For much of the second game of the Bulls' home-and-home series against the Boston Celtics, there were so many steals by both teams, it appeared the cops might have needed to be called. It was everything a common thief would have loved with 19 steals between the clubs. Of course, the only numbers that mattered were those in the final score of a 94-80 Bulls victory.
Everyone has known the Celtics are rebuilding from the beginning of the season. It didn't help tonight that Rajon Rondo took a broadcasting role for them tonight instead of his typical point guard spot. They were still smarting from Sunday's loss that shouldn't have been. They apparently didn't consider that D.J. Augustin might score a career-high 33 points and knock down the game-winner. Perhaps things could be made right for them by taking the tilt at the United Center. That wasn't the case.
The teams were neck and neck for three quarters, changing the lead 12 times and tying it five times. It appeared the Bulls would break through in the third quarter and Neil Funk even said Boston was on the verge of collapse on the TV broadcast. Those thoughts looked premature when the frame ended with the Celtics only trailing by one. They finally came into fruition in the fourth when the Bulls outscored their guests 23-10. That came compliments of a simple equation of the Bulls getting hot from the field and the Celtics shooting rocks. Nothing could make more sense.
Four of the Bulls' five starters scored in double figures, led by Mike Dunleavy's 22 points. Although I had my doubts about Dunleavy starting on this team, he's done pretty well for himself. Joakim Noah had another impressive line, this one made up of 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Jimmy Butler had 18 and Carlos Boozer added 16. Off the bench, Taj Gibson made his latest case for Sixth Man of the Year with a double-double of 14 and 11. Augustin didn't get nearly as many points as he did on Sunday, but still led all players with 11 assists. I don't think Boston will miss him for the rest of the season.
This win tied the Bulls with Toronto for third in the East and put them two games ahead of Brooklyn for fifth. Anything to help their chance of having home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs is welcomed. The good news for them is they don't have many quality teams left to face. Washington is the only one left on the schedule with a record currently above .500, so one has to like their chances of holding onto third or fourth. As long as they keep pressing on the gas pedal like they typically do each game, a high East seed is theirs to lose.
The next step in this quest will come Wednesday as the Bulls visit the Atlanta Hawks. It's common for those games to be sparsely attended, so maybe a large Bulls contingent will buy tickets and give the team a bit of home-court advantage. Yeah, it won't be like visits to Milwaukee, but a loud crowd on your side is beneficial no matter where you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment