Though the Bulls held a two-point lead after one quarter, the Knicks took over in the next frame and led by as much as 21 in the third quarter. But, as Bill Wennington put it on the radio broadcast, New York is the kind of team that will let you back into games. They did just that and the Bulls tied it at 74 late in the fourth. They couldn't muster much offense after that though and they just looked lost at the most critical times. The Knicks were only too happy to take advantage and end their six-game losing streak.
Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 30 points, hitting 11 of 12 free-throw attempts, and completed a double-double with 10 rebounds. The only other Knick to reach double figures was Amare Stoudemire, who came off the bench to score 14 and grabbed nine boards. True that there wasn't a lot of offense for the victors, but there didn't need to be with the struggles the Bulls have had.
Mike Dunleavy continued his recent trend of leading this team in troubling times with 20 points. He was only 3-of-11 from behind the three-point line, but it was the largest number of long balls by anyone all night. Carlos Boozer's latest double-double was 12 and 12 while Noah followed closely behind at 12 and 11.
Taj Gibson also had 12 and Kirk Hinrich scored 11, but his shooting woes continued. He shot 3-of-11 from the field and for the second straight game, he freely dribbled all over the court in the final seconds when the Bulls needed a bucket to tie. By the time he got the ball to Dunleavy, the shooting specialist had to fire a prayer that didn't even find the rim and a 24-second violation was called. This inability to find a go-to player not named Derrick Rose is becoming serious. They don't even have Nate Robinson to fill that role anymore.
Injured, stretched out, not shooting well and failing miserably to go for the kill in close games, there's very little we can say about the Bulls that hasn't already been said. They're definitely not doing this on purpose. It's simply the story of what happens to teams that are put in similar situations. When guys go out, you have lineups not used to each other and lacking the chemistry to put together a competent play that will allow the team to succeed.
There's not much talent left either. When you have Marquis Teague trying to be a hero in the closing minutes, your chances of pulling it off are not very good. I know I've been picking on the poor sophomore lately, but I'd like to hear from anyone who thinks he's helping the team in a way that doesn't include filling a hole.
It's pretty sad that our conversations about this team have come to this. Sadly, this is the reality we've come to face as fans. There are many others stories like this in NBA history. We just happen to be living it right now.
Friday will be the latest chapter of this season that gone into a bit of a tailspin. The Bulls will meet the same Milwaukee Bucks that dealt them yesterday's defeat. Hopefully, they can find a win against a crowd that cares even less than the one that came to the United Center Tuesday. Seriously, something good needs to happen and fast.
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