In case you haven’t been watching, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat don’t like each other very much. Chicago, still down Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose, is severely outgunned by the defending champion Heat, but they haven’t backed down. They play with what Bulls’ TV announcer Stacy King likes to call heart, hustle and muscle to win games, and it’s allowed them to be competitive when they shouldn’t, but it wasn’t enough to win on Friday night. The Bulls battled Miami all night, but Miami was able to hit shots down the stretch and pull away for a 104-94 victory and 2-1 series lead. LeBron James scored a game-high 25 points, but it wasn’t his best outing as he shot just 6-for-17. The real stars for the Heat were Chris Bosh who put up 20 and 19 rebounds, and Norris Cole who scored 18 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting. Carlos Boozer led the way for Chicago with 21 points, but every Bulls’ starter scored at least 15. “Tonight we didn’t play particularly well,” asserted Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, “and a lot of that had to do with Chicago, but in the 4^th quarter we just found a way. Even if it wasn’t the prettiest way, just found a way to get this win.” Spoelstra was right that it wasn’t pretty. In fact, this one seemed like it was teetering on the brink of an all-out brawl.

There’s always been tension between the Heat and Bulls, going back to the Eastern Conference Finals 2 years ago, but it’s escalated to new heights in this series. During the regular season, the Bulls ended Miami’s franchise record 27-game winning streak, and league MVP LeBron James took exception to Chicago’s physical play, commenting that some of the fouls weren’t “basketball plays.” That physical play continued to frustrate King James and company in game 1 as the Bulls stole the series opener in Miami. In game 2, however, the Heat decided to get physical themselves. Udonis Haslem set the tone on the game’s first play, practically tackling Nate Robinson in mid-air as he drove in for a layup. Miami started to use the passion that the shorthanded Bulls have to play with against them, using cheap shots and hard fouls to bait the Bulls into technical fouls and ejections as the game spiraled out of control on the scoreboard. In total, by the end of game 2, there were 9 technical fouls (6 on Chicago), 1 flagrant foul (Chris Andersen), and 2 ejections (Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson) as the Heat dealt Chicago a franchise playoff worst 37-point loss. It was an embarrassing showing for the Bulls, and they vowed to keep their composure and deliver a better performance in game 3. That composure lasted for about 1 quarter.

In the closing seconds of the first frame, Chris “Birdman” Andersen took his time getting off of Nate Robinson after a hard foul by Andersen sent both to the floor, so Joakim Noah decided to help him out. Noah grabbed Birdman by the arm and threw him off of Robinson, and Andersen responded by attempting to kick Noah in the leg but whiffed. Both teams rushed in to separate the two, and Joakim was hit with a technical foul, but the bad blood didn’t end there. Early in the 2^nd, an Andersen block started a fast break for Miami, and Bulls’ backup center Nazr Mohammed wrapped up LeBron in the open floor to prevent an easy bucket. LeBron didn’t like it and threw Nazr off of him. James was instantly T’d up by referee Joey Crawford, but before he could even react to it, he was shoved to the ground by Mohammed. The Bulls appeared to be unraveling again. Nazr was ejected, but after the dust settled, Chicago was finally able to get focused back in on the game.

For all of the theatrics, the actual game was riveting. The storylines practically write themselves. The depleted Bulls, missing 3 of their team leaders, continue to go toe-to-toe with the big bad Miami Heat and their 3 superstars. Even Hollywood would have a hard time crafting a better underdog story. The difference is, in Hollywood the underdog usually wins. For three and a half quarters Friday night, the Bulls answered every punch Miami threw at them, and they were within 2 points with 4 minutes to play. In those final minutes though, a couple of dicey calls and two clutch 3-pointers helped the Heat put Chicago away. Noah was whistled for a loose ball foul that looked extremely questionable on replay while going for an offensive rebound with the team down 5. Instead of a chance to cut the lead back to 2 or 3, the Heat opened it to 7 at the free throw line. The Bulls answered with a Belinelli 3, but moments later LeBron hit a ridiculous fade away 3 as the shot clock expired, and Norris Cole splashed in a 3 on the next possession, and that was all she wrote. The Bulls missed their last 3 shots and LeBron put the game away at the foul line.

Despite the very competitive game, all the talk afterwards was about the Nazr push and the officiating. “From my angle, I just saw a guy basically flop,” mentioned Coach Thibodeau about the push. “I don’t think it warranted an ejection. A flagrant foul, I understand that, but an ejection, no. I watch some of the plays with Haslem and Andersen, and I just don’t get it.” The coach said after game 2 that his team needed to show more composure, but when asked if he was upset with Nazr and Jo for their technicals in game 3, he didn’t give the response I’d expect: “No. I see how things are going. I watch very closely, and what I’m seeing….We’ll adjust accordingly.” For his comments, Thibs was fined $35,000 by the NBA, but he did take the focus off Nazr, who wasn’t suspended or fined for his push. Nazr did take the blame for his actions, but he agreed with his coach that he shouldn’t have been ejected: “I’m disappointed in myself because I let my teammates down, I could have been out there to help. Disappointed in myself also because my son was probably watching the game and I don’t want him to see that kind of behavior on the court, but I’m also disappointed that they went to the ejection for something like a push. I mean there’s so many plays that have happened already in this series, guys jumping on Nate’s face, guys tackle Marco Belinelli out of bounds, a guy takes out Nate on the 1^st play of the game. There have been a lot of plays that didn’t get ejections, and a push shouldn’t get an ejection.” When pressed about how hard the push actually was, Mohammed was careful with his words. “You saw the play,” he responded. “You know the answer to that. You want me to say it.” He didn’t say it.

Miami’s conduct on the court wasn’t any better than Chicago’s, but since they won, it was much easier to take the high road off the court. Coach Spoelstra referred to the extracurricular activities as “inconsequential” to the game. “Out there (in the media), it will be more theater than it is reality,” commented Spoelstra. “Both teams are very competitive. It’s physical basketball, but no one wants to put on the gloves and turn it into anything else.” That may be the case, but from where I’m sitting, Miami’s goal seems to be to do just enough that the Bulls do want to put on the gloves and settle it like men and then act appalled by it. It’s worked pretty well for them in the last 2 games.

The Bulls have been walking a fine line in the first few games of this series. To be able to compete with Miami with such a short rotation, they have to play with great passion and energy. Unfortunately, playing that way makes them vulnerable to the emotional flare-ups that have resulted in technical fouls and ejections. The have to find a way to keep those emotions in check without losing that passion and competitive fire. Miami will continue to try and goad the Bulls into a fight, so Chicago needs to show how mentally tough they are to have a chance to stay in this series. With an 8-man rotation, ejections cannot happen, especially over things done by Haslem and Andersen, two guys who aren’t that critical to Miami’s chances.

If the Bulls are able to show a little bit more composure and focus down the stretch, they really have a chance to win game 4, and they need to. They did everything else in game 3 that you have to do to have a shot to beat Miami. They moved the ball exceptionally well all night, they limited their turnovers and Miami’s points off of them, they defended the paint well, and they frustrated LeBron into a bad shooting night, but down the stretch, they spent much of their energy arguing foul calls rather than finishing the game off strong. If they can correct that in game 4, there’s a chance for a happier ending. “We’re not worried about what the refs say or what they (the Heat) say,” asserted Nate Robinson. “We’ve just got to focus on playing Chicago basketball, which is hard, gritty and together. It’s (Game 4) a must-win for us, so we’ve got to continue to play. You can’t count us out because we’re going to continue to play hard, no matter what, and we’ll do whatever it takes to win.” The season hangs in the balance Monday night. Luol, Kirk and Derrick are probably not going to be on the court, so the underdog narrative remains as strong as ever. Hopefully game 4 provides the proper Hollywood ending that was missing on Friday.

Playing shorthanded is nothing new to the Chicago Bulls, they’ve been doing it all year. Injuries have been a bigger nemesis for Chicago than any opponent they’ve faced. Coach Tom Thibodeau has spent the better part of the last two seasons telling anyone who would listen that the Bulls have “more than enough to win with,” and often times his team has been able to prove him right. Unfortunately for the Bulls, Thursday night was not one of those times. Already missing Kirk Hinrich due to a calf injury, Thursday brought news that several other Bulls’ players were in jeopardy of missing game 6 due to illness. Nate Robinson and Taj Gibson were able to battle through the flu and play Thursday, but Luol Deng wasn’t as lucky. The All-Star small forward suffered from symptoms similar to meningitis and was unable to suit up and play. The Bulls who did take the floor battled tooth and nail to put the Nets away, but the absence of Kirk and Luol was just too much to overcome. Chicago played from behind all night. They kept within striking distance, but just couldn’t get over the hump as Brooklyn held on for a 95-92 win.

“It was kind of a bloodbath game, and fortunately we came out on top,” explained Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo. “If there’s a team in the league that plays harder than them, I don’t know who it is.” As hard as the Bulls played, it just wasn’t enough. Even with Kirk and Lu in the lineup, the Nets are more offensively talented than the Bulls. The games Chicago has been winning in this series aren’t being won by simply outscoring Brooklyn. They’re being won on the defensive end, and with grit and determination. Deng and Hinrich are crucial to that formula. “He (Deng) does so many things well at both ends of the floor,” commented Jimmy Butler. “He can just cover up for so many different people in a variety of ways, but more than anything, just his leadership role. He is missed.” Kirk’s impact is just as big. Hinrich has had the unenviable task of covering Deron Williams in the series, and actually did an admirable job of it in the games he played. He also keeps the offense running smoothly as the floor general. His absence was an obvious factor as Chicago struggled to communicate defensively and Brooklyn controlled the tempo in the early going.

On the Nets’ second possession, the Bulls starting backcourt of Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli collided with one another trying to defend a screen. The play resulted in a Gerald Wallace 3-pointer. Chicago’s offense got off to a fast start, but the defense failed to set the tone they needed to. Brooklyn shot 13-for-20 (65%) in the first quarter, and scored the final 6 points of the quarter to lead 33-27 after 1. Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez each scored 10 points. It was the guards’ inability to limit D-Will and Johnson’s penetration that led to the big quarter. Noah and Boozer often had to help off of their guys on the blocks to cover the driving guards, and it led to some easy buckets for the Nets. The second quarter wasn’t much better. The thin bench started to show when Rip Hamilton and Marquis Teague got on the floor. Hamilton was rusty on offense missing on his only 2 shot attempts as the Nets’ lead went from 1 to 8 in the 3 minutes he was on the floor. Teague wasn’t much better, failing to switch on a screen that allowed C.J. Watson a wide open very long 2, and was immediately sent back to the bench. The poor play of those two made it pretty obvious the starters were going to play a LOT of minutes. Before the end of the first half, the Nets had built the lead to as much as 10, but Marco Belinelli scored 4 points in the final 30 seconds of the half to trail by six at the break, 60-54. Deron Williams got his scoring going with 10 points in the 2^nd quarter.

