Resilient Bulls Live to Fight Another Day; Take Game 5 from ‘Sixers at the UC
Written by Shawn Foss
For much of the 2011-12 NBA season, the Bulls have been in the driver’s seat in the Eastern Conference. Despite injuries to just about every member of the team at some point this season, the Bulls were in 1st place pretty much from wire to wire. Coach Tom Thibodeau often talked about his team playing with an edge, and Joakim Noah has said that he loves how desperate the Bulls play, but realistically, the Bulls haven’t had any actual pressure. They have spent all season trying to manufacture motivation, to find reasons to play with that edge and find reasons to play desperate. On Tuesday night, for the first time in almost a year, the Bulls had to deal with some real desperation. One more loss to the Philadelphia 76ers means the Bulls become just the 5th team in league history to lose to an 8 seed in the 1st round of the playoffs. Chicago has set some lofty goals for itself this season, and all year, they have maintained the pursuit of a championship despite a myriad of injuries to major players. Entering the playoffs, the Bulls finally seemed at full strength with Rip Hamilton finding his rhythm and Derrick Rose returning from the latest of a plethora of ailments he suffered from. Fast forward to Tuesday, and D-Rose is done for the season and Noah is hobbled as well, and the Bulls are down 3 games to 1 and staring elimination in the face. It was time for the Bulls to dig deep. All season long, Luol Deng has said, “It’s not always going to be perfect, and it’s not always going to be pretty, but we’re going to play hard and we’re going to find a way.” For the first time in this series since Rose went down, the Chicago Bulls lived up to that mantra.
The Bulls took down the 76ers, 77-69, in a sloppy, physical, hard-fought playoff game in Chicago on Tuesday night. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer led the charge at the offensive end, with 24 and 19 points, respectively. Carlos did most of his damage in the 3rd, with 12 points in the frame, and he also was huge in other areas with 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Luol scored the first 4 points of the game, but really made his presence felt in the 4th, when he connected on 3 triples and really helped keep the ‘Sixers at bay. “Boozer and Deng were great tonight,” commented 76ers coach Doug Collins. “Luol hit some really big 3’s at the end with the shot clock winding down.” It was the first time all series that Luol really asserted himself and went after some points at the offensive end. “I came out aggressive tonight to start the game,” mentioned Deng. “I had good looks at the 3’s, even though the shot clock was winding down, and I kept shooting the ball.” His strong shooting night carried the Bulls late, but it was defense that got Chicago back into this series.
Ronnie Brewer manhandled Evan Turner off the bench, and Omer Asik and Taj Gibson dominated in the paint all night as the Bulls held Philly to just 69 points, including a playoff franchise-record low 26 points in the first half. Gibson and Asik combined to block 7 shots, and changed countless others. “Our bigs did a good job of keeping their [Philly’s] guards in front of them,” explained Deng. “Their guards have been hurting us by getting in the paint and hitting those shots, and our bigs did a good job of making them take tough shots.” By the final buzzer, Philadelphia had shot a dismal 11-of-34 in the paint, and just 32% overall for the game. Andre Iguodala shot just 4-for-19, and point guard Jrue Holiday was 5-for-17 but led the team with 16 points. After going off for 20 or more in each of the games in Philly, center Spencer Hawes was held to 11 on Tuesday, but he did contribute a game-high 14 rebounds.
Just laying out the 76ers shooting numbers doesn’t tell the whole story of how the Bulls’ physical play really got under Philly’s skin, in Spencer Hawes’s case, literally. Hawes showed up at the postgame news conference with a cut that went most of the way up one of his cheeks. “It’s a physical series. If that’s how it’s going to go, we can play that brand of basketball,” commented Hawes in a noticeably restrained tone. The ‘Sixers weren’t exactly complaining, but they definitely took notice of how little room the Bulls were giving them to operate. “I have to read the memo on free movement again,” quipped Collins. “When you look at the Bulls players like Brewer, you see that they are big, strong guys. We can’t play out of character and go out and play smash-mouth basketball. That’s not what we do. If we do that, we fall into the trap that they want to put us in. You can’t let one game get you going in the wrong direction.” Despite the coach’s words, the 76ers are a very young team who just may let a little hotheadedness get the best of them. Evan Turner was noticeably frustrated by a couple of calls he didn’t get on drives to the basket, and as much as he tried to hide it, Hawes seemed to be seething too. The frustration with the officials didn’t end with the Philly bench. When asked about the free throw disparity in the game coach Thibodeau looked ready to say something that could affect his wallet before stopping and commenting that, “Some things are better left unsaid.”
Things did get a little heated late in the first half when it appeared that Taj Gibson elbowed Elton Brand in the chin during a scrum for a loose ball. The teams were sent to their respective benches to cool off and the two players were each issued a technical foul. “I love stuff like that,” gushed Bulls’ guard John Lucas. “It shows we’re competing out there. It didn’t get out of hand, nobody threw punches. It was just two teams that were fighting that didn’t want to lose. We needed that, absolutely.” Luol Deng got a slightly different benefit from the skirmish. When asked about the fight, Deng simply responded, “Honestly, I just came out of the game. I was a little tight, so I just sat down and tried to enjoy my time on the bench. I had two heat pads on and I was feeling great.” He got plenty of chuckles from press row with that explanation. After the technicals, the Bulls scored the final 4 points of the half to build up their biggest lead of the night at 9 points going into the break. Despite a couple of spots where Philly seemed poised to make a run, they never got it closer than 7 after the half.
For the first time in quite a while, the basketball gods, at least the branch of them that deal with injuries, are smiling on the Bulls and showing them some love. The Bulls got a big scare with two minutes left in the third when Taj Gibson came down clutching his ankle after contesting a Philly shot and committing a foul. After the way this team has suffered all season long with injuries, and with the devastating ones to Rose and Noah in the postseason, this just seemed like the last straw that could break this team’s spirit. “I was just screaming at him to get up and be in pain later,” mentioned Deng. Taj went to the locker room to be checked out by the trainer, but he returned in the 4th and seemed to be just fine. He didn’t seem to be favoring the ankle and made an instant impact when he returned. The Bulls had just watched their biggest lead of the night of 15 turn into 9 thanks to a Holiday 3 and Hawes 3-point play when Taj was reinserted with 6:43 to play. Gibson promptly hit a 15-foot jumper and moments later sank two free throws to push the lead back to 13. The ‘Sixers only threatened once more, but Iguodala missed a wide open 3 that would have cut the lead to 5 with 30 seconds left. “The only way they were taking me off this court was if I hurt it again,” exclaimed Taj. “I knew he was coming back, Taj is from Brooklyn,” joked Lucas. “When he was laying down, he was saying ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ When you tweak it, of course you’re going to feel something, but I knew he was coming back. It was huge.” Nothing has been said for sure, but I would assume Taj will be good to go for game 6.
