Bulls Blog - A Fan's Perspective

Apology Plus Recap, Playoff "Preview"

2009-04-23T12:17:00.006-04:00

OK, I’m sorry. Let’s just get that out of the way now. I know I haven’t been around for a while, and I don’t really have an excuse. Keeping up with this blog was just taking up more time than I had available. Keeping a running diary of every game and making my own highlight reel, as cool as it is, takes several hours per game. Things got busy at work, and I just didn’t have enough time. I know I let you down, and I’m sorry. There not much else I can say.

I missed a lot, so let’s recap:

For much of the season, the Bulls were sitting around 9th or 10th in the Eastern Conference, but were always within a couple games of a playoff berth. The season was up-and-down, but after the trade deadline, things started to come together. Once the “new” team spent enough time together, they started playing a lot better, and with a little help from the schedule, the Bulls finished the season strong and jumped into the playoffs. They reached as high as the 6th seed, but lost the season finale and had to settle for 7th. This turned out to be a not-so-bad thing though, which I’ll get to in a moment.

Let’s rewind to the afternoon of the last day of the regular season:

The Bulls are 41-40 (the first time they were above .500 since they started 2-1). They currently are 6th in the East, 1 game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers, who actually hold the tiebreaker over Chicago. The 6th seeded team will meet the Orlando Magic in the first round, while the 7th seed meets the defending champion Boston Celtics. Now, everyone knows that the Celtics are banged up, and Kevin Garnett has been sidelined for essentially the last month and a half. Surely he won’t be 100% for the first round at least, which makes the Celtics a lot less scary of a team to play. Toward the end of the regular season, the Bulls beat the Celtics 127-121 with KG on the sideline. However, as of this day, KG is expected to play, and even if he’s not at 100%, I’m not confident as a Bulls fan against the defending champs, especially when they have home court advantage.

What people weren’t talking about were the Orlando Magic, who were also banged up (Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu nursed injured at the end of the regular season). The Bulls beat the Magic in the regular season when they were at full health, so if I had to choose, I’d rather play them. So, for this to happen, all I need is for the Bulls to beat the Raptors at home, or the 76ers to lose in Cleveland. Sounds easy enough, but the Raptors can be a tough team, and Cleveland just happens to be sitting all their best players to rest for the playoffs. Well, the Bulls laid an egg, and the 76ers needed OT to win by a point. There you have it – 76ers #6, and the Bulls #7. Can’t do anything about it, so let’s move on…

The next morning, news breaks that KG not only will not play in the first round of the playoffs, but he may not play in any rounds. This is shocking news, and a severe blow to the Celtics and their fans. Great news, however, for the Bulls and their fans. This doesn’t keep the Celtics from being favorites in this matchup, but it almost evens the odds for the Bulls. With a healthy KG, I’d say it’s about 99% likely that the Celtics win the series, to 1% for the Bulls. With a hobbled KG, it’s closer to 80/20, and with no KG, it’s about 60/40. The Bulls are a good home team, but a horrible road team, and I don’t expect the Bulls to win any games in Boston. At best, I’d say they can make it a 7 game series, and the chances of that are not too bad (After all, the Hawks took the Celtics to 7 games in the first round last year). But I don’t see how the Celtics lose a game 7 at home. Now, I never expected the Bulls to make it past the first round, but in this matchup, I figured they’d get in the most number of games. This year, it’s all about the experience, and the young team could use some exposure to the playoff atmosphere.

March 14, 2009 vs New Orleans Hornets

2009-03-15T01:53:00.005-04:00

Tonight the Bulls continue a rough stretch of games against the visiting New Orleans Hornets. The Bulls beat the Hornets on Feb 4th, but they were without Chris Paul. Tonight will be a bit different, so we’ll see how the Bulls can handle it. The Rose-Paul matchup should be entertaining at least.
Last night the Bulls lost to the 76ers 104-101, in yet another game that came down to the end. The Bulls are percentage points behind Milwaukee for the 8th seed, and this stretch of games isn’t going to do anything to help them. Pretty much the only thing they have going for them is that tonight is a home game. The Hornets will be without Peja Stojakovic, who has a sore back.

11:20 – In the first Bulls possession, Rose posts up Paul. This has really become a little strategy the last few games.

9:12 – Noah battles for an offensive rebound, and passes it back out to BG for a top-of-the-key jumper.

8:26 – Salmons hits a baseline jumper off the inbounds pass. I really like what he’s been giving the team since his arrival, and in particular while starting in place of an injured Deng.

7:53 – Rose chases down a long rebound and speeds all the way down court for the layup. 9-6 Bulls.

7:10 – Gordon finds Noah inside, who puts it up over Chandler for 2.

6:20 – Nice hustle by Tyrus to chase down a loose ball, but he can’t convert the basket inside. Typical Tyrus.

5:40 – Another jumper by Salmons. He’s got 6 points. 13-12 Bulls.

5:01 – Gordon with a jumper off the inbounds play.

4:22 – Rose hits a jumper from near the elbow. 17-14 Bulls.

3:40 – Something you may not ever see again – Joakim Noah hits a JUMP SHOT from the elbow, and it never even hit the rim. He looked to pass for several seconds, but they were giving him plenty of room so he took it. Probably unrealistic to hope he could develop that. But, he has been improving hi FT shooting, so why not a little jumper too?

3:00 – Salmons with a nice move, as he blows by David West for a layup. 21-16 Bulls. They are playing very well to start the game, which is something they haven’t done in a long time.

1:38 – Brad Miller fights to get an offensive rebound, and gets fouled on the put-back. Completes the 3-pt play.

1:12 – Gordon finds Miller for a foul-line jumper. 26-18 Bulls.

After 1, it’s 27-22 Bulls. Let’s carry that over into the next quarter, boys!

11:15 – Tim Thomas hits a 3. That’s all we need him to do. Make a couple shots, don’t try to do anything more.

9:36 – BG hits a deep 2. 33-24.

9:04 – BG for 3! 36-24.

8:34 – Rose finds Miller for a foul-line jumper.

7:45 – Miller hits another open jumper. Hornets keep closing in to double-team the guards, who are finding the open men for jumpers. 40-24.

6:19 – Salmons hits a 3. Bulls have outscored the Hornets 18-2 in the first half of this quarter. 45-24.

5:45 – Tim Thomas hits a 3. Bulls have doubled up the Hornets, 48-24. Bulls shooting 56% from the field so far.

4:34 – Another screen and roll with Miller, who hits another open jumper to end a 4-0 Hornets run. 50-28.

3:24 – 2 straight pretty plays by Chris Paul. He did that behind-the-back dribble again, where it looks like he’s gonna pass but keeps it instead. This time it seemed a little unnecessary. One of those plays that didn’t serve a purpose, and didn’t fool the defender, but everyone goes “Oooooooh!” anyway. 50-32.

23.9 – BG hits a 3 to end a 9-0 Hornets run. 53-37.

Halftime: 53-39 Bulls. Great first half. Hopefully they won’t let that late run by the Hornets spill over into the 2nd half.

11:36 – Salmons hits a 3 just in time to beat the shot clock. 56-39.

10:43 – Salmons hits another 3. 59-41.

10:10 – Great put-back by Noah off a missed jumper.

9:30 – Tyrus fights down low for a rebound, and this time is able to put it back in. Bulls back up 20, 63-43. Looks like they withstood the Hornets run.

8:28 – BG drives down the middle of the lane, hits the layup and gets fouled. Completes the 3-pt play. Chicago is running on all cylinders tonight. Not sure what’s wrong with they Hornets. Chris Paul is pretty much having his way, but the rest of the team isn’t giving him any support. None of them are playing D. They are making it way too easy for the Bulls. 66-45.

7:38 – Tyrus knocks down a jumper from the elbow.

7:01 – Nice ball movement, Tyrus gets a dunk down low. 70-49.

4:17 – Nice drive and hook by Tyrus to end a 6-0 Hornets run. He’s got 8, all in this quarter. 72-55.

3:42 – BG this a jumper to answer a Chris Paul jumper. I get slightly nervous every time the Hornets cut it to 15 or so, especially since Paul is scoring at will, but the Bulls seem to come right back each time. I just hope they don’t run out of those answers.

1:32 – Salmons hits another 3, this time with Posey right in his face. 77-57.

49.7 – BG hits a pullup jumper.

1.7 – Miller taps in a Gordon miss. Bulls match their biggest lead, 81-57.

After 3: 81-57 Bulls. It’s tough to feel comfortable in the 4th quarter as a Bulls fan, but this is about as comfortable as one can be.

11:26 – Salmons knocks down a 3 after a little around-the-horn. All 5 Bulls players touched the ball, as they worked it around the 3-pt line from one corner to the other.

10:43 – BG knocks down a 3. 87-57. Wow!

6:10 – Miller grabs an offensive rebound off a Gordon missed 3, dishes it back to BG for the lay-in. 93-66.

49.5 – Aaron Gray hits a fadeaway turnaround jumper. Everything went right for the Bulls tonight.

Final: 97-79. Bulls cooled off a bit in the 4th, but it did’t matter, as they had build up a 30-point lead. My only complaint is that they didn’t get the home crowd their free food! Oh well, they had the scrubs in the last couple minutes. Another win Bulls over a superior team. They can only ever do anything at home.

Box score notes: Quiet game for Rose, who has just 4 points on 2/9 shooting. He did have 7 assists though. BG had 27, Salmons 24. Chris Paul had 29-6-6 for the Hornets.

March 11, 2009 @ Orlando Magic

2009-03-12T13:53:00.004-04:00

Tonight the Bulls visit Orlando, where the Magic will surely be looking for revenge. The Bulls actually ran away with a fairly easy win against the Magic Feb. 24th in Chicago. I was surprised then, and would be again if the Bulls duplicate that feat. They cannot win on the road.
The Bulls are coming off an incredible game (even though it was a loss) against the Heat, where they only used 7 players in a double-OT game. Luckily, the Bulls have had a day to rest, as Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, and John Salmons all played 49+ minutes.

11:02 – Joakim Noah picks up his 2nd foul. Great. Hopefully Brad Miller can handle Dwight Howard.

10:19 – Howard scores the first points of the game against Miller. 2-0.

9:05 – Orlando forces a 24-second violation on the Bulls, who still haven’t scored. 6-0.

8:14 – Brad Miller lays it in for the Bulls’ first basket. Tyrus Thomas steal helped set that one up.

8:03 – Tyrus steals it again, and takes it all the way for the dunk. 6-4.

6:42 – Howard picks up his second foul in the last 15 seconds or so. Good for the Bulls, as he’ll have to come out now. The drop off from Howard to Marcin Gortat is pretty large.

6:04 – An unusual but correct foul call – Michael Pietrus kicks his leg out taking a 3-pointer and is called for the offensive foul.

5:50 – Rose posts up Rafer Alston and puts it in over him. 13-8 Magic.

3:47 – Rose kicks it out to Salmons for a 3. 15-11.

After 1: Magic lead 26-13. Apparently Gortat is tough enough for the Bulls to have a hard time handling him. Bulls shot 4/18 that quarter.

10:22 – Good offensive rebound and put-back for Noah. 28-21.

9:55 – Rose gets his own miss and puts it back in. Bulls picking themselves up a bit to start the 2nd quarter. 28-23.

9:16 – Nice move by Salmons, spins into the lane and shoots it in. 12-2 run for the Bulls. 28-25.

8:11 – Nice backdoor cut by BG, Noah finds him, but Gordon misses the reverse layup.

7:16 – Hinrich with a baseline jumper to end a 7-0 Magic run. 35-27.

6:12 – Bulls call a TO. They had gotten to within 3, but are back down 12 again. 39-27.

5:31 – Howard grabs Tyrus and gets called for an offensive foul. He’ll sit down again, so I guess it’s good, although the Bulls haven’t done much better against Gortat.

5:06 – Another 24-second violation by the Bulls.

3:53 – Hinrich with another jumper. 41-32.

1:47 – Rose posts up again, for what the announcers say is at least the 6th time. He doesn’t score, but it’s interesting to see him trying it out.

1:17 – Salmons hits a fallaway in the lane. 44-36. Salmons has 11.

1.1 – Tony Battie gets the put-back dunk just before the buzzer.

Halftime – Magic lead 48-36. The Bulls looked like they were coming back a couple times, but the Magic pulled away again each time. Bulls are not playing well at all. BG is 0/6 from the field so far. Apparently so is Rashard Lewis. Bench players J.J. Redick, Tony Battie, and Marcin Gortat are doing most of the damage for Orlando.

11:45 – BG hits his first FG. It would be nice to see him heat up a bit.

10:28 – Noah sits down with 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 fouls.

9:53 – Tyrus hits a spinner in the lane.54-40.

8:58 – Miller takes it in, scores, and gets fouled. Completes the 3-pt play. 58-43.

I'm going to stop here. That was about as close as the Bulls got for the rest of the game. Things just continued to get uglier. Orlando hit 3 straight 3s to end the 3rd quarter, including one at the buzzer, to extend their lead to 32 going into the 4th. They outscored the Bulls by 22 in the 3rd.

In the 4th, we saw Aaron Gray (who has gotten hardly any playing time since Brad Miller arrived), Lindsey Hunter, newly signed Linton Johnson, and Anthony Roberson. THAT'S how bad things were tonight.

Final: 107-79.

