The Chicago Bulls showed the Timberwolves just why they’re still the number one in the Eastern Conference with a 108-91 win Wednesday night at the Target Center.
The Bulls came out in playoff form making an early 30-19 run in the first quarter. In the previous three games (vs. Memphis, at Milwaukee and vs. Philadelphia), the Bulls have come out sluggish on both sides of the court forcing them to go 2-1 while breaking their winning streak at 14.
Bulls forward Carlos Boozer hadn’t been reaching his full potential in the last few games but managed to change that with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Kurt Thomas started for Joakim Noah who sat out due to a sore ankle and posted 6 points (3-4) and 8 rebounds. Derrick Rose posted his 13th double-double with 23 points and 10 assists. Luol Deng chipped in 13 points and 5 assists.
The Bulls played unselfish basketball, sharing the ball and posting 31 assists to Minnesota’s 12. They shot 50.6% on the floor.
Coach Thibodeau was pleased with the Bulls defense, forcing the Wolves to only 41.2% (29.4% behind the arc).
“I thought our locker room was serious, and I thought the start of our start of the game was serious…We established a defensive mindset, a defensive game plan, and I think that got us going.”
The Bulls Bench Mob pitched in 39 points; However, Minnesota had 45 points. CJ Watson posted 13 points off of 5-8 shooting.
Bulls Extra: Bulls outrebounded Minnesota 50-34…Kevin Love posted 16 points and 9 rebounds in 27 minutes in his first game back from a strained left groin…Bulls visit the Detroit Pistons Friday night, former Piston & Bull Dennis Rodman is having his jersey (#10) retired during halftime at The Palace of Auburn Hills…The Bulls are 2 ½ games ahead in first place.
In case you didn’t know, Skip Bayless might be the biggest hater of Derrick Rose alive. On today’s 1st and 10 he went all in on Derrick Rose and made his case why this year’s MVP race isn’t as clear cut as everyone thinks. It’s definitely worth a watch, but I’m not responsible if you want to punch your monitor or send him hate tweets (@RealSkipBayless).
The last time the Bulls faced the 76ers at the UC (December 21) they shut them out 121-76. However, on January 7, the 76ers got their revenge for the 45-point embarrassment by winning on their turf 105-99. Revenge wasn’t enough, the 76ers wanted to show up the number one team in the East at the United Center.
The Chicago Bulls returned home to the United Center Monday night when they hosted the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers went on to win 97-85 and win the season series 2-1 and snapped the Bulls’ win streak at 4.
Tonight, however, the Bulls weren’t aggressive enough on defense while their offense suffered. Despite having four players in double figures, including Derrick Rose’s 31 points, he alone was forced to commit 10 turnovers. I’m not blaming this on Rose; the whole team struggled, shooting only 41.2% on the floor and 1-9 behind the arc, the Bench Mob only contributed 14 points while the 76ers bench tallied 31.
“Philly lost a game at home last night. I knew they would be ready tonight. We weren’t. We came out flat,” Coach Thibodeau said.
The matter at hand, Philly came prepared. Thaddeus Young led the way with 21 points off the bench while Chicagoan Andre Iguodala went 7-14 for 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Making free throws became another issue. The Bulls went to the line 30 times and only made 18.
Carlos Boozer scored 15 points and grabbed 9 boards, while Joakim Noah chipped in 10 points and 15 rebounds and Luol Deng was limited to 10 points.
I wouldn’t worry about our Bulls. You win some you lose some. All they can do is: Take it one game at a time and just move on to the next! To all the Bulls fam out there, don’t let any ignorant comment about Derrick Rose MVP candidacy or one bad game bring you down. We’re still “numero uno!” (Courteous of Latin Night)
Bulls Extras: The Bulls are now 53-20 with 9 games remaining in the regular season and will be visiting Minnesota Wednesday night…The Bulls are still 2 games ahead of the Boston Celtics (who lost in Indiana 107-100)…
For those of you who missed it, Kelly Dwyer posted an interesting article today on Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie Blog about Floyd Mayweather betting on the Chicago Bulls to win the game against the Atlanta Hawks last week. It’s definitely worth the read.
