Bulls vs. Heat: Will LeBron James or Derrick Rose Rebound from Epic Choke Job?

For a regular season game, today's matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat was getting a whole lot of attention. These two teams are clearly the best in the East, but it's just another game, right?

Wrong.

The game lived up to the hype of Miami came out on top, 97-93. There were odd twists and turns down to the final whistle, including late missed free throws and a phantom out-of-bounds call with less than 10 seconds remaining.

In the final 20 seconds, the game's two best players (uh, excluding Dwyane Wade), LeBron James and Derrick Rose, attempted to become the game's biggest goats, as they both both bricked two free throws.

Rose (34 points) and James (35 points) easily led their teams tonight, but it was a nightmarish finish for both of them. As Bill Simmons put it, neither team should be happy about this game.

So, which of these two superstars will recover from a game that went from unforgettable to well, forgettable, really quick?

History gives us a logical answer.

These things don't happen to Rose. For most of the fourth quarter, he was taking over this game. He brought Chicago back from a late deficit, and per usual, he was being his normal clutch self.

Then, for some reason, the free throws happened. A streak of 28 consecutive made free throws in the fourth quarter and a streak of 12 straight in this game were both snapped.

It was uncanny, and it's probably something you won't see happen too many more times. Rose has earned the "clutch" tag, and this non-clutch finish doesn't change that.

For James, this just solidifies what we already knew about him.

For the first three quarters, he's the best player in the league. But something turns off in the fourth. He doesn't choke at the end of every single game like most people will tell you, but there's clearly something wrong.

The sheer amount of games in which he either disappears or makes bad decisions in the fourth quarter is alarming. He wasn't bad during the fourth quarter tonight, but the late missed free throws just adds to the (non) legend. 

This free-throw thing has been a problem before, and despite the win, this doesn't help things.

Miami may have jumped one game closer in the Eastern Conference standings, but the late choke job should worry the Heat much more than it should worry a Luol Deng-less Bulls team.