Both teams are now looking at game 6 as a must-win if they would like to advance to the second round and face Boston or Atlanta. “I don’t want to come to a game 7,” stated Collins. The 76ers coach, much like his players, realized how difficult it would be to defeat the Bulls in Chicago after allowing them to regain their confidence. Philly’s real chance to advance comes on Thursday. “We still have the lead, and we’re going back to our home court,” mentioned Hawes. “Now we get our shot.” The ‘Sixers had better make good on that shot, because if they don’t, they’ll be watching round two from home. The Bulls hope to have Joakim Noah back on Thursday, and if he and Taj can play, the Bulls should be able to find a way to take care of business on the road. They likely would have won game 3 in Philly if not for Jo’s injury. If Noah can’t play, the Bulls might need the help of more refs like tonight. You know, the ones who keep the whistles in their pockets and let the physical play continue. If the teams are allowed to play like this again, it’s only a matter of time before the young 76ers start to lose their composure and play into that trap that Doug Collins is talking about. One thing is for sure. The Bulls will continue to play like a team that’s desperate. If Philly can’t match that desperation, they won’t be able to match the Bulls.
Bulls survive poor game from D-Rose, top Heat in OT Thriller
Written by Shawn Foss
There wasn’t a whole lot of hope left in the Chicago Bulls with just 11 seconds remaining in their showdown with the Miami Heat at the United Center Thursday night. Derrick Rose had scored a career-low 2 points on 1-for-13 shooting in his return from an ankle injury, and LeBron James was going to the free throw line with a chance to salt the game away for the Heat. Miami led by 2 points, and a perfect trip to the foul line for King James would just about put a bow on a big Heat victory. The sellout crowd booed frantically, and LeBron did exactly what he didn’t want to and missed the first try off back iron. He hit the second attempt, but he had breathed all the life into the Bulls that they needed. Chicago took a timeout to set up an inbounds play across half-court needing a 3-pointer to stay alive. The play was designed to hit 3-point gunner Kyle Korver coming off a screen, but the Heat defended it perfectly. Miami ended up with pretty much a triple-team on Korver pinning him against the sideline. Korver managed to get the ball out of his hands to Carlos Boozer near the free throw line, and Boozer swung the ball to C.J. Watson on the other side of the court. Watson was open before the ball arrived, but a hustling Dwyane Wade was able to get there to defend before Watson could get a shot off. C.J. pump-faked to get Wade just a little off balance, and side-stepped him to hurl up a three-point try that splashed through the net with just 2.2 seconds remaining. The 23,000 plus fans in attendance went absolutely nuts. The Bulls were still alive. The Heat had one more chance in regulation, but Dwayne Wade’s jumper glanced off the side of the rim as time expired. Chicago fed off the huge triple by Watson, and dominated the overtime period to take down the defending Eastern Conference champs, 96-86.
“It’s not a pass you want to make a lot of times in a row,” said Korver of his dish to Boozer. “We were kind of in a scramble mode. It was a broken down play. When that happens, we talk all the time about spacing it out and trying to find the open man, and C.J. made a huge shot.”
“Thank god he got it out of the double team,” quipped Boozer about Kyle’s feed. “I caught that around the free throw line, and I just heard C.J. call my name so I got it over there.” Watson’s big shot didn’t end the game, only forced overtime, but the momentum it created was too much. The Bulls outscored the Heat 12-2 in the extra period, led by 5 points by Taj Gibson and dominant defense by Omer Asik. Just like throughout regulation, it was the bench mob that ruled the day in overtime. The Bulls’ bench scored a ridiculous 47 points out of the Bulls’ 96, and was the major reason that Chicago was able to win on Thursday. “You can’t say enough about the bench today,” gushed coach Thibodeau after the win. “We were looking for a spark. I didn’t want the game to get away from us. We were about 10 points down. I thought the bench would come in and provide some energy.” The bench certainly did what the coach expected.
It seemed every time the Bulls’ starting unit played together, the Heat were in control and managed to pull out in front, and every time, the bench was able to turn the tide. Chicago got down by 9 in the first quarter, and the bench brought them back with a 19-4 run to take a 6 point lead in the second. It was déjà vu all over again once the starters returned, and Miami built a 10-point edge midway through the third quarter. The bench stepped up again and put the Bulls back in front in the fourth, but LeBron and the Heat came alive late in the 4th to set up the dramatic finish. The starters certainly don’t overlook it when the bench picks them up like they did Thursday. “Our bench is one of the reasons we have the record that we have,” asserted Boozer. “I think we have a group of guys that come off the bench that could start for other teams. We feel like we have 2 starting units out there, and we show confidence in them.”
Kyle Korver was one of the 3 Bulls’ backups who scored in double figures, tallying 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting (5-of-6 on threes), while C.J. Watson scored 16 points and dished out a team-high 9 assists. Taj Gibson made several hustle plays and put up 11 points and 5 rebounds despite fouling out in overtime. Omer Asik also had a great game off the bench despite not scoring a point, as he recorded 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, including a huge one on a shot in the lane by Wade in overtime that got the crowd into a frenzy. Coach Thibs had nothing but positive things to say about the “Turkish Hammer” after the game. “His shot blocking is huge, particularly against a team like that,” lauded the coach. “To have a 7-footer cover ground like he can, rebound in traffic…I think offensively he is very underrated. He sets a screen for you, you’re going to be open. I thought the end of last season he was as good as anybody defensively. He and Taj complement each other very, very well.”
There were some solid showings from the starting lineup as well, with Boozer putting up 19 points and 11 rebounds and Luol Deng contributing 16 and 5, but not one Bulls’ player scored 20 points. On the other side, Miami had three players score at least 20, with LeBron, Wade and Bosh scoring 30, 21 and 20 respectively. The issue for the Heat was the lack of a supporting cast, as the rest of the roster totaled just 15 points. Mike Miller shot just 1-for-9 off the bench for Miami, and starter Mario Chalmers was just 2-of-7. Chris Bosh and Ronny Turiaf led the Heat with 8 rebounds apiece, and Bosh threw in 4 blocks for good measure. One of the most telling stats between the two teams came from the assist numbers. Miami had just 17 assists on 36 field goals, while the Bulls had 26 of them on 37 field goals. It demonstrates that the Heat play more selfish, one-on-one offensive basketball, while the Bulls share the ball and play as a team. As George Karl said a few weeks ago after his Denver Nuggets had beaten the Bulls, “Unselfish basketball is winning basketball.”
The biggest negative to take away from Thursday night’s game for Chicago was the play of their MVP. Rose was held scoreless in the first half for the first time in his career, and would have spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench had C.J. Watson not needed a breather. Despite his poor play, there wasn’t a whole lot of worry coming from the Bulls’ locker room after the game. When asked about Rose’s poor scoring night Carlos Boozer commented, “He did other things though. His shot on offense might have been a little off, but he played great D, got a lot of assists, and pushed the ball for us. He’s a crazy threat out there for us.” Coach Thibodeau also seemed content with the game Derrick played. “Some things I thought he did very well,” stated Thibs. “He was a little rusty; he didn’t knock down the shots he normally makes. I thought for the 1st time back with that amount of time off, I thought he was fine.” Rose did put up 3 more assists (8) than anybody on the Heat, and really only seemed to struggle with finishing his drives with baskets and hitting his jumpers. In reality, the most important opinion on the matter is probably that of the MVP himself. “I’m not worried about my stats,” claimed Rose. “I’m just trying to get my rhythm to get ready for the playoffs, get my timing back. Tonight my shots were not falling but my teammates had my back and we got a win.” As long as he has his timing back when the playoffs roll around, D-Rose and the Bulls will be fine.
