Get Down and Stay Down

If you watched tonight's Bulls game against the Los Angeles Lakers, you saw exactly what the media has painted both teams to be.  One is united and has a clear direction without its superstar, the other looks divided and can't find a direction to save itself with its superstars all healthy at the moment.  That's why the Bulls won 95-83 in front of 22,550 at the United Center, most of which left very happy.

I often say after a big game from Kirk Hinrich that he had his best of the season.  Tonight certainly gave all those a run for their money and may have even surpassed them.  He led all scorers with 22 points and had a game-high eight assists.  He took smart shots, played strong defense and just looked comfortable throughout.  Steve Kerr mentioned during TNT's broadcast that he's surprised Hinrich's not a better shooter.  You couldn't tell he had issues tonight though.  He made nine of his 11 shots and was 3-of-4 from three-point territory.  If there was ever a time for a veteran to show his leadership, Hinirch really showed it.

Marco Belinelli provided a spark off the bench all night.  He made all three three-point attempts and shot 5-of-8, finishing with 15, one point less than Kobe Bryant (more on why in a bit).  His clutch shooting to put the Lakers away sent the home crowd into a frenzy.  Carlos Boozer quietly scored 14, Rip Hamilton had 13 and Nate Robinson totaled 11.  Joakim Noah only scored six, but came through on the boards with 13 to lead all rebounders.

Hinrich had a performance not to be forgotten anytime soon, but I absolutely need to talk about Jimmy Butler.  Filling in for the injured Luol Deng again, his efforts actually led to a win.  10 points in 43 minutes looks pretty good on the stats sheet, although it doesn't do his defense justice.  Why did Kobe Bryant score just 16?  Well, 7-of-22 shooting will do that, but Kobe will have nightmares about Butler tonight.  One of the best all-time Lakers was boxed out, swarmed on offense and forced into bad decisions.  And the common denominator was the second-year man out of Marquette.  Although Kobe is older, he still plays at a high level, which is why Butler deserves major accolades for tonight.  To limit a future Hall-of-Famer's effectiveness is a large confidence booster going forward and you have to think he'll watch the video of this game over and over.  He can use it as inspiration for whenever he has an off night.  The league better take notice because Butler is going to be a player in this league for a long time.

Tom Thibodeau can breathe a little easier after sweating through three straight overtime games.  Still, he has to wonder if this is just another case of the Bulls only playing as well as the talent level of their competition.  It will be up to him to ensure that doesn't happen.  Remember, the Bulls have still suffered most of their losses at home.  He knows it's important to reestablish the dominance at the United Center.  We all do.  And we have faith he can keep his team in check.

After a day off, the Bulls get to stay home Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.  That team has its own troubles.  Treat them like you treated the Lakers tonight and all will be well.