simon evans

MIAMI (Reuters) – David Beckham could return to the United States as owner of a new club and his advisors have already held talks with Major League Soccer.

Beckham announced his retirement from professional soccer on Thursday but has been tight-lipped about his future plans after ending the season with French club Paris St Germain.

The former England captain’s contract with MLS, signed when he joined the L.A. Galaxy in 2007, included an option to purchase an ‘expansion franchise’.

Beckham’s advisors, which include his management team, Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment, have discussed with the league some of the possible locations for an eventual team.

“There have been discussions with his advisors, his management, preliminary discussions,” Major League Soccer executive vice-president of communications, Dan Courtemanche told Reuters on Friday.

MLS currently has 19 teams and hopes to add a 20th club in New York City, with Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi reported to be the likely buyer of that franchise.

Beckham’s option, which would allow him to create a new franchise for a fee understood to be $25 million, well below the recent entry fees to the league for other expansion clubs, explicitly rules out New York City as a location for an eventual new team.

While Beckham has always indicated he would use the option, a spokesman for Beckham told Reuters that it was “early days” regarding any post-retirement plans for the player.

Beckham has, however, already taken on some commitments including signing up for ‘ambassadorial’ roles promoting football in China and encouraging people to play sports in a partnership with British pay TV company BSkyB.

When the contractual opportunity to own an MLS team was first disclosed, in 2009, Beckham said: “It will happen eventually.” Last year he stated: “I have the option of owning a franchise, and that excites me.”

But where that team could be based is a tricky question that is occupying the minds of the Londoner’s advisors.

The South East of the United States is currently without an MLS team and Miami has been considered as one of the possible locations by Beckham’s team.

“It is one of many markets that has been mentioned, so have other markets,” said Courtemanche.

While the South Beach lifestyle might appeal to Beckham, who made his family home in Beverley Hills during his six years in Los Angeles, the city has been considered a tough market to crack for MLS.

The Miami Fusion, who played in neighboring Fort Lauderdale, joined MLS in 1998 but were closed down by the then struggling league after four seasons along with fellow Florida team the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

A major stumbling block to a South Florida team is that they would likely have to finance a purpose-built soccer stadium given the two major venues in the city are an NFL and baseball venue and MLS is not keen on sharing sites designed for other sports.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has frequently mentioned a desire to return to the South East though and there have been talks with ambitious lower division club Orlando City and with the owners of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Other cities that are considered potential expansion sites for MLS include Minneapolis, Tampa and San Antonio.

While MLS is currently focused on completing the deal for the New York City franchise and stadium plans, with an announcement possible later this month, the talks with Beckham’s camp are expected to continue.

“At some point in time he will exercise that option and we can go through the process of making sure it is the perfect fit for David and Major League Soccer but we are not there yet,” said Courtemanche.

(Reporting By Simon Evans; editing by Toby Davis)

MIAMI, May 17 (Reuters) – David Beckham could return to the United States as owner of a new club and his advisors have already held talks with Major League Soccer.

Beckham announced his retirement from professional soccer on Thursday but has been tight-lipped about his future plans after ending the season with French club Paris St Germain.

The former England captain’s contract with MLS, signed when he joined the L.A. Galaxy in 2007, included an option to purchase an ‘expansion franchise’.

Beckham’s advisors, which include his management team, Simon Fuller’s XIX Entertainment, have discussed with the league some of the possible locations for an eventual team.

“There have been discussions with his advisors, his management, preliminary discussions,” Major League Soccer executive vice-president of communications, Dan Courtemanche told Reuters on Friday.

MLS currently has 19 teams and hopes to add a 20th club in New York City, with Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi reported to be the likely buyer of that franchise.

Beckham’s option, which would allow him to create a new franchise for a fee understood to be $25 million, well below the recent entry fees to the league for other expansion clubs, explicitly rules out New York City as a location for an eventual new team.

While Beckham has always indicated he would use the option, a spokesman for Beckham told Reuters that it was “early days” regarding any post-retirement plans for the player.

Beckham has, however, already taken on some commitments including signing up for ‘ambassadorial’ roles promoting football in China and encouraging people to play sports in a partnership with British pay TV company BSkyB.

