MIAMI — Chris Bosh has fought the perception all year. He’s the third wheel, the forgotten star, the one who would never shine alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

The Miami Heat never saw it that way.

This was why.

Bosh made 13 of his final 15 shots on the way to a 34-point night, James finished with 22 points and 10 assists, and the Heat remained unbeaten at home in the postseason by beating the Chicago Bulls 96-85 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday.

A 9-0 run in the fourth quarter helped Miami pull away for good and grab a 2-1 lead in the series.

“C-B had it going,” James said. “And when we have someone going on our team, we continue to give the ball to him and continue to feed off their energy offensively. And he brought it home for us tonight.”

Game 4 is Tuesday in Miami.

Wade added 17 points and nine rebounds for Miami, which is 7-0 at home in the playoffs and handed the team that finished with the NBA’s best record its first losing streak since Feb. 5-7. Udonis Haslem sealed it with a jumper with 1:29 left, putting Miami up 93-84.

Wade was the one who got the phone call that started putting the move toward a Miami “Big 3” into overdrive, when Bosh dialed him up last summer and said, “I’m feeling Miami.” With that, Wade decided to stay with the Heat, and James made his decision to join them a day or so later.