The Bulls took control of the tempo in the second half. They came out with renewed energy on defense, and got back to playing physical, grinding defense. They struggled to score, but they absolutely shut down the Nets. Brooklyn shot just 4-for-19 in the 3^rd, but still managed to hold a 4-point lead into the final quarter. Chicago continued to fight and battle throughout the 4^th, but it just didn’t seem like it was meant to be. One tough break after another went against them. Down 5 early in the quarter, the Bulls had a stretch where they had 7 shots to try and close in, including 4 in one possession, and they missed them all. After the 7^th miss (4^th in that one possession), they were able to get enough of the rebound to get a jump ball. After winning the jump ball, Belinelli rushed up a 3-pointer before the offense had a chance to get set up, and off the miss, the Nets were able to push the ball up the floor and get a wide open triple of their own by Gerald Wallace to open the lead back to 8. The Bulls wouldn’t go away though. They fought back to within 2 a couple times, and were down 4 with 3 minutes to play when Nate Robinson seemed to be on his way to a fast break basket when he slipped and fell down. The Nets were able to tie him up for a jump ball against Reggie Evans, a jump he wasn’t going to win.

The jump ball turned out to be another break that went against the Bulls. Nate decided to do something only Nate would do, and attempted to simply let Evans tip the Ball and run around him and try to catch it wherever he tipped it to. That’s not legal, and Nate should know that since he was called for the same violation in a regular season game against Toronto. The worst part about his mistake is that it appeared that Carlos Boozer would have come up with the ball if Nate hadn’t tried to get it himself. Instead the ball was given to the Nets. Brooklyn continued to miss free throws down the stretch to keep Chicago in it, but time and time again, the Bulls failed to get over the hump and tie the game or take the lead. The Bulls got a couple of chances in the waning seconds. They were inbounding the ball with around 10 seconds to go, down by 3, and they called a play that’s known in basketball circles as “closing the fence,” where a player runs between screens set by two teammates who then pinch together to block any defenders from getting through to challenge the shooter. Unfortunately, Gerald Wallace got a hold of Marco Belinelli around his waist as he tried to run between the screeners, and he pulled Wallace through with him. It should have been a foul and Beli should have been on the free throw line, but it wasn’t called and Wallace was able to contest the shot and Marco missed it long. Joakim Noah was able to chase down the rebound with 6 seconds left, but he couldn’t stay in bounds. The Bulls weren’t quite finished yet. Noah was able to tie up Deron Williams on the inbounds pass and get a jump ball call with 3.6 seconds left, still down 3, but the Nets came up with the ball on the jump, and escaped with the win.

The most telling stat for the Bulls on Thursday was that they shot 0-for-7 with a chance to tie or take the lead in the second half. Robinson missed a couple layups that could have tied it in the 4^th, but it’s hard to blame him considering he was vomiting on the sideline during the game. “It wasn’t there,” lamented Noah. “It’s hard because I know how hard we fought just to get in that position. We just couldn’t get over the hump. You just think about so many plays in the game and wish you could have them back, but that’s what it’s all about.” Noah gave another gutsy effort on his ailing foot, putting up 14 points, 15 rebounds (9 off.), 5 assists and 5 blocks. Nate Robinson scored 18 and Jimmy Butler scored 17 along with 7 boards and 6 assists while playing all 48 minutes. He was the first Bull to play all 48 minutes of a playoff game since Luol in 2007 against the Pistons. Carlos Boozer put up his 4^th double-double of the series with 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulls real surprise came from Marco Belinelli, who was filling in for Deng. Marco scored a game-high 22 points while tying a career high with 7 assists. He served as a ball handler for much of the first half and allowed Nate to play off the ball. “I thought he did a very good job,” commented Thibs. “He did a lot of good things out there. He ran the pick and roll, shot the ball well, made plays…but not enough.”

Brooklyn’s big 3 all tallied 17 points for the winning side, and Gerald Wallace did a nice job as well with 15, including a couple of clutch 3-pointers. Reggie Evans didn’t score much (2 pts.), but provided his usual strong effort on the glass with 15 boards. Deron Williams had 11 assists to go along with his 17 points, and Andray Blatche and C.J. Watson chipped in 10 and 9, respectively. The free throw line had a chance to be Brooklyn’s real undoing in this game, as they shot just 13-for-23 from the charity stripe in the second half.

With game 6 in the rear view mirror, both teams now turn their focus to do-or-die game 7 in Brooklyn. The Nets have all the momentum and confidence in the series, but the Bulls aren’t going down without a fight. Unfortunately, they are likely to be shorthanded again for game 7. Hinrich seems to be improving and might find a way to play Saturday, but it doesn’t look good for Deng. Luol said that he felt as weak as he ever has Thursday after having a spinal tap procedure performed on Wednesday, in which fluid was drawn from his brain and back. He could barely get out of bed on game day. His symptoms worsened on Friday and he ended up back in the ER, leaving his status highly doubtful for the final game of the series. Regardless of who plays, the Bulls know what they have to do to win Saturday. The defense can’t wait until the second half to assert itself. The Bulls have to make this game physical early. If they let Brooklyn start out offensively the way they did in game 6, they won’t be able to slow them down, not in Brooklyn. I doubt the Bulls will change up the rotation much if Kirk doesn’t play, but the guys out there simply have to play better. If they can make this a slugfest, there’s no reason they can’t beat the Nets. They have certainly shown over the first 6 games that they are the mentally tougher team, but that doesn’t guarantee victory.

“We need one great game, and that’s all we’re thinking about,” mentioned coach Thibs. “I know we are capable of doing well against them, so we’re going to have to play our best game and I believe we will.” The Bulls have handled adversity all season long, so why should the playoffs be any different? They always find a way to show up for the most important games, and I don’t doubt they’ll show up ready to go Saturday. Neither does Joakim Noah. “We’re a team of fighters,” Noah proclaimed. “We keep getting punched in the face but we fight back. I’m proud of this team. We’re going into a hostile environment in Brooklyn, and we’re going to win.” Isn’t that the kind of guy you want leading your team into a do-or-die game? Win or lose, Bulls fans should be proud of the effort this team has put forward this year, but it’ll be a hell of a lot better if they win.

Over the course of this NBA season, Bulls fans have become acquainted with two different players who wear #2 for their team, good Nate Robinson and bad Nate Robinson. Good Nate is instant firepower. He plays within the flow of the offense, gives a good effort on the defensive end, and gets the home crowd fired up with his energy and scoring. Bad Nate forces his shot, often early in the shot clock, turns the ball over with silly passes, and gets a little sloppy with his defense. Bulls’ fans know all too well that it isn’t rare to see both Nates make an appearance in the same game, heck even in the same quarter, but there was no split personality disorder from Nate on Saturday. In fact, Nate was more than just good, he was downright heroic in leading the Bulls back from what seemed like a sure defeat to take a stranglehold of the series.

The Nets led the game by 14 with 3 minutes to play when Nate and the Bulls’ defense took over. The defense started getting stops, and Nate went on a personal 12-0 run against Brooklyn to get the Bulls back in the game. He hit a 3, then a layup, then a midrange jumper and the lead was down to 7. Then he got fouled on a triple and hit all 3 free throws, and moments later he hit another midrange jumper to cap his run and get the lead all the way down to 2. He wasn’t quite done yet. He made another huge play by forcing a 5-second violation on the following inbounds play, then assisted on a Boozer layup to get the Bulls all the way back to a tie game at 109 with 55 seconds left. After a pair of Brook Lopez free throws, it was Joakim Noah putting back a Luol Deng miss with 24 ticks remaining to pull even again. The Nets had one final chance to win in regulation, but Jimmy Butler blocked Gerald Wallace’s shot to force OT.

“Nate Robinson brought us back,” mentioned Carlos Boozer afterwards, “We got a stop and we got the ball to Nate. We got a stop and we got the ball to Nate. He carried us. He was amazing.” What Robinson did in the 4^th quarter bordered on historic. He scored 23 points in the quarter on 9-of-11 shooting. The franchise record for points in a quarter is 24, by the incomparable Michael Jordan. Despite Nate’s heroics in the 4^th, the game had to continue, but the tide in the building had certainly turned.

In overtime, the teams traded buckets for most of the 5 minute period, but with just 2 seconds to go, it was Robinson again, knocking down a ridiculous, off-balance 23-foot bank shot that appeared to clinch the victory, but the Nets answered. Out of a timeout, Brooklyn was able to inbound to Joe Johnson and the Bulls allowed him to waltz into the lane for an 8-foot runner to force another overtime. The second extra session was painful to watch. Both sides were noticeably gassed, settling for jumpers and missing them short. Nate Robinson fouled out during the period for Chicago, as did Gerald Wallace for the Nets. It was going to be on the rest of the team to pull this one out after Nate had saved them. Chicago got up by 4 with under a minute and a half to go, but again couldn’t hold it and Brooklyn pulled even one more time. Joakim had a couple looks to try and win it in the closing seconds, but couldn’t convert. The game was headed to overtime number 3.

In the 3^rd and final extra period, Chicago finally took charge. Noah and Gibson fouled out, but the Bulls scored 6 of the first 7 points, and never let Brooklyn get it closer than 3 after that. Old man Nazr Mohammed, who was forced back into the action when Gibson fouled out, made two crucial buckets to seal the win, including a put-back off a Boozer missed free throw with just 20 seconds left in a 4-point game. The bucket put them up 6, and that was finally enough to end this game.

When the actual ‘final’ buzzer of the day sounded, the Bulls had pulled off a 142-134 victory to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Robinson ended with a game-high 34 points (29 after the start of the 4^th), and left the United Center crowd with the feeling they had just seen something really special. “It was big shot after big shot,” effused Coach Thibodeau. “But that’s what he does. That’s what makes him so valuable. It doesn’t take him much to get going, and once he does he can have a great run.” The biggest key for Robinson is just how incredibly confident he is. “I always think I’m on fire,” asserted Nate. “It’s like in the old-school game ‘NBA Jam,’ when you make a couple the rim’s on fire, when you shoot the ball’s on fire. I feel like that all the time. You kind of have to lie to yourself, feel like you can’t miss. If you do that, things turn.” It was that attitude that turned this game for Chicago, and maybe won them this series, and it almost didn’t happen.

The Nets had an opportunity to put the game away down the stretch when they were up 14. With 3:20 to go in the game, Nate coughed up the ball in the midst of a 7-0 Brooklyn run. It was passed ahead to C.J. Watson, who was by himself. No Bulls hustled back. It almost looked like it was going to be a ‘throw in the towel’ moment. Lucky for the Bulls, Watson went up for a dunk instead of the conventional layup, and the ball rattled around and popped out. By the time Watson realized it and secured the rebound, Jimmy Butler was back to prevent an easy bucket. The possession ended with a foul, but Reggie Evans missed both free throws, and the Nate show started. Nets’ coach P.J. Carlesimo lamented about just how big that miscue was: “I don’t think it would be possible to overstate it. They turned the ball over and we got a breakaway to get it to 16. I mean there was nobody even in the picture. That’s not good judgment on our part.” Unfortunately for Brooklyn and C.J. Watson, the game unfolded the way it did and they return home needing a win.

