No Collapse This Time

While the United Center began its annual extended engagement with Disney on Ice tonight, the Bulls began their second long road trip of the season by hoping they could find a way to beat the Milwaukee Bucks.  After all, they'd been treated rudely by their guests in the two earlier meetings on the West Side.  The only way to get back at the Bucks would be to return the favor, but they'd have to hold a lead to do it.  That they did in a 104-88 victory, extending their recent string of success to five wins in their last six games.

Derrick Rose has finally been cleared for full contact, but Nate Robinson showed why he'll still be useful even when No. 1 returns.  He came off the bench to lead all scorers with 24 points and throw down his first dunk of the season to the delight of Stacey King and the many Bulls fans who had make the short trek north to the BMO Harris Bradley Center.  Not long ago, there was some speculation that the Bulls would release him to avoid paying the rest of his non-guaranteed contract.  Plus, Rose's return would make him expendable.  That's all been forgotten and he'll be here throughout the year.  Any other team would be happy to have him, so you don't want to see such a decision bite you.

Speaking of hot bench players, Jimmy Butler did it again.  Although Luol Deng was impressive in his return with 12 points and 13 rebounds, Butler shot 8-of-12 from the field to score 18 points.  He probably won't keep playing this well, but he's sure getting us excited for what he'll accomplish in the future.  It was Carlos Boozer's turn to be sidelined by a hamstring injury.  Still, that didn't stop Taj Gibson from filling in and giving it his all.  He scored 14 and finished one rebound shy of a double-double.  No worries though.  Joakim Noah picked up that slack with a 12/12 game.  Rip Hamilton rounded out the big scoring for the Bulls with 10.

You can consider this road trip the last major hurdle the Bulls have to clear before Rose returns.  With the encouraging news that came out today, it's all but a given that most other challenges will be with the former MVP once the United Center is open for sports again.  While the second extended period away from home is not as notorious as the Circus Trip, it's still telling.  The Bulls have answered the question of whether or not they can do well without Rose.  For how long is what remains.  They've gotten through half the season.  A little more could always pad the resume.

Friday is somewhat historic for the Bulls as they play their first ever game in Brooklyn against the Nets.  That team's looking to prove it deserved an All-Star just as much as the Bulls deserved two.  It could be a dangerous environment they walk into as the Nets are doing their best to keep pace with the Knicks in the Atlantic.  Enjoy watching it as much as Jay-Z likely will.

Twice the All-Star Fun

Joakim Noah and Luol Deng can keep smiling all the way to Houston because that's where they're going in a few weeks.  The Bulls joined the Spurs as only two teams to have two reserves selected for their respective All-Star rosters.  Deng has made the team for the second year in a row while Noah will enjoy his first trip to the midseason exhibition.

Deng's selection is less surprising as he's continued to build upon last year, averaging 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and three assists per game.  The wrist issue that was increasingly glaring toward the end of last season has been long forgotten.  With or without Derrick Rose, he was always going to be one of your top scoring options and has delivered.  Although he's been sidelined lately, he'll give you time on the floor whenever he suits up.  His 39.8 minutes per game lead the league, just slightly ahead of MVP candidate Kevin Durant.  He's a quiet leader, but they don't award points for volume.  As long as he continues to perform up to his ability and endurance, he'll continue to prosper as an NBA player.

This season has been the culmination of satisfaction for Noah.  After his wild outfit during the 2007 draft, many figured that was all he'd be known for in the NBA.  But since the 2009 playoffs, he's only gotten better.  All of it has led up to what he's experienced now.  With 12.2 points,10.9 rebounds and four assists per game, that's only the tip of the iceberg.  His defense, which he's become known for, especially under Tom Thibodeau, has stood out enough that he's a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.  Had someone else been running the Bulls' ship, Noah might have been a slightly different player by now.  What wouldn't have changed though is how vocal and emotional he is.  Rose is the MVP and Deng provides help everywhere, but Noah's energy is the heart and soul of the Bulls.  They'd be in fewer games without him.  While I can't tell what's said in timeouts, I'm fairly certain Noah often says something to inspire a comeback or put an opponent away.  He makes noise with his play and feeds off of it.  That in turn ups the ante required of the rest of his teammates.  Unless the Bulls get an extremely generous offer, he should stay in Chicago throughout his career, or at least the prime of it.

My congratulations go out to these well-deserved players.  Will their roles change when Rose returns?  Perhaps slightly, but they'll still be needed.  Once the playoffs get rolling, anything is possible and they're the ones who can make the most happen.  As a certain shoe company likes to say, Just Do It.

Lucky 17

Someday, very, very soon, the Bulls will have to stop playing down to their level at the United Center.  It's already burned them a few times this season.  Tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons was nearly added to that list.  Then, a miracle happened and the Bulls extended their winning streak against the team from the Motor City to 17 by an 85-82 final.

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.

