Heat Beat Bulls 88-65 In Game 4: LeBron Scores 27 As Miami Takes 3-1 Series Lead (VIDEO)

Chicago Bulls point guard Marquis Teague (25) watches Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) celebrate during the second half in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, Monday May 13, 2013. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/MCT via Getty Images)

CHICAGO -- LeBron James scored 27 points and the Miami Heat nearly matched a franchise record for points allowed in a playoff game, pounding the listless and short-handed Chicago Bulls 88-65 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The 65 points allowed were only two more than the all-time postseason low for a Miami opponent, and it was easily the worst offensive performance by a Chicago team.

Never before had the Bulls scored fewer than 69 in a playoff game nor 10 or less in a quarter during the postseason, but both those marks fell on a night when they were dominated on both ends of the floor.

Miami led by 11 at the half and put this one away in the third quarter, outscoring Chicago 17-9 in the period.

Now the Heat will try to wrap up the series at home on Wednesday night, taking what they hope will be the next step toward a second straight championship.

It's hard to believe the Bulls won the series opener the way the past three games have gone.

Miami pounded Chicago in Game 2, coming away with its most lopsided playoff victory while handing the Bulls their worst ever postseason loss, and the Heat continued to roll from there.

James had his usual complete game with eight assists and seven rebounds Monday.

Chris Bosh finished with 14 points after scoring 20 and grabbing 19 rebounds in Game 3, and the Heat won again despite another quiet night from Dwyane Wade, who finished with six points. Norris Cole also struggled with seven points after back-to-back 18-point performances, but the Heat had more than enough in this one.

They shot about 49 percent while the Bulls set a franchise playoff low at 25.7 percent. They were particularly bad from the outside, going 2 for 17 from 3-point range.

The Bulls again were missing ailing Luol Deng and injured Kirk Hinrich (calf), and a team that kept finding ways to win despite being short-handed all season simply appeared to run out of steam.

Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double in the postseason but was just 3 of 14 from the field. Jimmy Butler scored 12 and Joakim Noah grabbed nine rebounds, but it was a miserable night for Chicago – particularly Nate Robinson, who missed all 12 shots and did not score.

James scored 15 points and Bosh added 12 in the first half to help the Heat take a 44-33 lead at the break, but that doesn't even come close to telling the complete story.

Consider this.

Miami shot just under 53 percent, with the Bulls at about 27 percent. Chicago was also 1 of 11 on 3-pointers, and the only conversion from long range came from Richard Hamilton.

Remember him?

After playing a grand total of 10 minutes over two playoff appearances, coach Tom Thibodeau turned to him early in the second quarter with Miami threatening to put the game away.

The veteran guard entered to loud cheers with the Bulls trailing 30-17 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Shane Battier and Ray Allen, and the crowd was roaring after Hamilton nailed a wide open 3 from up top and Taj Gibson converted a three-point play.

That made it a seven-point game, but the Bulls couldn't sustain any momentum. The Heat suffocated them on both ends, squeezing a little harder every time Chicago made a push.

There was no energy from the Bulls, none of the resourcefulness that carried them to 45 wins during the regular season and to the second round in the playoffs.

They were trailing 44-31 with about 40 seconds left after James made a neat spin move on the break and got fouled by Nate Robinson for a three-point play.

Notes: The Heat and Bulls were well represented on the NBA's all-defensive first team, with James and Noah being selected. ... Thibodeau had nothing to say about the $35,000 fine from the league for comments he made about the officiating in Game 3. Asked if he was surprised by the amount, he said, "I've got no comment on that. We're just getting ready for Game 4." ... Deng was listed as active after initially being ruled out for Chicago. Hinrich and Rose were inactive.

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Miami Dolphins Offer To Repay Portion Of Public Costs To Renovate Stadium

The Miami Dolphins have offered to repay Miami-Dade County for a portion of the public costs of renovating Sun Life Stadium, and to pay millions of dollars in penalties should the team fail to bring major events to South Florida, including four Super Bowls over the next three decades, The Miami Herald has learned.