Nate Robinson had the breathtaking performance of the day, but every Bull that saw the floor made an impact. Before Nate’s explosion, Kirk Hinrich was actually leading the team in scoring with 18 points (he finished with 18), and he tacked on 14 assists and 3 steals while playing 60 of the game’s 63 minutes. Even more impressive, he played the game’s final 20:37 with 5 fouls and guarded the Nets’ best player, Deron Williams, all game. “Don’t underestimate the game Kirk Hinrich played tonight,” mentioned Boozer. “He scored the ball for us when he had to, he got everyone involved when he had to and played amazing defense.” Coach Thibodeau called Kirk’s game “unbelievable.” Unfortunately, it took a toll on him, and he will miss game 5 with a bruised thigh. As for the rest of the Bulls, Carlos Boozer scored 21 and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Deng added 15 and 8 along with 6 assists. Jimmy Butler had a nice shooting game (6-of-8) and scored 16 points, while Taj and Nazr chipped in 10 and 9 points off the bench, respectively.

The gutsiest performance of the day undoubtedly came from Joakim Noah. Noah’s been battling a foot injury, and was supposed to be limited to 20-25 minutes in this contest. He wound up playing 39 before fouling out with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. “He has a great heart, and again he is sort of mucking through it,” explained Thibs. “He keeps going after every ball. He has an uncanny knack for getting to the ball late (in games), so it was a big time effort by him. He’s doing it on will.” Hopefully Noah’s extended minutes don’t cause any setbacks with his injury going forward, but I highly doubt Jo would have let Thibs take him out of this game.

For Brooklyn, the offense revolved around their big 3 as usual. Deron Williams led the Nets with 32 points and 10 assists, but also had a game-high 7 turnovers. Brook Lopez scored 26, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked 4 shots, and Joe Johnson added 22 points. Reggie Evans posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 boards, and Gerald Wallace nearly had one with 17 and 9. The Nets’ stats provided them with little solace after the deflating loss. “When all is said and done, we did not do enough things to get a win,” explained Carlesimo. “We couldn’t get enough stops when we needed to get stops.”

Game 4 played out much differently than the previous 2 victories in the series for the Bulls. In games 2 and 3, the Bulls won ugly, low-scoring, grind out type of games. The Nets scored 82 and 76 points in those contests. In game 4, it was all offense, which would seem to favor the Nets, but Chicago was able to find a way to win. ”Obviously we’d like to play better defense,” mentioned Boozer, “but you’ve got to win different ways, especially in the playoffs.” The Bulls outshot the Nets, 53% to 49% on Saturday, illustrating just how bad the defenses were. “For two teams that are supposed to be pretty good defensively, it was a shootout, and not just because it was overtime,” stated P.J. “Neither of us did a good job stopping each other.” The big difference was that the Bulls were able to get stops when they needed them, even if it was the Nets stopping themselves.

There was no shortage of feel-good stories for Chicago, from Nate to Kirk to Joakim, but the biggest story is that they end up 1 step closer to round 2. If the miraculous comeback didn’t happen, the Nets would be in pretty good position. They would essentially have a best-of-3 series with 2 home games. Instead, the Bulls have Brooklyn on the ropes. Even if the Nets are able to beat the Hinrich-less Bulls at the Barclays Center on Monday, they get to come back to the United Center and deal with a rabid crowd that was fantastic for game 4. I’m sure the Bulls will be looking for the knockout blow on the road, and why shouldn’t they? So far they’ve dominated the series in a new statistic that White Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson invented: The will to win. It won’t be easy. The Nets will be desperate. As coach P.J. Carlesimo said, “When you get to the elimination game, you put the uniforms away or you get to play another day.” We’ll see which one on Monday.

On a night where the majority of the teams in the NBA were resting their stars in preparation for the playoffs or simply letting them start the offseason early, the Chicago Bulls, led by their drill sergeant Tom Thibodeau, were still grinding. Names like Durant, Carmelo, Garnett and LeBron were taking the night off, watching their teams finish the regular season from the sideline, but that’s not the way the Bulls do things. Coach Thibs has put his stamp on this team over the last few years and forged a team identity that focuses on not taking nights off, so why should the season finale be any different. There wasn’t much at stake on Wednesday night. For the Bulls to not end up as the 5-seed, it would have taken a loss to the Wizards and a Hawks’ win over the Knicks. The Hawks weren’t going to let that happen. They benched their entire starting lineup for the finale. Despite that fact, Coach Thibodeau insisted before the game that he wasn’t going to be paying attention to the Hawks’ score and would focus on coaching this game to win, and he stuck to his guns. The Bulls used just about every able body they had on Wednesday night, making a point to work back in injured players Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Rip Hamilton and Marco Belinelli on a limited basis.

While most of the guys didn’t play big minutes, Thibs will no doubt catch a little heat for having important guys playing at the end of a meaningless game. The group on the floor down the stretch consisted of Kirk Hinrich, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson, even though by that point the Hawks had already lost and the 5^th seed was locked up. Like it or not, this is the way that Tom Thibodeau coaches, and that isn’t going to change. He constantly claims that he’s only worried about the next game, and that you can’t skip steps, and the one thing you can say about the man is he is not a hypocrite. You just sense from his demeanor on the sidelines during the game and in the postgame interviews that he feels like there’s no reason to even lace ‘em up and go play if you aren’t playing to win, and you have to admire that attitude. You don’t have to be happy when a guy gets hurt or re-aggravates an existing injury in garbage time, but you have to accept that it can happen with Thibs in charge.

As far as the actual game went on Wednesday, it looked like it was going to be an easy romp in the early going, as the Bulls scored the game’s first 10 points and led at one point 29-8, but the Wizards didn’t exactly go quietly. A.J. Price proved to be a huge sparkplug for the Wizards as they nearly erased the deficit by the middle of the 2^nd quarter. From the time Price entered the game with 3:16 to go in the first until the 7 minute mark in the second, the Wizards went on a 27-8 run with A.J. accounting for a ridiculous 16 points in that span. From that point on it became kind of a cat-and-mouse game. The Bulls would put a few scores together and get up by a few buckets, and the Wizards would pull back in, but it never really felt like the Wizards had enough to overtake them. It was like watching an old-timey cartoon where a big guy is holding off a little guy with his hand on the little guy’s forehead as he flails away underneath, unable to overcome the big guy’s reach advantage. At the same time, however, the Bulls just couldn’t seem to put the game away.

The Wizards finally made it all the way back into the game with 3:19 to go in the 4^th when who else but A.J. Price knocked down a 3-ball to tie the contest at 85. It was the first time the game had been tied since 0-0, and it would be the last. Chicago rattled off a 7-0 run following the basket, but the Wizards managed to give themselves one last chance in the closing seconds, down by 3. After a timeout with 17 seconds to go, Washington came out with a play to get a game-tying shot attempt for Price, but Taj Gibson was able to close out and block the shot, knocking it out of bounds with 10 ticks left. On their final shot attempt, it was John Wall launching a well-contested three, and it fell plenty short to secure the Bulls a 95-92 victory. While the win was nice, the most important thing for the Bulls was how they came out of the game in terms of health.

“We’re good physically,” explained Thibs afterward. “We were a little choppy, but that was to be expected. We cut back minutes on some guys and some guys got a little bit more so they could get a little bit of rhythm. Overall, I was pleased with the way we started the game, but we still have a lot of things we have to clean up.” The big takeaway for the Bulls is that everyone is back playing (well, except for Derrick Rose of course). For Taj and Joakim, it was just the second game back for each of them as they deal with recurring injuries. For Hamilton, it was his 6^th game back after missing 19, and for Belinelli, it was his 7^th after missing 7. Coach Thibodeau sounded almost giddy, or at least giddy by his standards when talking about the health of his squad. “Yeah, it’s nice. I like having the problem of having to decide on a rotation, and you’d like to have everyone completely healthy, but I’ll take what we have.”

The Wizards don’t have to worry about health, with a bit of time off now, but they can certainly be pleased with the way they finished the season. “We came in short-handed tonight,” commented Price after the game. “We had only 9 guys active and we got down early, but we kept chipping away, kept fighting back and made it a game tonight. That’s all you could ask for. It’s all about playing with pride and heart which we showed tonight.” Price finished with a game-high 24 points, and fellow bench player Chris Singleton also made a big impact with 13 points and 7 rebounds, but this team goes as their star point guard John Wall goes. Wall made a few brilliant plays in Wednesday night’s game, and finished with 23 points and 4 assists, but shot just 8-for-21 and missed the biggest shot of the night at the buzzer. Wall is still just 22, and will surely improve next season, which could springboard the Wizards into the playoffs. It seems silly to say that about a team that finished 24 games under .500, but Wall missed the team’s first 33 games with injury, and after his return the team went 24-25. That record would equate to a better winning percentage than the Milwaukee Bucks put up this season, and the Bucks will still be playing next week. At the very least, the Wizards play over the past couple of months is something they can build on for the future.

The Bulls top performers on Wednesday night were not exactly the usual suspects for them. Sure Carlos Boozer continued to be a double-double machine with 19 points and 15 rebounds, but Nazr Mohammed and Kirk Hinrich also came up big for Chicago in the win. Mohammed tallied 17 points and 7 boards while Hinrich came up with 18 and 5 assists. As for the two most recently returned Bulls, Taj seemed to find his rhythm fairly quickly, as he chipped in 8 points and 4 rebounds, but Joakim made almost no impact on the box score with 1 assist, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 2 turnovers in 14-plus minutes. “I’m just happy I didn’t have too much pain in my foot,” mentioned Noah afterwards. “I wish I would have gotten more time, but it is what it is. We’ll see where it goes.” Unfortunately for Joakim, things may be going in the wrong direction as there have been reports headed into the weekend that Noah has had a setback with his foot injury, and is likely doubtful for Saturday night’s game 1 in Brooklyn.

Wednesday’s win brought Chicago’s final regular season record to 45-37, and as I mentioned earlier earned them the number 5-seed in the East and a first round matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. The Bulls won the regular season series with Brooklyn 3-1, but that doesn’t mean much when the postseason rolls around. “The postseason is totally different,” asserted Jimmy Butler. “It’s 0-0. The past is the past.” Joakim Noah shared Butler’s sentiment: “It (the 3-1 record) doesn’t mean anything. It’s going to be grinded out. Everybody wants to win. The difference is that the schedule has such a big impact on games in the regular season with back-to-backs and injuries. In the playoffs, everybody comes ready to play.”