When the contractual opportunity to own an MLS team was first disclosed, in 2009, Beckham said: “It will happen eventually.” Last year he stated: “I have the option of owning a franchise, and that excites me.”

But where that team could be based is a tricky question that is occupying the minds of the Londoner’s advisors.

The South East of the United States is currently without an MLS team and Miami has been considered as one of the possible locations by Beckham’s team.

“It is one of many markets that has been mentioned, so have other markets,” said Courtemanche.

While the South Beach lifestyle might appeal to Beckham, who made his family home in Beverley Hills during his six years in Los Angeles, the city has been considered a tough market to crack for MLS.

The Miami Fusion, who played in neighbouring Fort Lauderdale, joined MLS in 1998 but were closed down by the then struggling league after four seasons along with fellow Florida team the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

A major stumbling block to a South Florida team is that they would likely have to finance a purpose-built soccer stadium given the two major venues in the city are an NFL and baseball venue and MLS is not keen on sharing sites designed for other sports.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has frequently mentioned a desire to return to the South East though and there have been talks with ambitious lower division club Orlando City and with the owners of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Other cities that are considered potential expansion sites for MLS include Minneapolis, Tampa and San Antonio.

While MLS is currently focused on completing the deal for the New York City franchise and stadium plans, with an announcement possible later this month, the talks with Beckham’s camp are expected to continue.

“At some point in time he will exercise that option and we can go through the process of making sure it is the perfect fit for David and Major League Soccer but we are not there yet,” said Courtemanche.

(Reporting By Simon Evans; editing by Toby Davis)

MIAMI (Reuters) – David Beckham’s impact on soccer always went well beyond his performances on the field and nowhere was that more evident than in the United States where he became the sport’s first household name since Pele.

Beckham’s two Major League Soccer titles are unlikely to feature near the top of his career achievements but he was brought to L.A. Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007 on a $6 million a year deal for a much bigger task.

The former England midfielder was charged with helping popularize soccer – and more specifically MLS – in a country where the game has traditionally struggled to get mainstream attention.

Across MLS, the consensus is that Beckham, who played with the Galaxy until last December, did just that.

The former Manchester United player appeared on popular late night talk shows, in the pages of glossy magazines and broke into sports media empires normally the preserve of NFL and NBA stars.

His former Galaxy team mate Landon Donovan felt the ‘Beckham effect’ more than most.

“I obviously had a lot of interaction with him personally and he greatly helped my career and the success of our team but on a bigger scale, it’s what he’s meant for the game of soccer generally in the world and specifically what he’s meant for the game of soccer here in America and our team,” Donovan told Reuters on Thursday.

“Before David came and someone walked down the street and you said ‘I played for LA Galaxy, they would say who’s that? And after David left, if you say you play for LA Galaxy, people say: ‘that’s amazing’.

“The level of awareness he has brought has been priceless for us, and we’re very proud to have spent a few years with him,” added Donovan.

Brazilian Pele with the New York Cosmos led an impressive but short-lived burst of attention for the game in the old North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 1970′s but after that league collapsed, the game struggled until MLS began in 1996.

Since 2006, the league has expanded from 12 teams to 19 and average attendance grew by more than 3,000 during the Beckham era with teams investing in new purpose built soccer stadiums, rather than playing, as Pele was forced to, in huge NFL arenas often with artificial turf.

Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said he had no doubts Beckham had given a major boost to the league and to his club in particular.

“The measurement is pretty clear from 2007 on – how the league has grown, with the number of franchises, how attendance has grown, how the league has been recognized around the world,” he said.

“Locally the Galaxy have grown our brand, we have won championships, what more can you say? Those are pretty impressive credentials for anyone,” added the former U.S. national team coach.

Not everyone was impressed with Beckham, particularly in the early part of his time in MLS when, seeking to prolong his England career, he skipped Galaxy games to play on loan with AC Milan in Italy.

Those moves led to angry protests against him from some Galaxy fans and plenty of criticism from the soccer media in the States but winning titles in both his last two seasons ensured he bowed out hailed as a success.

Beckham may yet have further involvement with MLS given that his contract with the league included an option on a future, ‘expansion’ team.

