A Filling Black Friday

It appeared the Bulls were going to have to settle for their Black Friday matinee against the Boston Celtics to be one of 82 games.  They came out flat, but slowly realized they were the better team.  So they'll take this 109-102 win, although it was anything but easy.

The Celtics took a 35-24 lead at the end of the first quarter, but had lost both previous games in which they held a double-digit advantage during that time.  The Bulls emphasized that by cutting their deficit to six at halftime and then taking an early lead in the third.  After Derrick Rose temporarily took a seat, Boston went on a 13-2 run to reclaim what had been theirs.  What followed was the two teams trading leads until the Bulls made some clutch defensive plays and the Celtics missed key free throws to go down at home.

Six Bulls, including four of their starters, scored in double figures.  Leading that group was NBA minutes leader Jimmy Butler with 22 points.  Rose barely trailed him with 21 in 27 minutes.  Aside from sitting for a period following which he appeared to jam his finger (the 13-2 run in the aforementioned paragraph), he got through this game just fine.  Pau Gasol found 15s in both the scoring and rebounding columns.

Joakim Noah looked like the player of old by scoring 15 points, grabbing 14 rebounds, dishing out a team-high six assists and getting six blocks.  In the final minute, he made a key block and fired a perimeter jumper that appeared short, but then went in.  For all the talk about Rose needing to recover from his injuries, Noah has needed an equal boost coming off knee surgery.  As November gets close to becoming December, this is the right time for him to get going.

Against an inferior opponent like Boston, the Bulls probably should not have had such difficulties, especially on defense.  Then, you remember how many key players are still recovering from their various injuries and Taj Gibson didn't suit up.  The good news for these Bulls compared to last year's is they have the offense to get themselves out of these situations.  Plus, in close games, they can still make key defensive stops, which will hopefully happen more frequently and characteristically as the season continues.

The circus trip ends Sunday afternoon against the Brooklyn Nets.  At 3-3, a win would allow the Bulls to finish this annual brutal stretch above .500, which should count as a success.  With luck, Gibson will able to return to the lineup.  And New York's famous borough won't be feeling so mighty when this game is over.