Surviving the Suns

I pray the final four games of this road trip aren't this stressful at the end, but that may be asking too much.  Just when it seemed like the Bulls had put the Phoenix Suns away, they were outscored 31-17 in the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime.  It seemed like the Suns had more energy and were lined up to fully complete the comeback.  Then, Luis Scola fouled out along with his 24 points and 14 rebounds on the first possession of the extra five minutes.  The Bulls were only too glad to take advantage of this opportunity, squeaking out a win by a 112-106 final.

Carlos Boozer mostly disappeared when it counted, but his earlier contributions allowed him to lead everyone with 28 points.  He achieved a double-double with 14 rebounds, something he was more potent in as the game reached its stretch run.  Joakim Noah also had a double-double by virtue of a 21/12 line.  His shot at the top of the key late in overtime all but sealed the victory.  It was from an area he's grown comfortable with this season and if he's open, he'll knock it down most of the time.  Luol Deng also had 21, Rip Hamilton scored 15 and Nate Robinson came off the bench with 11.  Kirk Hinrich was tops in the assists category with seven.

I wish the Bulls could have ended this game a lot sooner.  They should know you can't let up your defense against a team with a run-and-gun style, even when Steve Nash is no longer present.  In fact, this game got off to a quick offensive start on both ends.  It seemed for awhile that both teams would cross the century mark well before the last minute of regulation.  They only managed to tie at 100 right before overtime.

I know this kind of offense isn't what the Bulls are accustomed to running and I doubt moving quickly out of the gate had anything to do with the bad defense late in the fourth quarter.  Still, they gave the Suns too many opportunities off the glass.  You need to grab those rebounds.  Fortunately, Phoenix's second chances failed more often than not.  Teams like Miami won't be so generous.  They'll make you pay quickly and take the game themselves.  If you're Tom Thibodeau, you drill that into your team's mind at the next practice.  At least they were resourceful when Phoenix's most productive player picked up a DQ.  Now try and end it before it gets to that point.  No need to give everyone ulcers.

The Bulls have a couple of days off before they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers.  As I'm writing this, they have a big lead on the Heat in the fourth quarter.  That should tell you what kind of test the Bulls will face at the Staples Center.  They'll be clear underdogs, but let's keep the L.A. faithful on the edge of their seats.  That would be fun.