This series is going to be an interesting one because it pits strength against strength. The Bulls are one of the most formidable defensive teams in the NBA, and Brooklyn has three of the most dynamic offensive players in the league in guards Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, and center Brook Lopez. Williams has been playing at a different level this year for Brooklyn, averaging 19 points and nearly 8 assists per game on the season, and he’s always capable of going off for 30+. Johnson is an electric scorer, but has a reputation for trying to do too much and shooting more than he should, and Lopez is a strong post-up offensive player with an impressive mid-range game to boot. Lopez actually led the Nets in scoring. Finding a way to contain all 3 guys could be problematic. “They ask a lot of the 3 main guys, Deron, Joe and Lopez,” explained Rip Hamilton. “They’re the go-to-guys. Defensively, we’ve all got to be on a string. We’ve all got to help each other. It’s going to be tough.” Coach Thibodeau had plenty to add about Brooklyn’s team: “They are really good. They are the higher seed and they earned that. They play hard, they have Lopez who’s a low-post presence, and Deron Williams and Joe Johnson off the dribble, and a lot of other guys who are very good basketball players. We have to be ready for them.”

The Bulls’ players aren’t exactly bums on the offensive end, but they certainly won’t be able to simply try to score with Brooklyn. The Nets just have too much firepower for that. This series will be decided by Chicago’s defense, and their ability to at least slow Brooklyn down a bit. The most important thing for Chicago to do will be to force the ball out of Deron Williams’s hands. Just as dangerous as his scoring is his ability as a passer and playmaker, so you’d rather have the ball in someone else’s hands as much as possible. The Bulls might try to trap him and double-team him early in possessions to force the ball away from him before he can make things happen. Between Deng and Butler, the Bulls should be able to slow down Joe Johnson a bit, but the real challenge could come from Lopez. If Noah is unable to play for a couple of games, keeping the Nets’ big man in check could be a real challenge. It will be on Taj Gibson and crafty Nazr Mohammed to get the job done, because we all know about Carlos Boozer’s lack of defensive prowess. Assuming all of this goes according to plan for Chicago, they will have one other issue to deal with: keeping Reggie Evans and the rest of the Nets off the offensive glass. The last thing the Bulls can afford to do in this series is give the Nets second chances, and that means making sure they’re aware of Evans at all times once a shot goes up. Evans is on the floor to do two things, play defense and rebound, and he’s pretty good at both.

If Chicago is able to do all of that, they should have a solid shot to take out Brooklyn and earn the right to get knocked out by Miami in round 2 (C’mon, they’re not beating the Heat). If they aren’t, they are likely looking at another disappointing first round exit. Of course, there’s always the specter of Derrick Rose lurking, claiming he could still return in the playoffs, but I’ll believe that when I see it. However things unfold, it should be a fantastic series, wrought with drama and intensity. “This is what you play for,” effused Hamilton. “The real season starts now.” While Thibs apparently didn’t get that memo that Wednesday’s game wasn’t part of the real season, you can bet he’ll have the Bulls raring to go when this series tips Saturday night. “They’ll be ready, we’ll be ready,” explained the coach. “That’s what makes the playoffs so exciting.” Saturday night will be the first time a crowd at the Barclays Center will get to watch playoff basketball, but something tells me once the ball goes up, they’ll know what to do. It should be fun.

My prediction: Bulls in 6

Chicago is quickly becoming the place where streaks go to die. It was just over 2 weeks ago when the Miami Heat rolled into the United Center on a 25-game winning streak, only to be upended by the undermanned Bulls. On Thursday night, it was the New York Knicks’ turn to try and extend a lengthy win streak at the UC. The Knickerbockers had rattled off 13 straight wins coming into Thursday night, but like the Heat, they failed to tack on another victory in Chicago. The Bulls needed overtime to get the job done, but they battled back from deficits of 15 or more twice and pulled off a 118-111 win. Luol Deng returned to the lineup for the Bulls after missing the previous two contests with a rib injury, but it was Nate Robinson who stole the show. Nate tallied 35 points off the bench, including 8 of Chicago’s 13 points in overtime. Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 36, extending his streak of 35+ point games to 6, and he added an astounding 19 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough.

Both Chicago and New York came into Thursday’s contest a little beat up in the frontcourt. The Bulls were still without starting center Joakim Noah and backup power forward Taj Gibson, while the Knicks were missing all of their big men, a list that includes Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Amare’ Stoudemire, Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace. The result of the injuries was a matchup of two of the smallest lineups you’ll ever see in an NBA game. 6’7” Jimmy Butler took the opening tip for the Bulls against 6’8” Chris Copeland for the Knicks, and for a couple stretches during the game, small forwards Luol Deng and Carmelo Anthony played center. The Knicks have been playing undersized for a few games now, but it seemed to take the Bulls a little while to get used to it. ”It was crazy,” mentioned Robinson. “It was different, but at the same time it’s basketball. We’ve still got to go out there and execute.” Early on, it appeared the Knicks’ win streak was in good hands as Chicago struggled to keep pace and defend the 3-point line.

The Knicks opened the game like a runaway train, connecting on 9 of their first 12 shots from the field en route to a 23-6 lead and a couple quick Bulls’ timeouts. After the 2^nd timeout, the Bulls settled in and started to chip away. They started to hit shots, defend and rebound, and they went on a 10-0 run out of the timeout and had the lead all the way down to 4 late in the first. The teams traded baskets for much of the second quarter, and they went in at the half with the Knicks leading by 5.

There was an awkward exchange with around 4 minutes to go in the half when Carmelo Anthony was hit with a technical foul after drawing his 3^rd foul on the Bulls in a matter of 10 seconds of game time. It’s rare to see a player receive a technical foul after a call goes his way, and it’s even rarer when 3 calls in a row go his way, but referee Joey Crawford has a reputation for having a quick trigger on the technicals. He backed that reputation up again seconds later, when he called one on Nate Robinson as Rip Hamilton shot the free throw from the Melo technical. When asked what he got T’d up for, Nate commented, “For not saying anything. It is what it is. Joey’s a hothead just like me, so I don’t blame him.” Crawford had one more technical left in him in the 1^st half, charging Luol Deng with one for arguing a foul call a couple minutes after the other 2.

In the early stages of the second half, the game seemed to be falling right back into the Knicks hands, as Carmelo Anthony asserted his will. Anthony controlled the action for the first 7 minutes of the half, with 8 points and 6 rebounds as the Knicks built the lead back up to 15. The Bulls seemed to be running out of energy and fading fast on the scoreboard until Jimmy Butler turned the tide. Butler came up with steals on back-to-back possessions and turned both into breakaway dunks to cut the lead down to 11. The sequence gave the Bulls a huge spark and started a 24-5 run that had Chicago up by 4 with 9 and a half minutes to go. Rip Hamilton, Kirk Hinrich and Nate Robinson all connected on triples during the rally, and it energized the crowd in a big way. For most of the 4^th quarter, the crowd was on its feet and chanting “de-fense” every time the Knicks had the ball, and erupting every time the Bulls made a play. It was a playoff atmosphere, and Chicago fed off it. The Bulls continued to play well throughout the middle of the 4^th quarter, and held a 99-90 lead with 5:42 to go, but they went cold from then on. The Bulls didn’t make another field goal in regulation after that point. It was New York’s turn to battle back. The Knicks closed back in behind Anthony and J.R. Smith, but a few clutch free throws by Kirk Hinrich kept them ever so slightly at bay. With just over 40 seconds to play, the Bulls got the ball with a 105-103 lead and a chance to put New York away. Unfortunately for the Bulls, Nate Robinson decided to do something very Nate Robinson-like.

Robinson spent most of the possession dribbling around, working the shot clock, then as the clock wound down, he drove towards the bucket, but pulled up from about ten feet and took about as off-balance a shot as I’ve ever seen that didn’t come close to going in. I’m convinced he couldn’t see the basket when he shot it, but it caromed wildly off the glass and gave the ball back to the Knicks with a chance to tie or take the lead with 19 seconds left. Out of a timeout, the Knicks went where they went all night, to Carmelo Anthony, who was able to draw a foul on a quick drive to the basket with 14.5 seconds left. Anthony sank both free throws to tie the game, and it was the Bulls turn to try to end it. They were able to get a decent look for Luol Deng from about 12 feet, but his shot rimmed out and the Knicks snared the rebound and got a timeout with 1.5 to go. They would have one more chance, and it turned out to be a good one. The play was designed for J.R. Smith, but as luck would have it, the Bulls defended it well and were able to deny Smith the ball, but they didn’t deny Anthony, who had a decent look at a long 2 at the buzzer. The shot looked good when it left his hand, but clanked out and sent the game to overtime.

In the extra session, the Bulls took control almost immediately. Robinson converted a 3-point play just 16 seconds in, and after a Carmelo basket, Luol Deng hit a big 3-pointer on the following Bulls’ possession to open the lead to 4. The teams traded missed jumpers for a while, before another curious technical foul put the Bulls on the line to tack on another point. For the second time in the game, a Knicks’ player was called for a technical after a call went their way. This time it was J.R. Smith after being fouled by Jimmy Butler. Robinson hit the free throw to extend the lead to 5 with 2:09 to go, and after another stop, Nate put in a layup to pretty much put the game away, up 7 with 1:36 to play. The Bulls held on for another improbable victory, and the Knicks streak came to an end. “I really thought the ball was going in,” mentioned Carmelo regarding the last shot in regulation. “I wasn’t trying to go to overtime. I thought we played extremely well tonight, and in the overtime, I thought we just ran out of gas.”

As I mentioned, this was the 6^th game in a row in which Carmelo scored at least 35 points, even if he did need overtime to break that mark, and his 19 rebounds were easily the most he’s had in a game all season (Previous high: 14 vs. Milwaukee). The problem was that he shot 13-of-34 to get to the 36 points. The Knicks entire game-plan ran through Carmelo, and it led to inadequate ball movement. Carmelo had the ball in his hands on almost every possession he was on the floor, and he finished with just 2 assists. As a team, the Knicks had 5 fewer assists than Chicago on 3 more made FGs. The fact that the Knicks didn’t share the ball as well as Chicago probably led to the scoring dry spells that let the Bulls back into the game. While Carmelo led the way, J.R. Smith also had an impressive stat line for the Knicks, tallying 28 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Raymond Felton scored 19 to go along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds, and Chris Copeland scored 14, but shot just 4-for-14.

Nate’s 35 led the way for Chicago, but Jimmy Butler was equally impressive. Butler was fresh off a career-high 28 points last Tuesday against Toronto, and he scored another 22 against the Knicks, but also added 14 rebounds (another career-high), 3 blocks, 3 steals and 2 assists. Carlos Boozer suffered a brutal shooting night, but still accrued 13 points and 15 rebounds, good for his 9^th double-double in his last 10 games. Rip Hamilton seems to be getting his timing back in his second game back from a back injury that sidelined him for 2 months, as he put up 14 points and 8 assists. Deng’s return was marred by foul trouble, but he still managed a solid night with 16 points and 8 rebounds, and had the coach singing his praises afterwards. When asked why the team was able to battle back in this game after falling short in comeback tries against Detroit and Toronto, Coach Thibs answered in 1 word: “Luol.” When asked to elaborate, Thibs did. “It’s just what he brings to the team. Luol is the glue to our team. When things are tough, he makes us go. There are a lot of subtleties to his game that people don’t notice or appreciate, but I think all his teammates and his coaches do. That’s why he makes our team what it is.”

