Bulls vs. Mavericks

Daaa Bulls pull off a very solid win at home vs. Dallas. Rose makes a calm and controlled return. Deng and Rip stepped up as great scoring options. Yeah. It was a good day.

Derrick Rose made yet another return to the line up, and honestly, this was the perfect game to do it. Dallas was resting two of its stars in Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, this was probably the reason why Thibs allowed Rose to play. Kidd makes the Mavs' offense flow smoothly while Terry adds speed and a devastating 3 point shot, and with these guys not playing, basically all they had to do was contain Dirk Nowitzki, make their rotations, and rebound. Thats exactly what the Bulls did.

 First lets talk about D. Rose, he played perfectly. Many would say that he was very rusty after looking at his stats, but those people are not seeing the big picture. Rose ended the night with 11 points on 5/9 shooting. He also had 8 assists and 1 turnover. You could tell he was just focussed on the speed of the game, and keeping his assist/turnover ratio down. He did what was needed of him, and in this game, we didnt need him to go into beast mode and drive the lane every other play (actually he only did that a handful of times).

 Most of the night he was slowing down the game and running set plays, and trying to avoid the explosive bursts in his transition game. But that didn't stop the bulls from scoring in transition, the rest of the guys got out there and ran for some easy buckets, many of which came from some spot on bullet passes down court care of D. Rose. It was like the rest of the team knew that he needed to take it easy, so they came in and played hard and fast the way he normally does.

It was aside from the giant lead after the 1st quarter, the Bulls outscoring the Mavs 21-8, it ended up being a pretty close game. That's because in the 2nd the Bulls' offense was a bit stagnant, and they seemed to get a little cocky and stop playing defense giving up 30 points in that quarter. It wasn't until the end of the 3rd quarter that they (mostly Deng) started getting serious and making big shots including a sweet buzzer beater to end the 3rd with a little confidence. Then the offensive rebounding showed up (the Mavs were actually winning the battle of the boards until the 4th) and the Bulls started playing like the rough gritty Bulls we know and love, better late than never.

Stats that ensured the victory

                 

                 Bulls    Mavs

Assists:        29   -   12

Turnovers:  10    -   12

3 pointers:  9/20  - 4/15

Overall, it was a great team win for the Bulls, Deng had 22 points, Rip had 19, and Noah, who really turned it on in the 4th ended the night with 8 points, 14 rebounds (4 offensive), and 8 assists. He needs to continue to play at this level for the Bulls to be successful in the playoffs, especially if they are to get past the Miami Heat (whose big men are not good passers or rebounders).

With the win against Dallas, and the Heat's loss to Washington, the Bulls now have a 2 game lead for 1st place in the conference. There's only 2 games left in the regular season for Chicago, Wednesday @ Indiana, and Thursday vs. Cleveland.

Bulls Beat Bobcats...Big Surprise.

I think everyone saw this coming, everything just pointed to it. The Bulls were coming off of a tough loss to the Wizards. The Bobcats are the worst team in the league and trying for the worst team in history when i t comes to winning percentage, and I think its fair to say that they're tanking hard to make sure they get a great draft pick.

What can I say? The Bulls did every thing right for once, but again, it's Charlotte. It was like watching a scrimmage.

Ok, ok. Good win fellas, now on the the next one.......Miami.

The Bulls can only hope that their two All-Stars are healthy enough to play in this one. But personally, i think that Derrick Rose should sit this one out as well. I know everyone wants to see him come back and go crazy, but Thibs needs to err on the side of caution for a bit longer.

They keep holding Rose out for the easy games and popping him back in for the tough ones, in which he seems to play his heart out as usual. But we just cannot afford anymore injuries with the playoffs two weeks away. The only downside to this plan would be that if the Heat win tonight, then they would be in an even closer position to clinch the No.1 seed.

So what do you do?

Play it safe tonight against Miami, even with a Heat win tonight, the Bulls could still finish at no. 1 if they play well in their final three regular season games.

Bulls' Luck Running Out?

Not this time guys...with the Bulls last two wins coming in overtime, they fell to the Washington Wizards Monday night. Once again, it was a nail biter but they just couldn't hang in there. Final score: Bulls 84 - Wizards 87.