Box score notes: Bulls shot 31% tonight. Gordon 1/10, Rose 2/12. Salmons led the way with 18 points.
Orlando: Rashard Lewis shot 0/9, Howard only had 15 and 9R, ending his streak of double-doubles. The Orlando bench had a pretty big game, Gortat ended with 13 and 15R. That's how pathetic the Bulls were tonight.

March 9, 2009 at Miami Heat

2009-03-10T02:12:00.004-04:00

Tonight the Bulls are in Miami, where they will play the El Heat on Noche Latina. These teams met just before the All-Star break, in a crazy game that came down to the last play. Another Rose-Beasley rematch, and hopefully the Bulls can come away with a win this time, having last their last 2 to Miami. Bulls have a very tough stretch of games ahead – after tonight they go to Orlando, the Philly, followed by home games against NO, Boston, and the Lakers. Ouch. They’ll be lucky to get more than one win, and that might even be tough. Keeping that 8 seed would be a miracle. Deng will miss his 4th consecutive game with a right shin contusion (early sign of a stress fracture on his tibia), and may be out for another week or two.

I missed the first 3 minutes of the game, but the Bulls hit 4 of their first 5 shots, and have jumped out to a 9-1 lead. I’m actually pretty disappointed that I missed those first 3 minutes.

8:49 – Mario Chalmers with a nice layup for the Heat’s first FG of the game. 11-3.

8:16 – Gordon with a nice rainbow jumper. He’s got 6 of the Bulls’ 13.

7:47 – Udonis Haslem takes what is apparently his 24th charge of the year, this one by Tyrus Thomas. I bet a few of those 24 are by Tyrus.

7:06 – Good ol’ fashioned scrum on the floor after Miami knocks the ball out of Gordon’s hands. Jump ball eventually called, which Haslem wins over Gordon, but knocks it right to Rose, as the Miami announcers predicted.

6:33 – Salmons turns the ball over, steals it back, the gets it stolen again, leading to a Miami basket. VDN calls a TO after a 10-2 run, making it 13-10.

5:30 – Joakim Noah slams it with authority, nice assist from BG off a shot fake. 15-10.

5:07 – Brad Miller steals the ball underneath, leading to a fast break where Rose gives a nice dish to Noah, who will go to the line for 2.

4:30 – Salmons with a nice fallaway in the paint. Teams trading baskets, 19-13.

4:00 – Noah with an offensive 3 second violation. Doesn’t he know this rule yet?

3:33 – Nice steal by Chalmers, leads to a dunk by DWade. 19-17.

3:12 – Rose hits a deep 2.

2:36 – Nice drive by Wade who stuffs it home.

1:59 – Salmons hits a desperation 3 as the shot clock expires. 24-19.

1:23 – Salmons drives baseline for a 2-handed slam. Very nice! After trading baskets for a while, Bulls are back up 7.

After 1: 26-22 Bulls.

11:00 – Miller with a bucket down low. 30-22.

8:28 – Rose passes ahead for a 2-on-1 break, Hinrich tosses it up to Gordon for a layup, alley-oop style. Back tup 10, 36-26.

8:12 – Gordon steals and passes ahead to Hinrich, who lays it in and gets fouled. The FT makes it a 9-0 run, Bulls up 13.

6:53 – DWade with a drive and finishes with a reverse jam. Wow.

6:00 – Salmons jumper ends 6-0 Miami run. 41-32.

5:40 – Wade drives, gets the shot and the foul. FT makes it 41-35.

5:23 – Rose with a nice runner off the glass. Bulls shooting 58% from the field.

5:00 – Rose passes to Gordon for the 3. 46-35.

Bulls on the wrong end of 2 technicalities, having the whistle blown for a 24-second violation when they should have had a fast break, then a clear path foul is called on Brad Miller when he accidentally bumped into Chalmers.

3:28 – Rose moves baseline and puts it up and in over Jermaine O’neal. Rose has 11.

Tyrus Thomas has a block in 24 consecutive games, the best current streak in the NBA, and a Bulls record.

27.0 – Heat on a 10-0 run, puts them ahead 51-50.

6.0 – Rose with a nice drive, doesn’t hit the layup, but Noah taps it in.

Halftime – Wade hits a deep 3 at the buzzer, 54-52.

Missed the first 2 minutes of the 3rd. Apparently Rose just scored. 56-54 Heat.

7:16 – Salmons with a pretty up and under reverse layup, and gets the foul. Completes yet another 3-pt play (he did that several times against Houston).

6:43 – Wade to Jamario Moon for a nice alley-oop.

5:50 – BG drives and throws it high off the glass and in. 68-63 Heat.

2:47 – Salmons drives, crosses over, and puts it in. He’s got 16 tonight. He’s actually been playing quite well for the Bulls so far. 74-68.

1:17 – Wade hits his third 3 of the night, and has at least 30 points for the 30th time this season. 82-70.

39.6 – Miller with a nice slow drive for a layup.

After 3: 84-74. Bulls need a Derrick Rose explosion in the 4th, but with Wade on the other team, a comeback doesn’t look good.

9:27 – Miller hits a jumper, Bulls are on a 10-0 run going back to last quarter, and are within 4, 84-80. Heat have missed 9 of their last 10 shots.

8:13 – Derrick Rose dribbles around for a while, and eventually crosses over and puts it in. 87-84.

Miami timeout, Wade re-enters the game. Daquean Cook immediately hits another 3.

7:31 – BG “beats” the shot clock with a 3 that shouldn’t have counted.

6:43 – Joakim sneaks under O’neal for a scooping layup.

6:26 – Noah blocks the shot, Gordon gets the ball and goes in for a nice layup. Cuts the Miami lead to one, 92-91.

4:49 – Wade blows by the Bulls for another dunk. Why do they keep letting him do that? 96-91.

4:24 – BG with a tough three, his fourth of the night.. Bulls really needed that.

3:54 – BG this another 3, Bulls take the lead, 97-96!

3:11 – BG with another 3! He’s got 32 and has come alive late in the game. 9-0 run by BG himself, 100-96 Bulls.

1:51 – BG putting on a clinic, hits his fourth straight 3. He’s 7/8 from downtown tonight. 103-99.

1:19 – Rose gets called for charging on – you guessed it – Udonis Haslem. Except Haslem’s feet were definitely on the circle. That better not cost the Bulls the game.

20.7 – BG picks an inopportune time to miss a FT, as the Bulls are up just 2. He makes the second for a 104-101 lead.

11.5 – Wade knocks down a 3 to tie the game. He’s suddenly a 3-point shooter tonight.

Rose drives, has to shoot a fallaway, and misses at the buzzer, and we’re going to OT. Not sure I like the Bulls chances.

3:23 – Salmons loses control of the ball but stays with it, hits a layup, and gets fouled. Completes another 3-pt play. Bulls up 107-106.

2:51 – After a steal, Rose takes it all the way down the floor and drives for 2.

2:10 – Noah misses 2 FTs. And he’d been shooting them Very well lately (26/29 last 7 games).

1:16 – Salmons will get yet another chance for a 3-pt play, as he beats his man and Miller finds him inside for a dunk. Those 2 are really playing well together. Salmons hits FT. 113-112 Heat.

17.1 – Wade misses 2 FTs, Bulls still alive, down just 2!

3.7 – Salmons will go to the line for a chance to tie the game. And he does! He’s got 27.

Wade misses a reverse layup at the buzzer! Whew!

2OT

4:47 – BG still hot, this a jumper.

2:08 – Rose with a nice drive and scoop for 2.

1:00 – Tyrus slams home a Rose miss. 125-all.

11.2 – Once again, the ball winds up in the hands of the wrong Bulls player, as Salmons turns it over, Wade picks it up with 2 seconds left, runs down, and swishes a 3 at the buzzer.

Final: Heat win 130-127.

Unbelievable game, really, but the wrong team won again. The Bulls really need to learn to close games out when they have the chance. If they don’t, a guy like Dwyane Wade will make them pay. Tonight was easy for him.

Box score notes: BG 43 points on 14/23 shooting, 8/11 3-pt. Salmons 29 and 8R, Rose 23 and 9R, Noah 11 and 15R, Miller 9 and 10R. Bulls only played 7 guys, which is especially tough given the game went into double-OT. Luckily they have a day to rest before the next game.
Heat: Wade 48 points on 15/21 shooting. Like I said, the Bulls made it easy for him.

March 6, 2009 vs. Milwaukee Bucks

2009-03-08T20:45:00.004-04:00

Tonight is a big night for the Bulls, who trail Milwaukee by half a game for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. A win tonight would be huge, as they’ve been trailing this 8 seed for a while, but have always been close. The Bulls again will match up against their former coach Scott Skiles, as the Bucks come to Chicago. The Bulls are coming off a strong game against the Warriors, when they came out sluggish, dug themselves a 20-6 hole, then outscored the Warriors by 46 to win 110-88. Chicago will again be without Luol Deng. Oh yeah, look out for another Ben Gordon vs. Charlie Villanueva shootout.

10:42 – Noah with a nice move down low for two. 4-2 Mil.

9:09 – Tyrus with a strong drive to the hoop, gets fouled and hits the layup. Completes the 3-pt play. 6-5 Mil.

6:38 – Bulls miss 2 jumpers in a possession. They’re not shooting well so far, and have come out sluggish, once again. Bucks lead 14-9.

5:36 – Rose sprints down the lane for a layup over several defenders. 16-11.

5:10 – Rose with another drive for another layup.

3:33 – Gordon hits a 3.

3:00 – Hinrich hits a jumper and is fouled. Completes the 3-pt play. Bulls within 3, 22-19.

0:29 – Salmons gets bumped and is able to finish the layup. Does not hit the FT, Bulls down 26-25.

After 1, Milwaukee leads 26-25. The Bulls started out slow, but started to pick it up towards the end of the quarter, hitting some shots and forcing some TOs. Hopefully they’ll be able to pull ahead in next quarter.

10:45 – Salmons gets another layup-and one. This time he hits the FT and the game is tied at 28. First tie of the game.

10:23 – Salmons gets fouled on the fast break and knocks down 2 FTs. He’s scored the last 5 points, and the Bulls take a 30-28 lead.

9:35 – Miller finds a cutting Rose for the layup and-1. The ball barely gets over the rim but Rose gets the roll. Bulls 33-30.

8:02 – Gordon hits a leaner with some contact, but no foul.

7:23 – Gordon hits a 3 from the corner. He could be heating up…

6:58 – BG hits another 3, on the run with Hinrich who feeds him the ball. He’s got 14. 41-32.

6:29 – BG gets a late whistle, as he’s knocked down taking a 3. Surely he won’t hit all 3 FTs, given how he’s been shooting them this season (I don’t think he’s made 3 straight all year). He knocks down the first 2 and misses the 3rd.

5:43 – Rose blows by Elson for the layup, and gets fouled. Another chance for a 3-pt play for the Bulls, who have converted on several so far tonight. Rose hits the FT. 46-37.

5:23 – Rose finds Hinrich on the break for a 3.

4:59 – Rose flies through the lane for yet another layup. He has been a blur on the court all night.

4:13 – Bulls out running, Tyrus finds Noah down low for the dunk. 54-41.

3:45 – Rose finds BG for another 3. Bulls have really broken it open this quarter. 57-41.

2:26 – Bulls with some very good ball movement, Rose finds Hinrich for a 3 from the corner. Hinrich is 4/4 from the floor for 11 points.

Halftime: 63-52 Bulls. Salmons had a 3 roll around the rim a couple times and out at the buzzer. Bulls were on the wrong end of a few questionable calls at the end of the quarter, but overall you have to be very happy with their performance so far. A huge 38 point 2nd quarter, and once again, they turned an early deficit into a double-digit lead. Hopefully they’ll be able to hold up in the 2nd half.

10:10 – Milwaukee cuts the lead to 7, 65-58. Bulls a little cold to star the 2nd half.

9:24 – Rose with a weird looking fake, it looked like he picked up his dribble, but somehow keeps it going and blows by everyone for the layup.

8:34 – Tyrus gets a block, which gets the Bulls out running, and BG hits a runner off the glass. 69-60.

7:58 – Rose really has an extra gear – he starts off slow and then blows by the defense for the layup. He gets fouled, and completes yet another 3-pt play.

7:17 – Rose with a nice fake, which opens up a lane and he gets another layup. He’s got 19.

6:42 – Another nice jumper by BG. He’s got 25.

6:07 – Rose is just blowing by Bucks defenders at will. This time, he doesn’t get the layup and will go to the line for just a 2 point play, which he completes.

3:53 – Brad Miller knocks down a jumper to make it 83-72.

2:30 – Salmons gets an accidental steal, pulling his hands up to avoid a foul, and knocking the ball away with his elbow. He picks it up and gets a layup, 85-75.

After 3: Bucks get within 5, 85-80. Hopefully the Bulls won’t give this one away. They’ve been in control for most of the game. They need a strong 4th, specifically from Derrick Rose. He needs to take over this game. He’s done it before, and he’s proven that the Bucks can’t stop him. Let’s see what he can do…

11:08 – Rose spins on the baseline and flips up a shot. 87-82 Bulls.

10:22 – Gordon hits a leaner with some contact. The ball bounces around every part of the rim before falling through the net.

10:15 – Luke Ridnour gets tangled up with Brad Miller and leaves the game with an arm injury. Neil Funk points out that when Ridnour was in the game, the Bucks came back and closed the gap. But when “this group” (Bell, Bogans) was in, the Bulls pulled away. Hopefully he knows what he’s talking about. It’s 89-84 right now. The Bucks have been as close as 3 (85-82).