As great as Luol is, while he was out Jimmy Butler filled in admirably as the engine of this team despite the 0-2 mark in the 2 games, and has possibly played himself into a starting role for next season. “He’s been a tremendous lift,” explained Hinrich. “Every time he’s been called upon, he’s played huge. You can just see his comfort level and his confidence are much higher. He’s really grown up before our eyes.” The head coach also couldn’t help but gush about Butler after this game. “I love Jimmy’s demeanor,” effused Thibs. “Jimmy will keep coming. He doesn’t get discouraged. He keeps battling. He has improved each and every day and he’s just gotten so much better. He’s a great worker, and doing an unbelievable job for us.” With Rip Hamilton’s contract expiring at the end of the season, it’s easy to envision Butler stepping into Rip’s starting spot next year. Derrick Rose will certainly be back by then, which would give the Bulls one of the most dynamic players in the league at point guard, and the best tandem of wing defenders in the league as well in Jimmy and Luol. Noah and Taj’s motors aren’t going anywhere as long as they can stay healthy, and Boozer will be back to provide some scoring inside. It gets very easy to see this team as a serious championship contender next season with that core group, but I digress. There is still a playoff run to be made this season, and we all know how Thibs doesn’t like to skip steps.

The Knicks playoff run will likely start off against the Boston Celtics, whom they’ve beaten in 3 out of 4 regular season meetings. The Knicks will likely be heavily favored to win the series, but the Celtics are crafty and should make it interesting. The Knicks real worries should come after they advance to round 2, where they would meet the Pacers, the Bulls or the Hawks (depending on which of Chicago and Atlanta is the 6-seed). I doubt they would have much trouble with Atlanta, but Indiana or Chicago would be a nightmare matchup for New York. The Knicks have struggled all season with physical teams, and teams in the East don’t get more physical than the Bulls and Pacers. Indiana is 2-1 against the Knicks so far in the regular season, and the Bulls swept all 4 meetings. Carmelo Anthony downplayed the head-to-head struggles against Chicago saying, “They can have it. They can have the regular season wins. We’re not worried about them at this point. We’re just worried about ourselves.” They may not be worried now, but they certainly will be if they draw a relatively healthy Bulls team in round 2.

The Bulls have just 4 regular season games left after Thursday night’s contest, and winning them all shouldn’t be the biggest priority for the team. Getting everyone healthy should. Joakim and Taj will be a big part of any chances this team has to advance in the playoffs, so they have to keep working to get back out there. Rip and Marco need to continue to work at getting back in rhythm and be clicking on all cylinders into the playoffs, and the rest of the team just needs to not add any names to the walking wounded. The Bulls can ill-afford any new injuries. “Our best chance of winning is with everybody healthy,” stated Boozer. “We know that, so obviously for us, we’d like to have everybody back.” At this point, it seems clear that Derrick Rose will not be back. I’d be stunned if he were to play his first actual game in the playoffs. That just isn’t happening, so the Bulls have to be prepared to go with the guys they have. Winning these last few games might help the Bulls secure the 5-seed instead of the 6, but I think they’re better off as the 6. Both Indiana and Brooklyn would be challenging first round foes, but if you can avoid Miami in the second round, I say do it. Maybe they can pull off a surprising run past Indiana and New York. I’d be lying if I said I think the Bulls can beat Miami in a best-of-7 series without their MVP, but who knows, they’ve surprised us before. At this point, it’s about getting their ducks in a row, so to speak, and being as close to full strength as possible. As Coach Thibodeau loves to say, they’re going to need everybody.

Over the nearly 3 seasons of Tom Thibodeau’s reign as head coach in Chicago, Bulls fans have gotten used to a lot of things. They’ve gotten used to a team that plays with a workman-like mentality and always hustles. They’ve gotten used to a team that plays suffocating defense and outworks opponents on the glass. They’ve gotten used to a coach who has a permanent scowl on his face and often speaks in mantras and clichés. He’s not flashy or exciting, but he’s consistent. Bulls fans have become all too used to phrases like, “we can’t skip steps,” “we have more than enough to win with,” and “know your job, do your job.” One thing Bulls fans haven’t gotten used to is mediocrity, but that’s exactly what they’re getting out of their team lately. Since the start of February, the Bulls have tallied a 10-14 record, and several of the 14 defeats have been ugly.

To be fair, this season was going to be an uphill fight from the start. The Bulls knew they would be without superstar Derrick Rose for a good portion of the season, and they brought in 5 new bench players and a new point guard over the past offseason that had to get worked into the team. It was going to be nearly impossible to match the gaudy 75% winning percentage that the team put up in each of the last 2 seasons. Still, after an up-and-down start to the season, the Bulls really seemed to be figuring things out in January, as they went 12-4 for the month and set their high-water mark for the season at 11 games over .500. Things immediately went south at the start of February.

There are plenty of factors that led to the winter swoon. The schedule wasn’t exactly favorable, with 9 of the first 11 games in February away from the United Center. On top of that, the squad suffered a rash of injuries that have made them more closely resemble a triage unit than a basketball team. Since February 1^st, 6 different Bulls have combined to miss 47 games, an average of 2 guys out per game, and they’ve used 7 different starting lineups in the 24-game span. Kirk Hinrich missed 16 games, Taj Gibson missed 10, and Rip Hamilton missed 12. Those numbers don’t even take into account the games missed by the former MVP. Speaking of D-Rose, the status of his return from a torn ACL and the media circus surrounding it has been a major distraction for the players who are healthy. Those players certainly aren’t going to blame Derrick for their own poor play or any lapses in focus, but it wears on you when you’re asked after every game and practice how Derrick looks in practice, or when he’s coming back.

All of these factors have added up to a team that has been sluggish and inconsistent. The offense hasn’t had a whole lot of flow and rhythm without Hinrich, which is a problem considering the Bulls aren’t exactly sharpshooters (tied for 25^th in FG%, ahead of only Minnesota, Indiana and Charlotte), and even the defense and rebounding efforts haven’t been up to snuff of late. Thibs is understanding of some poor shooting nights, but he isn’t ok with this team not showing up on the boards or on the defensive end. “We will shoot the ball better on some nights than others,” concedes Thibodeau. “What we should be able to count on every night is the defense and rebounding.” They haven’t been able to count on that lately, and the results have been some blowout losses. Getting run off the floor by some of the elite teams in the NBA can happen to anyone, so the drubbings Chicago got from Miami, Denver, Oklahoma City and San Antonio are at least slightly excusable. Getting run off the floor by the dregs of the Western Conference is not. The Bulls suffered one of the most embarrassing losses of Coach Thibodeau’s tenure a couple of weeks ago when they were walloped by 42 points by the Sacramento Kings. You would think that would be a pretty alarming wake-up call, but here we are a couple weeks later, and another sub-.500 team manhandled the Bulls, this time on their home floor. This one might have actually snapped them out of it.

The Portland Trailblazers came into Thursday night’s game sitting at 31-36, 3.5 games back of the Lakers for the 8^th spot in the Western Conference, but that didn’t stop them from running roughshod over Chicago. The Bulls hung in the game for about a quarter, and then Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge took over. The duo combined for 52 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, and J.J. Hickson dominated the boards with a career-high 21 rebounds. In the end, the Bulls only lost by 10, but the game wasn’t nearly as close as the scoreboard indicated. The Blazers dominated the middle 2 quarters, and led by as many as 28 before a 4^th quarter flurry from the Bulls reserves made the final look more respectable, but the outcome was never in doubt. The loss spoiled the return to the lineup for Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson. Gibson had a solid game with 14 points and 9 rebounds, and was a big part of the 4^th quarter charge, but Hinrich had a miserable night, shooting 1-for-7 with just 2 points and 3 assists. “I knew there would be some rust,” explained Thibs, “but there’s no getting around it. You’ve got to go through it.” Portland head coach Terry Stotts could certainly empathize with the Bulls’ situation. “When players come back to the team, it’s about getting them back into sync,” mentioned Stotts. “Hinrich and Gibson back, that’s an adjustment. When Derrick Rose comes back, there’ll be an adjustment, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they’re still a very good team.”

Considering that this is just the latest in a string of disappointing performances, it was no surprise that many of the Bulls, including head coach Thibodeau, were feeling frustrated and dejected after the loss. “We got smacked,” offered Joakim Noah after the game. “We’re not playing great right now. It’s disappointing. It’s the final stretch and we’re not getting it done, so, we’ve got to find a way.” “It’s the defense, the rebounding, that’s what we’ve got to clean up,” asserted Thibodeau. “We’re winding it down now, and part of it is that we’re moving guys around quite a bit, but you have to get your part done. Whatever it is that you’re asked to do, you’ve got to go out there and get that done. Right now we’re not getting it done.” Adding even more injury to insult on Thursday, Joakim Noah re-aggravated the plantar fasciitis that caused him to miss a few games in February, but it shouldn’t keep him out long.

As difficult as the past couple of months of Bulls’ basketball have been to watch, the loss to the Blazers might just have been the loss that finally snaps them out of their funk. The team is getting healthier, despite what happened to Joakim, and they managed to bounce back very well over the weekend with wins over the division-leading Pacers and the Timberwolves on back-to-back nights. They continued to play shorthanded, but managed to get big contributions from reserves Nazr Mohammed, Jimmy Butler and Daequan Cook. Taj and Kirk are starting to look more like themselves again, and the team got back to the basics of playing defense and rebounding to secure those two wins. They held the Pacers to under 40% from the field and out-rebounded the T’Wolves by 20, and in the process, put up just their second pair of consecutive wins since the start of February. They also seem to be finally buying in to Coach Thibodeau’s message again. “I feel like if you hear the same things every day you start to buy into it,” commented Jimmy Butler. “Thibs is constantly telling us that we have enough to win on any given night, so I feel like as long as we go out and we play hard and guard and play for one another, we can win with however many men we’re down with.” This is the mentality that guided the Bulls through much of last season, when they dealt with similar injury issues, and it’s the mentality the team needs to ride down the stretch.

There isn’t much time left, with just 13 games to go before the end of the regular season. The Bulls are certainly going to be playing in the playoffs, but getting healthy and building some positive momentum into the postseason will be critical to the Bulls’ playoff success, especially if D-Rose somehow doesn’t return this season. They can’t fall back into playing mediocre basketball. They’ve got to dig deep, play through pain, and keep grinding out wins. They can’t take nights off. There isn’t enough margin of error for this team for them to play that way and win. Derrick may be coming back, but the guys on the floor can’t worry about that. “We have to keep grinding,” commented Taj Gibson. “It’s almost time for the playoffs. Every team is scratching and clawing right now, and we just have to get better.”