With the playoffs looming, there is still one giant question revolving around this team: Can they stay healthy? Derrick Rose and Luol Deng both missed Monday's game against the Wizards, both with injuries they sustained Sunday against the Pistons. Rose, aggrevated the ankle injury he's been struggling with the past two games, while Deng has some bruised ribs after taking a hit from Ben Gordon.

Even with their two best players out, it seemed likely that the Bulls could still get a win against one of the weakest teams in the NBA........at home. Ugh. Especially since they've been winning all season long with so many injuries to key players. But it was a hard fought battle all the way down the stretch, with turnovers and fouls hurting the Bulls' cause. And one more key element serve to help Washington in their victory.....they made their free throws. Not all of them, but the crucial ones.

It just seemed like the Bulls lacked the drive they've been playing with all year. Maybe they were upset because yet again they were without their all stars. Or Maybe they thought they had this one in the bag before they even set foot on the court (I know I thought that). Either way, the Bulls have really been lacking energy and enthusiam the last couple of games. But this time, Rose or Deng weren't there to lead them out of it.

This was a sloppy game from tip-off, the Bulls had 17 turnovers and 7 of those came in the first quarter alone. The Wizards turned it over 12 times, but they are younger and more athletic, therefore they are able to get back fast enough to defend the fast break. And vice versa, the Bulls just couldnt keep up with John Wall and company on the fast break. Also they were outscoured in the paint 48-22, very unlike this team.

The Bulls will get as shot at redemption on Wednesday when they face the Bobcats. Before the last few nights, I would have bet my last 10 bucks on a Bulls blowout. Now? Not so sure. The Bulls' lead on Miami for 1st place in the conference has been reduce to 2.5 games. And the two teams just so happen to be meeting on Thursday.

Rose Injured......Again.

Rose will miss Monday's game against the Wizards, yes just as we thought he was not only back in action, but back in rhythm.


Sunday's game @ Detroit left Rose battered and bruised. It was a very physical and hard fought game (for some reason), but the Bulls managed to pull off a win in OT. Rose took several bumps while driving to the hoop, including one from Charlie Villanueva that left him with a gash on his nose. Also he was reported to have a new injury to his foot by many sources, but it was later confirmed by Neil Funk and Stacy King that he re-tweaked that sprained ankle one more time. Luol Deng was also injured when he took a shot to the ribs via former Bull Ben Gordon.

Though both injuries have been brushed off as anything serious, Thibs will sit them today in order to get them ready for the Heat on Thursday. This will be the final regualr season meeting between the two Eastern Conference leaders, Miami will be looking to tie up the series at home.

Almost Roseless Bulls Beat The Heat



D-Rose with a career low 2 points vs. Miami



With their fearless leader struggling offensively

the bench mob stepped up bigtime to outplay

Miami.

C.J. Watson was the hero, hitting a clutch 3

pointer, to send the game into OT where the Bulls

dominated.

Watson and Deng chest bump after an amazing shot!



We've seen it all season long, Rose watching from the bench as the rest of the Bulls scrap their way to another victory. But this time he wasn't sidelined by some injury, he was yanked from the game for stinking up the joint.

To clarify, it wasnt really Miami's defense that stifled Rose, it was for sure the fact that this was only his 2nd game back since missing almost the whole month of march. But it wasnt a total disappointment for Rose, even though he only connected on 1 of his 13 field goals. At least he was able to get 8 assists, many to Carlos Boozer who played very well (team high - 19pts, 11 reb). So he made up for his lack of offense by getting others involved. Hopefully with upcoming games against teams like Detroit, Charlotte, and Cleveland, D-Rose will get a few games to get back in rhythm for the playoffs.

Normally this would seem like a horrible situation for the Bulls, but you can never fully count them out. That bench is deep with player who can step up and fill in without missing a beat. And Last night was C.J. Watsons night. I hate to admit it, but it just seemed like the Bulls were feeling it a bit more when Watson was on the floor. He was a sparkplug off the bench, ending the night with 16 points, 9 assists, 3 steals and just 1 turnover. Oh and lets not forget that huge 3 pointer to tie up the game and send it into overtime. Beastmode.