Get Down and Stay Down

If you watched tonight's Bulls game against the Los Angeles Lakers, you saw exactly what the media has painted both teams to be.  One is united and has a clear direction without its superstar, the other looks divided and can't find a direction to save itself with its superstars all healthy at the moment.  That's why the Bulls won 95-83 in front of 22,550 at the United Center, most of which left very happy.

I often say after a big game from Kirk Hinrich that he had his best of the season.  Tonight certainly gave all those a run for their money and may have even surpassed them.  He led all scorers with 22 points and had a game-high eight assists.  He took smart shots, played strong defense and just looked comfortable throughout.  Steve Kerr mentioned during TNT's broadcast that he's surprised Hinrich's not a better shooter.  You couldn't tell he had issues tonight though.  He made nine of his 11 shots and was 3-of-4 from three-point territory.  If there was ever a time for a veteran to show his leadership, Hinirch really showed it.

Marco Belinelli provided a spark off the bench all night.  He made all three three-point attempts and shot 5-of-8, finishing with 15, one point less than Kobe Bryant (more on why in a bit).  His clutch shooting to put the Lakers away sent the home crowd into a frenzy.  Carlos Boozer quietly scored 14, Rip Hamilton had 13 and Nate Robinson totaled 11.  Joakim Noah only scored six, but came through on the boards with 13 to lead all rebounders.

Hinrich had a performance not to be forgotten anytime soon, but I absolutely need to talk about Jimmy Butler.  Filling in for the injured Luol Deng again, his efforts actually led to a win.  10 points in 43 minutes looks pretty good on the stats sheet, although it doesn't do his defense justice.  Why did Kobe Bryant score just 16?  Well, 7-of-22 shooting will do that, but Kobe will have nightmares about Butler tonight.  One of the best all-time Lakers was boxed out, swarmed on offense and forced into bad decisions.  And the common denominator was the second-year man out of Marquette.  Although Kobe is older, he still plays at a high level, which is why Butler deserves major accolades for tonight.  To limit a future Hall-of-Famer's effectiveness is a large confidence booster going forward and you have to think he'll watch the video of this game over and over.  He can use it as inspiration for whenever he has an off night.  The league better take notice because Butler is going to be a player in this league for a long time.

Tom Thibodeau can breathe a little easier after sweating through three straight overtime games.  Still, he has to wonder if this is just another case of the Bulls only playing as well as the talent level of their competition.  It will be up to him to ensure that doesn't happen.  Remember, the Bulls have still suffered most of their losses at home.  He knows it's important to reestablish the dominance at the United Center.  We all do.  And we have faith he can keep his team in check.

After a day off, the Bulls get to stay home Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons.  That team has its own troubles.  Treat them like you treated the Lakers tonight and all will be well.

Properly Rested?

Joakim Noah can gripe about sitting at the end of Saturday's loss to the Grizzlies all he wants.  While Tom Thibodeau said in this morning's shootaround that his center understands why it happened, it's nothing more than a personal issue and a subplot in what the Bulls have experienced during the past week.  They played more than three-and-a-quarter games over the past week, which is what it comes out to when your last three contests have gone into overtime.

The Bulls are lucky to have won two of those games.  Those that nearly got away were saved by a beautiful shot from Luol Deng and an ugly one from Marco Belinelli, quieting crowds in Toronto and Boston respectively.  Both were lauded for their heroics.  There would be none Saturday however as the club didn't have enough in the tank to win a third consecutive overtime game.  Unless you're in a playoff series, as was the case in 2009, playing overtime that much in a short period is going to take its toll.  Even the best teams will be gassed if pushed for too long.  This isn't cause for concern, just one of the realities of an 82-game season.

One day off between games probably isn't the best the Bulls could have hoped for under the circumstances.  A longer breather would have been beneficial to Deng as he continues to recover from his hamstring injury.  Instead, he'll be a game-time decision tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers.

For my lamenting on how the Bulls deserve more time off, maybe they're catching the Lakers at the right time.  Yesterday, they lost their fifth consecutive road game, something they haven't dealt with since 2007.  That considered, one would think the Lakers are due to finally win one.  After all, the Bulls are tired and have a worse home record than road record.  But folks have been saying all year that a certain event will turn that team around.  Whether it's Mike Brown's firing or Steve Nash's return, blind optimism has surrounded them all year.  In reality, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol have had trouble staying healthy, Jordan Hill is out for the year and cruelest of all, their spot as the most entertaining NBA team in Tinseltown has been usurped by the upstart Clippers.

Tonight presents a chance to deal the latest blow to the Lakers' season on national TV.  The United Center is sure to get rowdy at the prospect.  You want to kick an opponent while they're in worse shape than you.  The best way to do that?  Go all out.  Thibodeau will make sure that happens.