We should learn a lot about the resolve of these Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, when the streaking Miami Heat visit the United Center. Miami has won 27 consecutive games and will be eager to make it 28. This is one of those games that could get out of hand in a hurry if the Bulls don’t show up to play, but like I said, I think the funk is over. This game won’t be about whether or not the team wins or loses. They likely still won’t have Joakim or D-Rose back in the lineup, and Marco Belinelli will be a game-time decision (I expect him to play), so it will be difficult to derail Miami and come up with the win. This game will be about the Bulls believing they have a shot and grinding for all 48 minutes. If the Bulls hang around and make this a tough game for the Heat, it will be a successful outing. If they get the win, it will be an outstanding one. Miami seems destined to break the L.A. Lakers’ all-time record 33-game winning streak, but the Bulls would love nothing more than to be the ones to end it. “When you start thinking about streaks and that pot of gold at the end, you skip steps,” mentioned Nazr Mohammed. “I hope they’re thinking about the 33 or whatever and we’re one of the steps they want to skip, so we can go out there and try to get us a victory.” It’s not a victory the Bulls need to have, but it’s certainly a chance to remind the nation what Bulls basketball should look like, and wash away the last 2 months of lackluster performances. Mediocrity is not something I expect we’ll have to get used to.

Over last weekend’s NBA All-Star break, an NBA and Chicago legend, Michael Jordan, turned 50 years old. Jordan agreed to do an interview for the occasion, and was asked a question that has been debated by many sports talking heads over the past few years: Which player would you rather have, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James? Jordan’s answer made some waves. It wasn’t just the fact that he chose Kobe, but it was his reasoning that had LeBron getting defensive. His separator was championships. “Five beats one every time I look at it,” said Jordan. “Not that he [LeBron] won’t get five, he may get more than that, but five is bigger than one.” LeBron said he didn’t read too much into the comments and that you can’t judge a player’s value solely on titles, but in a league where one guy can make a huge impact on the game, to be the best in the league you have to win championships.

On Thursday night, LeBron came into Chicago, the city that MJ won all 6 of his titles for, and made a statement with his play that the whole city heard. He might not say publicly that the Jordan talk bothered him, but it absolutely gave him a little extra motivation on Thursday. LeBron put on a show, putting up 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, with most of his shots coming from a good distance away from the rim. “He’s playing great,” commented Carlos Boozer after the game. “Even tonight, he hit some tough shots on isos, hands in his face, hanging in the air off the glass. He’s just playing great.” There seemed to be little the Bulls could do to slow King James down, and scoring wasn’t all he did. LeBron also tallied 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals as he guided the Heat to an 86-67 victory. It was Miami’s 9^th win in a row, and was easily the most lopsided win they’ve had over Chicago since Tom Thibodeau became coach of the Bulls. While LeBron’s recent play has bordered on historic, the Bulls helped the Heat out plenty as they continued to struggle with turnovers.

The Bulls set a season high, turning the ball over 27 times, and they did so against a team you can’t turn the ball over against. The Heat are explosive in the open floor, and it’s not just because of LeBron and Dwayne Wade. Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers can run a bit too, and Ray Allen is lethal from the outside on the fastbreak if everyone collapses to the paint. To make it clear just how important it is to limit turnovers against the Heat, in games where Miami opponents turn the ball over 16 or more times, the Heat are 21-1. The Bulls had 17 turnovers in the first half. This isn’t a new problem for the Bulls. Turnovers have been their Achilles heel all season long, but the underlying problem of late has been the absence of Kirk Hinrich as the floor general. With Hinrich, the turnovers are usually not this out of control, and the offense seems to have better rhythm and direction. Coach Thibodeau won’t blame Nate Robinson or Marquis Teague for the offensive woes, but his comments should show just how big an impact Kirk has: “We were unselfish and tried to pass the ball, however we didn’t see the plays the way we should have seen the plays. That part, I have to have the team understand what we’re trying to accomplish. I have to do a better job with that.” That sort of thing never seems to be a problem when Kirk Hinrich plays. On offense, the point guard should be the one who knows what the team is trying to do, and direct the others accordingly. Nate just isn’t getting that done.

For all their turnover woes, the Bulls did put up a fight early on in this game. They were tied at 22 after the first quarter, as Miami matched the Bulls 8 turnovers in the frame, but in the second the Heat built a lead. They put together a 15-1 run fueled by Chicago miscues to open up a 12 point lead, and kind of hovered around that mark through the third and into the fourth quarter. The Bulls continued to play hard and battle, but couldn’t get any closer than 7. The frustration of the night finally got the best of them as Joakim Noah picked up a technical foul in the waning moments of the third. Miami put the game away in the middle of the fourth, pushing the lead as high as 20 down the stretch and making clutch shots to keep the Bulls from getting within striking distance again. “We came out of a timeout with 7 minutes to go and up 14,” mentioned Wade. “We said to each other, we have to take it over now. We didn’t want them to get back in it with their bench and then have their starters come back out for a dogfight.” The Heat took their play to another level in the fourth to salt the game away. “Our execution in the 4^th quarter is at an all-time high,” gushed LeBron. “That’s good to know and good to have, because we know defensively we’re going to get enough stops.”

Along with James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen also scored in double-figures for Miami. Wade tallied 17 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, Bosh scored 12 to go with 4 boards and 3 steals, and Allen scored 11 off the bench. Norris Cole also had an impressive night off the bench with 8 points and 2 steals. Nate Robinson paced the Bulls with 14 points, and Carlos Boozer recorded his 27^th double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Joakim Noah probably had the best statistical night for Chicago with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Unfortunately, none of those numbers mean much when you get drubbed by 19 points. “It was supposed to be a big night,” mentioned Noah. “It was a big game. To come out and play like that was disappointing.”

The biggest thing the Bulls should take away from this game is that this is a different Heat team than the one they defeated in Miami, and I don’t just mean Chris “Birdman” Andersen. The Heat are playing at a higher level right now than they have all season. They’re always going to be a load to stop when they’re on offense, but lately, they care about defense, and they are making a stronger effort on the glass. The first time Chicago played Miami, they outrebounded them 48-28. It’s probably why they were able to win the game. On Thursday, that margin was much closer at 39-36. “To rebound you have to have a competitive commitment,” asserted Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “We had that tonight. We are committed to being more competitive on the glass. It just takes a great deal of effort and doing the basics. If you only go in half way you are going to be pummeled.” It was Miami who did most of the pummeling on Thursday night, and if the Bulls run into this Heat team in the playoffs with no Derrick Rose, things could get ugly.

The Derrick Rose saga added another strange chapter on Thursday, as Derrick’s older brother and manager Reggie Rose ripped into how inactive the Bulls were at the trade deadline, and even went so far as to say it would be a big factor in whether or not his brother would return this season. Derrick himself said last week that he wouldn’t mind missing the entire season if his knee wasn’t feeling right, but Reggie Rose’s comments certainly seem out of character for the Bulls’ star. Most who know him and have covered him over the past few years believe that there is no way that Rose would sit out the season if he were healthy and able to return, but only time will tell. For his part, Derrick put out a statement Thursday night in response to what his brother had said: “I have always felt the Bulls organization’s goals have been the same as mine, and that is to bring another championship to this city.” It didn’t really clear up whether or not he wanted the Bulls to make any deadline moves, but at least you get a sense that if Derrick can play this year, he will. I still think he returns sometime in March. I predicted a couple weeks ago that he would be back in early March, but after the recent statements that have come out, mid-to-late March seems more likely.

Despite all the hoopla around Reggie Rose’s comments, there isn’t much the Bulls could have done. They already will be paying the luxury tax on their payroll for the first time in franchise history, so adding payroll was pretty much not an option. They had looked into a couple deals, including a Carlos Boozer for Andrea Bargnani swap, but it likely wouldn’t have improved the team this season. They also looked into moving Rip Hamilton, but likely would have got nothing in return but the cap space to get under the luxury tax threshold. None of the deals made much sense if this team wants to compete for a title this year. The real addition the Bulls need to make is Derrick Rose. That would make more of an impact than any trade could.

For now, the Bulls will press on without their MVP. There isn’t a man in that Bulls locker room who will say that the team can’t win the title without Rose, but we know better. The road to the NBA Finals in the East goes through Miami, and the Heat are playing as well as they ever have. Hinrich would help, but not enough to overthrow King James and company. The Bulls hopes for this season hinge on the return of a healthy Derrick Rose. Who knows, maybe Chicago gets lucky and the Heat get stunned in the postseason by New York or Indiana before the Bulls have to face them, but even the Pacers would be a tough matchup for the Rose-less Bulls. While the shadow of Michael Jordan and his 6 titles continues to haunt LeBron James, it’s the surgically repaired knee of Derrick Rose that haunts the Chicago Bulls, and teases at what this season could be.

The news must have sounded too good to be true when the Bulls heard it. It was reported early Monday that the San Antonio Spurs would play the Bulls that evening without their 3 best players. Tim Duncan (sore knee), Manu Ginobili (strained hamstring) and Tony Parker (knee contusion) all were going to sit out in Chicago with their aches and pains, and it was perfect timing for a Bulls team that was weary from a grueling road trip. The Bulls bounced around the country on a 6-game swing in which 5 different players sat with injury at some point (if you include Derrick Rose). They played perhaps their most impressive game of the season in Atlanta down 3 starters, and perhaps their least impressive in a blowout loss in Denver. They split the 6 games for a 3-3 mark, but they had to grind it out each and every contest of the trip. A less taxing win in the return home was just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, the undermanned Spurs had other ideas. The Bulls came out on Monday expecting to win, and they played without an edge, and the Spurs made them pay for it.

Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 26 points, Danny Green tallied 18 and Gary Neal dropped in another 16 off the bench as San Antonio rolled the Bulls by a score of 103-89. Chicago survived a back and forth first quarter with a 4-point lead, but coughed up 8 turnovers in the 2^nd that led directly to 17 Spurs points and swung the game San Antonio’s way. All told, the Bulls finished with 19 TOs leading to 29 points, while the Spurs had just 8 for 8 points. Spurs coach Greg Poppovich sounded like a proud dad after the win: “It’s your hope that you can play with anybody in your system, and that’s what we did. Everyone did a wonderful job. We had a great night and obviously they did not. When we turn the ball over, we have a hard time winning too.” The most astounding stat of the night, given the outcome, was that the Bulls out-rebounded the Spurs by a margin of 49-26, and 17-2 in offensive boards. You would think that is indicative of the Bulls outworking the Spurs, but that didn’t matter on the scoreboard. In fact, of the 8 times this season that a team was held to 2 or fewer offensive rebounds, the team with the low rebound total is has won seven times. That statistic isn’t going to make this loss sit any better with Bulls’ coach Tom Thibodeau.

“When you outrebound somebody like we did and to be in the position we were in, we beat ourselves,” explained Thibs. “19 turnovers for 29 points? You’re not going to be successful, especially against a team like that. They were terrific. If you gift them points, where they’re just layups, live-ball turnovers, you’re not going to be successful.” Everyone was a little responsible for the turnovers with each starter other than Rip Hamilton recording 3 of them, and Hamilton and Marco Belinelli each with 2. The Bulls did make one final push to get back in the game after trailing by as much as 14 in the 3^rd quarter, going on a 21-8 run to close to within one in the early part of the 4^th, but, with just a couple missed shots by the Bulls and a couple makes for San Antonio the lead pushed back out to 6 quickly, and more Chicago turnovers helped the Spurs keep them at arms’ length the rest of the way.