For Miami, the loss to Chicago was their 6th in their last 11 games and their 10th since the all-star break, and a lot of Heat fans are starting to worry about the recent struggles. Miami was supposed to be improved from a season ago. The ‘big 3’ have another year playing together under their belt, and the supporting cast was upgraded with the additions of Shane Battier and Norris Cole, and a full healthy season of Udonis Haslem. Things haven’t quite worked that way so far. Last season, the Heat kicked things into gear over the last month and a half of the regular season, and then rolled to the NBA finals without going more than 5 games in any playoff series in the east playoffs. This season seems to be working the opposite. Miami dominated the first half of the schedule, going into the break at 27-7, but has struggled since. They are having a hard time figuring out a consistent rotation that works for them, and they have started shuffling the lineup around from game to game. It’s awfully late in the season to still be figuring these things out. With that being said, it’s not time to start hitting the panic button. The Heat are still a shoo-in for the number 2 seed in the East, and they still seem to be on track for a showdown with the Bulls in the conference finals. They still boast one of the most talented starting lineups in the league, but the consistency and chemistry of the Bulls is the one thing that should worry Miami come playoff time.
With just 7 games left, the Bulls are now sitting pretty for the top seed in the East, and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. They’re finally at full strength, and now just need to get used to playing with one another, and get accustomed to their regular roles again. Rip Hamilton has shown flashes of the player the team expects him to be, and Derrick Rose should round back into form quickly. All season long, despite the best record in the league, most NBA analysts have considered the Bulls to be the underdog to the favorite Miami, but that may be changing. The Bulls have a chance to peak at the right time, while Miami seems to be showing some serious flaws. The two teams meet one more time in the regular season, but everyone knows this is all about what happens in the conference finals. The series will shape up as a contrast in styles, but if Miami wants to return to the NBA finals, they will have to change theirs. They won’t defeat Chicago if they are playing pretty much 3-on-5 all the time. The Heat will have to have some of their supporting players step up, and they have to play more unselfishly if they want to have any chance. If they play the way they did on Thursday, the Bulls might just return the favor from last season and send Miami home in just 5 games. At any rate, I can’t wait to see these two match up again with more on the line than just home court advantage.
There's nothing like the NBA play-offs. it seperates the boys from men, rats from mice, cats from kittens....I could go on, but I won't. The Chicago Bulls are entering the 2012 play-offs with a 50-16 record, having home-court throughout the East. They have been arguably the best team in basketball for the past two years, and this year is no different. The Bulls find themselves in a great position, with their team fairly healthy (except for Luo Deng's wrist), and their best player getting back into stride after resting a nagging injury. The numerous injuries has caused many of their bench to step up, and step up they have. Because of the injury to Derrick Rose and shooting guard Rip Hamilton, the Bulls have also gotten more scoring out of their post players, which includes big games from Carlos Boozer. Boozer has steeped it up alot, even if the numbers don't show it sometimes. His impact and energy on the court makes a huge difference to his teammates. The same can be said for Taj Gibson, who plays a very similar game to Boozer, yet is more explosive and possesses more energy. He also plays a more defensive game than Boozer, but it matches up well for both. The trio of Ronnie Brewer, Jimmy Butler, and Kyle Korver has also produced when called upon, and with Deng still a bit banged-up you can expect the same. The real surprise has come with the way both CJ Watson and John Lucas III have stepped up big time when called upon. Both have played with confidence and delivered in in DRose's abscence.
But now its time for the talking to stop, and unfortunately Philadelphia is the team doing all the talking.
The Bulls will face Doug Collins' Philadelphia 76er's. For some reason Philly gives the Bulls fits, and it has more to do with just inuries. Elton Brand when motivated and healthy is a dominant low post scoring machine. He's a beast down low, which makes the attacking tweeners that the 76'ers feature very dangerous. Thaddeus Young, while 6'9, isnt a big down low. He's a small forward...a 6'9 small forward. He'll dunk on you and grab a rebound or 3 because he's 6'9, however he's not going to be throwing anyone out of the paint anytime soon. Everyone of their guards is looking to score, which is why no one is scoring over 15ppg, and they turn the ball over like a mofo. The 76er's move the ball well, and have tremendous guard depth. but thats it. Size wise, only center Spencer Hawes and Brand provide any length in the post, which means rebounds coming the 76'ers way comes out of luck. The Bulls are long and big, and should be able to dominate the 76'ers inside.
But its the guards that make this tricky. With DRose not playing up to his usual self, that could be trouble, as Iguogana and Williams both can light it up. Plus Evan Turner has played DRose well since their high school days. it doesn't fair well that Philly doesn't seem to respect the Bulls, so if they get hot they could get very cocky. They love to run and will shoot without warning, but outside of coach Collins, really have no heart. The Bulls should be able to push them around with or without Rose at 100%.
Bulls Overcome Sluggish Start to Top Celtics, 93-86
Written by Shawn Foss
The Chicago Bulls longest losing streak in over a year is officially over at a whopping 2 games. The Bulls rallied back from an 11-point halftime deficit to take down the Boston Celtics at the United Center on Thursday night. Turnovers and sub-par defense allowed the Celtics to roll to a 49-38 halftime edge behind 17 points by Paul Pierce and an 11-2 advantage in fast break points. The Bulls turned the tables on the C’s in the second half. Chicago was relentless on the boards and on the defensive end after the break, and Luol Deng scored 12 of his game-high 26 points in the 4th quarter en route to the victory. “It was a tale of two halves,” commented Carlos Boozer after the game. “In the first half, we all played with our heads down,” mentioned Joakim Noah. “When things aren’t going our way, our mentality has to be that ‘we’ve got to fix this fast.’ We can’t play with our heads down.” The Bulls certainly did fix things quickly after the break.
The Bulls lost back-to-back games for the first time since last February on Sunday and Monday, and seemed headed for a third straight defeat before the 2nd half eruption. In the losses to the Thunder and Rockets, the Bulls were trounced in the third quarter of each game, allowing a 13-0 run to the Thunder and a 14-1 run to the Rockets in that frame. Despite the recent third quarter woes, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t worried as his team headed into the second half Thursday. “I could sense it at the half, they were ready. Sometimes, you sit there and you’re searching a little bit, but some of the things that were said, I could tell that we were going to be okay.” The Bulls were more than okay after halftime. They outscored Boston 29-17 in the third quarter, and outhustled the Celtics for pretty much the entire second half. Celtics coach Doc Rivers was furious with his team’s effort after the break. “I had to use two timeouts….to remind us that we were actually having an NBA game tonight. This was the worst loss for us this year, the way we approached the game.” Rivers’s ranting didn’t stop there. “That was an unacceptable effort for us. I don’t say that very often. I don’t think I’ve ever said that before.”