9:19 – Miller puts up a nifty runner in the lane and hits. He looked like a 7-foot, white, Ben Gordon on that one. 93-84. Bulls are pulling away already.

8:12 – Brad Miller with a nice pass to Salmons for the layup. It’s like they’ve been playing together for a few years…

7:02 – textbook high screen-and-roll, Rose dishes it to Miller who hits the jumper. That’s where Miller gives the Bulls something they haven’t had in a while, as Noah would probably be fined for taking a shot like that.

5:50 – BG with a pretty shot, and the foul. He gets his legs knocked out from under him, but the ball swishes through the net. Strangely, after this happens, the TV cameras show 3 different guys in 3 different parts of the arena, and each of them looks like they easily tip the scales at 300 pounds. What was that about? Oh yeah, BG completes the 3-pt play. Sound familiar? He’s got 30.

3:57 – BG and Salmons out on a 2-on-1, and surprisingly BG gives it up to Salmons for the layup. 106-93.

3:20 – Rose makes another nice move to open up the lane, and drives for another layup. He’s got 25.

1:46 – Another Miller-to-Salmons layup, another and-1. Salmons has a quiet 21, mostly off of 3-pt plays. 116-100.

Final: 117-102, and the Bulls overtake Milwaukee for the 8th seed.

Box score notes: Ben Gordon finished with 34 and 7A to go along with 4 steals. Rose had 27 and 6A. They shot a combined 20/37 from the floor. Salmons finished with 21 (7/13 FG), and Noah had 13 rebounds, finishing in double figures for the 3rd time in the last 4 games. Brad Miller had 12 and 9R off the bench.
Bucks: Richard Jefferson had 27 points, Charlie V had 19 and 12R. Ramon Sessions had 20 and 11A, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute had 21 and 11R, plus 5 steals.

Jumpers: Not a good night, Tyrus 0/3, rose 0/4, but Rose’s game tonight was all about driving to the hole. He was very successful, both finishing and getting to the line (for a change).

March 4, 2009 vs. Golden State Warriors

2009-03-05T00:11:00.009-05:00

Tonight the Golden State Warriors are in town. The last time these 2 teams met, the Bulls went small to match the Warriors, and came out with a 115-110 victory. The Bulls are actually a pretty good small team. They can beat other small teams. Makes me wonder why they don’t go small more often. Anyway, tonight is as good a chance as any to pull out a win and cover up the stink they left after the last game against Charlotte. Luol Deng is in “street clothes” (a suit) tonight, his second straight game sitting out with a bruised tibia.

11:00 – Bulls start where they left off last night, as BG comes up short…on a layup.

9:45 – Warriors jump out to a quick 6-0 lead. Not a good start.

9:12 – 9-0 Golden State.

9:00 – Salmons hits a foul line jumper for the Bulls’ first points. 10 seconds later, GS answers with a jumper of their own.

8:24 – After the Bulls miss their 2rd shot within a foot of the hoop, GS comes down and scores, making it 13-2. The Warriors are really running it well so far.

7:38 – Tyrus gets rejected hard trying to dunk, and lands awkwardly on his hip with his leg at a funny angle. He stays down while the Warriors score, then gets helped up after the Bulls call TO. He stays in the 17-4 game.

6:54 – Tyrus takes it to the hole again, and dunk again, this time successfully. Looked good, except he almost came down awkwardly on his leg.

6:24 – Offensive foul on Tyrus. 20-6 Warriors.

5:51 – Nice reverse layup by Salmons.

5:23 – Bulls cause a 24-second violation. They’ve forced 2 straight TOs.

4:35 – Tyrus slams it home on the put-back, although he definitely jumped over the back of Randolph. They call inadvertent whistle, basket counts. Another athletic, hard play by Tyrus. 20-10.

4:14 – Good D by Tyrus, altering the shot. He seems motivated tonight.

4:04 – Tyrus runs hard over Randolph, for the offensive foul. Maybe he’s a little too physical tonight.

3:49 – Another travel on GS.

2:39 – Noah takes a wild shot inside, but gets the rebound and puts it back in. He’s the first guy back on D, but lets a man blow by him anyway. 22-14.

1:46 – Hinrich misses an easy layup after a nice pass by Rose, but Miller grabs the rebound and puts it in. 22-18. Bulls back in it with a 12-2 run.

14.4 – Rose hits a jumper. 24-20.

GS 26-20 after 1.

11:35 – Rose with a double-clutch layup.

10:07 – Miller gets a layup and-1, Bulls have a chance to take the lead, but Miller misses the FT. 26-26. Bulls are playing with 3 guards (Rose, Gordon, Hinrich) and 2 centers (Joakim, Miller).

9:53 – Gordon gets a steal, tosses it ahead to Noah for the dunk. Bulls take their first lead of the game, 28-26.

8:32 – Rose with a jumper. 32-28.

6:44 – BG with a sweet behind-the-back crossover and drive for the layup. 37-32, Bulls are actually expanding their lead now.

4:34 – Rose gets loose underneath and lays it in. 44-37.

3:44 – Rose misses 2 shoots and goes down, taking a while to get up. He does though, and runs all the way down to take the ball inbounds. Shake it off DRose!

3:14 – Gordon with a nice drive and scoops it up off the glass for 2.

1:32 – Brad Miller puts up a nice little rainbow from 3 feet out. 48-41.

3.1 – Rose drives and throws it out to Hinrich who hits a 3 just in time to be the shot-clock buzzer.

Halftime: 51-45 Bulls.

11:35 – Rose running hard, tosses it back to Salmons for the dunk.

10:20 – Nice rejection by Noah leads to a 5-on-1 for the Bulls. Marco Belinelli manages to send Noah to the line, the worst FT shooter of the bunch.

9:46 – Gordon banks home a jumper from the elbow.

9:12 – Salmons gets a runner in the lane to fall, and-1. 60-52 Bulls.

6:01 – Rose gets out running and takes it all the way for the layup. 65-54.

2:03 – Hinrich gets the inbounds pass right back and hits a quick 3.

1:37 – Rose hits a jumper from the elbow.

After 3: 75-62.

11:37 – Tyrus takes it inside, lets 2 defenders fly by him, and dunks it.

7:22 – Hinrich throws a laser inside to Miller for a layup. 90-70.

5:35 – Salmons drives, hits, and-1. Bulls getting a lot of FTs in this game, and this quarter in particular.

3:51 – Rose finds Hinrich in the corner for 3. Hot Dog! 100-82.

2:04 – Wild sequence as Gordon gets a layup blocked, GS saves the ball out to Hinrich, who finds Gordon back underneath for a layup.

7.8 – Anthony Roberson gets a garbage time bucket. Looked pretty good for this first seconds played for Chicago.

Final 110-88. Bulls have a nice turnaround after starting the game trailing 20-6.

Box score notes: Joakim Noah has a big night, 14 points and 17 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 8/8 from the line. Pretty good, especially considering he played zero minutes last game against the Warriors. Salmons led the way with a game-hight 23 points on 7/14 shooting. Rose 14 and 6A. Miller 19 points.

Jumpers: Rose 3/4, Tyrus 0/3.

Feb 28, 2009 vs. Houston Rockets

2009-02-28T23:27:00.007-05:00

I apologize for not writing the last 2 games. Again. The Bulls have lost two straight (I didn’t watch either one), against NJ and in Washington, where President Obama, a lifelong Bulls fan, attended the game. Both games were essentially lost in the 4th quarter, although the Washington game might not have been close before then. The Bulls need a win tonight, and I’m not sure this is a game where they can get it done. But you never know - we beat the Magic pretty good. The Rockets are in town, where Yao Ming should give us trouble. I believe he had 28 the last time these teams met. Thankfully T-Mac isn’t playing; he usually gives us trouble as well. The team is now run by Aaron Brooks, after they traded Rafer Alson to Orlando at the trade deadline. Another guy to look out for is Ron Artest. He could go off tonight.

Johnny “Red” Kerr passed away this week, as well as former Bulls player Norm Van Lier. There is a special tribute on the scoreboard during pre-game intros. I’ll be sad when Jordan and Pippen go.

Noah’s still starting. Perhaps he will be the starter after all.

11:23 – Gordon drives and dishes to Noah for a dunk.

10:40 – Rose drives to the hoop and is fouled. I’m glad they called it, but he probably could have made the shot too. Oh well, one step at a time. Unfortunately, he misses both FTs.

10:04 – Gordon hits a foul line jumper and gets the foul. Completes the 3 point play.

9:40 – Deng takes it in all the way for a layup. Good aggressive move to the basket.

9:16 – Artest with a nice shot. He could also be the one who hurts us.

8:38 – Artest for 3. They left him WAY too wide open. He even gave them a chance to come out and they didn’t. 12-7 Hou.

Bulls are showing shots of Kerr and Van Lier for each commercial break.

7:48 – Tyrus misses a jumper but good hustle gets the loose ball back in the Bulls’ hands. Rose hits a jumper.

6:57 – Tyrus rejects Yao. Close to a goaltend, but the call went Chicago’s way.

6:53 – Salmons checks in for Deng. He led the team with 25 last night.

5:50 – Yao 2 straight hook shots inside.

5:40 – Noah gets the ball inside, and dishes to Rose for the dunk! A little role-reversal there!

4:35 – Brad Miller makes a jumper. If he can keep knocking that 15-18 footer down, Yao will have to come out and guard him.

4:00 – Nice help inside – Noah blocks Yao.

2:57 – Salmons hits a jumper after faking the defender away.

2:15 – Hinrich hits a 3 from the corner, brings the Bulls to 25-22.

0.6 – Salmons misses a jumper, but gets the rebound and puts one in just before the buzzer.

After 1: Hou, 31-26. Artest 12 points. Yao has about 8 or 10.

9:53 – Hinrich hits a jumper.

9:19 – Salmons knocks down another jumper.

8:47 – Miller takes it strong to the hoop, and knocks down Yao trying to take a charge. No call, and Miller gets the layup. Back within 3, 37-34.

7:36 – Bulls get a steal, Deng hits the jumper.

6:12 – Deng finds Tyrus for a foul-line jumper.

5:27 – Nice steal by Rose, throws it ahead to Salmons for the dunk. 41-40.

4:53 – Bulls got sloppy on a break, Houston ends up running for a basket. 43-40 on a 4-point swing.

4:39 – Tyrus knocks down another jumper, this time a little further than the foul line.

3:41 – Deng misses a runner in the lane, but gets the rebound, puts it in, and gets fouled. Misses the FT.

2:59 – Got a little crazy around the rim, but the Bulls eventually put it in after a few misses by Deng, Tyrus, and Rose.

2:34 – Great block on Yao by Tyrus, and good hustle to save the ball. Unfortunately he saves it to Houston, who gets an easy basket. Tyrus a little shaken up on the play. Also totally takes out a fan in a chair.

1:52 – Miller hits another jumper from the top of the key.

1:11 – Brad Miller gets T’d for arguing a non-foul call. Looked like he got hammered by Yao underneath. Teams are trading baskets, but the FT puts the Rockets up 4, 52-48.

0:40 - Nice look inside from Miller to Tyrus for the dunk.

0:31 – Artest hits a 3 to put the Rockets up 55-50.

12.8 – Miller hits a 3.

10.8 – Tyrus gets a steal and dunk on the inbounds play. Just like that, 5 straight and its 55-55.

Battier hits a 3 from the corner with 0.7. Houston 58-55 at the half. Houston is shooting 52%, Chicago 50%.

Luol Deng has a bone contusion on his tibia, and will not return. He’s so freaking delicate. Tim Thomas has also already come out of the game with an injury.

9:56 – Tyrus gets a nice reverse layup. 63-59.

7:44 – Tyrus with a HUGE dunk, 2 handed over Yao and Battier. Gets fouled, misses FT. 68-61, Houston is pulling away a bit.

6:52 – Tyrus hits a jumper.

3:00 – Rose back down Aaron Brooks for a 2 in the paint. 79-66 though, as Rockets continue to pull away.

2:12 – Bulls get a steal, Rose pushes it ahead to Hinrich for the layup.

1:15 – Good D by Salmons causes a miss by the Rockets on a break. He hits a 3 on the other end.

Brad Miller gets called for 2 shooting fouls in the last 4 seconds. Rockets lead 88-71 after 3. Even with Yao sitting, the Bulls can’t come back. They shot 29% for the quarter, and were outscored 30-16.

11:12 – Rose to Salmons to Noah for a dunk.

10:19 – Rose gets fouled down low and hits the shot. Gets the FT, 88-76.

9:45 – Tyrus hits a jumper. He’s got 19.

9:25 – Noah draws an offensive foul by Yao.

9:18 – Rose with a floater in the lane. 91-80. Let’s see if he can take over in the 4th, like he did a few times early in the season. This is already his highest scoring quarter of the game.

8:55 – Good hustle by BG, goes head-over-heels to save a ball.

7:27 – Artest with a big dunk. Just when the Bulls started to make a run, the Rockets come back and pull away again.

5:52 – Artest hits another shot. Bulls need to get some stops to have a chance. As it is, Houston keeps pulling away. 99-82.

5:37 – nice feed Miller to Gordon for a lefty hook off the glass.

5:13 – Bulls running off a defensive stop, BG hits a pull-up 3. 99-87.

