Bosh leads Heat past Bulls

MIAMI – Chris Bosh missed his first three shots, and never worried.

He was in rhythm. He was catching the ball where he wanted. And then midway through the first quarter, he finally saw the ball go through the hoop for the first time.

“That was good enough for me,” Bosh said.

And more than good enough for the Miami Heat – who are now two wins away from the NBA finals.

Bosh made 13 of his final 15 shots on the way to a 34-point night, LeBron James finished with 22 points and 10 assists, and the Heat remained unbeaten at home in the postseason by beating the Chicago Bulls 96-85 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday night.

The Heat lead the series 2-1, and the blowout Game 1 defeat in Chicago a week ago seems far, far away for Miami.

“There is absolutely nothing easy in this series,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s still all about enduring, sustaining and finding a way to grind it out.”

Dwyane Wade added 17 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which is 7-0 at home in the playoffs.

Game 4 is Tuesday in Miami.

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 finished with 20 points, but struggled from the field again, making only 8 of his 19 shots.