In the beginning moments of tonight's game against the Atlanta Hawks, it appeared the offensive sluggishness had carried over from Monday's loss to the Nuggets. The Hawks jumped out to a 13-5 run, prompting Tom Thibodeau to call an early timeout. After getting to within two at the end of the first quarter, the Bulls came out like the team they are. Omer Asik slammed it home with both hands and there was no looking back. Reminding Atlanta what they did to them in last year's playoffs, the Bulls clinched the season series by winning 98-77. They remain the only team in the league not to lose back-to-back this season.
Coming off a subpar game on Monday, Luol Deng made up for that effort by leading all scorers with 22 points. Continuing what has been an impressive shooting season, he shot 5-for-8 from downtown. Why? The Hawks left him wide open and more often than not, he made them pay. There's a reason Stacey King has taken to calling him "Luol Dangerous". Hopefully, Derrick Rose will be back soon to help his fellow All-Star with the load. There is only one reigning MVP after all and his last name doesn't rhyme with "fang".
Carlos Boozer was another big reason for tonight's win. He scored 20 points and had nine rebounds. The start he got off to on Monday was impressive, but got lost in the team's overall stinky performance. Hopefully, more performances like tonight's are forthcoming. Oh, and it'd be nice if he had a highlight dunk like in tonight's fourth quarter. Taj Gibson played like a down-low force in the NBA should. 19 points and making 8 of 12 shots can never go wrong. When the season ends, he'll undoubtedly look back on tonight. Joakim Noah and John Lucas III each had 10. Lucas couldn't miss when he first came in and Noah was Noah.
Aside from Deng and Boozer, this game belonged to the Bench Mob. In addition to everyone contributing, including Butler and Scalabrine's collective three boards in the final 1:18, what impressed me was their ability to move the ball. Their crisp, clean passing gave the Hawks' defense fits all night and frequently found opportunities for shots close to the basket. Atlanta couldn't stop it. They, and we, were given another reminder of how well this unit clicks together. The chemistry between them as well as the starters is practically impeccable. It's part of the reason why they have the best record in the NBA and can't be counted out come playoff time. Everyone knows their role and isn't afraid to start or play hefty minutes off the bench. They use that to play well together as we saw tonight.
Friday's match-up against the lowly Detroit Pistons at the United Center will probably just be a tuneup for Sunday's contest against the Thunder. Rose will probably still be out, but will Rip? He's getting close to returning. We'll find out in due time, but for now, continue to feel good about your Chicago Bulls.
No comments:
Post a Comment