In the past the Englishman has always said he intends to exercise that option but a spokesman for the player said it was too early to say whether he would now look to create a club.

But even if Beckham’s chooses to focus on his various ‘ambassador’ roles internationally rather than turn his hand to MLS club ownership, he will go down as a key figure in the growth of the global game in the States.

(Writing by Simon Evans, additional reporting by Julian Linden in New York; editing by Martyn Herman)

MIAMI (Reuters) – Landon Donovan has been left out of the United States squad for next month’s block of World Cup qualifiers, but remains hopeful he can make it to the finals in Brazil next year if the team qualifies.

Donovan, the U.S’s all-time top scorer, was missing from the list of 26 players announced by head coach Juergen Klinsmann on Thursday.

The 31-year-old missed the team’s earlier qualifiers this year after taking a self-imposed break from the game.

Donovan resumed playing for his MLS club L.A. Galaxy in late March but his performances did not impress Klinsmann enough to earn a place in the squad.

“I’m disappointed that I’m not (selected) but I’ll keep going and I’ll keep working hard and I hope that I get the chance,” Donovan told Reuters in an interview on Thursday during his campaign with The Skin Cancer Foundation to promote awareness of the disease..

“But I certainly understand it, I’ve been gone for a long time. I basically excused myself from the first three so I understand the way the world works,” he said, speaking

“I would love to be in Brazil next year but I can’t completely control that my job is to make it as difficult as possible for the coach to leave me out.”

Donovan’s omission from the squad for friendlies against Belgium and Germany and three June World Cup qualifiers, against Jamaica, Panama and Honduras, was largely expected.

Klinsmann said he was glad to see Donovan back on the field but wanted to see more progress from the winger, who has played in the last three World Cup finals.

“I think Landon is catching up. We’re all excited that he has decided to continue to play. That was the first major answer that we needed to get, and now he’s just working himself back into shape and back into a playing rhythm,” said Klinsmann.

“He will get sharper and more confident with every game he’s going to play now. So we’ll watch that, we’ll monitor that and we’ll decide then when to bring him back into our picture. It’s not going to be for these upcoming games, but maybe later on we’ll definitely expect him back in the team.”

The U.S. will name a separate squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in July and Donovan said he would love to be a part of that team to try and get back in the full side for the further World Cup qualifiers in September and October.

“We have a very honest relationship,” Donovan said.

“He’s the coach and I think he’s done a really good job with the team and it’s my job now to get back in so I can be a part of this.

“My hope would be that I would get called into the Gold Cup squad. I sort of need to get back and prove myself there and prove that I can get back into the rhythm of the national team.

“I guess that will be in some ways a platform to get back into the fall side and hopefully eventually the World Cup.”

US squad:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake).

Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg)

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards : Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC).

(Editing by Julian Linden)

MIAMI, May 16 (Reuters) – David Beckham’s impact on soccer always went well beyond his performances on the field and nowhere was that more evident than in the United States where he became the sport’s first household name since Pele.

Beckham’s two Major League Soccer titles are unlikely to feature near the top of his career achievements but he was brought to L.A. Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007 on a $6 million a year deal for a much bigger task.

The former England midfielder was charged with helping popularise soccer – and more specifically MLS – in a country where the game has traditionally struggled to get mainstream attention.

Across MLS, the consensus is that Beckham, who played with the Galaxy until last December, did just that.

The former Manchester United player appeared on popular late night talk shows, in the pages of glossy magazines and broke into sports media empires normally the preserve of NFL and NBA stars.

His former Galaxy team mate Landon Donovan felt the ‘Beckham effect’ more than most.

“I obviously had a lot of interaction with him personallly and he greatly helped my career and the success of our team but on a bigger scale, it’s what he’s meant for the game of soccer generally in the world and specifically what he’s meant for the game of soccer here in America and our team,” Donovan told Reuters on Thursday.

“Before David came and someone walked down the street and you said ‘I played for LA Galaxy, they would say who’s that? And after David left, if you say you play for LA Galaxy, people say: ‘that’s amazing’.

“The level of awareness he has brought has been priceless for us, and we’re very proud to have spent a few years with him,” added Donovan.