4:27 – Rose hits a 2 after Bulls get 2 ORebs. Back within 10!

3:57 – Bulls force 24-second violation! They’re actually getting some stops!

3:50 – Rose hits a turnaround one-handed jumper in the lane. 99-91.

3:19 – Rose hits another runner in the lane. 99-93.

2:51 – Miller draws an offensive foul. 2 straight TOs for Houston - Artest kicked the ball OB last possession.

2:40 – Gordon misses a shot, gets the OReb (maybe gets away with an over-the-back), gets fouled. Makes both FTs, 99-95. Back within 4!

2:18 – Artest nails another 3 to stop the bleeding.

2:03 – Noah finds Rose cutting to the basket, gets the basket, and-1! 102-98.

1:41 – Another steal, Gordon gets the layup. 102-100.

1:09 – BG hits a jumper. We’re tied at 102! Bulls have erased a 17 point deficit in just under 5 minutes, going on a 20-3 run.

32.1 – Rose hits a one-handed fallaway in the paint, and the Bulls take the 104-102 lead! He has 16 in the 4th quarter alone!

11.1 – Bulls dodge 2 bullets (2 Artest 3’s), grab the loose ball, Houston has to foul. Salmons misses the 2nd to keep Houston with a 3 of sending it into OT.

Bulls knock the inbounds pass away, Houston picks it up, Artest can’t get a good look, Bulls win! Rose takes over in the 4th, Bulls end the game on a 23-3 run.

Final 105-102.

Box score notes: Bulls have 6 in double figures, led by Rose with 22, 8R, 7A, 3S. Tyrus and Noah combine for 29, 24R, 4B. Ron Artest leads Houston with 32, Yao Ming has 17 and 7R, 3B, Scola has 16 and 12R. Bulls outscored Rockes 34-14 in the 4th quarter.

Jumpers: Rose had a tough night, going 1/5. He made up for it at the end with a bunch of layups/runners. Deng 1/2, Tyrus 3/6.

Feb 24, 2009 vs. Orlando Magic

2009-02-25T07:32:00.009-05:00

First off, I apologize for not writing after the Pacers game. I almost watched the game, but saw the final score before watching it on DVR, and it didn’t seem like something I wanted to see. It didn’t look like I missed much, other than that it was a close game until the 4th quarter, when the Pacers closed it out. Rose had a bad shooting night; there just didn’t seem like much to write about. The Pacers didn't even have their best player - Danny Granger.

Tonight the Orlando Magic are in town, and I can assure you that Dwight Howard will have a monster night. Not that he hasn’t been having monster nights every game lately. But the Bulls can’t stop people down low, and I certainly wouldn’t expect otherwise tonight. Also, the Magic picked up Rafer Alson at the trade deadline to fill in for Jameer Nelson, who’s out for the season. The Magic needed something to help keep their hopes for a good playoff run alive, and Alston seems like a good fit.

11:20 – Rose jumper

10:51 – Joakim drives again, gets the layup, and-1. That's the 2nd time in 3 games that he's done that move.

10:29 - Tyrus hits a jumper

10:06 – Rose jumper

9:35 – Deng jumper

8:58 – Deng with a layup. Tyrus stole pass, hit a cutting Deng

8:17 – Deng hits a running hook in the lane.

8:02 – Gordon with a long 2.

TO Orlando. Howard is basically having his way with us inside, as expected. However, the Bulls are shooting very well to start, hitting their jumpers, for a 16-10 lead. Shooting 8/10 from the floor.

7:24 – BG another jumper.

4:53 – Tyrus hits a jumper

4:28 – quick pass ahead to Deng for the layup.

4:02 – Tyrus rejects a Rafer Alson layup.

3:43 – BG another jumper.

3:03 – Brad Miller takes a long jumper. Ugly, not even close. It's funny - I thought Brad would be the best offensive big man the team has had in a while, and yet it's Noah who suddently develops this move where he drives to the hoop and scores on a layup.

2:37 – Yet another BG jumper.

Howard has gone cold. Dunno if Miller and Joakim have been playing good D, or if he’s just not knocking down his shots. Rashard Lewis is keeping the Magic in it with his 3s.

2:14 – BG another jumper.

1:44 – Brad Miller hits 2 FTs to make it 30-23.

After 1: Bulls, 30-27.

11:46 – Hinrich jumper makes is 32-27.

9:40 – Tim Thomas hits a 3. It's a good thing I've always referred to Tyrus Thomas as Tyrus, now that there are two T. Thomas's on the team.

8:40 – Lob inside to an open Rose, who misses the wide open reverse layup. Rose not shooting too well after knocking down his first 2 shots.

8:29 – Tim Thomas hits a jumper. He’s playing pretty efficient in his minutes. If he has the shot, he buries it. If not, he passes it right away.

7:43 – Rose hits a jumper.

7:11 – Salmons hits a jumper. Is anyone NOT hitting a jumper for this team so far? 41-35 Bulls.

6:29 – Hinrich hits a jumper.

6:02 – Rose another jumper.

6:43 – Tim Thomas another 3, from the corner. 48-39.

4:35 – Deng hits a pullup jumper. 52-42.

JJ Redick has been getting a decent amount of playing time lately, doing the only thing he can do – hit 3s. I despise Duke, and I despise Redick. If Luol Deng didn’t play for the Bulls, I’d hate him too.

3:30 – Tim Thomas finds Brad Miller for the bucket and the foul.

2:39 – Bulls 24/40 so far tonight (60%).

2:13 – Nice alley-oop from BG to Tyrus. BG Looked like he was shooting, but it was clearly a pass, and a nice one.

1:52 – Brad Miller cuts into the passing lane, and takes an eternity to rumble down for the dunk. Defense probably should have caught him. 59-47.

Halftime: 63-54 Bulls. High-scoring 1st half, as they’re shooting lights out. Hopefully they can keep it up.

11:47 – Tyrus hits a jumper. He’s 4/4.

11:03 – Nice find by Deng to Noah for the dunk.

10:32 – Noah makes it 69-56 with 2 FTs.

8:38 – Rose takes it all the way and scoops in the layup.

7:36 – Rose hits a jumper. 73-64.

7:06 – Rose with another jumper. He’s now the Bulls’ leading scorer, as BG has quieted down a bit.

5:45 – BG hits a jumper.

4:35 – Rose with a nice reverse layup. Pretty move.

4:01 – Salmons in on the jumper party; hits a 2.

3:16 – Rose another jumper. He’s shooting very well tonight.

2:04 – 2 quick 3s by Orlando bring them within 3, 83-80.

1:24 – Bulls getting sloppy, and Magic on 8-0 run.

0:39 – Nice stutter-step by Rose, who drives in for 2.

0:9 – Rose hits yet another jumper. He’s got 22.

End 3rd: 87-82 Bulls. Team is shooting 59%.

11:33 – Hinrich a nice fallaway jumper. He’s 3/3.

10:35 – Gordon hits a jumper.

10:15 – Tim Thomas hits a 3.

9:45 – Salmons drives, scores, and gets the foul. 97-89.

9:24 – Gordon another jumper. Can’t remember a miss by him tonight.

8:12 – Salmons rebounds his own miss, find Miller for the layup. Hot Dogs!

7:15 – Hinrich deflects the inbounds pass right into the Magic player standing OB. Nice play; Bulls get the ball back.

Howard has been short on almost all of his shots since the first couple minutes of the game. Bulls must be playing some tough D down low.

6:02 – Salmons hits 2 FTs, 109-94 Bulls. They have been in complete control all game.

5:12 – Joakim stuffs it home, good find by Salmons.

4:37 – Tim Thomas hits another 3. 114-96.

3:41 – BG throws one up and in.

59.8 – Tyrus takes it in for the score and-1.

Final: 120-102.

Box score notes: Bulls have 7 players in double figures, led by Rose with 22. Team shot 57%.
Dwight Howard finishes with 26 and 12R, shooting 10/18, although it didn’t seem like he played that well. Magic also had 7 in double figures.

Jumpers: Rose 8/14(!), Deng 2/6, Tyrus 3/6.

Feb 20, 2009 vs. Denver Nuggets

2009-02-21T09:10:00.010-05:00

Bulls are playing short-handed tonight; they have just 8 players dressed (one of them Lindsay Hunter) while the trades are processed. Tonight they host Denver, who is having a good year, having traded AI for Chauncey Billups. They currently sit atop the northwest division, and would be a 3 seed if the playoffs started today.
Tonight the Suns dropped 140 for the 3rd straight game, this even without Amare Stoudemire, who is now out for 8 weeks with detached retina surgery. Of course, these 3 games were against the Clippers twice and OKC.

11:30 – Deng hits a leaner.

10:20 – Deng hits a jumper.

9:17 – Rose hits a pretty fallaway from the baseline.

8:49 – pretty feed from Joakim to Tyrus for the 2-handed slam.

9:50 – With the shot clock about to expire, Noah does a crossover and drives to the hoop. He completely missed rim on the layup, but surprised me with the move.

7:22 – Nice play Rose to Noah.

5:12 – Deng hits a jumper. 18-12 Denver.

4:42 – Gordon hits a 3, assist from Rose underneath.

4:25 – Bullups is killing us – hits a 3.

4:03 – Rose badly misses a one-handed jumper. So, he is human.

2:35 – Deng slashes to the hoop for 2.

1:53 – BG steals the ball underneath the Bulls’ basket, and takes it all the way for the layup. You knew he wouldn’t pass it.

1:32 – Billups hits a Deep 3.

1:13 – Gray puts back a Tyrus miss.

0:01 – Tyrus blocks a shot

31-19 Denver.

11:42 – Hinrich slashing and flips it up in the lane for a basket.

11:13 – Good find by Hinrich for an alley-oop to Noah, who gets fouled.

10:57 – Nice find Rose to Gray underneath. If the bigs run the floor with Rose, they will be rewarded.

9:57 – Hinrich steals and hits a jumper. 33-28 Denver.

9:25 – Tyrus hits a long jumper

7:27 – Nuggets go on 8-0 run, Suddenly it’s 41-30. Bulls call TO to stop the bleeding.

6:55 – nice drive and score by Tyrus.

6:25 – Nene is 7/7 with 14 pts so far.

4:04 – Hinrich finds Tyrus cutting for 2. Back within 7.

3:33 – BG with a 3! 47-43.

3:07 – Gordon hits from the top of the key.

2:37 – BG hits another jumper. Apparently he is torching Carter. Bulls back within 1, 48-47.

59.1 – Hinrich with a 3 to tie it at 52.

12.1 – Tyrus with an emphatic putback. Bulls take their first lead of the game, I believe, 54-52.

1.1 – Billups drives to tie it just before the half.

Halftime – 54-54. Gordon 14, Deng and Tyrus 12. Nene 17, Billups 16. We are on hot dog pace for the fans tonight!

10:54 – Nice inbound play, Rose finds Gordon in the corner for 3. Almost a 5-sec violation. Bulls 57-54.

9:45- Very pretty drive by Gordon, who lays it up over the defense. 61-55.

9:16 – Noah with another drive, and HUGE stuff over Nene. My Goodness!

7:43 – Rose with a nice toss-up off an offensive rebound. Still can’t get a foul though.

6:44 – Rose hits an open jumper.

6:03 – Rose with the one-handed push shot from the baseline.

4:40 – Gordon with a 3. 72-66 Bulls.

4:13 – Tyrus with a nice block.

3:30 – Gordon with the steal, and again takes it all the way himself. And-1. He’s got 27. 75-66.

2:22 – Gordon with another jumper. He’s on fiyah!

2:02 – Tyrus explodes out of the floor for a nice rebound. Gets fouled on the put-back.

4.6 – Rose with a pretty take on the last possession of the 3rd.

Denver goes on a bit of a run at the end, but overall it’s a great quarter for the Bulls, who lead 83-77. Now we’ll see if they can put it away in the 4th. This has been a problem spot for the team this year.

Tied 83.

9:27 – Deng forces a Carmelo airball for a shot-click violation.

8:00 – Tyrus hits a jumper. He goes about 1/2 on those these days.

7:52 – Good help by Noah, gets the block.

7:25 – Hinrich passes ahead to Gordon who gets the layup. Bulls back up 4, 91-87.

6:23 – Deng with a jumper.

5:23 – Hinrich to Noah for the stuff. Hinrich is playing well lately. Biggest lead of the game for Bulls, 97-87.

5:09 – Tyrus with his signature goaltend.

4:20 – Deng to Noah, for the hot dog! 101-92.

3:49 – Holy Crap! Thomas channeling his inner MJ, hits a turnaround baseline jumper, and gets fouled by Carmelo. The shot bounces around on the rim before falling, long after the whistle blows. Tyrus hits the FT. Bulls are really pulling away.

1:46 – Gordon with a nice off-balance shot. He’s got 37. If I didn’t already miss the nail in the coffin, this was it.

Final 116-99. Bulls played really well tonight, and deserved this one. They only have 8 players, and they are the 8 best to have after the deadline, in my opinion. They are only going to get better once the new players come in. They are 7-3 in their last 10. I'm getting a little excited!

Box score notes
Chi: Gordon 37 points on 13/23 shooting, 4/7 3PT, 7-7 FT. Deng 22 and 12R, 10/10 FTs. Tyrus 21 and 12R on 7/11 FG, 7/9 FTs. Noah 5/6 FTs. Tyrus and Noah 5 blocks. Team shot just over 50% and 31-34 FTs. Not bad for this core of players. Hinrich 9 and 8A off the bench.
Den: Billups 25 points, Nene 19. Carmelo 12 on 5/18 shooting. Luol Deng really shut him down.