An MVP stands for Most Valuable Player. It also stands for a player who shows their importance to the game, their team not just by scoring the most points or making the biggest play, but by proving how their leadership, decisions on and off the court, motivation and passion determine the outcome of the game and the season in general. Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose displays it in every game.
Saturday’s 95-87 win at Milwaukee is a good example of how Rose proved himself worthy of the MVP accolade. The Bulls trailed most of the way, by 12 at the 6:07 mark into the 3rd quarter. With 3:44 remaining in the 3rd, down by 10, Rose’s behind-the-back dribble drive off a Boozer screen, found teammate Luol Deng in the paint for the easy bucket.
Rose ended his night with 30 points (8 of them came in the final 3 minutes) and a career high 17 assists. The Bulls within 2 at the 3:42 mark, Rose connects with Carlos Boozer for the tie at 83. Boozer finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Rose then went back-to-back-to-back to take the lead 93-87 with 42 seconds left in the game.
Joakim Noah posted a double-double, with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Four Bulls players were in double figures, while the Bench Mob pitched in 25 points (54 points total in the last 2 games). Ronnie Brewer chipped in 10 points.
Defensively, the Bulls held the Bucks to 39.2% on the floor, while forcing 11 turnovers. Offensively, the Bulls suffered behind the arc, only shooting 21.4% (3-14) but made up for it shooting 50% on the floor and 85.7% in the final 5 minutes of the game, and outrebounding the Bucks 47-37.
Ex-Bull John Salmons scored 25 points while Carlos Delfino shot 7-11 (5-7 behind the arc) for 23 points.
Bulls Extras: The Bulls are 53-19 and host the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night…Bulls have 10 games remaining in the regular season…The Bulls have now swept the season series with the Milwaukee Bucks…
Before yesterday’s game against Memphis Stacey King posted a contest on his twitter account (@Sky21King) to predict how many points the “Bench Mob” would score. Not that they’re reaching Derrick Rose popularity levels, or even Stacey King for that matter, around the Windy City, but the bench of the Bulls has been making quite a name for themselves this season as one of the most productive in the league. Tom Thibodeau has a luxury that not many coaches in the league have, being able to extend leads or even come from behind with his bench in the game. With that being said, lets meet the Bench Mob.
First, there’s the 6′7” Ashton Kutcher look-a-like, sharp shooting Kyle Korver. On Kyle I’m convinced of two things. First, his range is as soon as he steps on the court. Second, he must have one of the top 3 quickest releases in the game. His ability to curl off a screen, catch, and shoot in seemingly all one motion is as good as anyone I’ve watched not named Ray Allen. When the Bulls need a 3 or an offensive spark off the bench, Thibodeau usually calls on #26.
Next, there’s Taj Gibson, who’s probably the favorite member of the Mob of my partner in crime here at Bulls Extra, Stephanie. He’s one of those players that every team needs. He doesn’t get many headlines (doesn’t really want them), you won’t see him in highlight reels, but he makes all the little plays. At various points this season when Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah have been injured, it’s been Gibson who’s stepped in and filled the void up front, admirably might I add. His hard-nosed defense and uncanny ability to, at 6′9”, block shots (96 in 69 games) has helped the Bulls to the #2 scoring defense in the league, only giving up 91.2 points per.
A tough wing defender with the ability to play passing lanes pretty much sums up Ronnie Brewer. He generally draws the assignment of the opposing team’s top scorer when he’s on the floor and, more often than not, does a good shutting him down. He leads the team in steals this season with 95, a number that almost seems low when you see how active his hands are when guarding his man. Back in the ‘08-’09 season with the Jazz he averaged 13.7 ppg playing 30+ minutes a night so his offensive ability is there when needed as well. And for all of the highlight reel plays that Derrick Rose has provided us this season, it might be Ronnie Brewer who provided THE Bulls highlight of the year so far.