Brazilian Pele with the New York Cosmos led an impressive but short-lived burst of attention for the game in the old North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 1970′s but after that league collapsed, the game struggled until MLS began in 1996.

Since 2006, the league has expanded from 12 teams to 19 and average attendance grew by more than 3,000 during the Beckham era with teams investing in new purpose built soccer stadiums, rather than playing, as Pele was forced to, in huge NFL arenas often with artificial turf.

Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena said he had no doubts Beckham had given a major boost to the league and to his club in particular.

“The measurement is pretty clear from 2007 on – how the league has grown, with the number of franchises, how attendance has grown, how the league has been recognised around the world,” he said.

“Locally the Galaxy have grown our brand, we have won championships, what more can you say? Those are pretty impressive credentials for anyone,” added the former U.S. national team coach.

Not everyone was impressed with Beckham, particularly in the early part of his time in MLS when, seeking to prolong his England career, he skipped Galaxy games to play on loan with AC Milan in Italy.

Those moves led to angry protests against him from some Galaxy fans and plenty of criticism from the soccer media in the States but winning titles in both his last two seasons ensured he bowed out hailed as a success.

Beckham may yet have further involvement with MLS given that his contract with the league included an option on a future, ‘expansion’ team.

In the past the Englishman has always said he intends to exercise that option but a spokesman for the player said it was too early to say whether he would now look to create a club.

But even if Beckham’s chooses to focus on his various ‘ambassador’ roles internationally rather than turn his hand to MLS club ownership, he will go down as a key figure in the growth of the global game in the States. (Writing by Simon Evans, additional reporting by Julian Linden in New York; editing by Martyn Herman)

MIAMI (Reuters) – Landon Donovan has been left out of the United States squad for next month’s block of World Cup qualifiers, but remains hopeful he can make it to the finals in Brazil next year if the team qualifies.

Donovan, the U.S’s all-time top scorer, was missing from the list of 26 players announced by head coach Juergen Klinsmann on Thursday.

The 31-year-old missed the team’s earlier qualifiers this year after taking a self-imposed break from the game.

Donovan resumed playing for his MLS club L.A. Galaxy in late March but his performances did not impress Klinsmann enough to earn a place in the squad.

“I’m disappointed that I’m not (selected) but I’ll keep going and I’ll keep working hard and I hope that I get the chance,” Donovan told Reuters in an interview on Thursday during his campaign with The Skin Cancer Foundation to promote awareness of the disease..

“But I certainly understand it, I’ve been gone for a long time. I basically excused myself from the first three so I understand the way the world works,” he said, speaking

“I would love to be in Brazil next year but I can’t completely control that my job is to make it as difficult as possible for the coach to leave me out.”

Donovan’s omission from the squad for friendlies against Belgium and Germany and three June World Cup qualifiers, against Jamaica, Panama and Honduras, was largely expected.

Klinsmann said he was glad to see Donovan back on the field but wanted to see more progress from the winger, who has played in the last three World Cup finals.

“I think Landon is catching up. We’re all excited that he has decided to continue to play. That was the first major answer that we needed to get, and now he’s just working himself back into shape and back into a playing rhythm,” said Klinsmann.

“He will get sharper and more confident with every game he’s going to play now. So we’ll watch that, we’ll monitor that and we’ll decide then when to bring him back into our picture. It’s not going to be for these upcoming games, but maybe later on we’ll definitely expect him back in the team.”

The U.S. will name a separate squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in July and Donovan said he would love to be a part of that team to try and get back in the full side for the further World Cup qualifiers in September and October.

“We have a very honest relationship,” Donovan said.

“He’s the coach and I think he’s done a really good job with the team and it’s my job now to get back in so I can be a part of this.

“My hope would be that I would get called into the Gold Cup squad. I sort of need to get back and prove myself there and prove that I can get back into the rhythm of the national team.

“I guess that will be in some ways a platform to get back into the fall side and hopefully eventually the World Cup.”

US squad:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake).

Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg)

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards : Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC).

(Editing by Julian Linden)

MIAMI, May 16 (Reuters) – Landon Donovan has been left out of the United States squad for next month’s block of World Cup qualifiers, but remains hopeful he can make it to the finals in Brazil next year if the team qualifies.

