CHICAGO -- When the Miami Heat's superstar trio came together last summer, all three of them rebuffed interest and contract offers from the budding powerhouse in Chicago. They wanted to create something unique in Miami, a collective support system the league has rarely seen.

Regardless of what you thought about their methods or the way they handled their introduction, they ultimately felt their plan was altruistic to the spirit of the game. They were taking less money and, in theory, shedding some individual attention for the chance to create a team they felt would be incredible. It was to be a new-age jumbo jet, super-efficient with triple redundancy.

It is fair to talk about processes and chemistry and time, but it's becoming clear that what the final product might still not be enough.

The Chicago Bulls, who have moved on from getting the cold shoulder from their top three free agent choices, thank you very much, beat the Heat 93-89 on Thursday night. It was an intense playoff-like game that featured a mini Most Valuable Player showdown between Derrick Rose and LeBron James.

It contained a fascinating moment when Dwyane Wade gambled and lost on defense as Luol Deng hit a game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute. James badly missed a rushed 3-point response -- for which he was roundly ripped as "LeBrick" became a worldwide trending topic on Twitter within minutes -- but that moment will hardly define his week much less his season.

The Bulls get only one win and the Heat don't suffer much shame in such a contest. The outcome was hardly season-making or back-breaking. But there was an elephant in the silent Heat locker room, and it wasn't even Chris Bosh's egregious 1-of-18 shooting performance. He's an easy target with that stat line, which doesn't account for some horrid defensive possessions as well, but that's just one performance.

The bottom line was deeper than one night. This Heat team was created not to blame problems on growing pains after nearly 60 games. James, Wade and Bosh joined up because they were tired of processes and waiting and growing pains. They could have played the long game by re-signing with their old teams -- James and Bosh at least. By their own design, the greatness clock is ticking, and right now the Heat aren't a great team.

Here is this Heat season to this juncture: When Miami's big three play well they almost always win. When even one of them is off -- which frequently happens in big games -- or injured, they usually find themselves in trouble.

This narrow margin of error is a glaring issue. Wade (34) and James (29) combined for 63 points and 18 rebounds on 53 percent shooting in this one. These are two of the greatest players in a generation playing excellently ... and still losing. Over and over in money games.

There are solid reasons. The bench is mostly old, unsteady and, right now, injured as Mike Miller missed his third consecutive game with a series of head injuries and some sort of severe ear infection. The Bulls used their salary-cap space to create depth. On Thursday, their bench outscored the Heat's reserves 22-2 and outrebounded them 20-1.

Heat forward Joel Anthony logged 18 minutes and collected just one rebound, while Bulls reserve Omer Asik played 20 minutes and got 11. This was just as big of a factor on the game as Bosh's bizarre behavior. Such as: despite missing nine of his first 10 jumpers, Bosh refused to drive to the hoop even when when Joakim Noah was replaced as Bosh's defender by the much less mobile Carlos Boozer.

The rotation at point guard and center has been unsteady all season. But Thursday the Heat's starters outplayed the Bulls', despite Bosh's stinker.

The standings say the Heat are 42-16, still in great position to get the top spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The statistics show they are one of the best defensive teams in the league. But when they are pressed, the eye test says they aren't a dominant team.

They're 0-5 against the Bulls and Boston Celtics, the two teams they'll probably have to beat if they hope to win the conference. In each loss, one of the big three has been absent. Wade has been awful in three games against the Celtics. James missed a game against the Bulls and Bosh might've had the worst game of his career on Thursday. And the Heat survived none of them.

It's just not the script of how this was supposed to go.

"We've got to get more production, we've got to a whole team," Wade said. "All three of us aren't going to play great every night. Looking at the bench, we can't get outscored by 20 points. We'll get it right."

You would think they would. But they aren't. The Heat are winning more than they were at the beginning of the season. James and Wade and putting up star numbers. Bosh has mostly been a steady third option. Yet they continue to be vulnerable against top competition when they were supposed to be impenetrable.

Rose and Deng broke them this time. Deng had 18 of his 20 points in the second half and made two big jumpers in the last two minutes. Rose was just 9-of-24 from the floor and had just five assists, way off his usual standards. But he made all the big plays despite giving up the star power to the opponent.

"There was no way you can recoup [Bosh] tonight, he didn't have it going," James reasoned. "It is hard for a 50 percent shooter going 1-for-18, you can't get that back."

If there are two other Hall of Famers on the floor, actually you are supposed to. Spin it how they want, that was the plan. Right now that plan isn't coming together.

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