Got It Back Together

The Boston Celtics had a chance to give the Bulls their third straight loss. They almost succeeded. The Bulls looked as down and out in the first half as they did in most of the previous two contests. Trailing at the break, Tom Thibodeau clearly lit a fire under his team because the real Bulls finally came out to play when people were still returning to their seats. A 29-17 third quarter paved the way for a crucial 93-86 win. It was close right down to the end, but the home team weathered the storm and never lost its composure. Sorry Boston, but this team is on a mission to keep the best record in the league.

Four Bulls, all of them starters, reached double digits in scoring. Sadly, Derrick Rose was not one of them as he missed another game (please come back on Easter). No matter. Luol Deng led all players with 26 points. Joakim Noah finished one rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 17. Despite poor shooting nights, C.J. Watson and Carlos Boozer had respective outputs of 15 and 12 points. Rip Hamilton, slowly finding his rhythm again, had nine.

As mentioned already, the Bulls were not pretty in the first 24 minutes. They turned the ball over, were outhustled on the boards and just didn't shoot well. They looked like the true version of the 2009 team that took this same core of Celtics sans an injured Kevin Garnett to the limit of their first-round playoff series. A third straight loss looked very possible. Fortunately, they found themselves before it was too late. Both teams were sloppy with the ball however. Games like that are frustrating for both sides. Shooting 41 percent isn't classified as a pretty performance either. Still, any win that increases your chance for home court throughout the playoffs is acceptable no matter how it comes. We all know the famous Nike slogan, so I'll leave it at that.

Madison Square Garden is the destination for an Easter Sunday date for the Bulls. It'll happen at noon on ABC. Hopefully, a better showing than last Sunday is in order. Until then, hope the Bunny, real or imagined, leaves you some sweet goodies for that morning.