The Celtics unacceptable effort was led by Paul Pierce, who ended up with 22 points, only 5 of which came in the second half, and 8 rebounds. Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo scored just 12 and 10 points, respectively, but KG grabbed 14 rebounds and Rondo dished out 12 assists to go with the points. Brandon Bass put up 15 points and 3 steals, while Ray Allen scored 14 points off the bench. Allen normally would be starting, but he is coming off an injury that caused him to miss 6 games before he returned against the Spurs on Wednesday. Avery Bradley started in his place and scored 9 points. Despite the way the Celtics struggled against Chicago, the Bulls coach had some high praise for the Celtics talent. “They already were a great defensive team,” lauded Thibodeau, “but Bradley and Bass have brought more energy to their team. Every game they are playing with a lot of energy, and with Ray Allen coming off the bench, that is a different look.” Despite the energy the Celtics have been playing with, the Bulls were able to overcome them on this night.
The way the Bulls were able to win was simply to get back to the basics: defense and rebounding. No matter how much they struggle to hit shots, if the Bulls defend and battle on the boards, they’re going to have a fighting chance. Noah and Boozer set the tone on the glass early, combining for 12 rebounds in the opening quarter. Boozer finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds while Joakim Noah put up 17 points and 9 rebounds, and he blocked 3 shots for good measure. C.J. Watson had a respectable game in what could be his final start of the season in place of MVP Derrick Rose despite a rough shooting night and a handful of turnovers. Watson ended up with 15 points and 8 assists, and hit two big three pointers with around 4 minutes remaining in the 3rd to give the Bulls their first tie and lead since the game’s opening minutes. Once the Bulls got out in front, this game became the ‘Luol Deng Show.’
Luol Deng took it upon himself to be the Bulls offense in the 4th quarter, providing 12 points including a stretch in which he scored 8 Bulls points in a row to help get the Bulls to their first double-digit lead of the game. Deng’s 26 points were his season high, and his great final quarter came after he shot just 3-of-13 for the rest of the game. “C.J.’s threes got us going, and then Lu did his thing,” commented Boozer. “First of all, he was guarding a great player on the other side in Paul Pierce, and at the same time he was going right back at him on the other end, hitting big shots. Lu was very aggressive, and we need Lu to be that way. When he’s aggressive like that, we’re a better team.”
Kind of lost in the shuffle on Thursday was some more positive news on the injury front. The reigning MVP seems just about ready to get himself back out there, and I would be surprised if he isn’t starting on Sunday against the Knicks. When asked what it would mean to have Rose back Carlos Boozer was quick with his response: “Everything. We’ve been holding it down without him, but we can’t wait to get him back out there.” The other oft-injured Bull was on the court on Thursday. It was Rip Hamilton’s second game back in the lineup after his latest in a slew of injuries, and he finally started to find his rhythm a little bit in the second half. Hamilton turned the ball over 5 times against the Rockets on Monday, and shot just 1-for-6 in the first half against the Celtics, but he seemed to get things going a little bit after the half. He ended up with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. “Everything’s timing with me right now,” explained Rip after the game. “In the first half, I was able to get to any spot on the floor that I wanted to get to, but I just couldn’t make the shots. In the second half, I just tried to really pick it up on defense, go to plan B a little bit, and pick it up there and get some easy baskets, and C.J. did a great job of finding me where I could get some easy looks.” The biggest bonus to take from Rip’s last two games is that he hasn’t had any setbacks. “You hate to miss shots, but my legs feel great and that’s a big plus,” exclaimed Hamilton. “Each game I get a little better.” That’s very good news for the Bulls, who are going to need everyone healthy to make a real run at an NBA title.
Although the Celtics have lost back-to-back games, they are far from in a panic mode. The C’s are sitting in the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and only need to hold on to the division lead to stay there. As long as the Celtics continue to play with a lot of intensity and effort, they should have no problem winning the Atlantic Division. Their only real competitors for the division are the Knicks, who are missing Jeremy Lin and Amare’ Stoudemire for most of the remainder of the season, and the free-falling Philadelphia 76ers, who after a 15-6 start, have won just 14 of the 33 games they’ve played since the start of February. Those teams both seem unlikely to catch the Celtics, despite the fact that the teams are all pretty close in the standings right now. As long as the big 3 still have something left in the tank for the stretch run, the Celtics will be a tough out in the playoffs, no matter who they draw.
Do you know who else will be a tough out in the playoffs? That’s right, the Bulls. Chicago seems to finally be coming out of the funk that they’ve been mired in over the past month. The timing couldn’t be better, as the return of Derrick Rose will only make the Bulls more dangerous. The key will be keeping up the intensity this team is known for once Rose is back. They can’t just breathe a sigh of relief because their point guard is back. With just 10 games left, it’ll be critical for the Bulls to use the stretch run to get the starting lineup used to playing together again, and to get things clicking as the playoffs arrive. They don’t have a lot of margin for error down the stretch if they would like to finish with the league’s best record. The Bulls still face the Heat twice, they host the Dallas Mavericks, and travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers, and their lead in the loss column is just one over the Spurs, and two over the Heat and Thunder. But of course, the Bulls aren’t thinking about that. They are only thinking about getting back to playing Bulls’ basketball, and the game against the Knicks on Sunday. “It just feels good to play a game where we feel that we definitely played hungrier than the other team,” gushed Noah. If they continue to play that hungry, the NBA’s best record is all but theirs. The only question left will be what they do with that best record once the regular season is over.
Bulls Receive Harsh Wake-up Call, Fall to Nuggets by 17
Written by Shawn Foss
Tom Thibodeau made what seemed like a crazy claim two weeks ago when he said that, “We have to get better, we are not playing well.” Heck, the team had just finished winning their 10th game out of 11. It seemed even crazier when the Bulls managed to beat the Miami Heat without Derrick Rose and C.J. Watson just two nights later. On Monday night, the rest of the country got to see what Thibs was talking about. The loss to Portland earlier this month could be justified as a letdown game after an emotional win over Miami, but in the games that followed, the Bulls overcame shaky defense (except against Orlando) to win 4 straight games. They weren’t so lucky against the Denver Nuggets. Denver used a 10-0 run to open the second half to propel them to a 108-91 victory over the NBA’s top team. Clearly, the coach has felt like the team had this coming. “We let our guard down and you can’t do that,” explained Thibodeau. “We never got established defensively. Our rebounding effort was poor from start to finish. When we started missing some shots, we had nothing to fall back on. We have to correct that.”
Not having Derrick Rose might be adding to some of the Bulls’ poor play, but the players and coach have refused to use that as an excuse. “We’ve proven we have more than enough to win,” asserted Thibodeau. “We count on the guys who are here. We did not play the way we should have. Derrick had nothing to do with that.” Kyle Korver seconded that sentiment when asked if the team was missing their MVP out there: “We miss him every night. We miss him when we win. C’mon, it’s Derrick Rose. We’ve won lots of games scoring 91 points or less. We’ve just got to play better defense. We can do that with or without Derrick.” One thing that’s for sure is that the team struggled in some areas that they usually dominate when Rose is in there. The Bulls were beaten on the offensive boards 14-5 and in points in the paint 54-24. D-Rose’s aggressive, attacking style usually creates plenty of points in the paint he scores himself, and plenty more 2nd chance points in the paint because the defense is out of position to try and stop Rose. Without him, the Bulls have been settling for more jump shots that they usually want to, and maybe some adjustments need to be made to get some easier baskets inside.