It wasn’t all lowlights for Chicago, at least statistically. Nate Robinson scored a team-high 20 points with 7 assists, Rip Hamilton scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting and Joakim Noah recorded 15 rebounds. Noah has 15 or more boards in 5 of his last 8 games, and is averaging 14 per game in that span. Luol Deng also put up a double-double on Monday with 11 points and 11 rebounds, but he shot an uninspiring 4-for-13 from the field. None of these numbers make the end result any more bearable for the Bulls or their fans, and especially not for their coach, who had more scathing words about his team.

“When you give a team like that layups, you give them confidence. They got their confidence going and our heart just shut off,” commented Coach Thibodeau. “We have to get our intensity back. We have to get our discipline back. Right now there are people searching for bail-outs, and you can’t have that. The bail-out is - oh, when someone scores we’ve got to change (our defense). No. You’ve got to ask yourself if you’re doing it hard enough first, and are you executing your part correctly. Then, if they’re scoring and you’re doing those two things, then maybe you think about changing, but right now, we’re not getting it done. Right now, collectively, we’re not going hard enough, and that has to get corrected.” The team had little to say to elaborate on the disappointing loss. “We’ve been playing well, but tonight wasn’t one of our better performances,” mentioned Carlos Boozer. “We didn’t play well,” stated Luol Deng bluntly. “I wish I knew why. We’ve just got to play better next game.”

The one thing no one in the Bulls’ corner wanted to say was that they were looking for an opportunity to let up, but that’s what they did on Monday night. Playing without not only Derrick Rose, but also without point guard Kirk Hinrich for a couple stretches and the other guys who have missed games here and there is starting to take a toll on this team. The margin for error for Chicago is small, and they have to bring their ‘A’ game each and every night if they want to win, and over 50 games it can wear you down. This team looks to be running out of steam, and is to some degree just going through the motions waiting for D-Rose to return, and that mentality will not win this team many games. Like Coach Thibodeau said, there are some guys on this team waiting for bail-outs, and those bail-outs aren’t coming overnight. They’ll never make excuses, Thibs wouldn’t allow it, but they miss Kirk right now, and they of course miss Rose. Despite recent trade rumors, it doesn’t appear the Bulls will make any major moves before the deadline, so this group in the locker room is what you’ve got for now, and they have to get this thing figured out.

Derrick Rose came out publicly on Tuesday and said that he is still “far away” from returning to action, mentioning that, “It can be within a couple weeks, it could be next year, it could be any day. I’m not coming back until I’m ready.” Sources close to the team have even said it’s only a 50-50 chance he plays this season, but I don’t think the odds are that long. I think this story broke because Rose knows it’s what his teammates need to hear to make them dig deep and get back to business. They have to stop waiting for Derrick to come back and focus on giving the effort necessary each night to win. I think Derrick will be back out there by early March, only time will tell on that one, but that shouldn’t be the concern of Luol, Carlos, Joakim and company. Their primary concern should be grinding out wins.

The Bulls are sitting in pretty decent playoff position at 30-21, 4^th in the Eastern Conference, but the schedule ahead doesn’t get much easier. 4 of the next 5 games are on the road again, and the one home game is against the red-hot Miami Heat. They get the Thunder to cap the 5 games, and the Celtics on Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics should come in angry after having a 7-game win streak snapped in Charlotte by the lowly Bobcats. Like I said, the schedule doesn’t get easier, which means the Bulls have to get tougher. “The season is a grind,” asserted Coach Thibs. “For us, that’s our way, we have to grind. This thing is going to be a fight. Our road is a tough one. If we are not committed to the grind, it is not going to be good.” I think it’s about time these Bulls quit waiting for bail-outs and get back to grinding. It would certainly make their coach more pleasant.

The Charlotte Bobcats are beginning to become a nuisance for the Chicago Bulls. Just a few short weeks ago, the Bulls were in a tailspin to end 2012, getting hammered by the Hawks and Rockets in a 1-3 stretch to cap the year off, but the loss that really stung was the one to the Bobcats on New Year’s Eve. Charlotte entered the game at 7-23, and in the midst of an 18-game losing streak, but they were able to come into the United Center and take down the Bulls. The Bulls never led in the contest, and were outscored by 10 in the first and fourth quarters each. To put it quite simply, it was the most embarrassing loss the Bulls have suffered all season. On Monday night, the Bobcats returned to the Windy City, and the Bulls were determined not to let them slip out with a win again.

The Bobcats proved to be pesky once again, but this time the Bulls managed to keep them at bay and pick up a victory. Chicago came out of the gate with great energy and started out with a 9-4 lead, but the Bobcats answered with a 12-3 run of their own to take a 16-12 lead. Once the Bulls’ bench got involved, order was restored quickly. The Bulls opened a 3-point lead by the end of the 1^st quarter and pushed the lead as high as 14 in the 2^nd behind 10 points by Jimmy Butler. In the 3^rd frame, with the starters back on the floor, the Bobcats went back to chipping away at the lead and managed to get the game tied at 55-all with 3:14 left in the quarter. Once the score got knotted up, a switch flipped in the Bulls almost instantly. It was like they finally realized they might lose to this Bobcats’ team again. Charlotte didn’t know what hit them next.

The Bulls went on an impressive 13-0 run sparked by a 3-point play by Joakim Noah, and capped by a fast break dunk by Jimmy Butler with a couple Nate Robinson triples in between. The Bobcats didn’t just go away after that. They battled behind Kemba Walker and Ben Gordon, but could get no closer than 6 the rest of the way. It was a dangerously close game for the Bulls, but they escaped with a hard-earned W. “We had it down to a two-possession game when the money was on the line,” commented Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap, “and a couple unfortunate turnovers cost us the game.”

Jimmy Butler was the game’s high scorer with 19 points as he returned to his usual role coming off the bench. Luol Deng returned after missing the last 5 games with a hamstring injury, and he tallied 12 points in about the same number of minutes as Butler. Butler doesn’t seem to mind his ever-changing role in the Bulls rotation, commenting after the game, “It’s all the same to me. When I’m out there, starter or off the bench, I’m still the same player bringing the same things to the table.” Nate Robinson had one of his best games as a Bull, with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a career-high 3 blocks. He continued to be a spark plug off the bench with his scoring punch, and was a key in yet another victory.

Despite Nate’s great game, the Chicago player who has really been on a tear lately is center Joakim Noah. Noah now has at least 16 rebounds in each of his last 4 games, and at least 7 assists in the last 2. On Monday night, he scored 13 points, grabbed a whopping 18 rebounds, and added on 7 assists and 5 blocks for good measure. It was yet another game where Joakim showed off his versatility as a passer while also dominating inside defensively and on the glass. “Noah was terrific, just terrific,” gushed coach Thibodeau, “Just everything. It was a terrific all-around game by him.” Teammate Carlos Boozer had some high praise for his center as well: “He’s been awesome. He’s been on a rebounding tear all season really, but the last couple of weeks, he’s been a monster. He’s doing Dennis Rodman-type stuff, grabbing every rebound with authority, not saving any for us to get. I’m just proud of him. He’s playing amazing.”

Joakim’s amazing play so far this season has earned him his first trip to the NBA All-Star game. He and teammate Luol Deng were both selected as reserves for the Eastern Conference squad, but that doesn’t mean they won’t remain focused on the games between now and the break. “It’s an unbelievable honor,” mentioned Joakim, “but these games right here are more important.” Oddly enough, most of the All-Star chatter in the locker room was about a player not included: Jimmy Butler. “If Jimmy’s not in the rookie-sophomore game, something’s wrong,” offered Nate Robinson. “They don’t need to have it anymore. Jimmy would dunk on some people in that game too. I think he should be in the game. He’s got my vote.” Carlos Boozer also interrupted his own post-game interview to say that someone needs to get Butler into that game as well. Unfortunately for Butler, he won’t be playing in what is officially called the “Rising Stars Game,” but it is clear he has earned the respect and support of his teammates with his play on the court.

For the Bobcats, the star of the game Monday was former Bull Ben Gordon, who put up 18 points, including 15 in the second half and was 4-5 from beyond the arc. Kemba Walker also got to 18 points to go along with 6 assists, but he didn’t shoot nearly as well as Gordon. Bismack Biyombo put up 8 points and 9 rebounds, and Jeff Adrien scored a career-high 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in an impressive first start with Charlotte. Adrien was started because of his rebounding ability, which is important up against the Bulls, but the Bobcats were still outrebounded by 7. The biggest statistical mismatches were in assists and blocks, categories that the Bulls won 22-12 and 14-5, respectively.

The loss drops Charlotte to a league-worst 11-33. They have a very uphill battle to fight in terms of getting to respectability in the standings, but they do now seem to be on the right track. The roster is stocked with raw young athletes that need to be molded into an NBA team. The 3 most important players in Charlotte’s future (Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Bismack Biyombo) are all 22 years-old or younger, and with that in mind Charlotte hired the right guy to coach this team. Mike Dunlap spent most of his 30-plus years of coaching in the college ranks, and what the Bobcats need is a teacher to help them grow into a good team. They have a ways to go, but coach Thibodeau sees some positive things going on with the Bobcats: “They play hard and they play together. Mike Dunlap’s done a great job with them.” Thibs was especially impressed by Kemba Walker’s demeanor on the court. “Walker’s getting better and better,” commented the Bulls coach. “You can tell he’s playing with a lot of confidence, and he’s got great speed and quickness.” Kemba is the scorer that the Bobcats want to build around, but like I said, there’s a long way to go. “We know where we need to go,” asserted Coach Dunlap. “We walk away from this game with lessons learned, and physically we matched them. We just had a couple things that we need to do a little bit better and we know what they are.”

Unlike the Bobcats, the Bulls are not struggling with respectability. The win over Charlotte makes 4 in the last 5 games and 7 in the last 9, which is more impressive considering they went 5 of them without arguably their best player not named Derrick Rose. There was a lot of talk early this season about how difficult it would be to replace the “Bench Mob,” and early on it seemed like a lot of that talk was warranted. Nate Robinson struggled to play as efficiently as Thibs likes, Marco Belinelli struggled to find his shot, and Taj Gibson struggled to adjust to life without Omer Asik covering the other side of the low post. It even got to the point that Coach Thibodeau left his starters out there to blow a 27-point lead to the Bucks to prove a point earlier this season. Fast forward to Monday, and this team looks like it has finally come together. “It takes time,” asserted Carlos Boozer. “I think everyone overreacted a little bit to what happened over the summer. Chemistry takes time to build and the group that we had before took time to build that too. Our chemistry with our second group now is awesome.” Joakim sees that chemistry building too: “To get to where we want to get to, we need everybody. It’s not about starters or bench, it’s about us as a team. A lot of guys have stepped up throughout this year, and that’s the strength of this team.”