Jumpers: Rose 2/4, Deng 3/7, Tyrus 2/4

Trade Deadline Wrapup

2009-02-20T20:25:00.003-05:00

So, the trade deadline has come and gone. Let’s take a look at the trades the Bulls made:

1) Andres Nocioni, Drew Gooden, Michael Ruffin, Cedric Simmons to SAC for Brad Miller, John Salmons. I’ve already said a little bit about this before. I’m fine with those guys leaving. Brad is a former Bull, and offensively should be the best big man the Bulls will have had in years. He’ll immediately be our starting center, and Thank God for that. Noah was not a starting center, and should be in a better role as an energy guy off the bench. John Salmons is a 6’ 6” guard who wants his playing time, and is having a career year at age 30. I didn’t realize this at the time, but this likely signifies the end of the Ben Gordon Era in Chicago. We can’t keep both him and Salmons. This makes me kinda sad, as I always liked Ben. But, I think I’m ready to move on. This is the Derrick Rose Era now. Salmons’ presence also meant the end for someone else…

2) Thabo Sefolosha, to OKC for a first-round pick next year. Either from Denver or San Antonio, I believe – whichever is worse.

3) Larry Hughes to NYK for Tim Thomas, Jerome James, and Anthony Roberson. Tim Thomas is also a former Bull, a former Hughes-type player, whom the Bulls traded because they weren’t going to play him. Hopefully no hard feeling linger. He’ll probably get a bit of PT now. Also, Hughes should get some PT with Mike D’Antoni, so I’m happy for him. He’ll get his shots now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he played pretty will for the rest of the season, or some part of it anyway.

There were rumors about Kirk Hinrich for expiring contracts, in particular Minnesota, but nothing happened. Paxson also possibly eluded to this possibility during his press conference. Hopefully next season it will be Rose and Hinrich, with Salmons coming off the bench. Though Hinrich could possibly be 6th man instead.

Overall, I’m happy with these moves. We got rid of guys that we didn’t need (including one we weren’t playing at all), for guys that we can use right away. I’m not the guy who can tell you how it works salary-wise, but I don’t think it hurts us. And ss far as players are concerned, this should actually give us a push into the playoffs (which we might have made anyway). It will be fun to see Rose in the playoffs, I think.

Feb 18, 2009 @ Milwaukee Bucks; Plus Trades

2009-02-19T01:04:00.011-05:00

Last night – the Suns dropped 140 points on the Clips in their first game since Terry Porter was fired. ***Edit: tonight they topped that with 142, again vs. the Clippers. They have a combined margin of victory of 63 points in those 2 games, which is 3rd best all-time in back-to-back games against the same opponent.*** Dwight Howard puts up a 45-19-8 last night in a win vs. Charlotte. Durant scored 47 of his team’s 90 points, but Paul hits the game winner.

Today the Bulls traded Noc, Gooden, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons to the Kings for Brad Miller (a former Bull), and John Salmons. Obviously they couldn’t get a Bosh or Amare deal done, so I’m fine with this. Noc wasn’t getting much PT lately, and not earning any, and he’s just been looking like he’s run his course here. Gooden has been good on offense, but is useless on D. Plus, he’s been out the last 8 games and the team has done fine without him. I’m fine seeing him go too. Miller will bring us a good interior presence, and John Salmons will be a good guy off the bench. This could mean that another Bulls guard may be on the move…The deadline is still about 16 hours away. Hopefully the team will get rid of Hughes. For both their sakes’.

Tonight is the Bulls’ first game back after the All-Star break. Derrick Rose was pretty quiet in the Rookies-Sophomores game, but made his presence known in winning the Skills Competition. That dunk at the end was a very nice exclamation point on his weekend. He seems to have introduced himself to the League and fans.

Tonight the team visits Scott Skiles in Milwaukee, where Ramon Sessions has been playing very well over the last few games. Whenever there’s an injury to give Sessions some PT, he’s stepped it up and shown what he can do. Charlie Villanueva has also been playing better, and is the big man since Bogut went down. Watch out for a Gordon-Villanueva shootout, which tends to happen when these teams meet. They played together at UConn.

11:45 – Deng hits a jumper right off the bat.

Announcers (Bucks guys) say that he plays well against the team.

10:58 – Villanueva misses a dunk, Bulls run it for a Gordon layup. Assist – DRose!

9:43 – 2nd straight TO for Bulls. Rose and Gordon bad passes.

9:16 – Nice tip-in by Noah off Tyrus miss. Tyrus made a nice move to the basket though.

8:34 – Pretty take by Tyrus, finishes with a hook.

7:54 – Gordon misses a left-handed fallaway runner in the lane. He was close, but I don’t think I’ve seen him take that shot before.

6:44 – Deng nice runner in the lane. Good cut, good find by Tyrus.

4:58 – Good dunk by Rose.

4:28 – Hinrich hits a 3. His 665th in his career, now in 2nd for Bulls all-time leaders, just passing Pippen. Gordon passed Pippen a few weeks ago.

3:55 – Deng travels. He might not have, but the refs have already called a few walks this quarter.

3:04 – Thabo gets a 3 blocked by Mbah a Moute.

2:56 – Bulls get a steal, 2-on-1 break, and Deng stuffs it home. And-1.

2:27 – Charlie Bell throws up a prayer just before the shot clock expires, which is answered. 19-17 Bulls.

Joe Alexander plays for Milwaukee. He put up a bunch of YouTube videos promoting himself for the dunk contest. I like the Oreo one.

1:13 – Nice pick by Hinrich, but the layup is knocked OB cleanly. Deng takes it to the hole off the inbound for 2.

37.9 – another travel called by the refs. At least the 3rd on Milwaukee.

11:23 – Deng hits a baseline jumper. Announcer agrees with me that Den gnever misses that shot. Of course, he says that Gordon never misses it either. Aaron Gray getting some PT. haven’t seen him too much lately.

9:27 – Gordon hits a pullup jumper.

After Hinrich dribbles the ball off his foot, announcer says that Hinrich always plays good against the Bucks. Apparently the Bucks only play the Bulls in 06-07.

7:57 – Nice look inside from Hinrich to Thabo is too good to be true as Thabo gets rejected.

7:06 – Gray misses a quick little turnaround hook. I’m OK with him taking that shot though. It would be nice if he could develop it.

6:51 – Bulls running, and Thabo gets a slam.

6:30 – Gordon gets out front and has a nice layup.

6:11 – Tyrus picks up his 3rd foul and sits down. Along with Noah, Rose comes into the game. Rose hasn’t been playing much. Perhaps VDN likes Hinrich, since he apparently plays well against the Bucks.

5:50 – Gordon nice jumper with just a few seconds left on the shot clock.

5:33 – Nice dish from Villanueva to a cutting Sessions inside.

4:40 – Nice put-back dunk by Francisco Elson of the Bucks.

4:02 – Deng hits a jumper few feet back from elbow.

3:31 – Nice toss-up by Hinrich, after Noah picks up a loose ball and dishes to him.

2:18 – Another deep 2 by Deng.

1:47 – Hinrich splashes a 3.

For all the travels the refs have called so far in this game, it seems they’ve not called a few too.

1:08 – Rose a nice take, left-handed layup off Noah screen.

29.2 – Nice one-handed runner by Rose.

Halftime – Bucks 51-49.

11:06 – Jefferson tosses one over his head and in. Bucks already have a couple ORebs this quarter.

10:35 – Bucks take 57-49 lead after quick 6-0 run first 85 seconds of this quarter.

11:11 – Nice 3 by Gordon. 13 for him.

Announcer tells us how Gordon is 6’3”, looks 6’1”, and plays D like a guy bigger than 6’3”. I wish I saw the same Bulls team these announcer always get to see.

9:38 – Deep 2 by Deng in the corner. Might have had a foot on the 3-pt line.

9:11 – Gordon takes it strong for a scoop layup. Bulls back within 1, 57-56. That timeout was probably good for them.

8:56 – Jefferson fouled taking a jumper, makes it. 3 on Deng.

8:37 – Offensive foul on Tyrus. Villanueva’s feet were set, but Tyrus barely knocked into him. That’s 4 on Tyrus. Before I finish typing those sentences, Deng picks up his 4th as well. Both taken out of the game.

8:18 – Jefferson nice reverse jam.

7:16 – Nice offensive rebound by Rose.

7:00 – Nice rebound and put-back by Gray.

6:22 – Nice pass from Gray to a cutting Rose. Rose goes to the line, makes both.

6:00 – Rose steps in front of the passing lane for a steal.

5:28 – Bulls turn it over, but Thabo knocks the ball away and the Bulls steal it right back. Of course, they turn it back over again.

4:53 – Rose shot-puts the ball up and in.

4:35 – Rose passes up ahead to Thabo, who puts it in as he gets fouled. Completes 3-pt play.

3:54 – Thabo hits a 3. It always seems like a bonus when he makes a shot. Sometimes it’s just a bonus for him to get a clean shot off that hits the rim.

3:03 – Gray ties the game at 72 with a couple FTs, while the announcers rave about how big he is.

2:36 – Nice movement leads to a Hinrich 3. Bulls back in the lead, 75-72.

2:06 – Bulls force 24-sec violation. Almost seems like they decided to take control of this game.

1:46 – Rose takes it in from about 40 feet away. And you Bucks announcers thought the other guys were good…

39.2 – Rose takes it in again, and is going to the line for 2. Makes both.

With about 4 seconds left, Rose takes it in yet again. This time he gets rejected by Gadzuric.

79-75 Bulls after 3. Good quarter for Bulls, considering the Bucks started it with a 6-0 run to go up 7. Also considering Deng and Tyrus both picked up their 4 fouls at the start.

10:45 – Hinrich hits a deep 3. 16 pts for Hinrich. Good for him, he’s not scoring much nowadays, coming off the bench.

9:44 – Tyrus with a nice block inside, then Gadzuric is called for an offensive foul. Skiles is furious, and gets a T. Looks like he wanted a 2nd. FT puts bulls up 85-79.

9:05 – Rose dribbles just a bit too much, and loses the ball OB. He’ll be kicking himself for that one for a while.

8:07- Jefferson takes it in and somehow puts it in after a nice spin move. Can’t tell if he dunked it or just layed it in really hard.

6:55 – Nifty move by Hinrich, but the reverse layup gets blocked. Now VDN earns a T of his own.

6:50 – Hinrich gets redemption with a quick steal and layup.

6:17 – Hinrich knocks the ball loose from CharlieV, then hits a 3 on the other end. Fired Up, he is. You can tell on the defensive end too, as he doesn’t let 8’s shoving get the better of him.

5:52 – Deng blows a break by missing a layup. I guess it was fairly contested though.

5:23 – Gordon puts up a floater in the lane, draws contact, but gets no call. He then proceeds to stare at the ref while everyone else runs up court. I hate that shit. Get Back On D!

4:59 – Hinrich hits a cross-over pull-up jumper. Season-high 25 for him. Bulls up 96-86.

4:40 – RJ hits a 4-pt play.

4:22 – Just as I was about to yell at Deng for missing a running hook, Tyrus slams home the follow.

4:08 – Hinrich hits 2 FTs after pushing the ball. Hot Dog! 100-90 Bulls.

3:52 – RJ with his 30th point. Rose is taking the ball up slowly. This is his time to put the game away.

3:31 – Tyrus stuffs it home.

2:13 – Deng hits a jumper as the shot clock expires. Nail in the coffin? 104-94.

Bulls make FTs rest of the way.

Final – 113-104 Bulls. They pick up a game on Milwaukee in the chase for the last playoff spot, now just 1.5 games back.

Box score notes: Hinrich prooves the announcers correct, putting up a season-high 31 points (18 n 4th quarter, if my count is correct?) on 8/14 FGs. 5/8 3PT, 10/10 FTs. Deng 21 points on 9/17 FGs. Rose 18 and 9A.
Bucks: RJ 32 points
UConn watch: Gordon (18) edges out CharlieV (17), but Villanueva also grabs 12 boards.
Jumpers: I only count 3 jumpers for Rose and Tyrus, all misses. However, I counted 8/11 for Deng. His jumper was money tonight. I think it comes in waves.

Happy Happy...

2009-02-17T11:40:00.002-05:00

Happy 46th birthday, Mr. Jordan!

Feb 12, 2009, vs. Miami Heat

2009-02-13T02:09:00.007-05:00

So here we are, the last night of games before the All-Star break. The Bulls are coming off a huge win against Detroit, where they erased a 14-point 4th quarter deficit. Tonight they’re hosting Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. It’s the 2nd meeting between the 2 teams, who selected 1-2 in last year’s draft (this season). The Bulls appear to have gotten the better end of that deal, although Michael Beasley did play better than Derrick Rose in the two teams’ previous meeting, a day-after-Christmas affair in which the teams were tied going into the 4th quarter, but Miami eventually pulled away for a 90-77 win. Tonight, I think the Rose and the Bulls will play better, even though they still sometimes have trouble pulling out close games in the 4th quarter.

11:41 – Bulls turn it over on their first possession, as Tyrus Thomas throws a bad pass inside, which never touched Deng, the intended target.

