The Bulls were playing the 76ers well with 2:05 left in the third quarter of Game 5. Then, Taj Gibson rolled his ankle on Lavoy Allen's foot and Bulls fans thought "Here we go again." After a brief sabbatical to the locker room, Gibson came back out on the floor to help finish it off. He had eight points, but his presence showed the ethic of a true professional by playing through obvious pain. The game itself wasn't pretty (looked like a YMCA contest at times), but the Bulls stayed alive by winning 77-69.
Luol Deng showed he indeed can step up as a leader. He's shown it before, but it was the first time he did so in this series. 24 points led all scorers and he made four of five three-point attempts. Three of those came as the shot clock expired, changing the whole complexion of the game and energizing the crowd, which did its job in making the United Center uncomfortable for the Sixers. Carlos Boozer had an even bigger game than the last, recording a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Six assists were one less than the game-high by C.J. Watson. Boozer still has control issues with the ball, but the result made it matter little. With the Bulls going to a one-game-at-a-time mentality, Boozer looked more calm under pressure and did the little things needed to give the Sixers' defense fits. He and Deng have taken a lot of heat in this series for not filling the leadership gap left by Derrick Rose's absence. They must have heard enough of it to change because you never would have known they haven't answered that call much yet if this was the first time you've seen these teams play in the past week-and-a-half.
Defense was the biggest factor of all. Both teams traded stops, often within a few seconds of each other, but the Bulls did it just a little bit more. That's why they won tonight. Ronnie Brewer had three steals, Gibson blocked four shots and Omer Asik sent three more back. It's been there almost all series, but the lack of offense has made it for naught. Tonight, the Bulls got just enough of that. Add to that their determination not to end their season so abruptly and there was no stopping them tonight. Yes, the Sixers battled hard, but when you've got humiliation on the line despite being down your top two players, chances are you've got a monkey on your back you just have to shed. Thanks to this win, the Bulls avoid becoming the first No. 1 seed to win just one game since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984.
One more game means one more post coming from me. It'll come after Game 6 Thursday in Philadelphia. I was off work tonight and I'll be off that night, so look for it to appear soon after the game ends. Keep the faith, Bulls fans. You never know what crazy things the playoffs can entail.
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