That chemistry will really get put to the test over the next month or so. The Bulls will spend most of February away from the United Center, and that’s when these guys will have to lean on each other more than ever. They won’t have the crowd cheering them on to feed off of. They play 10 of their next 12 games on the road, starting in Milwaukee on Wednesday, but this is a team that doesn’t shy away from a challenge. “I think we cherish that villain role,” mentioned Noah. “The road is fun.” When asked if he himself enjoyed playing the villain role, Noah’s mouth curled up into a sly smile and he said just one word, “Yes.” While it’s fun to joke around about the upcoming road swing, the Bulls real focus will likely be the same as it always is: to get better. “No matter what we do, no matter how many games we win we always are trying to improve,” explained Boozer. “We’ll continue to grow and win, and that’s a big deal to us, to get better as you collect wins and not to suffer a loss to get better.” The Bulls have done a great job of that so far, sitting a game and a half ahead of the Pacers for the Central Division lead. They just have to keep up their grades in chemistry.

There was a time in Chicago when Kirk Hinrich was an up-and-coming point guard and one of the leaders on a young Bulls team stocked with eventual draft busts like Eddy Curry and Tyrus Thomas. From 2004-2007, his 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th seasons in the NBA, young Kirk averaged 16 points and 6.3 assists per game, and topped 20 points with regularity. Fast forward to now, and those numbers are distant memories for most Bulls fans. Captain Kirk, as he is fondly known as by fans and teammates, returned this season from stints with the Wizards and Hawks reinvented as a game manager who simply runs the offense and plays pesky defense. Coming into Monday night’s contest with the Lakers, Kirk was averaging 6.3 points and 5.2 assists per game and a season high of 17 points scored way back in November, but on Monday night Kirk turned back the clock. Hinrich took advantage of every open look he got against the Lakers, scoring a game and season-high 22 points on a remarkable 9-of-11 shooting from the field, and scored 6 big points in the 4^th quarter as the Bulls pulled away for the win. What’s even more impressive about Kirk’s shooting was that only 2 of his 11 attempts were from inside of 19 feet from the rim, oh, and he added 8 assists and 7 rebounds for good measure. It was a performance the Bulls needed on a night when Luol Deng was sidelined with a hamstring injury.

“I felt it was just a matter of time before he started knocking shots down,” offered Coach Thibodeau after the game. “Hinrich has played well all year in terms of running the team. His defense is always outstanding. He got into a good rhythm tonight.” The Bulls played from ahead for much of the night, but the game tightened up in the 3^rd and 4^th quarters, and clutch shooting down the stretch is what really put the Bulls out front for good. Hinrich hit consecutive jumpers to push the lead from 2 to 6, and moments later Marco Belinelli sank 2 triples in a short span to open it up to a 10-point game with 2 and a half minutes to go and it was elementary from there. Lakers’ guard Steve Nash didn’t have much to say on how the game swung so quickly, “They went on a run. We didn’t convert. We had some looks we didn’t make, they made some looks. You tip your hat.”

Coach Thibodeau wasn’t the only voice in the Bulls’ locker room gushing about the game that Hinrich had on Monday. Center Joakim Noah, fresh off getting benched down the stretch against the Grizzlies on Saturday, sounded as proud as could be when talking about his point guard: “I’m very happy for Kirk, because we worked so hard in the summer, and to see Cap [Hinrich] have a game like that in a big game, it was huge. When Kirk plays like that, we’re very hard to beat, because not only is he a great floor general, but he’s putting the ball in the basket too, and you know defensively he’s one of the best in the league.”

Hinrich himself downplayed his great performance afterwards,: “It (scoring) has kind of been an afterthought for me. Every game is different, but a lot of games, it seems like early in the game we’ve got guys who have it going, who have advantages. I feel like it’s my obligation as point guard to make sure the ball gets there, and especially with Lu [Deng] out right now we need a little bit extra. It just happened to come from me.” While it’s easy to chalk up Hinrich’s strong outing to a matchup with the defensively deficient Steve Nash, it was one of the rare times this season that Kirk shot the ball with confidence. He often looks to pass even when he has open looks, but on Monday he finally trusted his shot and it paid huge dividends.

While Kirk was the catalyst, he was hardly the only Bull taking the floor on Monday. Marco Belinelli scored an impressive 15 points off the bench including 3-of-3 from the outside, and Joakim Noah was a defensive menace despite scoring just 6 points. Noah tallied 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a season-high 6 blocks. Carlos Boozer had one of his quietest outings in some time on the same day that he was named Eastern Conference player of the week for last week, putting up 14 points and 6 rebounds. Jimmy Butler, Richard Hamilton and Nate Robinson also managed to score in double-digits en route to the victory.

Statistically, the Lakers weren’t as bad as the final score would indicate. They didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but they topped the Bulls in most categories. They out-rebounded Chicago 50-40, they got to the free throw line 23 times to 12 for the Bulls, and they outscored the Bulls in the paint and on second chance points. The stats that were their Achilles heel in this one were 3-pointers, turnovers and assists. The Bulls drained 6 more triples than L.A. despite the same number of attempts, and the Lakers turned the ball over twice as much as Chicago and were out-assisted 25-15. If you don’t move the ball well, it is hard to score in the NBA and the Lakers’ head coach knows it. Mike D’Antoni said he wants the Lakers to average 110-115 points per game, but that’s not the direction the team is headed in. “We’ve got it down to about 70,” joked D’Antoni. “So, we’re working at it, just the wrong way. Not making shots is a lot of it, but there’s just not a lot of flow, not good movement and it’s just tough. It’s agonizing to watch.”

Nash led the Lakers with 18 points and 6 assists, and Kobe Bryant was close behind with 16 and 5, but Bryant shot a miserable 7-for-22 from the field. Jimmy Butler was matched up on Kobe for most of the game, and afterwards his teammates were ribbing him in the locker room, calling him “Kobe-stopper,” but he would have none of it. “It wasn’t just me defending him,” asserted Butler. “It was 4 other guys out there. If I was beat, Joakim or Booze or somebody else was always there. We defended him as a team. But, he missed a lot of shots, pull-ups, open 3’s, he makes those. When you see Kobe on the highlights he knocks those down. He just didn’t make too many shots tonight.” Aside from Kobe and Nash, there were 3 other Lakers in double-figures, but the most impressive was likely Pau Gasol. Metta World Peace had a nice game with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks, but Gasol’s game may have been even better. Pau scored 15 points and grabbed 12 boards in his new role off the bench, outperforming new starter Earl Clark, who put up 12 and 8 in 9 more minutes than Pau. Gasol has come off the bench just 8 times in his 12-year career, and he doesn’t seem too happy to be coming off the pine now.

“I’m not excited about it,” mentioned Pau. “I’ve never been coming in off the bench, but right now I’m more worried about us as a team, and us struggling, so it would be selfish of me to talk about how I feel about something in particular. We have to figure out how to win. That’s what’s happening too. We’re all searching for the right formula, the right answer so that we can snap out of this streak and start playing as we like to.” Pau’s discontent over his new role is just one of many chemistry issues on the very dysfunctional Lakers.

The Lakers have been a big mess for much of the season. The loss to Chicago drops them to 17-24 at the halfway point of the season, but there has been a lot of turmoil to get to this point. It started in the offseason when L.A. traded Andrew Bynum to bring in Dwight Howard. Then, head coach Mike Brown was fired just a few games into the season when his Princeton offense didn’t seem to be beneficial to the talent on the roster. The team gave Phil Jackson a chance to take back the reins, and then pulled the rug out from under him to hire offensive-minded Mike D’Antoni instead. The Lakers have been battling a smattering of injuries all year as well. Dwight Howard was coming off back surgery to start the season, and Steve Nash fractured his leg in one of the first games of the year. Once Nash recovered, Pau Gasol went down with a concussion and Howard injured his shoulder. This group hasn’t played together much, and the results on the court bear that out. The problem though, is that with a franchise like the Lakers, even when there are legitimate reasons for it, struggling is unacceptable. The pressure for the Lakers to win is so great, it is making the chemistry situation even worse.

There are more questions than answers for L.A., and the team seems tired of dealing with the media scrutiny. I was there for Mike D’Antoni’s last game as head coach of the Knicks last season, and he seemed exasperated and defeated. He seems about the same now as he did then. His players are questioning the game plan, and the team is losing. The biggest issue on the court seems to be between Gasol and Howard, who just don’t seem to play off one another very well. But off the court, the issue is between Kobe and Howard. There have been rumors floating around NBA circles that the two don’t get along, and recent quotes from each back that up. “I’ve tried to go out of my way to get him the ball,” commented Kobe. “Sometimes I end up looking like an idiot because I get up in the air, I’ve got a shot, but I try to find him. But he thinks I’m going to shoot, so his back is turned. I’m trying to think about getting him the ball a lot-take care of him as much as I possibly can. It takes me out of my rhythm a little bit.” Meanwhile, Dwight still feels like he doesn’t get the ball enough. Howard scored just 8 points Monday on 2-of-5 shooting and wasn’t happy about it. “I missed some shots early, didn’t get an opportunity to go to work like I wanted to,” mentioned Dwight. “I can’t do what I do best with 5 shots.”

There have been many ideas as to how to fix what is wrong with L.A., but the most obvious is to ship out Dwight Howard. For Mike D’Antoni’s system to work, he needs good perimeter shooters and an effective triggerman. Nash can handle the trigger role, but only Kobe has much of an outside shot, even though World Peace has been better this season. The Lakers need to put Gasol back in at the center spot, and ship out Howard for some 3-point shooters. The Mavericks, Hawks and Nets have been mentioned as possible suitors for Dwight when he becomes a free agent in the offseason, but none of them make much sense as a trade partner for the Lakers. The team that makes the most sense to me is the Houston Rockets, who loaded up on draft picks to make a play for Howard that came up empty last offseason. They have some perimeter shooters in Carlos Delfino, Marcus Morris and Chandler Parsons who would fit a D’Antoni system perfectly. It’s just a matter of the Lakers being willing to take a chance and pull the trigger on the deal.

While many Chicago fans are taking delight in the Lakers’ misery, there just isn’t much to say about the home team that we didn’t know before Monday. The win over the Lakers was just business as usual for Chicago. With a win over the Pistons on Wednesday (a very winnable game), the Bulls will be on pace for 50 wins at the halfway point. That should be astounding considering the injuries the Bulls have dealt with this season, but it just doesn’t feel that way. We expect this out of the Bulls, no matter who is in the starting lineup. Coach Thibodeau refuses to let these Bulls be unprepared or use D-Rose’s injury as a crutch, and it’s resulting in a very scrappy, dangerous team. Derrick Rose seems just a few short weeks away, and when you add a league MVP talent to a 50-win team, look out. Coach Thibs isn’t going to let these guys exhale and rest on their laurels until Derrick gets back, but it doesn’t mean we as fans can’t. It’s time to start getting excited about this team and what they can do when the postseason rolls around. If East favorites Miami aren’t on notice yet, they will be soon enough when #1 is back in action. Get your kernel-based microwave snacks ready. (I think TO has trademarks)