Being the backup to Derrick Rose doesn’t always yield alot of minutes since he’s on the court so often, but C.J. Watson, or C.J. Wattttttttttson as most Bulls fans know him as courtesy of Stacey King, makes the most of his minutes on the floor. A very good floor general and distributor of the ball, the offensive flow rarely tapers off when he’s on the floor. Whether he’s penetrating to dish to a wide open Korver in the corner, or finding Taj Gibson on the block, Watson generally stakes his claim to the paint, and trying to keep him out is easier said than done.
The two-headed low post monster of Omer Asik and Kurt Thomas provides hustle, rebounding (Asik), and a baseline-to-wing jumper that Kurt Thomas probably perfected on Dr. James Naismith’s peach basket. Asik’s work on the glass, particularly the offense boards, isn’t the prettiest thing to watch, but it’s definitely effective. What he makes up for in refined skills at this early stage of his career he makes up for in sheer determination and hustle. During the ‘94-’95 season at TCU Thomas lead the NCAA in scoring and rebounding playing in the Southwest Conference, a conference that dissolved in 1996. Just to give you an idea how long he’s been playing. Earlier this season when Chicago was dealing with injuries to both Noah and Boozer Thomas stepped in and looked almost like he did 10 years ago. In January he had games of 13 and 18 rebounds in a 8-game stretch and came back earlier this month and had games of 13 and 15 boards in a 3-game span. Not bad for a 38 year old huh?
How far the Bulls go in this year’s playoffs clearly rest on the shoulders of Derrick Rose, closely followed by Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah. But don’t discount how important the Bench Mob will be the Bulls success either. Whether they’re in due to foul trouble, picking up the slack for an injured teammate, or just to give the starters a breather, any member of the bench that Thibodeau pionts to is more than capable in filling in. That’s quite a luxury to have when you look at several teams who maybe go 2-3 deep on the bench and the Bulls can easily go 6 deep or more when you add Rasual Butler to the mix. It’s almost time for the tonight’s game against the Bucks, so we’ll get to see which member has the biggest impact on tonight’s game.
On Friday night, the Chicago Bulls won their 14th straight at the United Center when they hosted and defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 99-96. Bulls MVP candidate Derrick Rose showed why he was just that, even on a not-so-great shooting night.
In the final 15 seconds of the game, Rose was fouled as he drove past everyone down the left side for a layup with his left, giving the Bulls a 98-93 lead with 10.8 left. O.J. Mayo answered back with a trey on the left wing and 4.3 seconds left, but Memphis just couldn’t hold on. Rose went 6-22; 0-5 behind the arc, for 24 points.
Six Memphis players were in double figures including Zach Randolph, who led the way with 16 points on 6-11 shooting. Former Boston Celtic Tony Allen (also a Chicagoan), who wore out his welcome in Chicago, managed a technical for getting chatty with the Bulls bench out of frustration, chipped in 13 points.
Luol Deng was consistent on the night as he went 8-14; 3-4 behind the arc for 23 points and 6 rebounds. After a Grizzlies 14-2 run, the Bulls responded with a 12-1 run including Deng’s 3 pointer from the top key putting the Bulls in front 47-46 with 50 seconds left in the half, but a play later on a Kyle Korver miss with 7 seconds remaining, Rose came up with an offensive board and nailed a fadaway jumper at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 49-46 lead at halftime.
Rose found Korver on the left wing for a three with 3:47 remaining in the game for a 93-91 lead, Korver finished with 5 points on the night.
The Bulls Bench Mob (Ronnie Brewer, Taj Gibson, Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik, C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver) combined for 29 points (20 in the first half; Thomas went scoreless for the night). Those 20 first half points are what kept the Bulls in rotation.