On Monday night, the jump shooting actually served the Bulls well on the offensive end. The team shot 13-for-20 from beyond the arc, and 47.3% overall from the field. C.J. Watson and John Lucas led the way with 17 points apiece, and Watson chipped in 8 assists as well. Carlos Boozer scored the game’s first 6 points and ended with 14 on 7-of-9 shooting, while Kyle Korver also scored 14 and hit all 4 of his triple tries. Joakim Noah had a very quiet night coming off the ejection from the Toronto game on Saturday, but did block 4 shots, and his backup Omer Asik had a strong game with 7 points, 6 boards, 5 blocks and 3 assists. Despite all those things going well for the team, lights out shooting is no replacement for defense and rebounding.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, did play some defense and certainly crashed the boards. Even their point guard, Ty Lawson managed to pull down 9 rebounds, which matched a season high. Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee set the tone on the glass to open the second half, as Denver grabbed 3 offensive rebounds on the first possession of the second half, and the duo totaled 7 boards (5 off.) in the first 3:07 of the third quarter and ended with 6 and 8, respectively. The defense also did a great job of creating turnovers and transition opportunities with 10 steals and 23 fast break points on the night. The defense and rebounding of Denver were enough to frustrate any Bulls fan, but their strong play didn’t end there. Denver was also lights out shooting the ball, hitting 50% both from 3 and from the field overall. Lawson matched another season high with 27 points, and Arron Afflalo dropped in 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Al Harrington added 17 off the bench, and veteran Andre Miller had a huge game with 12 points, 10 assists and 4 rebounds. The game was Miller’s 8th double-double of the season.
Things started smoothly enough for the Bulls in this one, as they rolled out to an 8-0 lead to open the game, but Denver’s three point shooting quickly trimmed the lead down to 2. The teams traded leads for much of the first half, but the storm was already brewing for Chicago despite just a 2 point deficit at the break. “I was concerned right at the start of the game even though we started 8-0,” mentioned the Bulls’ coach. “That was not our type of game. It was up and down, free and easy.” The up and down pace caught up with Chicago in the third quarter, and when their shots stopped dropping, Denver pulled away. The 10-0 run to open the half helped Denver go into the 4th up by 13, and the Bulls never got it closer than 7 in the final quarter. Every time the Bulls strung a couple of hoops in a row together, Denver had an answer and pulled back away. “We kind of traded baskets with them back and forth, and we can’t do that with a team like that,” claimed Taj Gibson. “We got out to a good start, but they just kind of hung in. In the second half, they just blew us away. Once we gave them too much confidence, it was just hard to shut them off.” The Bulls normally hang their hat on defense and rebounding, but those were the two areas that really got away from them on Monday. When you add in that Chicago turned the ball over 12 times between the second and third quarter, the end results were disastrous.
The win was huge for the Nuggets, who are in a hotly contested playoff race in the Western Conference. At the end of Monday night, they stand in a three-way-tie for the final 2 playoff spots with Houston and Utah, who both also won on Monday. There’s not much breathing room for any of the three with Minnesota, Phoenix, Portland and Golden State all lurking within striking distance. Coming off two straight losses to open a 7-game road trip, this was a game the Nuggets had to have, and they played like it. “We want this to snowball from here as we move on to play Toronto and Charlotte,” gushed Nuggets head coach George Karl. “We regained our momentum tonight. It’s the best we’ve played in a 2nd half in a long time.” The Nuggets are certainly good enough to use this win to propel them to a strong finish to the season. It took them a few games to adjust to the trade of Nene for JaVale McGee, but it seems to be a positive switch for the team. McGee is 5 years younger than Nene, and despite his distaste for passing the ball, he and rookie Kenneth Faried complement each other nicely in the post and McGee’s athleticism is a huge asset to the team when they go with a small lineup with Al Harrington at power forward. If this team starts clicking down the stretch, they could be a real threat to win a series or two in the playoffs, even as a lower seed. The Nuggets play unselfish basketball, and unselfish basketball is winning basketball.
It’s never fun to lose, but this kind of thrashing might be just what the doctor ordered for the Bulls. The Bulls will be fine; they just needed this wake-up call to get their edge back. The Nuggets were desperate for this win to keep pace in the playoff hunt, but you don’t get to 40-10 without playing with a sense of urgency every night. “A desperate team definitely has an advantage,” said a dejected Joakim Noah after the game,” but just because we’re the number one team in the NBA doesn’t mean we don’t play desperate. I think that’s the strength of this team is that we play with that desperate edge. We didn’t play our game tonight.” Luol Deng backed up Noah, saying: “We’re a desperate team too. We’re trying to win every game.” With a trip to Atlanta on tap for Wednesday night, I think we’ll see a Bulls team that has that edge back.
The most positive thing to take away from Monday night’s game is how hard the Bulls take every loss. It shows that they still care. After just about every win, no matter how ugly, the players are all smiles in the locker room, quick to dish out praise for one another after a strong individual performance. After a loss, the attitude is completely different. None of the players said a thing about what anyone did right (like Omer’s great hustle plays or John Lucas’s scoring off the bench), only how poorly the team played. When one loss bothers the team this bad, especially given their 3 and a half game lead over Miami for the number one seed, it has to be a good thing. While the team would love to have D-Rose back on Wednesday, they won’t use him as an excuse to lose if he’s not back. The Bulls are not the type of team to hit the snooze button when they get a wake-up call like the one the Nuggets gave them. I expect they will come back with a vengeance and get right back on track Wednesday night. I almost feel sorry for the Hawks.
Bulls take care of Linsanity and the Knicks, 104-99, but Remain Unsatisfied
Written by Shawn Foss
To the outside observer, all is well in the world of the Chicago Bulls after another effort-driven home victory, this time over the New York Knicks on the team’s “Noche Latina” (latin night). The win was Chicago’s 10th in their last 11 games, and moves them a half-game further ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat for the NBA’s best record. Even more impressive than that is the way the Bulls have accrued their 35-9 record. They’ve spent most of the season playing shorthanded with different injuries to Rip Hamilton, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, C.J. Watson and Taj Gibson, who have missed a combined 63 games. Chicago has also played more games (44) than any other team in the league so far, and is tied for the most games on the road to date (24). Despite all of those factors working against “Los Bulls,” they still not only have the best record in the NBA by a game and a half, but they also have the highest scoring margin in the league, beating teams on average by just over 9 points a game (Miami is the only team even close at +8.9).
Things sound pretty rosy for the reigning MVP and his team, don’t they? Not from head coach Tom Thibodeau’s perspective. After the win, Thibs had some positive things to say, but also mentioned that, “We have to get better. We are not playing well.” For a coach who claims to only be worried about winning, he doesn’t seem satisfied with his team while they are doing just that. While I won’t argue with Thibodeau that the team can play better than they have in their recent games, including nail-biters with the Knicks and Bucks and a loss to Orlando, I feel that many of the team’s woes will be cleared up if and when the Bulls finally get healthy. The biggest struggles for Chicago have been playing consistent defense for all 48 minutes, not becoming stagnant on offense when Rose doesn’t have it going, and not turning the ball over quite as much. A healthy Luol Deng helps in all 3 of those areas and a healthy Rip Hamilton would help in at least two of them, with the defense being the question mark. This Bulls squad, even while playing shorthanded, is a special team. This Bulls team at full strength is a wrecking machine. As the playoffs draw closer, it’s time for this team to get back to full strength.
