MIAMI, (Reuters) – The star-studded Miami Heat know it is a crying shame they have struggled to win the close games and tears of frustration were shed in the locker room Sunday after their 87-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The Heat, whose signing of free agents LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade last summer raised expectations of a new super team in the NBA, failed at the buzzer again and lost their fourth game in a row as James and Wade missed last-gasp shots. “We’ve got to be stubborn enough to continue to put ourselves in that position and find the resiliency to break through,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters.
“This is painful for every single one of us going through this, there are a couple of guys crying in the locker room.
“It is not a matter of ‘want’ it is a matter of ‘doing’.”
Chicago (43-18), led by 27 points from guard Derrick Rose, moved past Miami (43-20) into second place in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Boston Celtics (46-15).
The pressure has been building on a Miami team that was expected to become an instant juggernaut.
The trio have delivered strong numbers, with James averaging 26.2 points, Wade 25.4 and Bosh 18.3, but have failed to find the chemistry to turn their talents into crunch-time success.
