LeBron James has seen his free-throw average rise during the playoffs after enlisting the help of teammate and specialist Ray Allen.

Dwyane Wade’s fourth-quarter performance in the Heat’s series clincher against the Bulls was just another stepping-stone on his ‘journey.’

Fueled by dunks by Norris Cole and Dwyane Wade late, the Heat eliminated a proud but wounded Bulls team.

Early on, it appeared the spent and sore Chicago Bulls were going to take their medicine and go home for some well-deserved R&R.

Welcome back, Dwyane Wade.

Shane Battier and Norris Cole combined for 13 points in the fourth quarter, providing the boost the Heat needed to rally for a victory.

Although they were eliminated from the playoffs in five games by the Heat, the gritty Bulls fought to the end and never gave up.

Just as it did after dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, the Heat could face another long layoff before its next playoff series.

Dwyane Wade’s right knee is virtually being held together by bandages, and he’s averaging 11.3 points in the Bulls series. But he wants to keep playing.

Can the Heat please put this series out of our misery Wednesday night?

During key moments in the past year, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra often would navigate key late-game stretches without a natural point guard, opting instead for Shane Battier and Ray Allen to play alongside the Big 3.

Socialite Filomena Tobias — the Miami Heat’s middle finger lady — came out of her self-imposed silence before Wednesday night’s Heat-Bulls game and apologized for her behavior during the series’ Game 2.

Most of the unusually low numbers from this game should delight Heat fans. Those numbers stunk up this city Monday night and all but required the Bulls arena to be immediately fumigated following this NBA playoff series Game 4 here. Those numbers were Chicago’s meager 65 points scored on abysmal 25.7 percent shooting — both owing largely to a Miami defense that is that good, yes.

This is like watching a barely conscious prizefighter being pummeled against the ropes but unable to fall — hard to watch but harder to look away.

Chris Bosh finished with 14 points in Game 4 on Monday night after scoring 20 and grabbing 19 rebounds in Game 3.

Injuries were a big enough problem for the Bulls — and then they shot 25.7 percent and set a team playoff mark for fewest points (65).

Coaches around the NBA voted LeBron James to his fifth consecutive NBA All-Defensive First Team for the 2012-13 season, the league announced Monday.

In 2010, Dwyane Wade accepted a diminished role in exchange for greater on-court success. So far, that trade has paid off.

Unheralded Norris Cole has earned a significant role with the star-laden Heat because of his great work ethic.

Legend leader Pat Riley, equal parts shaman and mobster, told this story at the Heat’s Family Day, symbolically enough. He was trying to explain with a parable why he — and, by extension, the entire Miami Heat organization — had so publicly told Boston general manager Danny Ainge to shut the bleep up. Family Day. Shut The Bleep Up. Seriously. Riley was not smiling in any way while reliving this.