Coach Thibs wasn’t the only one with some frustration from the Bulls’ side on Monday night. For the first time that I can remember in his career, Derrick Rose vocally expressed frustration over the officiating he’s seen. He threw down a monster dunk midway through the fourth quarter, and when asked after the game why the slam seemed so violent, he explained, “I was just mad. I wasn’t getting the calls. I’m just tired of it.” Carlos Boozer was quick to defend his point guard and explain what the officials are seeing: “Let me break it down. So D-Rose makes a move, jumps, and then everybody gets in awe of how long he’s in the air. He just hangs in the air for 3, 4 or 5 seconds. I think sometimes the refs get caught watching him and miss calls. He gets hit every time he jumps. That’s my opinion.” Given the way that Derrick finished the game, he might be an even better player when he’s angry, and the Bulls might be better suited if the refs continue to not give Rose the calls that a player of his caliber should command.
Despite the lack of calls, D-Rose managed to put up a game-high 32 points to go along with 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Ronnie Brewer did an admirable job filling in for the ‘glue guy’ Luol Deng with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting , 7 assists, 7 boards and a handful of hustle plays early on to get the Bulls going. The real story of the game was the way that the Bulls overcame some serious foul trouble in the frontcourt in the first half and dominated the offensive boards down the stretch. Boozer, Gibson and Asik all finished the first half on the bench with 3 fouls, but they all managed to avoid fouling in the second half. Taj exploded in the latter stages of the 3rd quarter and throughout the fourth , scoring 8 points and ripping the heart out of the Knicks with one big offensive rebound after another. The Bulls missed 14 shots in the 4th quarter, and managed to secure the rebound on a whopping nine of them (5 by Gibson). As a result, the Bulls tallied 8 second chance points in the final frame and demoralized the Knicks. “We played well for long stretches, but the second chance points got us,” lamented Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni. “You can’t give them 20 more shots like that.”
Kyle Korver iced the game from the foul line and sent 22,000+ fans at the United Center home with a free Big Mac. Taj ended up with 15 points and 13 boards (8 off.), while Noah tallied 12 and 10 with 5 assists. After his foul plagued first half, Boozer scored 11 after the break to help the Bulls’ offense find its legs after a shaky first half. The Knicks were paced by their stars, Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, who scored 21 and 20 points, respectively. Stoudemire scored 15 of his points after the half to help the Knicks keep the game tight until the late stages. Carmelo and Tyson Chandler helped stake the Knicks out to a slim lead early on, combining for 12 points and 8 defensive rebounds in the first quarter. They helped the Knicks own the paint in the opening frame as the team notched 5 blocked shots. Chandler finished with a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. As for “Linsanity,” New York’s point guard sensation had a modest game, with 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting, 8 assists, 3 steals, and a surprising 3 blocked shots. He did a decent job limiting his turnovers, only coughing the ball up 3 times. The Knicks played well enough to beat most teams in the NBA, but the Bulls are not most teams.
Monday’s loss marks the 6th in a row for the Knickerbockers, and drops them into a tie for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavs and Pistons aren’t all that far behind either. The Knicks are going to have to turn it on soon if they want to avoid a dogfight down to the finish for a postseason berth. The Bucks are coming together now that Ersan Ilyasova has found his groove and Drew Gooden is back in the lineup, and the young Cavaliers are coming along as well. That isn’t good news for a team that has recently had their fighting spirit questioned by their coach. On the plus side, they did show some fight against the Bulls Monday, albeit in a losing effort. This team has got to find some chemistry quickly, before they find themselves chasing Milwaukee and Cleveland. Now would be a good time for the “Linsanity” craze to catch a second wind.
There’s no second wind necessary in the windy city, but time is running out for this team to hit full stride. With the trade deadline Thursday fast approaching, it may be tough for GM Gar Foreman to stand pat and feel confident that Rip Hamilton will be healthy and available when the Bulls need him in the postseason. Rumors have been swirling that the Chicago would like to swing a deal for Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol in order to pair a second star with Rose, but both deals seem unlikely. There have also been rumors of the team trying to pick up another wing scorer, possibly Kevin Martin, to fill the role that Hamilton is supposed to be filling. All in all, it seems like a long shot for any deal to be made, and that might be just fine for Derrick Rose and company. When asked why teams like the Bulls seem to have more success than teams with 2 superstars like the Knicks, Rose responded that, “It’s the confidence we have in each other. We hold each other accountable when we’re out on the floor.” Who would hold Dwight Howard accountable? The Bulls would be much better served for now and the long-term to just stand pat and hope for the best with Rip’s injury concerns. Chicago welcomes the Miami Heat to town on Wednesday night, and we should get a pretty clear picture of what to expect if the Bulls have to face the Heat without Rip in June. If the Bulls manage to come out with a win in that matchup, just imagine what they can do if they are in wrecking machine mode come playoff time.
It's not hard to figure out why the Bulls are the best team in the NBA. They lead the league in rebounds, assists to turnover numbers, and defense. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has each player on his roster gowing for broke everytime they hit the court, and expects nothing less than 110% from each player when their name is called during a game or in practice. Injuries have made position battles more competitive than games against opponents it seems. Why was there no trade made at the deadline even though CJ Watson, Derrick Rose, Luo Deng, and Rip Hamilton have all missed games with various injuries? Because guys like Jimmy Butler, Kyle Korver, and and the signed & released twice Mike James have stepedp up when they are needed. Guys like John Lucas III....
Born in DC to former NBA player and coach John Lucas, Lucas III has played all over the world in his seven years in pro basketball. His time with the Bulls has been a strange trip at times, as he spent the 2010 preseason with the club, Only to get waived right before the start of the season. The Bulls re-signed Lucas a month later, but unfortunately his debut turned into a misery, as he missed two big free throws in the final seconds in Denver. The free throws would have put the game out of reach, instead he missed and former Nuggett Carmelo anthony game down court and hit a game winning shot at the buzzer. Ouch. Lucas was again cut January, but re-signed with the Bulls in March. He started his 1st game ever in january 2012 with a win over Washington, setting a career-high 25 points, and in minutes (45), assists (8), and rebounds (8) .
Yet none of this seemed to matter until the Bulls played the Miami heat without their star point guard.
Lucas was the star of game, scoring 22 points which included a 4th quarter duel with former teammate LeBron James. He carried the team on his back as starting point guard Watson (slowed by injuries) sat much of the 4th quarter. While Deng and Boozer lacked offense during the game, their energy and leadership helped push the non-starters, labeled "The Bench Mob", into contributing tremendously, one player to the next. It didnt hurt that the crowd was super-hot in Chicago, and was ready to go from the tip. Lucas, who hasnt gotten a bunch of playing time this year because of Watson being the back-up, seemed to feed off the crowd 's energy and hit big shot after big shot in the 2nd and 4th quarter. The Heat had no answer for Lucas, which is ironic since they had Lucas on the Heat roster in 2009.
