Before I get into the gruesome details, let's recap some of the heroes for the Bulls tonight. None was bigger than Luol Deng, who led the team with 29 points and 13 rebounds, hitting nearly half of his shots. He's the focal point of the offense right now and he showed it tonight. On a night the Bulls got off to a hot start and never let the Knicks back into it until there was too little time left for a complete comeback, a leader was needed and Deng filled the role. Marco Belinelli played a career-high 45 minutes and made the most of it with 22 points, half of which came on an 11-of-12 night from the free throw line. Something happened to Kirk Hinrich on his way to New York because he looked nothing like the player who's struggled for most of the year. He scored 16 points and was 4-of-5 beyond the three-point line. If you're looking for one player to epitomize how hot the Bulls were tonight, Hinrich's your guy. Or if you choose, try Joakim Noah with another double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds. More on him in a bit. Nate Robinson helped close it out thanks an 11-point game. Terrific performances from many different guys.
As big a story it was that the Bulls appeared to hit everything and the Knicks struggled, it took a backseat to all that transpired in the fourth quarter. It began when J.R. Smith fouled out with 26 points. Tensions were already high with questionable officiating and a liberal number of technicals being called. Carmelo Anthony (29 points) and Knicks coach Mike Woodson each got T'd up for the second time and earned early trips to the locker room. The Knicks crowd let the officials know exactly how they felt and it wasn't pretty. The boiling point came when Noah and Tyson Chandler ran into each other going after a Jason Kidd three that eventually counted. Then, they got in each other's faces, causing the rest of the players on the floor to intervene. Both were tossed for their actions and may face suspensions. It won't be pretty when these guys are matched again.
By the time I started following the NBA at age 7, the prime of the Bulls-Knicks rivalry had mostly passed. They were starting to have more intense games with Pat Riley's Heat than with the Bulls. The physicality just wasn't as brutal as when Patrick Ewing's window to a title was realistically open. But tonight, I got a good lesson in what it's like when the two teams genuinely despise each other. This won't be forgotten anytime soon. You just know everyone involved has already circled the Jan. 11 rematch on their calendars. I'm likely to be working when it's going on, but I can still imagine the badder blood that's sure to come. It'll be every man for himself. As others have already said, this is a good thing for the NBA. Everyone looked forward to this game when the league saw some of its very best days in the '90s. When both teams are competitive, it can rival any match-up between the Celtics and Lakers under similar circumstances. Those who watched nationally on NBA TV tonight got their time's worth. Ratings are sure to be higher when the next game is broadcast on ESPN. Bulls fans are typically trained to hate the Knicks. Hope you brush up on your history between the two teams in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, the Bulls have a quick turnaround as they head to Atlanta to play the Hawks. This holds significance in that a win would move the Bulls into third in the East. The Hawks continue to be on their way up, though they may not have enough to get further than the conference finals. No matter tomorrow night though. Just concentrate on beating them and forget how good they are. That's what hot teams like the Bulls do. But you knew that already, right?
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