11:03 – Tyrus makes up for it by giving a cutting Rose a nice feed for the layup.

10:46 – Rose picks up his first foul. I predict he’ll be sitting with 2 fouls before the 9-minute mark.

10:21- Rose with a 1-handed push jumper. He’s been using that shot a lot lately, and it looks Good.

9:56 – Another nice feed inside from Tyrus to BG for a reverse layup.

9:31 – Good interior passing by the Bulls. Deng feeds it to Tyrus, who is fouled and heads to the line for 2. Makes them both.

9:07 – Another nice sequence, Bulls running 5-on-3, Deng finds Gordon for a leaner off the glass, and-1.

8:15 – nice look from D-Wade to Marion.

7:50 – Bulls get a little sloppy and turn it over inside. I think Tyrus has touched the ball on every possession so far. He’s about 50/50 on either turning it over or creating a basket.

7:27 – Nice look from Rose to Noah, who almost misses the dunk but it bounces in. He was probably fouled.

7:04 – nice steal by Deng, who takes it in for a layup. Bulls out to a quick 17-8 lead.

5:22 – quick 8-0 run capped by a steal and Marion slam pulls Heat to within 1. On the replay you can see Marion push off with his elbow, but that stuff hardly ever gets called.

5:00 – Tyrus another nice look inside to BG, who’s going to the line for 2. It seems our offense is running through Tyrus tonight.

4:33 – Gordon dribbles too much instead of passing to Rose, and turns it over.

4:11 – Tyrus with a nice drive to the hoop, but misses badly.

3:33 – Gordon pokes the ball away from DWade, and then runs away to the other end of the floor. Luckily, the Bulls pick up the loose ball. Rose passes ahead and Gordon gets the easy 2-handed slam. He doesn’t get too many chances to dunk.

Next possession – Gordon misses a 3. It just seems like every time he scores, he misses a 3 on the next play. Or maybe I just notice when that happens, and not when he makes 2 straight shots.

2:04 – Bulls steal the ball, but Gordon’s layup is blocked by DWade, who was after him the whole way.

1:33 – Bulls blow a 2-on-1, Hinrich’s pass may have been just a bit too long, but I still feel like Deng should have tried to put it up.

1:15 – Patience pays off, as Tyrus gets open on the baseline and takes it for a dunk.

Tyrus misses a shot as the 1st quarter expires. I question him taking that shot. Perhaps he’s gotten a little too confident? The Bulls jumped out quickly in this one (7/7 FGs to start, 2/12 after), but the Heat only trail by 1, 24-23 after 1.

11:16 – James Jones hits a 3 to give Miami its first lead.

11:00 – Hinrich hits a jumper.

10:14 – Noah fights for a loose rebound and gets it. Good effort.

9:55 – Another Miami 3, to go up 3.

9:45 – Rose shots a jumper from the top of the key that bounces about 6 times around the rim before dropping in. I noticed this more often in the first couple weeks of the season, but he has a Very soft touch, and he gets the shooter’s bounce more often than not.

9:16 – Another Rose jumper puts the Bulls back up by 1.

8:49- great perimeter defense by Hinrich, who blocks the shot and causes a 24-sec violation.

7:59 – Noc has a shot inside blocked by Beasley.

6:46 – Thabo shoots an airball from the foul line.

6:25 – Chris Quinn misses a 3 from the parking lot, and stupid Noc stands there while Beasley bets the offensive rebound and puts it in. Noc literally shrugged his hands up while Beasley actually kept playing basketball. Noc, what has happened to you? That’s the 2nd time Noc has made Beasley look good. Heat are on a 7-0 run, leading 36-30.

5:35 – Rose makes a very acrobatic shot.

4:35 – Tyrus takes in right in for a dunk. Not sure how nobody got in front of him, but they didn’t. Blew right by Beasley.

3:48 – Bulls turn it over before the cameras can even show us.

3:29 – Gordon almost dribbles himself into trouble, but is bailed out by a last-minute foul. Makes 1/2 FTs.

3:10 – another signature BG drive-and-take-an-off-balance-layup-but-draw-enough-contact-for-a-foul.

3:00 – Nice Marion-to-Haslem pass for an open dunk.

1:57 – Very nice up-and-under layup by Wade.

1:26 – another Bulls TO, turns into another Heat dunk by Haslem. Miami is suddenly up 11, 58-37. The Bulls are just falling apart. Too many sloppy TOs. Just dropping the ball right into Miami’s hands.

Halftime: Miami 50-39. Not much to say here. Bulls looking terrible, particularly in that quarter. Gordon 14, Rose 10. No Heat players in double figures.

11:36 – Bulls force 24-sec violation to start half.

9:09 – Nice lay-in by Gordon, Bulls cut lead to 7 after a 6-0 run.

8:38 – nice steal by Tyrus, who takes it in strong for the jam. 52-47.

7:56 – Awesome rejection by Tyrus. He blocks it out to the top, where the Bulls start a break. Gordon gets the layup, gets hammered, and completes the 3-pt play. 54-50. 19 for BG.

6:59 – Announcers inform us that DWade has been battling the flu recently. See? Just another case in the NBA. Funny how it gets around. Also, apparently the Bulls are a team that Wade has a hard time having very good games against. Strange, considering he’s a Chicago native.

6:41 – Tyrus with another nice feed, this time to Gordon, who actually dunks the ball over a few defenders. Very nice!

6:02 – Very strange sequence – with BG dribbling and Marion guarding, the ball bounces off of Marions foot and heads towards the sideline. At the last second, it takes a right turn, and rolls along the line staying in bounds and allowing Miami to pick it up and get a 2-on-1 break. Not sure how the ball made that turn. I’m also not sure why this wasn’t a kick on Marion.

5:40 – 3-sec violation on Noah. It’s been a while.

4:40 – Rose another sick layup. Cuts it to 4.

4:26 – Dwade right back with a posterization of Noc. I’m kinda glad, Noc deserves it.

4:12 – BG with a layup, “unmolested.”

3:29 – Noc puts Wade in a bear hug; a defensive move to prevent himself from appearing on another poster.

2:48 – Beasley puts the Heat back up by 10. He’s 6/7 from the field. Having himself a nice little game. Apparently he’s the coaches’ favorite player on the team. Works hard and accepts criticism well.

1:36 – Beasley hits a 3, and suddenly the Heat are back up 14, 74-60.

:4.3 – Noc hits the Bulls’ first 3-pointer of the game. His first basket, having started 0/6.

Heat lead 76-65 after 3. Beasley is about 8/9 for 19 points. He clearly carries a grudge against the Bulls for passing over him for Rose. Apparently the only person who doesn’t think it was the right move.

10:45 – Gordon banks in a jumper. He’s got 27. Doesn’t seem like that many, although he has taken a lot of shots.

10:23 – Noah blocks a Chalmers drive.

9:18 – Thomas blocks a Quinn 3-pt attempt.

8:58 – Hinrich with a pretty reverse layup. Back within 5! 76-71; Heat have gone cold.

8:19 – Beasley hits an outside jumper with Noah in his face. 9/10. Wow.

7:58 – Tyrus with a nice spin move, and-1. FT cuts it to 4.

7:35 – BG Almost knocks down a jumper after getting fouled. Goes to the line with a chance to cut it to 2. Only makes 1.

7:03 – nice look by Gordon to Noah, who can’t quite finish but will go to the line. Makes 1, lead is 4.

6:52 – Hinrich steals it, lays it up, cuts it to 2.

5:50 – Daquean Cook hits his 4th 3-pointer, with Noah in his face. Damn. Back up 5.

5:10 – Hinrich with another steal. He’s showcasing his defense tonight. Rose forces a pass inside, and the Bulls can’t capitalize.

4:23 – Tyrus takes it strong to the hole again, goes to the line again. Good thing he developed his FT shooting this offseason, as he’s been going to the line a lot recently. That’s how he’s been scoring 20+ the last 2 games. He certainly can’t do that with his jumper.

3:54 – BG gets a runner to fall, and-1. Cuts it to 1! He’s got 31.

3:17 – Rose with a stop-and-go so nice, I thought my DVR skipped. Bulls take their first lead since the first quarter. !.

3:02 – good acting job by Wade, gets Hinrich called for a lame foul.

2:51 – Chalmers with a nice reverse layup. Heat back on top.

2:34 – Rose rejected inside.

2:20 – DWade sails in for a dunk.

1:42 – DWade banks one home, another goddamn 6-0 run puts the Heat up 5.

1:32 – Rose with a nice split of the defenders, dishes to Noah, who misses the layup. I thought he’d learned to dunk?

1:13 – Wade hits his 3rd straight FG. He’s only shooting 9/21 but is hitting them when they count.

:41 – Noah blocks Wade inside! Bulls run and Thomas gets a twisting layup with 35 sec. left. 93-90.

:15 – Wade tries to draw another foul on Hinrich, who pulls back. Wade misses, Bulls get rebound. Here we go……Another Gordon 4-pt play would be awesome, cuz I don’t feel like going into OT.

:6.5 – wow, I wasn't really expecting it, but they actually fouled Gordon takin a 3. He didn’t make it this time, although it was close. He better knock these down…yes! 34 for BG.

:4.7 – Hinrich steals the inbounds pass after Wade can’t handle it! Holy crap! Plenty of time for a shot…

3.5 – Dammit! Thabo can’t get the ball in, and throws it to Wade, who call TO before falling OB. Why the hell is Thabo taking the ball out?

1.1 – Marion dunks it. Game fucking over.

Final: 95-93 Heat. I’m so pissed. Sorry folks, no notes tonight. You'll have to look at the damn box score yourself.

Feb 10, 2009 vs. Detroit Pistons

2009-02-11T01:04:00.012-05:00

Tonight the Bulls honor Johnny “Red” Kerr. I don’t really care as much as a lot of other people; I only know Kerr as an announcer the last 2 years, and he just seemed like the Chicago version of Tommy Heinsohn - Annoyingly ultra-homer. However, Jordan and Pippen are supposed to be here, so that’s cool.
Detroit has not been playing too well with AI instead of Chauncey (despite this play recently), as AI is a scorer first, not a distributor. However, AI is out tonight with flu-like symptoms (seems to be going around the League - Garnett, Bryant recently had it). So, we’ll probably get another 40-pt night from Stuckey.

11:50 – Gordon throws a fastball to Noah, just a bit outside. TO. Makes up for it by blocking a jump shot on the other end, but the Bulls proceed to fall short on 2 shots in the ensuing possession.

10:59 – Rose jumper from top of key is good!

9:13 – Tyrus misses 2 closes shots but is going to the line. He already has 3 or 4 misses. Hopefully he’ll do better than the 5-15 he put up 2 games ago. 1/2 FTs

9:05 – trap by Noah and Rose, Noah gets steal at halfcourt. Gordon dribbles for a while, passes to a cutting Rose for a nifty layup. As if there were any other kind for him.

7:55 – Gordon another dish, this time to Tyrus, who gets Rejected. Not a good start for Tyrus.

7:26 – Nice dish from Rose to Noah, but he doesn’t finish. Too far to dunk, so there was no chance.

6:56 – Rose picks up his 2nd foul, on Stuckey. Stuckey could take control of this game. Hinrich in, Rose out.

6:43 – Gordon dribbles into a TO. Might have been poked away from behind.

6:20ish – Just showed Kerr in the stands. He looks like he has no idea what’s going on.

6:14 – Tyrus makes a move but loses the ball OB before he could go anywhere. He’s looking like his old self again.

5:45 – Rasheed makes a 3 as the shot clock expires. 14-5 Pistons. Not a lot of whistles so far. Low scoring game. At least, for our team.

5:10 – Bulls get a steal and Rasheed picks up his 2nd foul stopping Hinrich from breaking for 2. At least he has to sit down.

4:52 – Gordon a nice fallaway jumper off the glass. Good shot. Neil Funk tells us “that was a possession where no one touched the ball but Gordon.”

4:27 – Bulls dodge a bullet at Amir Johnson misses several tips from underneath the hoop.

4:22 – Tyrus takes it strong to the hole, gets fouled. He’s been playing a lot more aggressive lately, taking control, taking it strong, getting fouls. Just needs to play a bit more consistently. I’m guessing that will come. He’s basically just now learning how to play basketball.

4:12 – another steal by Bulls, Gordon hits a 3! Guess we know what that mea….....and Gordon steals the inbounds! But Deng gets blocked and the Bulls can’t capitalize. But whoa! 14-14.

3:32 – Nice dish inside from Deng to Noah, Noah puts it in and-1! Makes FT!

3:11 – Nice little bounce-pass from Gordon to Tyrus, who has the open lane and takes it in for the slam! 19-15 Bulls. That’s a 14-1 run!

3:05 – It’s Air in da house! Jordan is wearing a lime green jacket. Interesting choice.

2:46 – Hamilton nice jumper from top of key. Gotta like Hamilton. I remain loyal to the UConn boys. Rip won the team's first title in 1999. Still got my pennant from the parade.

2:27 – Gordon nice leaner bounces in.

2:08 – Noc in for Tyrus. Noc probably doesn’t get the minutes he used to. And you know what? He doesn’t seem to mind. Don’t hear him complain (well, except when they call a foul!). Speaking of Noc, check out what he did on an day off earlier this week (Scroll down to "Notes, Quotes").

1:53 – Pistons again turn it over on the inbounds, and once again the TV camera misses it.