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Heat Win Franchise Record 15th Straight Game: Wade, LeBron Lead Miami Past Minnesota, 97-81 (VIDEO)

Miami Heat's LeBron James is shown in the first half of an NBA basketball game against Minnesota Timberwolves' Minnesota Timberwolves' Mikael Gelabale of France Monday, March 4, 2013, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Alonzo Mourning never did it. Shaquille O'Neal didn't, either. Even Dwyane Wade had never won 15 games in a row as a member of the Miami Heat.

The Heat have had their fair share of stars come through South Beach over the last 25 years, none of them as bright as LeBron James.

Wade had 32 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, James shrugged off a sore left knee to score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds, and the Heat earned their franchise-record 15th straight victory with a 97-81 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

"Any time you get an opportunity set a record, it's great for the organization and the guys involved," James said. "But we want to keep going. We want to keep winning each game by itself. We don't talk about the streak, we just go to the next game and play it out. We look forward to the next one."

Chris Bosh added 11 points and nine rebounds, and James played 35 minutes despite being listed as a game-time decision with a twisted left knee.

Derrick Williams had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Ricky Rubio had 14 points, eight assists, six steals and five rebounds for the Timberwolves. J.J. Barea had four points on 1-for-11 shooting and was ejected in the fourth quarter after getting a Flagrant-2 foul for a hit on Heat guard Ray Allen.

Minnesota was down six points with eight minutes to play when Barea was ejected. The Heat then went on a 17-5 run to put away the game.

Officials initially ruled it a Flagrant 1, but changed the call upon reviewing it, eliciting strong protests from Barea and Wolves coach Rick Adelman, who also picked up a technical foul. Adelman was furious after the game, alluding to an incident two weeks ago against Golden State in which Wolves center Greg Stiemsma was hit in the chest by a forearm shiver from Jarrett Jack, but was given a Flagrant-1 and allowed to keep playing.

"I just have one question I want to ask the league," Adelman said. "Why is that a Flagrant-2 foul tonight and the other night Jarrett Jack hit Stiemsma in the stomach with a forearm that that was a Flagrant 1? I would just like to know the difference. That changed the whole game."

Allen immediately got up from the foul and rushed at Barea, but players from both sides stepped in and broke up the confrontation.

"It just came out of nowhere," Allen said. "I was dribbling down the floor, it was a play where he kind of chucked me a little bit and knocked the ball away. I got it back and drove and he just leveled me. I thought it was uncalled for. There's no place for that in this game."

Barea was jawing at Allen as he left the court and said he expected the league to change the call on Tuesday.

"I've been playing in the NBA for seven years," Barea said. "I get hit harder than that every night. I don't get up crying and want to fight."

The Heat outscored Minnesota 58-32 in the paint, amassing 24 dunks or layups out of 38 total field goals.

The Heat had every reason to sit James down in this one, and the runaway favorite for MVP wouldn't have been blamed. The Heat were playing the second game of a road back-to-back, coming off a stirring victory over New York and playing an undermanned opponent that had lost 21 of its last 25 games.

Maybe in the past, James would have. But not this year. He's reached a different level, one that no one has been able to compete with, whether he is completely healthy or not. He knows more is expected of him, and he is delivering every single night.

"His leg would probably have to fall off for him to miss a game," Bosh said.

James tweaked his knee in the third quarter against New York on Sunday when he landed awkwardly while chasing down a lob pass. That didn't stop him from scoring 12 points and swatting Tyson Chandler in the fourth quarter to lead the Heat to their first win of the season over the Knicks, an important victory for the defending champions to assert themselves in the Eastern Conference.

His knee was examined once the team arrived in Minnesota and no serious damage was found. The Timberwolves had a faint glimmer of hope when James was nowhere to be found when the Heat took the floor about 15 minutes before tipoff. But he came jogging out a few minutes later, then continued his recent pregame routine of throwing down monster dunks to get that knee loosened up and ready to roll.

"My knee responded well from that fall yesterday," James said. "I'm blessed. It's nothing really, a little jam when I landed on the floor."

The dunking display kept right on going after the opening tip. Without big Nikola Pekovic (abdominal strain) roaming the paint, the Heat relentlessly attacked the rim. Their first seven field goals came on dunks or layups, as did 15 of their 20 buckets in the first half.

