As we've entered the homestretch of the regular season, we've often wondered if the Bulls are ever going to have another game in which they move the ball with such crispness the opposing defense wouldn't know what hit them. That would mean an impressive blowout victory. Bulls fans got that tonight against the Orlando Magic. Despite a hard-fought loss to Miami yesterday afternoon, they got their act together during a 102-84 victory.
Most of the first half saw a defensive struggle. Many watching the game started to prepare themselves for another night in which a win against an opponent wouldn't come as easily as it should. In the final few minutes of the second quarter however, a few shots starting falling and the Bulls took a 12-point lead at the break. After that, a truck disguised as the Bulls came out of the locker room and got on a roll before much of the sparse Amway Center crowd had settled back into their seats. Four minutes into the second half, the lead ballooned to 21 and it was all downhill for the Magic from there. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't even sniff a single-digit deficit for the rest of the night. They never looked impressive on offense or defense and it was easy to see why they've plunged to the bottom of the East in the immediate post-Howard era. When was the last time you saw a Bulls opponent violate the shot clock so much the cops should have been called?
Carlos Boozer, who seems to be growing into his recent position as starting center, led all scorers with 22 points. The only Bulls starter who didn't reach double-figures in the points column was Jimmy Butler and even he was only one basket shy of it. Taj Gibson, who along with Joakim Noah and Rip Hamilton rejoined the action after missing time, poured in 12 off the bench. The story of the offense came to be the shooting from 3-point territory. Kirk Hinrich had the kind of night we'd like to see from him more often, going 4-of-6 from downtown and 5-of-8 overall, ending with 14 points. Luol Deng (18 points) and Marco Belinelli (16) decided to make it rain too, respectively turning in 2-of-3 and 2-of-4 performances from that territory. In the latest example of Tom Thibodeau's usual reluctance to play rookies, Marquis Teague was the only Bull not to see the floor.
Hopefully, tonight was a sign that the Bulls are getting into a good enough groove offensively right before the playoffs. In a season that has seen them struggle to score against inferior teams, tonight provided a refreshing sight. It also helped that every injured player not named Derrick Rose is back in the lineup. They've at least been able to use that as an excuse for not obtaining home-court advantage in the postseason. Now that the reinforcements are easing themselves back into game shape, we can safely say this team is almost as healthy as it's going to be for the remainder of the season. There are a lot of hills to climb, but this group has shown it can rise to any challenge when called upon.
Only one game remains before the real games begin. The Washington Wizards will invade the United Center Wednesday, trying to play the spoiler role to the Bulls' seeding. The exact stakes for that game won't be determined until tomorrow night after Atlanta plays Toronto. You want a chance to play for the fifth seed and the right to face Brooklyn in the first round. We'd appreciate anything to make the path easier.
I would also like to express my condolences to the victims of today's explosions at the Boston Marathon. The Celtics-Pacers game scheduled for tomorrow night has been canceled and will not be rescheduled, marking the first time I can remember that two NBA teams will play less than the scheduled number of games. Basketball's not really a priority for that city at the moment however. Please pray for an end to violence in this country. It can happen anywhere, even in the loosest of environments.
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