It wasnt just Watson who played well, the whole bench mob showed up and completely overwhelmed the Heat, who outside of their big three are pretty mediocre. Thus, Wade, LeBron and Bosh had to play way more minutes and just seemed winded during OT, where Miami only scored 2 points.

Bench mob

- Ronnie Brewer and Omer Asik were able to hold it down defesively, the two combined had 2 blocks 4 steals, and 11 rebounds.

- Taj Gibson played a great game as always, he was unstoppable, even spinning by "King James" in the post a couple times. He had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and one fat block on Mike Miller which froced a shot clock violation. His only downside was that he fouled out during OT, but no biggie, that just brought Joakim Noah back in for the remainder.

- Kyle Korver was able to continue his hot streak agains the Heat, hitting 5/6 from dowtown(2 from waaaay downtown) and 6/8 overall, he had 17 points.

In total Chicago's bench outscored Miami's 47-7.

Now that is serious depth.

Revenge, Brought You By Rip & Co.

With a little help from a certain "Masked Man", the Bulls bounced back from Sunday's
heartbreaking loss to the Knicks.



Rip Hamilton had a huge night, with 18 ind 3rdQ.

Once again the Chicago Bulls stick to the motto of "No Rose, no problem", as Derrick Rose missed yet another game tuesday night. This time due to an ankle injury he suffered in the aforementioned loss to New York.

It seemes that loss was just the kick in the butt these guys needed to get back to the thing they do best, play "TEAM" basketball. That means outplaying the Knicks as a whole unit in every aspect of the game. Rebounds, check. Assists, check. Second chance points, check. Hustle plays and 50/50 balls, double check.

It was very nice to see the Bulls get back to their dominant style of defense, causing the Knicks to turn the ball over 16 time. There we very few open looks for New York all night long, Chicago made them work for everything they were putting up (except Landry Fields who, doesnt need any help missing, whaat!?). Defense was at its best in the 2nd when NY was held to just 10 points. And even Carlos Boozer was making defensive rotations!! But more on that in a bit.

What was most impressive was the overall hustle that the Bulls showed. This is the way they should strive to play every night, check out the players hustled all night long:

Hamilton - He showed his aggressiveness by attacking the basket, and making shots or getting to the line. He also showed that he's still got some speed left in him, as he a Luol Deng flew down the court during fast breaks. He ended the night with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 20 points (18 in 3rd quarter!). Nice.

Korver - Kyle was passing out the "hot sauce" like he worked at a Taco Bell! 3/5 from downtown and 5/8 overall shooting. Korver also showed tremendous tenacity, grabbing 7 rebounds, blocking (yes, blocking) 3 shots, and diving to the floor for every loose ball. He probably had the single best play of the night as he helped recover from a possible turnover by diving, grabbing and passing the ball out to gibson for a hard dunk over Melo. Kyle was the spark in the 4th quarter.

Boozer - Probably the most underrated performance of the night, Carlos Boozer's defense. Yep:).

It was awesome to see him for once just slide over and put a hand up when someone drove into the lane. I mean, it wasn't intense D, but hey I'll take that over him just standing there watching the player fly by and yelling "Get Him Jo!". That small effort to get over was usually just enough to alter the shot in most cases. Good job CBooz.

Effort. That is the key in every game. Which is willing to put in the most effort? And throughout the night the Bulls displayed it from start to finish.

Coach of The Year, Again?

Could Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau be the first ever coach in NBA history to receive back to back honors as coach of the year? The answer is an overwhelming "yes!".




Chicago has the no. 1 record in the Eastern Conference, and the NBA for that matter with 43 wins and 14 losses. And to be completely honest, their record should not be this good. With the condensed season (stupid lockout!!!), the Bulls, like many other teams have had their season filled with doubt and uncertainty due to key players being injured.