Donovan, the U.S’s all-time top scorer, was missing from the list of 26 players announced by head coach Juergen Klinsmann on Thursday.

The 31-year-old missed the team’s earlier qualifiers this year after taking a self-imposed break from the game.

Donovan resumed playing for his MLS club L.A. Galaxy in late March but his performances did not impress Klinsmann enough to earn a place in the squad.

“I’m disappointed that I’m not (selected) but I’ll keep going and I’ll keep working hard and I hope that I get the chance,” Donovan told Reuters in an interview on Thursday during his campaign with The Skin Cancer Foundation to promote awareness of the disease..

“But I certainly understand it, I’ve been gone for a long time. I basically excused myself from the first three so I understand the way the world works,” he said, speaking

“I would love to be in Brazil next year but I can’t completely control that my job is to make it as difficult as possible for the coach to leave me out.”

Donovan’s omission from the squad for friendlies against Belgium and Germany and three June World Cup qualifiers, against Jamaica, Panama and Honduras, was largely expected.

Klinsmann said he was glad to see Donovan back on the field but wanted to see more progress from the winger, who has played in the last three World Cup finals.

“I think Landon is catching up. We’re all excited that he has decided to continue to play. That was the first major answer that we needed to get, and now he’s just working himself back into shape and back into a playing rhythm,” said Klinsmann.

“He will get sharper and more confident with every game he’s going to play now. So we’ll watch that, we’ll monitor that and we’ll decide then when to bring him back into our picture. It’s not going to be for these upcoming games, but maybe later on we’ll definitely expect him back in the team.”

The U.S. will name a separate squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in July and Donovan said he would love to be a part of that team to try and get back in the full side for the further World Cup qualifiers in September and October.

“We have a very honest relationship,” Donovan said.

“He’s the coach and I think he’s done a really good job with the team and it’s my job now to get back in so I can be a part of this.

“My hope would be that I would get called into the Gold Cup squad. I sort of need to get back and prove myself there and prove that I can get back into the rhythm of the national team.

“I guess that will be in some ways a platform to get back into the fall side and hopefully eventually the World Cup.”

US squad:

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake).

Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg)

Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Roma), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Jermaine Jones (Schalke), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards : Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur), Herculez Gomez (Santos), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC). (Editing by Julian Linden)

MIAMI (Reuters) – The Miami Heat reached their third straight Eastern Conference final after a 94-91 win over Chicago on Wednesday secured a 4-1 series victory for the defending NBA champions.

Miami will face the winners of the series between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers. Indiana currently lead 3-1.

The Heat put up 10 unanswered points to start the game and at one stage led by 18 in the first quarter but once again the Bulls fought back.

Miami’s sharp movement of the ball fell away dramatically, as did their shooting, as Chicago, led by the livewire Nate Robinson and the powerhouse, Carlos Boozer roared back.

Chicago led 53-47 at the half and went into the fourth quarter with a 77-69 advantage but Miami got their second wind when it mattered.

A three-pointer from Shane Battier and a Chris Anderson dunk helped Miami close the gap before Norris Cole’s left-handed dunk put the Heat back in the lead with 6:40 left on the clock.

Still the Bulls kept on scrapping and it was not until Jimmy Butler’s hopeful three point attempt in the final moments was off-target that Miami could finally celebrate.

League MVP LeBron James finished as Miami’s top scorer with 23 points with Dwyane Wade providing 18.

Boozer ended with 26 points and 14 rebounds as the depleted Bulls, without their star Derrick Rose throughout the season, finally bowed out.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

MIAMI (Reuters) – The Chicago Bulls suffered their worst ever playoff defeat on Wednesday to the Miami Heat but took comfort in having stolen homecourt advantage from the defending champions.

A depleted Bulls team split the opening two games of the series and, despite Miami’s brutally spectacular 115-78 win on Wednesday, remain defiant as the Eastern Conference semi-finals now shifts to the Windy City for the next two games.

“We got punched in the mouth,” said Bulls center Joakim Noah, who was ejected in Wednesday’s game where, at one stage, Chicago trailed by 46 points. “We’ll be back; we’ll be back in two days. That game isn’t going anywhere. The ball is going to go up and we’ll be there.