1:43 – Nice look but bad pass from Noc to Noah. Threw it behind him. I wonder if the lack of PT is hurting Noc? Or is he just in a bit of a slump.

1:19 – Deng misses step back jumper from baseline.

1:15 – Stuckey double-dribbles. Detroit has lots of TOs.

1:04 – Detroit gives Hinrich a wide open 3, and he makes them pay.

:46 – Noc plays trailer, gets an open 3.

:05 – Hinrich throws the ball away, but Gordon steals it, drives, draws contact, and throws the ball behind his head and it goes in with 1.1 left! Awesome! Gordon misses the goddamn FT. Why isn’t he shooting them better this year? I just looked it up, and he's only shooting .861 on the season. He should be a 90% shooter.

End of 1st – Bulls 30-22. Big turnaround in that one, down 14-5.

During the commercial, they show a Jordan interview about Kerr. Jordan talks about how he’s come and gone, but Kerr is still here. Kerr started it all; was there first, yadda yadda yadda.

11:12 – Gordon another runner in the lane. He’s got 11.

10:36 – Tyrus gets another foul call. Took it to ‘im. Makes goth FTs. Nice.

10:16 – Will Bynum nice take, and-1. Misses FT. Kinda looks like El-Amin.

10:04 – Thabo turns it over. VDN calling “Push the ball push the ball push the ball!”

9:30 – Noc nice spin and jumper. 5 pts in 5 min.

8:24 – DRose hits a jumper!

7:30 – DRose jumper way short (from a little deep). You could tell he didn’t get his legs into that one.

6:52 – Rose bolts by everyone, but misses layup he probably should have made. Noah misses a few tips, fights really hard for ball, but can’t get it. Almost.

6:20 – Tyrus a nice drive and hooks it in off the glass. 40-37 Bulls.

6:03 – Noc and Tyrus fight for the same rebound and Noc slaps it OB.

5:44 – Sweet look Noah to a cutting Noc who lays it in.

5:16 – Noc quick take on the run and lays it in again!

Another "Red" Kerr tidbit – Red played in the black & white era. Played against Wilt many times. One night against Wilt, he put up 27 pts, 34 rebs. Not to shabby.

4:33 – baseline jumper by Tyrus! 46-43.

3:16 – Tyrus throws it to Detroit right after stealing it from them.

3:13 – Funk jinxes Hamilton at the FT line.

2:59 – Gordon pump fakes, drives, dribbles off his knee.

1:36 – Good read by Deng, knocks down the lead pass from Stuckey to Prince. Another steal for Bulls. In ensuing possession, Gordon fumbles, Tyrus picks it up, drives and fumbles. Detroit scores with 1:03 to take a 49-46 lead.

46.9 – Good look from Deng to Noah, who puts it in in heavy traffic. Stacey King says “crab dribble.” This has become his word-of-the-week.

:21 – Hamilton nice spin move.

5.1 – Detroit gives a foul. Gordon takes it out on the side. Gets ball back, hits shot. Appears to step one foot inside line, but they give him a 3. 51-51 for now, but will probably be changed to 51-50.

Halftime: 51-50. Score gets corrected. Chi: Gordon 13, Tyrus 11, Noc 9. Rose 6. Noah 7R. Hinrich 5A.
Det: Hamilton 17, Prince 10, Rasheed 7R.

During halftime, my NBA League Pass channel shows absolutely nothing from the Kerr tribute. Isntead, we get an interview with C-Webb, who just had his number retired by Kings tonight. He's clearly been crying. After a few minutes with him, the channel shows stats from all tonight's games on the screen for 10 minutes. Why couldn't they show anything from the Kerr tribute? Not that I care, but really? You have to go way out of your way to not show anything from halftime.

11:13 – Interesting possession with Tyrus. Motions for Rose to move, takes it strong, cradles ball, puts up a runner he had no chance of making. But I liked the drive and cradle. Plus the motioning and communication with the teammate. He’s learning a thing or 2 from Rose.

10:52 – Tyrus goaltend. Hit ball against backboard, apparently an instant too late.

10:32 – Bulls blow the inbounds underneath, Deng passes it right to Rasheed. It almost looked like that was planned.

10:07 – Rose hits a jumper from top of key!

9:24 – Gordon swishes a baseline 3, seconds after missing a layup cuz he was unexpectedly too wide open. All works out in our favor. 55-55.

45 seconds later – Gordon 3 in-and-out. At least he waited 45 seconds this time.

7:59 – Rose a nice runner off the glass!

7:37 – Gordon takes it hard to the hole, misses, hits the floor. Not sure if there was contact or if he was just out of control.

7:08 – Noah taps in a Tyrus missed jumper.

6:20 – Rasheed knocks down a 4. Pistons extend lead 66-59.

6:07 – Deng knocks down jumper.

5:30 – Rose knocks down another jumper from the elbow.

5:04 – Rasheed nice turnaround j.

4:44 – Rose another jumper!

4:20 – Hamilton a 3. 73-65 Pistons.

4:04 – Tyrus may have gotten away with a charge. Blocking called.

Scottie Pippen joins Stacey and Neil as Tyrus makes 1/2 FTs.

3:34 – Tyrus tip dunk off Deng miss.

3:03 – Gordon gets into trouble, turns ball over, but Pistons throw it away. Kind of a sloppy game by both teams.

2:48 – Gordon gets Hamilton up in the air, jumps into him for FTs. Misses BOTH. Has he ever missed 2 FTs before? Seriously, what is wrong with him? Did he work out too much in the offseason?!

2:34 – Hamilton does same exact thing to Gordon, but makes both FTs.

1:23 – Another Rasheed turnaround j. 81-69 Detroit. They are pulling away, albeit quietly.

:44 – Yet another nice look from Deng to Noah, but Noah gets Rejected by Prince.

:00 – McDyess put back as time expires. Not a good quarter for the Bulls. 85-71 Detroit, 34-21 that quarter.

11:39 – Nice one-handed jumper by Noc, bounces in.

11:09 – Kirk hits a jumper.

10:26 – nice pass Noc to Noah for the slam. Still down 12.

9:58 – Noc steals, passes ahead to Thabo, has to change shot and misses layup. Noah misses putback. Dammit!

9:05 – Bulls force a miss by Detroit, throw it away. Not looking like they have it in them to come back.

8:26 – After another defensive stop, Hinrich throws it off the back of the backboard. WHAT?

8:10 – Stuckey manages to throw the ball in as he’s fouled. Makes FT. Bulls cannot win this game. 92-77. At least Rose is back in the game after a long rest.

7:20 – Nice pass Gordon inside to Noah, and-1. Rattles home FT. Back to 12, 94-82.

6:51 – Tyrus jumps about 18 feet in the air for a rebound off a missed Rose jumper. Drives, tripped up, fouled.

6:38 – Tyrus catches a Gordon airball, 2-hand dunks it home! 10! 94-84. 5 straight points for the Bulls.

6:20 – Rose gets his hand in Stuckey’s face, forces a missed j. Any coincidence that with Rose out of the game, Detroit pulled away, and with Rose back in, Bulls coming back?

6:08 – Tyrus going to the line yet again. How many FTs does he have? Sinks them both! 94-86.

5:50 – Noc gambles and loses, letting Prince score. How’d he even back Noc down? He's a string bean.

5:38 – Bulls being aggressive, taking it strong and getting contact. Gordon 2 FTs. 96-88.

5:13 – Bulls force 24-sec violation! Chance to close the gap a bit more…

4:55 – Tyrus misses an ugly jumper, but Noah gets Offensive board. Noc misses 3. Damn.

4:34 – Nice crossover by Stuckey, but Noah blocks the layup! Gordon throws away the possession.

4:01 – Rose dribbles around defense and somehow has an open lane for a 2-handed jam.

3:27 – Rose drives and is going to the line for 2. Can he knock them down? I bet he goes 1/2. he’s 8/12 from field so far, 16 pts. Makes both! 100-92. Not getting closer than 8, and time is running out.

2:50 – Great sequence – Gordon misses a wild shot, but Tyrus gets the rebound, shoots it in as he’s fouled an falls to the floor. Chance for 3-pt play to cut it to 5 and……no, he misses FT. Still, 100-94 is progress…

2:27 – Gordon drives and is going to the line, after Rose bothers Hamiltons shot. Makes them both, 100-96!

2:01 – Spin move by Stuckey, Rejected by Tyrus!

1:55 – Rose dribbles all the way and gets fouled on the layup. Makes 1/2. 100-97!

1:35 – Bulls force another tough shot., Hamilton misses.

1:15 – Rose hits jumper! 100-99!

1:01 – Rasheed gets fouled, makes 2 FTs. 102-99. Bulls need to score.

46.1 – They do! Rose nice drive, splits defenders, layup! Rose has 23 on 10/14 shooting. 102-101.

:33 – great D by Bulls, Rasheed takes a turnaround 3 from the corner with Noah on him! Unbelievable! What was he thinking?

:27 – Almost throw inbounds pass away. Rose drives, misses, gets rebound, kicks out to Gordon in the corner…

16.7 – Gordon puts up the 3….IT'S GOOD!!! AND1!!!!! Stuckey plows him over! Gordon hits the FT; that’s like his 3rd 4-pt play of the season! 105-102. What an AMAZING sequence!

10.6 – Hamilton drives for 2 instead of taking a 3, dishes to McDyess who isn’t looking, ball hits him and goes OB. Rose ran into a screen on the play and hurt his head. Noc hits 2 FTs, Rose goes back to locker room early. Bulls steal inbounds play to seal the game. 107-102! What a comeback! 17-2 run to close out the game!

Final, 107-102. Bulls win!

Box score notes:
Tyrus 22 and 10R. Where’s this offense coming from? FTs I guess. 10/13 from the line tonight! Tyrus has 6 double-doubles in his last 7 games, and 2 straight with 20+ points. Noah 12 and 16R. 1 block each. These 2 are really stepping it up lately. Rose 23 on 10/15 shooting, Gordon 24 on 8/18. Noc 14 off bench. 16 TOs for the team.
Det: Hamilton 30 and 8A, Rasheed 20 and 10R. 15 TOs for the team.

I must say, I had given up on this game. But, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that as long as Derrick Rose is on the floor in the 4th quarter, the game is never over. He always manages to keep the Bulls close.

I kept track of jump shots by Rose, Deng, and Thomas. Basically shots in the 15-foot range, give or take a few feet. If Rose is on, he doesn't miss. By my count, he hit 6/9 jump shots. Deng was quiet, just 1/3, and Tyrus was also 1/3. These counts may not be perfect, but they should be close. I'd like to continue keeping track of these, for a few reasons: 1) I feel like Deng hits jumpers with great consistency. 2) Rose isn't always consistent, but has the ability to never miss. 3) Tyrus is developing his jump shot, so I'd like to see how it's coming along.

Feb. 7, 2009 @ Dallas Mavericks

2009-02-08T11:06:00.010-05:00

Unfortunately, I was unable to watch this game, as my roommates accidentally canceled the DVR recording. This is bound to happen a few times, so I apologize. Looks like I missed a frustrating game anyway, so perhaps it's for the better.

Reading the recap, I notice that Tyrus Thomas hit a 3 pointer at the end of last night's game. This is the 2nd straight loss in which Thomas hit a pointless 3-pointer at the end of the game (his first came at the end of the Rockets game). I only mention this I never knew he was capable of making a shot from that range. I also read that Derrick Rose once again had the ball in his hands at the end of the game with a chance to win. And once again he missed a layup and didn't get a foul. I'm not worried, he'll get better at that in the future. But I often wonder why we don't give Luol Deng a chance to win a game? If he gets a halfway decent look at a 15-18 ft jumper, he'll make it more often than not. Gordon won a few games hi rookie year, but has missed chances several times since then. Rose has blown a few chances this year, so why not give Deng a try?

Box score

Some thoughts, and some stats (assuming my math is correct):
The Bulls finished their 7-game road trip with a record of 4-3. This is their first winning road trip since - you guessed it - the Jordan Era. So what's different? Why are they playing better? First, Luol Deng seems to have returned to the level he was playing at 2 years ago. During the trip, Deng shot 50% and averaged 19 points and 7 rebounds. This includes a relatively quiet night in the Hornets blowout, and a rather poor shooting game last night against Dallas. If Deng keeps this up, the Bulls should be winning more games, and he'll no doubt be earning that 6-year, $71 million contract extension he signed in the offseason. The way he started this season, he seemed to be turning into a bust.
Another reason the Bulls have been winning is the improved play of Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. These two are often linked, and for good reasons. They are both young, lottery picks the previous 2 years, drafted for their athleticism, energy, and potential. And up through this season, neither seemed to be reaching their potential. They were criticized for their lack of energy, and neither was contributing much to the offense. However, during this road trip, something seemed to click with them. They ran faster, hustled more, played with more energy. They ran the floor, and Derrick Rose rewarded them with easy baskets. Tyrus doesn't take too many bad shots anymore; his jumper has improved, and Noah, who shouldn't be allowed to take any shot that's not a dunk, has been doing nothing but dunking. Their combined numbers during the road trip - 56.6% shooting, 24.9 ppg, 17.1 rpg. Together, they make up quite the player, but with the ability to be 2 places at once!

Larry Hughes = Stephon Marbury? Not Exactly.