After the game I asked Lucas despite the night's big performance, what he thought he could have done better: "That last turnover," he said. "just being too loose with the ball, but I told myself I was gonna make up for it!"
Lucas spent the 2009 preseason with the Heat, playing in four games, and averaged 7.0 points, 2.3 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. Then on October 23, 2009, he got the word: he had been waived right before the team bus was leaving the hotel to go to that night's game..
“I had a great training camp for them,” Lucas said. “Spo (Heat coach Erik Spoelstra) and them came to me and said they needed a little more of a veteran, so they brought Carlos Arroyo in. I just took it on the chin. It’s a business. It’s part of the game.”
Playing all over the word and getting sparatic playing time would kill some guys' spirt, but not Lucas.
“I love the game of basketball. I love it with all my heart,” he said. “I would never stop. This is the highest level, so I’m always going to shoot for the highest level.”
With Watson and Deng banged up, and Hamilton being MIA mosted of the season, another big scorer is a necessaity, and if Lucas can becom e that spark off the bench that this team needs the Bulls can go a long way.
‘‘Everybody’s here for a reason. Like Thibs said, ‘It’s not an accident you’re on this team. You’re a professional.’ And if you want to play professionally, you’ve got to step up!"
Bulls use Rebounding and 3rd Quarter Run to Exact Revenge on Pacers, 92-72
Written by Shawn Foss
The stage was set for a huge Central Division clash at the United Center on Monday night. The Bulls entered the game with the best record in the NBA, and the Pacers were sitting in second in the division and third in the east. Both teams were in the midst of impressive 6-game winning streaks and had a little bad blood between them to fuel the fire even more. The Bulls were a little irked at the way the Pacers celebrated on their home floor after the teams squared off on January 25th and have had this date circled on the calendar ever since. About the only thing that could have heightened the atmosphere would have been to play ELO’s “Showdown” over the stadium P.A. system just before tip-off (just the song, no need for Big Ern’ McCracken’s comb-over). For the first 24 minutes of action, the game lived up to the hype and the Pacers went into the locker room with a hard fought one point lead. After the break, the scales tilted and the Bulls jumped all over Indy in a monster 3rd quarter to roll to a 20-point victory.
Luol Deng led the Bulls with 20 points on a night where most of the team struggled from the field. Derrick Rose had a quiet night with 13 points and 9 assists, but he came up huge in the 3rd with 11 of his points and 5 of his assists coming in the pivotal frame. Joakim Noah continued his recent strong play with 9 points and 17 rebounds while Taj Gibson notched 10 points and 9 boards off the bench. For Indiana, most of the scoring punch came from the two Georges, George Hill and Paul George, who scored 17 and 21 respectively to combine for 38 of Indy’s 72 points. The stat that really stood out in this one was the rebounding battle. Chicago out-rebounded the Pacers by a 60-32 margin that bordered on the ridiculous. Indiana averages the third most rebounds per game in the league, but they were dominated on the glass in this one.
Despite the lopsided final score, this was a very tight game throughout the first half. The Bulls came out of the gate shooting very poorly. They shot 39 percent as a team for the first half, but their top 3 scorers for the season (Rose, Boozer and Deng) were a combined 3-for-21 at the intermission with 11 total points between them. To make matters worse, they were plagued by turnovers in the early going and lost starter Richard Hamilton to yet another injury just a minute and a half into the game. Somehow they were still able to set the tone of the game with their physical defense and rebounding keep Indy from getting out to a lead. The Pacers were limited to just 3 offensive boards in the first half just one night after the Philadelphia 76ers grabbed 18 in a game against these Bulls. “Give credit to the Bulls,” said Pacers’ coach Frank Vogel after the game. “They won all the hustle stats tonight, won all the loose balls, and obviously kicked our butts on the glass.” While all of that hustle kept the Bulls in the game for two quarters, it was an offensive explosion in the third that put the Pacers away.
The reigning MVP finally put his stamp on this game coming out of the break. D-Rose assisted on the first 4 field goals Chicago scored in the second half as the team turned a deficit into a 3-point lead, and then he started to score some himself. He knocked down his first 3 pointer of the game on the fast break off of a Pacer miss, then dropped in a 12-foot floater on the next Chicago possession and another triple moments later to open the Bulls’ lead to 7. After a couple of misses by each team, it was Luol Deng’s turn to try his hand from the outside. Deng drained 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to push the lead to 13, and Rose added one more from downtown before the quarter was over to put Indy in a hole they wouldn’t dig out of. The Pacers started to make a push late in the game against the Bulls’ reserves and got back to within 13 with a few minutes to go, but Thibodeau went back to Deng and Noah to ice the game, and even had D-Rose stretching just in case. “He was warming up in the bullpen,” joked Thibs afterward. One thing coach Thibodeau didn’t joke about is just how the Bulls pulled off the impressive win. “We struggled offensively in the first half. In the third quarter, we had great energy and imposed our will. The rebounding is what got us over the hump. When things are not going your way and you are not shooting well, you have to find other ways to win.”
The catalyst of the great rebounding effort for Chicago had to be Joakim Noah. Noah was flying around the court like a man possessed and has been doing so with regularity for Chicago. Joakim has averaged almost 11 points and 14 rebounds a game over his past six contests, and started that run with a triple-double against the Bucks back on February 22nd. “He should have been an All-Star,” commented Carlos Boozer after Monday’s game. “He’s knocking on 20 rebounds every game. He’s blocking everybody’s shot. He’s always got that incredible energy. Jo’s playing awesome.” According to the Chicago head coach, it was just a matter of getting his timing down. “At the beginning of the season, he was getting to a lot of balls but he was bobbling,” claimed Thibs. “Now he’s snatching his rebounds with two hands, he’s range rebounding, and his conditioning is great.” Hopefully Joakim can keep up his strong play on the glass for the rest of the season, because the one thing that is lacking on the Miami Heat is an inside presence. Jo’s superior rebounding ability can cause fits for the Heat come playoff time, just as Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol did in a Laker win over Miami on Sunday afternoon.
As great as the Bulls’ performance was on Monday night, there was one glaring negative to take from the game. Rip Hamilton is hurt. Again. This will be the third different injury that will cause Rip to miss time this season. First it was a pulled left groin that was suffered just 4 games into the season and cost Rip 10 games. Just 3 games after his return from that ailment, a right thigh injury sidelined him again for another 13 games. This time it took a whole 5 games to see Hamilton suffer a new injury. He collided with a defender just over a minute into the ball game, and left the action with a shoulder injury. There is still no word yet on the severity of the injury, but as brittle as Hamilton seems to be, it’s likely the Bulls won’t rush him back. That means that Ronnie Brewer will be back to the starting lineup, which is just fine for the Bulls. “It doesn’t take him [Ronnie] 5 minutes to get into the flow of a game,” explained Thibodeau. “He can start instantaneously. If you start him, he’s fine. If you bring him off the bench, he’s fine. He just plays.”