“We came here and we did our job. We won a game; we got the homecourt (back).”

The series resumes at Chicago’s “Madhouse on Madison” on Friday and the Heat’s LeBron James understands why the Bulls will not be too deflated by their recent thrashing.

“They did what they wanted to do. They came in and stole home court from us. Now we have to go to Chicago and try to take it back,” said James.

While the Heat’s dominance on both sides of the ball in Game Two bode well for their chances of making a third straight trip to the Eastern Conference final, the physical nature of Wednesday’s clash is likely to continue.

The much-vaunted difference between regular season and playoff basketball was sharply evident in a game which saw nine technical fouls and plenty of hard challenges.

The Bulls had Noah and Taj Gibson ejected in the fourth quarter with Gibson, who left the court yelling abuse at the officials, likely to face a fine.

But while Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was disappointed that his players lost their composure he was dismissive of the suggestion that the game had been chippy and said he expected his team to match the Heat physically.

“It was just playoff basketball. You have to have more fight, more determination. They are a great team, you have to keep coming for 48 minutes. You can’t relax,” he said.

“You got to get into a fight, you’re going to get hit. You have to own your own space.”

His Miami counterpart, Erik Spoelstra, argued that his team had been clean in the battle but said they now needed to put Wednesday’s emotions aside.

“We were able to save this one but we are still in the hole,” said Spoelstra.

“They got what they needed. They got one. It doesn’t matter about the (Game Two) score. We need to move on and get ready to go into the lion’s den on Friday.”

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

MIAMI (Reuters) – Miami Heat bounced back from their series-opening loss to Chicago to thrash the Bulls 115-78 on Wednesday and level their Eastern Conference semi-final at 1-1.

The 37-point margin was the heaviest defeat the Chicago Bulls had suffered in a playoff game and the biggest ever post-season margin of victory for the Heat.

The Bulls upset a rusty Miami in Game One on Monday but the defending NBA champions responded with an aggressive opening quarter that turned into a masterclass, then a massacre.

Monday’s defeat had clearly provided the Heat with a wake-up call that resulted in a performance worthy of the defending champions.

“I think this was our first real adversity of the season, losing Game One at home was tough,” said Miami’s Dwyane Wade.

“We had to go back and look at ourselves in the mirror, look at each other in the eye and say ‘listen, what reason are we here for?’.

“I think we did a good job of coming out early in the game and setting the tone,” he added.

The margin of victory could have been even more emphatic given Miami led by 46 points with 8:16 remaining in the fourth quarter before resting their first choice players.

‘POISE AND UNDERSTANDING’

Most Valuable Player LeBron James, who had been restricted to two first half points in Game One, was back to near his best, shooting six of six in the first quarter and ending up with 19 points for the game, a number which didn’t reflect his influence on the outcome before he sat out the fourth quarter.

“People think he should dominate and score 40 every night,” said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra.

“If the game calls for it, he will. If it means he is going to make the right play by setting someone else up, or letting another guy make the play, he will. That’s his poise and understanding,” he said.

Ray Allen top scored for Miami with 21 points including ten of ten from the free throw line as the Heat bench scored a franchise record 55 points.

In a physical game, with a total of nine technical fouls, the Bulls had Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson ejected in the fourth quarter – any league ruling on fines or suspensions is expected on Thursday.

Noah, who faced some strong provocation from some in the Miami crowd, conceded the Bulls lost their composure as the game ran away from them.

“We had a lot of technical fouls. Yeah, I would call that not keeping our cool, not being very zen,” he said.

“We didn’t play well but it’s not the end of the world. It’s one to one and it is going to be a big game three in Chicago.”

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was clearly upset with the officials but said his team would have to handle the pressure better when they return to their own court.

“We got sidetracked and you can’t do that. We showed a lot of frustration … you have to have poise under pressure.

“You come in here, you’re not going to get calls, that is the way it is, that’s reality, you can’t get wrapped up in that stuff. You have to stay focused.

“You can’t allow people to get you back on your heels. That has to be corrected.”

(Editing by Ian Ransom)