago.

Boozer made a pair of free throws with 6:39 left to get Chicago within 78-74. But Miami scored nine straight points to build more than enough of a cushion.

Bosh and Boozer exchanged words and looks more than once, but Bosh ended up with the upper hand.

"All I care about is winning games," Bosh said. "And we do whatever it takes to get that."

How good was Miami's defense down the stretch? Bulls center Joakim Noah tried a 5-footer with 4:25 left -- and shot it over the backboard.

Game 4 is Tuesday night in Miami.

Predictably, given the scene and the stakes, there was an abundance of energy from tipoff.

James, Wade and Rose all tumbled into courtside photographers while trying to make plays in the first five minutes.

Rose finished the first half with no assists, just the 11th time in his career that's happened. He did have 11 points by intermission, when Miami led 43-40 -- meaning it held Chicago to 69 points in a 48-minute span dating to the midpoint of Game 2.

And James, who was the MVP in 2009 and 2010 before Rose took the trophy this season, shot only 3-for-8 in the first three quarters. He did have 10 assists by the end of the third.