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Heat Rally To Shock Bulls, Will Play Bucks In First Round

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Jimmy Butler yelled and fell to the floor after making a layup and getting fouled with 2:17 left in the fourth quarter of Friday's Eastern Conference play-in game. This gave the Heat a lead over the Bulls that they would not give up.

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About a minute later in the game, Butler made the pass that led to Max Strus' 3-pointer, which increased Miami's lead during a strong stretch run that helped the Heat win 102-91 and secure the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

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Butler and Strus each scored 31 points, and in the last three minutes of the game, the Heat beat the Bulls 15-1.

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With the win, Miami moved on to the playoffs and will play the Milwaukee Bucks, the top team in the NBA, in the first round. Game 1 starts Sunday in Milwaukee.

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"With two games this week, it feels like we're already in Round 2," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "And now we've just earned the right to start the playoffs."

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But going into the fourth quarter, the Bulls took the lead. But with five minutes left, the score was tied, putting the Heat in a situation they have been used to this season.

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This season, Miami played in 54 close games and won 32 of them, while the Bulls only won 15 close games, the fewest of any of the 20 teams that made the playoffs.

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Even though Bam Adebayo only made one of nine shots from the field and scored eight points, Butler said that he was a key part of the Heat's defense, especially in the last few minutes.

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