Just Happy to Win

As crazy a sports day this was in Chicago with the hiring of Marc Trestman as Bears coach and the revealing of Manti Te'o's girlfriend hoax, there was indeed a Bulls game.  In Canada to play the Toronto Raptors, it didn't look like a good matchup on paper.  Still, the Raptors made a game of it and five more minutes were needed for a 107-105 win.  Luol Deng hit the game-winner with seconds to play, but it was nearly forgotten when a final three-point attempt by Jose Calderon missed.

On a normal night, Carlos Boozer's 36 points would be a bigger story.  It's not because had he shown more offense down the stretch, there would be no overtime and he might have even reached 50.  Give the Raptors credit for not allowing much from here toward the end.  They knew he was hot and weren't going to let the Bulls take an easy win.  At least he had 12 rebounds to add to his growing double-double total.

Every other starter besides Kirk Hinirch reached double figures.  Deng scored 19, Rip Hamilton had 15 and Joakim Noah joined Boozer on the double-double front with a 16/14 line.  Six of Marco Belinelli's 10 points came from free throws.  He was needed after Hinrich fouled out, a fate shared by Taj Gibson and his eight points.  The Bulls have to be happy they weathered a storm with two of their big names confined to the bench.

As I drove home from North Central's basketball game tonight, I listened to the Bulls postgame show, trying to come up with an angle for tonight's post.  Then, I heard the thought that even though a big lead was blown, the Bulls should just be happy with a win.  That got me thinking about how I watched games when I first got into the team.  If they won, I was happy.  I didn't care about any x-factors or near disasters.  All that mattered was whether they had more points than the other team when the clock hit zero. 

Often times, I think we forget that a win is a win is a win.  For games like tonight, we may find ourselves with thoughts like "They almost blew it!" or "We're in trouble if we keep playing like this!"  That just comes with getting older.  We flirt with a line between realism and cynicism.  Next time a game like this happens (and will likely come sooner than we want), just remember the joy a child feels whenever his/her team wins even when the effort doesn't always produce satisfactory results.  Appreciate that we get to watch basketball nightly this time of year.  Love wins and hate losses.  You love those two prospects or you don't love sports.  It's what they're all about.

Now that I'm finished being philosophical, you can enjoy Friday's game against the Boston Celtics.  That's a team desperately trying to keep their playoff position, though their prospects at one last championship run don't look so hot.  It's in the Garden, always a tough place to play.  The Bulls can win though.  With just the right amount of effort, they can do it.

I promise I won't sound so much like Mister Rogers during my next post.  Just trying to relieve stress from games like this.

D With a V

I don't need to tell you the score.  The picture says it all.  Now that we've had plenty of time to digest what went on at the United Center last night, I'll recap what it all means historically. 

The Bulls set team records in fewest points allowed (58), fewest allowed in a half (20 in the first), lowest shooting percentage allowed in a half (20.5 in the first) and tied a record for fewest points allowed in a quarter (five in the second).  Atlanta, which had a putrid 2-of-21 from the field in the second quarter, narrowly avoided the team record for offensive futility in the shot-clock era (57 in a 1955 game) and the league record for fewest first-half points in said era (19 by the Clippers in a 1999 game).  I would have made note of all of this last night if I didn't have to make a missed work day from last week.  So with my attention elsewhere for most of the game, you can imagine how shocked I was when I saw the Hawks had amassed just 18 points with only a couple of minutes left before halftime.

Add up a couple of factors and this was a perfect storm waiting to happen.  Tom Thibodeau had been particularly hard on his team during the morning shootaround for showing up defensively only half the time at home (10-10 before last night).  The way everyone responded was one in which the proper word has yet to be invented.  It was like the scene in "A Christmas Story" when Ralphie took out all his suppressed rage on the neighborhood bully.  Yes, the Bulls beat the Hawks down hard defensively.  Neither team is likely to forget this anytime soon.

Of course, the Bulls were helped by a horrible Hawks offense.  As much as we pride ourselves on defense in Chicago, we're not that great.  No NBA team is.  No Atlanta starter reached double figures and from game accounts, Josh Smith was disinterested.  Maybe he was just frustrated by his team's unwinding troubles, but if you're the All-Star leader of the team, it shouldn't be in your nature to just throw in the towel when things are bleak.

Above all, the Hawks should be ashamed of themselves for a game like this.  The offense they displayed wouldn't be fit for a Division III game.  A listless performance against a club desperate to regain its defensive prowess at home is deserving of a beatdown.  The Hawks may have to deal with Miami in their division, but they must have forgotten about the Bulls as a sleeper in the East.  Tim Legler even called them the biggest of such on SportsCenter.  Atlanta did this to themselves just as much as the Bulls lay the hammer down.  Even though I want Bulls victories, I have to feel embarrassed for an opponent if an egg like this comes out.  It's more entertaining for fans if both clubs on the court are at least somewhat competitive.

Now that the Bulls are done with their easiest game of the season, they'll head north to take on the Toronto Raptors tomorrow.  I have to believe a team with a sorry history will put up a better fight.  Lose, but lose by knockout instead a TKO.  That looks more pleasant.