The Wolves made a mini-run, pulling to 76-70 before the Barea-Allen confrontation, and the Heat pulled away after that.

It's not as if the Heat have been feasting on cupcakes during their record streak. They've taken down the Clippers, Lakers, Rockets, Thunder, Bulls, Grizzlies and Knicks, almost all of them in convincing fashion.

The message is being delivered. This is their time. This is LeBron's league.

You want the title? Come and get it.

NOTES: The Timberwolves were also missing F Andrei Kirilenko (calf) for the third straight game. ... The Heat turned the ball over 24 times and were just 5 for 21 from 3-point range. ... Heat C Chris Andersen sparked the team in the second quarter and finished with six points and seven boards. ... Heat F Shane Battier played under Adelman in Houston. "One of my favorite players I've ever had," Adelman said. ... Baltimore Ravens LB Terrell Suggs, who started high school in St. Paul, sat courtside for the game wearing a Heat cap.

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100 Mile Police Chase Ends With Arrest Of Samal Hammond, Miami Man (VIDEO)

A police chase on Interstate-95 that spanned four counties, including Broward and Palm Beach, reportedly began with an altercation between a man and a woman and shots being fired at a sergeant, and ended with the suspect driver singing as he was arrested, authorities said Saturday.

The 85-mile police pursuit began between the Ives Dairy Road and Miami Gardens Drive exits of I-95 in Miami-Dade County, and ended just south of Kanner Highway in Martin County.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, who was called to the scene at 12:33 a.m. Saturday, said Samal Hammond, 36, was stopped using spike sticks that deflated his van's tires.

Although Snyder said his office is not involved in the investigation, but that his deputies received information that Hammond had allegedly fired at a Miami-Dade police sergeant after she responded to a report of a man and woman arguing outside their car on the side of I-95.

The sergeant placed the woman in her cruiser and Hammond got into his van, Snyder said.

"And at that point she advised their dispatcher that shots were fired and the chase was on," he said.

The sergeant was not injured, Snyder said.

It is unclear how many shots were fired or whether the unidentified police sergeant returned fire. Miami-Dade police declined to provide information about the incident Saturday.

As a pair of Miami-Dade police cruisers stayed on Hammond's tail during the four-county pursuit, deputies from Broward and Palm Beach County's sheriff's departments joined in the chase, Snyder said.

Once Hammond's van was disabled in Martin County, it hit the guardrail and he refused orders to get out of the vehicle.

During the hour-long standoff with police, Hammond exhibited "odd" behavior, Snyder said.

"He was sitting, arm outside the van. He was just taking it all in," the sheriff said. "He actually drew a smiley face in the dew in the side mirror. And he was singing. It just felt like he was resigned to getting killed and just waiting to commit suicide by cop, and we really didn't want it to end that way."

It didn't.

Hammond finally declared, "I'll get out," and exited through the passenger door before lifting his shirt to reveal he had no gun. No weapon was found in the vehicle. Snyder said the man would have had ample opportunity to toss the gun out the window as he fled from police.

Hammond was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and providing false information for giving authorities a bogus name. As of late Saturday, he remained in Martin County Jail.

Additional charges were likely once he's returned to Miami-Dade County.

epesantes@tribune.com or 954-356-4543 or Twitter @epesantes ___

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The Big Orange, 'La Gran Naranja,' Gets Installed In Downtown Miami (PHOTOS)

With just two days until the start of the New Year, workers are busy installing the Big Orange that will be hoisted to the top of downtown's InterContinental Hotel to initiate the city's fireworks display.

Dubbed Mr. Neon, the glowing fruit got a makeover last year when its mug started sporting a coy wink.

This year, it’s the name that's getting the facelift. Mr. Neon has been renamed 'La Gran Naranja' to honor Viva Florida 500, a three-year Spanish heritage campaign that begins January 1.

This years marks the 26 trips for the 35-foot fruit, which will ascend 400 feet to ring in Miami's New Year's Eve.

The Bayrfront Park bash is free and starts at 8 p.m. with a dance party with Tony the Hitman, DJ at Power 96.

Click below to see La Gran Naranja's installation:

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