After trailing by nine at the half, the Bulls gave up eight straight points in the first 1:38 of the third quarter. That gave the Pistons a 17-point lead and forced Tom Thibodeau to call for time. A comeback didn't seem very likely. Turnovers, second chance points and poor shooting looked to be the story.
The real Bulls finally showed up in the fourth quarter as they went on a 14-3 run to tie the score. After taking a six-point lead, Detroit briefly retook the lead, then tied it again after giving that lead up. The biggest play then came. After a poor shot by Marco Belinelli, Joakim Noah saved the ball from going out of bounds and Belinelli converted on his second chance. Two three-point attempts by Detroit came up short and the Bulls faithful was able to exhale.
As important as Luol Deng is to this team, he should be in no hurry to return from any future injuries for the rest of the season. That's because Jimmy Butler, newly christened Jimmy Buckets by Stacey King, stepped up big again. He led all scorers with 18 points and nearly had a double-double with nine rebounds. As it was put a couple of times during tonight's broadcast, he's growing up before our eyes. And why not? He had ice in his veins down the stretch. As I said in my last post, he'll be around the NBA for awhile, the type of player that would fit it on any championship team.
Carlos Boozer wasn't far behind Butler with 16. For the struggles he's had this season, Taj Gibson didn't lead anyone to believe such a thing existed. He made just as many clutch plays in the final quarter and scored 14. Rip Hamilton totaled 11, as did Nate Robinson, whose seven assists cannot be underestimated. Besides knocking down big baskets at the right time, his passes led to important points. While us fans await Derrick Rose's return, Robinson showed he is indeed capable at making wise decisions no matter what situation he's put into. Making a final push for an All-Star selection, Noah achieved a double-double with 10 points and 18 rebounds. He was everywhere on the boards and were it not for his hustle, we could be talking about a different result.
While it's most definitely not encouraging that a Bulls-Pistons game was this close, we should happy to know that this team cannot be counted out of any game. Lately, there's been a lot of talk of how scary they'll be when Rose returns in the second half of the season. That's tough to say since no one knows what player we'll be getting. Hopefully, at the very least, games like this won't be so close. Some kind of spark is needed so that these games against bad teams at home are far more winnable. Maybe Rose's return is it. Something changed along with the bench. While the old crop almost never lost at the United Center, that hasn't been the case this year. Rose won't be barking in his teammates' faces, but once he's activated, let's hope he makes some sort of gesture that playing down to the other team is unacceptable, especially in the place you have to defend.
25-16 at the halfway point of the season is pretty good. Not many people thought the Bulls would be on pace for 50 wins after 41 games, so they should feel proud. Forget how these games have been won. They're close to the Pacers in the Central and that's what matters.
The next game will come Friday against the Golden State Warriors, wrapping up the homestand. This is an upstart club they'll be up against, so there shouldn't be any playing down. Win number 26 is in sight. Get it against David Lee and company and that will just further encourage them they can compete with anybody, even the most hungry of opponents.
No comments:
Post a Comment