Deng - wrist- 9 games missed
Rose - toe/back/groin- 22 games missed
Hamilton - groin/shoulder - over 30 games missed

But despite the lack of firepower, and with a little help from the "bench mob", Thibs and crew have remained strong without their best players on the court. This not only shows the depth of the Bulls, also the pride and determination that coach Thibodeau has instilled in his players. They have faith in his decision making, and they follow it without question. On many plays you can even see Derrick Rose walking up the floor and talking to Thibs  right before he calls out a play. The ultimate example of your point guard being your coach's voice on the floor.
Having your team's respect and a winning record is a big part of being a good COY canidate, but there must be some stats to support Thibs as well.

Hmmm...

-Fastest coach to reach 100 wins in NBA history --In his two seasons as an NBA head coach thibs has 105 wins and only 34 losses.

-His 100th win also coincided with another record for best defensive win since 1997 in their 85-59 victory over the Magic....with out Derrick Rose.

-The Bulls are currently in the top 5 in many categories, including: Rebounding(1st), Blocks(3rd), Assists(4th), points allowed per game(2nd). Also they are last(30th) in fouls per game which means they play good, hard defense without fouling.

Thibs has definitely made a great case for himself this year, hopefully he can keep it as the rest of the team is now healthy and the starting line-up is finally together again. Yes, this is a good sign as the Bulls look to be back to full strength in time for the playoffs.

Melo's Game Winner Seals Knicks' Victory

Bulls @ Knicks - April 8th, 2012

In an early afternoon game Easter Sunday, the Chicago Bulls were set to take on the Knicks. An opponent that could be a first round playoff match-up for the no. 1 overall seed in the league.





Madison Square Garden rose to its feet and erupted in a triumphant roar as Carmelo Anthony slowly lulled his defender and suddenly dropped a huge 3-pointer from well beyond the arch. And with only 8.2 seconds remaining in OT, I thought to myself, "We had this one". These words must have rung out in the minds of Bulls fans everywhere on Sunday afternoon. Which is ironic because about 3 mins earlier in the game, I'm sure every Knicks fan had that same thought. This was a game of comebacks, and it being Easter and all, this was a very fitting theme.

The Bulls were very slow out of the gates and did not have a single point in the first 3 minutes of play, thanks to a very defensive minded New York squad. The first quarter seemed to be a battle in bizzarro world: where the Bulls, who are normally known for incredible defense, gave up 31 points. While the Knicks, who until recently have been known more for their offensive prowess, put on a defensive clinic, only giving up 19. In fact, the Knicks at one point lead the Bulls by 21.

After getting into a rythm and actually playing a bit of defense themselves, Chicago was able to scrap their way back into the game after a lofty comeback effort. Also, Derrick Rose who only had 6 points in the first half, exploded in the second, hitting big shot after big shot. This was Rose's first game back after missing 12 in a row due to a groin injury. He led the bulls on a huge scoring run and at halftime, the 21 point deficit was reduced to a managable 8 point Knick lead. By the end of the third, Chicago was up by 3.

But like i said before, this was a game of constant resurrections from both teams. New York was never truly out of the game, with Carmelo in beast mode from tip off, and Shumpert crowding Rose's every move, this continued to be a chess match between two defensive minded teams, ultimatley ending up in a victory for New York. Final score: CHI-99   NY-100

This loss (though a close one) can be summed up in just two sets of statistics:
1. turnovers!!! The Bulls had 19 turnovers (including rose with 8, still shaking off the cobwebs), while NY only had 9. These include many late turnovers that caused lead to baskets, and inevitably a loss.
2. FREEEEEE THROWS!!!!!!!! The Bulls were 22-31 in free throws to the Knicks' 14-20. Anytime a team sends you to the line this much, you have to make them pay by hitting your free throws. This goes double for chances at the line in late, tight games. Deng, who had shot 4-4fts all game long, missed 2 late in the 4th. And Derrick Rose, missed 2 seconds later which would have sealed their victory. But to be fair, when does D.Rose make clutch free throws???

But on some good notes, the Bulls did lead the Knicks in every other category, including: field goal %, rebounding, second chance points, 3pt field goals, etc. Also Chicago and New York face off again Tuesday night at the United Center.  We'll get em next time boys, don't beat yourselves up too bad.