Even though the Bulls outrebounded (45-32) and outscored the Grizzlies in the paint (46-44) the Bulls only shot 41.5% on the floor, while Memphis shot 49.3%
Bulls Extras: Bulls G-F Rasual Butler was active, but did not play (coach’s decision)… John Lucas III, Jannero Pargo and Brain Scalabrine were inactive…The Bulls will play in Milwaukee Saturday night…
It’s hard to come up with a top 5 or even top 10 list of Derrick Rose highlights from this season, so I’m not going to try. To try and pick one would be like trying to pick 1 of the 72 wins the Bulls had in the ‘95-’96 season as my favorite. Or which pair of Air Jordan shoes I like the best. Which one of Rodman’s hairstyles was the weirdest? Which Stacey King call has been the best? You get the idea. So instead of picking a favorite, here are a few that we’ll be seeing over and over again, most likely in a montage to commemorate his MVP season.
The Chicago Bulls started the game in Atlanta as if continuing from the previous night against Sacramento: On fire and unstoppable. The last time the Bulls won in Atlanta was in December of 2009 (span of 6 games). The Bulls have won back-to-back games by 30 or more points, including tonight’s 114-81 contest.
If you haven’t taken the Bulls seriously yet, need you be reminded of what Michael Jordan said on March 12, 2011 during the halftime ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Bulls’ first championship (’91)?
“You guys are in store for a lot of other championships. You look at this team tonight; don’t be surprised if you don’t have six more coming.”
Well, while everyone’s busy paying all their attention to teams like Boston and Miami, Chicago will be climbing to the top playing basketball the way it’s supposed to be played: With heart and intensity on both ends of the court. The Bulls play hard as a team and that is what will get them far.
In the first half alone even with Atlanta shooting 52%, the Bulls managed to score 72 points (41 in the 2nd quarter) and have a comfortable 29 point lead.
Luol Deng shot 10-15 tallying 27 points and MVP candidate Derrick Rose went 11-20 (6-8 behind the arc) for 30 points and 10 assists. The Bulls aren’t relying on their starters; their roster goes deep, with their bench chipping in 37 points.
The Bulls out-rebounded the Hawks 40-26, while out-scoring them 48-18 in the paint.
Hawks C-F Al Horford chipped in 14 points but left the game in the 3rd with a strained hamstring. Jeff Teague score 20 points on 6-9 shooting.
The Bulls are now 10-1 since losing in Atlanta on March 2, 2011.
Bulls Extras: The Bulls shot 54.4% on the floor, and went 10-18 behind the arc (55.6%)…Bulls forced the Hawks to 13 turnovers… Bulls scored a season high 41 points in the 2nd quarter and season high 71 in the first half…Now have a record of 51-19…Bulls will host the Memphis Grizzlies at the United Center Friday, March 25th
After a sluggish 115-108 loss in Indiana Friday, when the Chicago Bulls didn’t show up until the fourth quarter, the Bulls weren’t going to make the same mistake twice. On Monday night, they exploded in a 132-92 victory at the United Center for their 50th win of the season. From start to finish, they were strong on both ends of the court.
On offense, eight Bulls players were in double figures, included Carlos Boozer, Derrick Rose, Kyle Korver, Joakim Noah, Keith Bogans, and Omer Asik. Boozer, who missed the last 5 games with a left ankle sprain, went 6-10 with 16 points and 5 rebounds in his first game back. Rose chipped in 18 point and 8 assists, while Korver went 4-5 behind the arc for 18 points. Asik went a perfect 6-6 for 14 points and Joakim Noah had 14 points and 9 boards. The Bulls shared the ball, tallying 34 assists.
On defense, the Bulls held the Kings to 43% and forced 22 turnovers, with 16 steals in their 13th straight at the UC.
Marcus Thornton scored 25 points, while DeMarcus Cousins chipped in 11 points and 8 rebounds for the Kings who are 17-52 on the season.
Bulls Extras: The Bulls are 50-19, which marks the 14th time in franchise history that they’ve reached 50 wins…Déjà vu: Sunday, March 20, 2011, Bulls signed guards John Lucas III and Jannero Pargo…The Bulls celebrated Benny the Bull’s birthday at the UC tonight…The Bulls will visit former captain and guard Kirk Hinrich and the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night.