Indiana dropped to the number 5 spot in the Eastern Conference standings for now, but there is plenty of time left to change that. This is a young team that has come a long way in a really short time. They are much improved from last season with the additions of George Hill and David West and another year of playing together for everyone else. They will be a handful in the playoffs and really might be playing beyond the first round. If the first two meetings were any indication, a series between the Bulls and Pacers would be intense, just as it was last season. This is blossoming into a very entertaining rivalry. It isn’t quite at the Michael Jordan vs. Reggie Miller level yet, but these teams are both young and will be battling each other for years. The Bulls got their revenge on Monday, but that just means it’s the Pacers’ turn to do some circling on the calendar. The Bulls visit Indianapolis on April 25th for the season’s rubber match, and you can bet it will be explosive.
I assure you the Bulls aren’t looking quite that far ahead. It’s always been the mantra of Tom Thibodeau to take things one game at a time. The Bulls remain excited about this team and what it can do, but they won’t get ahead of themselves. The focus is on Milwaukee, who Chicago visits Wednesday. The Bucks are fighting to try to get back in the playoff conversation, and the Bulls know it would be unwise to overlook them. The Bucks are desperate and desperate teams are dangerous. It’s true that one win over Milwaukee won’t directly help the Bulls with their long term goal of winning a championship, but beating the Bucks is part a plan and routine that has served the Bulls pretty well over the past season and a half. “We just talk about getting better,” asserted Boozer. “That’s our motto. Get better today.” If the Bulls make good on that motto and improve a little bit every day, the Miami Heat will have their hands full in June. Get the ELO ready.
Noah, Bulls steamroll shorthanded Bucks to close the first half on a high note
Written by Shawn Foss
Just 3 days shy of his 27th birthday, Joakim Noah turned in the most impressive performance of his career, notching a triple-double to power the Bulls to a 110-91 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. Noah tallied 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, which are rare for a big man, and was helped by 5 other Bulls in double figures. The win was the Bulls 7th in a row against Milwaukee and sends the Bulls into the All-Star break on a high note comfortably atop the Central Division standings. For the Bucks, the loss is their 6th in 7 games as they seem to be falling out of the conversation for the 8th spot in the East with the emergence of Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks. Noah’s impersonation of a human swiss army knife wasn’t the only strong showing by a Bulls player on Wednesday. Carlos Boozer led the team with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting, and Derrick Rose had a solid night as well with 16 points and 7 assists. The entire starting lineup scored at least 13 points, and Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver and Omer Asik all had solid outings as well. The Bucks were paced by Brandon Jennings with 20 points, but Jon Leuer and Shaun Livingston were also impressive for stretches.
Although the postgame focus was on Joakim and his triple-double, the real story of the night was the way Chicago bullied the undersized Bucks on the glass. Milwaukee was playing without Andrew Bogut and Drew Gooden due to injuries, and they were outrebounded 49-29. “I thought we had good energy early in the game,” commented Bucks coach Scott Skiles. “Then they dominated the boards. At halftime our bigs had 2 rebounds in 48 minutes. You can’t do that against this team.” Unfortunately for Milwaukee, they did do that against this team, and it showed on the scoreboard. The Bulls rebounding prowess helped them to overcome a lot of careless turnovers and play from ahead the entire game. Chicago took the lead for good with just over 5 minutes remaining in the first quarter, and they outscored the Bucks in each and every quarter. Before fracturing his ankle in January, Bogut was averaging 8.3 rebounds a game and Gooden piled up 15 boards the last time the Bucks visited the United Center, and without them, the Bucks are just overmatched inside. “It’s frustrating for me and the team because we want to win,” lamented Brandon Jennings. “Rebounding has hurt us, but we’re undersized, especially with the injuries to Drew.” Joakim Noah was all too happy to take advantage of the mismatch.
The last time a Bulls’ center put up a triple-double was Artis Gilmore all the way back in 1977. There aren’t a whole lot of big guys who can pass the ball well enough to record 10 assists, but the Bucks defensive game plan paved the way for Noah’s career night. Milwaukee spent most of the first quarter trapping Derrick Rose at half court to force the ball out of his hands. He consistently found Noah at the top of the arc, and Noah would drive into the lane to draw the defense in and then find one of his teammates at the basket for an easy hoop. “They did a good job against the pick and roll and took the ball out of Derrick’s hands,” mentioned coach Thibodeau afterward. “Joakim ended up being the guy who got the ball and he made big plays. That is a unique skill set that he has.” The opposing coach was pretty much in agreement with Thibs on that one. “Jo played really well tonight,” said Skiles. “We didn’t body up on him or jump with him. You can’t do that against him because he can dribble and pass the ball so well, which is how he hurt us all night.”
It seemed pretty clear Joakim might be on his way to a special night early on. He ended the first quarter with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. From there it was pretty much elementary. Noah finished off the triple-double late in the 3rd quarter with a dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy, and earned him a trip to the line for a 3-point play. While I wouldn’t expect Noah to put up another triple-double anytime soon, I expect him to savor this one, at least until the next game. “We’re not playing for stats,” explained Noah. “We’re just trying to get wins. Obviously this is a very humbling accomplishment but we are playing for more than that.”
The Bulls seem to have things back on track as they go into the break, with Derrick Rose back in the lineup after missing 5 games with back spasms and Rip Hamilton likely to return shortly after the All-Star game. They’ve rolled to back-to-back impressive wins in their last two games after an embarrassing loss to New Jersey last Saturday afternoon. To hear the Bulls players talk about how the team is playing, you would think they don’t even remember the New Jersey game. “We’re all playing great right now,” claimed Carlos Boozer. Boozer also mentioned that Joakim Noah has been playing like a “man-child” over the past few weeks. Hopefully the good times continue to roll coming out of the break. The Bulls are currently the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference behind only the Miami Heat, and the margin of error is slim if the Bulls want to move up to the top seed. “We have to take it up another notch if we want to win a championship,” ceded Noah.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have gotten a little off track over the past few weeks. Thanks to slow starts by the Knicks and Celtics, the Bucks were looking like they could be a legitimate threat to grab the number 8 seed in the east, but the injury to Bogut and the breakout of Linsanity has changed all of that. There is a lot of season left, but Milwaukee needs one, or more likely several, of its young big guys to step up and fill the void left by Bogut’s injury. Jon Leuer, Ersan Ilyasova and Larry Sanders have all shown some glimpses, but the biggest lift will likely come from Drew Gooden’s return. For the Bucks to make any sort of push at a playoff spot, they have to get healthy.
The Bulls are halfway home, but there is a lot of work left to be done in after the break. For now, most of the team has a few days off to rest and gear up for the second half, but a couple of the guys will be participating in the All-Star game. Coach Thibodeau will be coaching the East All-Stars while D-Rose and Luol Deng will play in the game down in Orlando. Hopefully Thibs will tone down the intensity for the All-Star game and actually enjoy the trip a little bit, because when the Bulls come back Tuesday against the Hornets, it will be all business. The schedule isn’t quite as compressed in the second half, but the games will still come fast and furious, and against quality opponents. 19 of the remaining 31 games the Bulls will play are against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. The Bulls will come out focused for the second half; you can bet Tom Thibodeau will make sure of that. “From the start of camp, our goal has been to strive for improvement every day,” said the coach. “We want to be playing our best basketball at the end.” If they accomplish that goal, everything else should fall into place and the Bulls should enjoy a nice long postseason.