2009-02-07T16:01:00.004-05:00

So it seems as though Larry Hughes has been “Marburied” on the Bulls’ bench. Basically this just means that as a player, he has no future with the team, and he happens to be signed to a large contract; more than he’s worth. As a fan of the team, I’m happy. Larry Hughes does not belong on the floor. There were questions as to what would happen when Kirk Hinrich came back from his injury, and this seems the best solution moving forward for the team. He did play pretty well for a period, and actually has the only game-winning shot for the team this season, sinking the Jazz after a fortunate rebound went his way. But in the long term, Hughes has no future with the Bulls. So what’s wrong with Larry Hughes? Well, he takes a lot of bad shots. So many, that when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, a fan created the website, heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com. That says it all. Too many times we have seen him jack up a shot literally inches in front of the 3-point line, with a defender in his face, and 20 seconds left on the shot clock. Not what you want to see. Don’t get me wrong – Larry Hughes is by no means a bad basketball player. He has some skills. He’s a capable scorer. But on this team, he’s one of the last options. The problem is that he believes he should be a 1st option. The team already has a shooter in Ben Gordon who takes a lot of shots. Hughes may be a better defender than BG, but he’s not nearly as good a shooter, and we don’t need them both taking 90% of the team’s shots. Anyway, the Bulls took him as part of the deal that sent Ben Wallace to the Cavs. Wallace was himself locked into a overpaid contract, so taking Hughes in return was not much of an option. Hughes was somewhat serviceable this season in the absence of Captain Kirk, but with Hinrich back in the lineup, that leaves no room for Hughes. Even as a bench player, Hughes was unhappy. He felt he should be a starter. Then, he had a long string of DNP-CDs, and was even more unhappy. Finally, the Bulls put him on the inactive list, making his career in Chicago all but over. The Bulls now have to hope that 1) they can find a team that is willing to trade for him, and 2) that the injury bug does not return to the Bulls backcourt. Point 2 isn’t even that much of a risk, as Thabo Sefolosha has proven a capable reserve, and the team still has Lindsey Hunter at the end of the bench. Now, I must say, I feel a little bad for Hughes. Yes, as a player, I’m glad he’s not playing for the team. But I feel bad for him as a person, because Hughes has been a fairly good sport during all this. He publicly complained about playing time once, and the coaches and management spoke with him and put a stop to that. Now, he is understandably unhappy at not playing. I would be too; but he appears to have been rather silent about it all. He is by no means one of the worst players in the NBA. The reason I feel bad is that during his string of DNPs, he was asked by the media how he felt. He responded that he just wanted to help the team and earn his paycheck; he doesn’t like earning all this money while not playing. I must say, this is rather commendable. In an era where players make more money than they know what to do with, and most athletes in general come off as greedy to the average fan, Hughes at least understands why he’s paid so much, and just wants to earn it. Good for him. The problem is, the Bulls don’t want him; they were forced to take him. I only hope that the team can make a deal soon, and Hughes can go earn his paycheck elsewhere.

Feb. 4, 2009 @ New Orleans Hornets:

2009-02-06T00:21:00.011-05:00

This post is a day late. Sorry, but I just got the blog up and running tonight.

The Bulls are on game 6 of a 7-game road trip. For now, we'll forget about the loss to Minnesota. The Bulls won 3 games in a row for the first time all season, and they were all away from home. Pretty impressive for a team that was 5-16 on the road going into the trip. A loss last night to the Rockets brought the team back down to Earth.

Tonight the Hornets are without Chris Paul, sitting with a groin injury. (Their previous game, the Hornets led Portland by 20 in the 3rd quarter when Paul went down. Portland then won the game.) He shouldn't be out for too long, and says he’s playing in the All-Star game. Apparently he wanted to try to play tonight, but coach Byron Scott said no way. Hopefully that’s not cuz he’s taking the Bulls lightly. They have been improving their play the last couple weeks. Last night seemed to be a bit of a freak game, where they uncharacteristically missed too many FTs. I would not have expected them to necessarily win, especially given the way Yao Ming dominated them inside, but they could have. The game should have been much closer if they’d made their FTs, and their too-little-too-late run at the end of the game made the final score a 7-point game. Had the Bulls shot FTs how they normally do, they would have definitely been playing for a win down the stretch.

1st Quarter

I missed keeping a running diary for the beginning of this game, so let me get you up to speed.

Tonight, the Bulls picked up right where they left off the end of last game (where they were unfortunately too late to actually win), jumping out of the gate to an early double-digit lead. I don’t know how good Chris Paul is on defense, but I feel like even if he was playing tonight, the Bulls would still be leading. They started off hitting 12 of 15 shots; jumpers were falling, including a few by Rose (Deng actually seemed to be the only person to miss one, ironically). **Jump shots are one thing I like paying attention to. I feel like Luol Deng can hit them at will, and even though this was the biggest knock on Derrick Rose, he has proven himself more than capable of knocking them down.** Clearly though, the Hornets do seem a little lost on offense. Peja Stojakavic took quick shots on the first 3 possessions, although he made the first 2. The Bulls however ran the ball and the Hornets seem like they can’t catch up.

2:13 – Bulls lead 29-15, shooting 81%. A little different from last night’s 0/10 start. Tyrus makes 2 FTs. Good to see; he had been shooting them poorly the last 2 games.

2:02 – Another Hornets turnover.

1:38 – Another missed shot inside by the Hornets. No one seems to want to shoot. Bailed out by loose ball foul, but Peja then travels.

1:12 – Peja hits a 3. He’s seems to be their go-to guy tonight.

:51 – Bulls have missed 3 straight shots. Darn, I was hoping they’d keep it above 80%.

:1.4 – Shot clock violation. Bulls have made zero FG since I started tonight's diary.

2nd Quarter

10:45 – Hornets cut lead to 9.

9:30 – Bulls have gone cold. 36-28. I think I got my hopes up too early.

6:52 – Noc gets a powerful 2-hand jam down low. 2 straight baskets for him. Hornets still not playing great D. 41-30.

6:20 – Derrick Rose banks home a jumper from the elbow.

6:01 – Steal by Noc and dunk by Deng. 45-31.

5:23 – Noah nice throw-in/dunk and-1. 2nd time announcer Stacey King uses the term “crab dribble”. Noah misses FT.

4:52 – Gordon takes it to the hole on 3 guys and has a wild shot blocked. He does that a few too many times.

4:07 – Deng has a shot blocked, but it goes right to Noah, who puts up a nice spin-hook. Is he really starting to get it?

3:36 – Nice look from Rose to BG for a wide-open 3. Ben is having a really nice shooting year so far.

30 seconds later – BG misses a 3. Damn.

2:32 – Block by Noah, Rose leads a 3-on-1, and gives a sweet behind-the-back-no-look pass at the last possible second to Noah for the dunk. Noah is really running the floor nicely lately and Rose is rewarding him with a lot of dunks. It's about time!

2:21 – Another steal by Rose, who showtime passes to Noah, who showtime passes back to Rose for a layup. Nice!

Holy crap it’s 56-39! I was so distracted by the Bulls scoring I didn’t realize how big a run this is!

1:36 – Tyrus has a 2-handed jam attempt blocked by David West.

1:10 – Rose calls for a pick-n-roll, drives and hits the layup, and gets an and-1! Hooray, they’re calling fouls against Rose! Rose misses FT. He needs to fix that shit. LeBron II.

:55.7 – Bulls 58-43. Thomas, Noah have 10. Rose has 14. Gordon 12. Noc 8.

:43 – Gray gets a turnaround hook to fall. Even he's playing better these past few games!

Halftime:
Bulls lead 62-44. 63% (26/41) FGs, 7/10 FT, 17 Reb, 16 Ast, 30 points in paint, 16 fast break.
Hornets: 41% FGs, 12/14 FTs, 18 Reb, 10 Ast, 16 in paint. 0 fast break. David West 14, Peja 9, Devin Brown 9 off bench. Most points allowed in 1st half all season.

3rd Quarter

11:52 - Bulls cause 8-sec violation to start 2nd half. Wow.

10:38 – BG puts up a 3 off the dribble. He’s been doing that move since college. Little stutter-dribble then jack up a 3.

30 seconds later – BG misses a 3. Damn. That’s twice now.

9:18 – Tyrus misses dunk, dunks again. Refs call violation. Not sure where.

Speaking of College, Hilton Armstrong is getting some minutes for NO. A UConn reunion!

8:23 – Rose hits a deep 2. One step inside arc. Nails it! He started off the year by hitting the jumper pretty consistently, then dropped off a bit the 2nd month. Now, he appears to be back to form.

7:35 – Noah gets a feed inside for BG, hits the turnaround off the glass. Looking good Joakim! Joakim the Dream! 71-49! Wow, is this our biggest lead all season?

6:01 – BG hits a long 2.

30 seconds later – BG misses a 3. I'm sensing a theme here...

4:58 – 3 FTs by Posey off a small foul call on Tyrus. 73-57.

4:34 – shot clock violation by Bulls. One pass too many.

4:12 – “Hornets have gone small now.” 73-59. Bulls should be able to go small too.

3:50 – almost another 24-second violation. Off. Reb, Noah gets a 2.

3:16 – Noah gets it down low, good dish to Tyrus, who’s going to the line for 2. Misses first, makes second. 5/6 on the night.

2:25 – Hinrich takes a charge. Good job, Kirk.

1:37 – Bulls running again. Deng hits 1/2 FTs.

1:06 – Noah tries to one-hand an alley-oop, but the pass was just a bit too long. From Hinrich I think.

:42 – Hinrich hits a jumper. Bulls shooting 59%. Bulls 20-5 fast break, 36-24 in paint.

:1.4 – 24-second shot clock violation again. I’ll let this one slide, since there’s only 1.4 left.

80-61. Apparently FTs keeping the Hornets this close.

4th Quarter

10:27 – Signature Tyrus Thomas block/goaltend. This one goes in the books as a block. Those usually go about 50-50.

10:05 – Kirk draws a foul shooting a 3. Almost makes it. Looks like he may have jumped into the guy, but on replay, not really. Kirk makes the FTs. Apparently it was just a 2. Oh well. The Bulls are at least hitting their FTs. Hopefully VDN made them shoot a bunch after last night’s loss. Never let FTs cost you a game (or at least a shot at one). They essentially did last night.

9:32 – Tyrus a sweet 2-handed dunk. Jumped from pretty far away. Thomas gets called for a technical. Probably deserved it. Said something to the ref afterward.

Apparently LeBron had a triple-double tonight at MSG – 52 pts, 11 ast, 10 reb. Last rebound came on last play of game. Nice followup to Kobe’s 61-point explosion the other night.
***Update: NBA takes away triple-double after finding a rebound was incorrectly given to him at the end of the game.***

5:22 – Rose nice floater and-1. Makes FT!

5:05 – Peja another 3. Yay fantasy points! Of course, it’s 93-81 now. Hornets just aren't going away.

3:48 – Tyrus hits a jumper! Nice. Little risky, since our lead shrunk to 10 and there’s still 4 minutes left. But he’s beginning to knock that down, and it’s nice to see he’s confident.

3:06 – Bulls 97-85. Just don’t screw this up guys, there's only 3 minutes left. West hits 2 FTs.

Stat showing on the screen right now: Points in Paint in late game pressure, Season Leaders: Paul 70, Duncan and Big Al 62, DRose 56. Rose will be adding to that total. He may be #2 by the end of the night.

2:48 – Deng hits a jumper.

2:26 – Hornets “hack-a-Shaq-ing” Noah. Interesting. Foul Noah while Hinrich has ball. Noah hits 1/2. Hot Dog! 100-87.

1:59 – Rose breaks for layup before they can foul Noah. Update that stat!

:27.2 – Hornets can’t even lose this game with dignity. Some big white guy on their team looks like he doesn’t want to touch the ball and it hits his back and bounces OB.

Final 107-93. Bulls 4 for their last 5! Shocking!

Box score notes: Tyrus 15 and 10R, Noah 16 and 9R. 12/16 FG , 5 blocks for the 2 combined. 2 steals by Tyrus. Gordon 19 and 7A, Rose 21 and 6A, 10/14 FGs.
Peja and West 24 each. 14 and 7 rebs. respectively. Devin Brown 17 and 7 Ast off bench.

Welcome to Bulls Blog!

2009-02-05T22:22:00.006-05:00

So I've been thinking of doing a blog for some time now, but I never really had anything to write about. Then, I thought that since it's basketball season, and I never miss a Bulls game, I would write about them. I DVR every game religiously, and decided I would take notes on each one, keeping a sort of running diary of the game. I guess you could say it's in the vein of Bill Simmons, but I'm not a huge fan of his, so you won't hear that from me. Anyway, if you find yourself missing games, or just want to re-live the glory, this is the place for you.

As a Bulls fan living in Boston, my only choice to see the team is to order NBA League Pass (although I do go to see them every time they come to town). I'd done it the last 2 years, but after last season's debacle, I didn't plan on renewing the package again. That is, until a miracle happened on May 20, 2008. Then, I knew that I had no choice, and would happily shell out the $179.

I made cases for both Beasley and Rose, but suffice it to say, I am ecstatic that Rose was taken with the pick. Having not seen him much in college (only during the Tournament), I didn't really know what to expect. But after seeing him single-handedly come back and win a game vs. Dallas in the preseason, I knew he was special. So far this season, he has only gotten better. I have a huge man-crush on him, and will pay special attention to him throughout this blog.

I apologize that we are already halfway through the season, but I figure better late than never. Enjoy!