Bulls oust defending champ Heat

MIAMI -- Michael Jordan's old Chicago jersey hangs over the Miami Heat's home floor, a tribute to the six-time NBA champion.

Now, a new bunch of Bulls want a title of their own after ending the Heat's reign atop the league with a four-game sweep.

Ben Gordon scored 24 points and Luol Deng had 22 to lead Chicago past Miami 92-79 on Sunday in Game 4 to clinch the first-round Eastern Conference series. The Bulls advanced in the postseason for the first time since Jordan's last title in 1998.

Chicago, which meets Detroit next, became the first team to oust a defending champion in the first round since Phoenix did it to San Antonio in 2000.

"We felt confident coming into this series," Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich said. "We felt like we could win."

With good reason. Including playoffs, Chicago was 7-1 against Miami this season, starting with a 108-66 win on opening night, spoiling the Heat's championship-ring celebration, and ending their season by allowing only two points in the final 5:27 of the clincher -- closing the game with a 14-2 run.

The coach of that Suns team that beat San Antonio seven years ago? Scott Skiles, who coaches the Bulls now and who put together a plan that befuddled Miami all series long.

"It's an accomplishment," Skiles said. "We're in a funny position here. We want to enjoy it. It was great. We played well. We played hard all four games. We deserved to win -- but we want to keep playing."

Chicago became the 80th consecutive NBA team to advance after taking a 3-0 lead in a series. Only three teams in major pro sports have overcome such a deficit.