Depleted Bulls Simply Run Out of Gas, Down 3-1 in Series

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: David Haugh
Source: Tribune

By tipoff of the Bulls’ 88-65 blowout loss to the Heat on Monday night, it became clear the United Center crowd would begin the game as short-handed as the team it came to watch.

Due to either low interest or heavy traffic related to Monday’s rare rush-hour start at 6 p.m., nearly half of the 21,990 seats stayed empty. The loudest thing in the arena was Craig Sager’s jacket. Those who fought the congested Chicago roads and arrived late had to wonder if it was worth the hassle.

Tom Thibodeau probably wishes he had driven to the game too.

His Bulls responded to the must-win situation with as little intensity on the floor as there was electricity in the building. As flat and lifeless as the atmosphere, the Bulls quickly fell behind 11-2 after missing 11 of their first 12 shots and never recovered in what likely was their home farewell. It was anything but a fond one.

“I’m disappointed with how we played,” Joakim Noah said quietly. “But there’s still a lot of basketball left, and we’re not going to give up.”

Broadway Jo was in no position to guarantee anything else about Game 5 on Wednesday in Miami.

In a series in which the Bulls already established a franchise playoff low for the most lopsided loss, they set team playoff records for fewest points and poorest field-goal percentage (25.7 percent). Not since the 2004 Hornets has an NBA team shot worse in a playoff game.

Read the rest of the story here.

 

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Short-handed Bulls Stun Heat in Game 1

May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: K.C. Johnson
Source: Tribune

You can place Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich in sharp-looking suits on the bench. You can keep Luol Deng in Chicago as he recovers from a spinal tap.

Carlos Boozer can be largely ineffective, Nate Robinson can leave briefly with a bloody lip that needed 10 stitches to close and Marco Belinelli’s jumper can be AWOL until it’s needed most.

But as long as the Bulls have five bodies left, the competitive culture that coach Tom Thibodeau has instilled and his players execute will lead to what happened Monday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Bulls grabbed Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, downing a Heat team that had won 41 of its previous 43 games 93-86. And they shouted to the mountaintops one more time for anyone who stopped listening: They’re not going away quietly.

“We’re just out there having fun,” Robinson said. “We’re playing for each other and the city of Chicago. Nobody has us winning any games. I heard somebody say we’re going to get swept. We’re going to give them our all.”

Since 1983-84, the team that has won Game 1 in the conference semifinals has prevailed 80.2 percent of the time.

“We know how good they are,” Thibodeau said. “This is just one game. We’re going to have to play a lot better.”

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Short-handed Bulls Eliminate Nets in Game 7

May 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Source: ESPN

Joakim Noah climbed over the baseline seats, his foot that hurt so much two weeks ago that he feared he couldn’t play looking pain-free as he embraced his mother.

The first Game 7 in Brooklyn belonged not to the Nets, but to the guy who played here in high school.

“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,” Noah said.

Injured, ill and just as determined as ever, the Chicago Bulls beat the Nets 99-93 on Saturday night to win the first-round series.

Noah had 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Marco Belinelli also scored 24 points to help the Bulls advance to a second-round series against defending champion Miami that starts Monday night.

Carlos Boozer added 17 points as the Bulls shook off injuries to two starters and every run the Nets tried to make in the second half to win a Game 7 on the road for the first time in franchise history.

“I’m just so proud of this team. We’ve been fighting through so much all year and to be in this situation, play on the biggest stage in the world and to be able to win and now play against the Heat, all these experiences, I (don’t) take those for granted,” Noah said.

The Bulls opened a 17-point halftime lead with a rare offensive outburst, and found a way to get big baskets every time the Nets pulled close to win the NBA’s only do-or-die game of the first round.

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Chicago Bulls beat Brooklyn Nets in 3 OT thriller

April 29, 2013 By Leave a Comment

By: Jeff Zillgit
Source: USA Today

The Brooklyn Nets unearthed their offense.

Then, leading by 14 points with less than four minutes to play, the Nets imploded, and Bulls guard Nate Robinson scorched the Nets with 34 points.

In a fantastic back-and-forth, four-hour contest, the Bulls defeated the Nets 142-134 in triple overtime in Game 4 on Saturday and took a 3-1 lead in their first-round NBA playoff series. Game 5 is Monday (7 p.m. ET, TNT).

he ending was anticlimactic after the way the regulation ended. The Bulls took a 133-128 lead with 3:19 left in the third overtime and the Nets were never closer than three after that.

The antithesis of the middle two games, which were defensive battles and offensive slogs, Game 4 provided offense and entertainment. It tested the physical and mental strength of both teams.

The Bulls were a trace stronger in both areas.

“The game wasn’t going our way to start the fourth, and our guys just kept battling,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That’s something they’ve done all year. We were down. Our team showed some toughness. They missed some shots. We had some timely shots. Nate made a number of big-time plays and shots. We had a hard time getting stops. We’re fortunate to come out with a win. We played well offensively. We’ve got to play a lot better defensively.”

Read more about the game here.

 

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Stacey King Talks Bulls-Heat and Calls Out LeBron

March 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Chicago’s own Stacey King talked to Dan Patrick today to discuss the Bulls’ win against the Heat last night.  In a physical battle the undermanned Bulls were able to come out on top and end the Heat’s 27 game winning streak.  After the game, the 250 pound LeBron James complained about the Bulls physicality in the game, saying 190 pound point guard Kirk Hinrich wgot away with taking him down and wanted a flagrant foul called.

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Bulls’ 1st-Round Exit An Opportunity Lost

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Chicago Tribune

By David Haugh

As C.J. Watson’s desperation, three-quarter-court heave at the buzzer bounced off the back of the rim Thursday night to clinch a 79-78 victory and the series for the 76ers, harsh reality hit before the ball landed.

Mercilessly, a Bulls season was over before anybody expected — and long before it should be.

“Tough loss,” Luol Deng said. “We fought hard.”

Effort didn’t fail the Bulls as much as execution.

Of all the injuries the Bulls endured in a series defined by attrition, nothing exceeded the pain and suffering of watching the 76ers celebrate as confetti fell onto the floor. Nothing could have hurt worse than knowing they lost to a team with less talent and experience. Nothing tortures an athlete more than this question: What might have been?

The Bulls and their fans will ask that often during the longest of summers.

What might have been if Derrick Rose hadn’t torn an ACL? What might have been if Joakim Noah hadn’t twisted an ankle in Game 3? What might have been if Deng had two good hands or hadn’t been hit in the nose hard enough in the first quarter of Game 6 to require stitches and get knocked out of rhythm? What might have been if officials hadn’t waved off Gibson’s 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left on the shot clock upon review — the correct call — to increase the 76ers’ halftime lead from five to eight?

Though tempting, please don’t dwell on asking what might have been if officials had swallowed their whistles with 2.2 seconds left instead of calling a foul on Omer Asik as he attempted to block Andre Iguodala’s layup. Iguodala hit the two most clutch free throws of the Doug Collins era in Philadelphia, but to blame the end of the season on a bad call would be wrong. Good for Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that he resisted that temptation, albeit reluctantly.

“It looked like Omer had the ball, but I don’t want to put it on the officials,” Thibodeau said. “We didn’t do what we should have done.”

This was not the 2012 Bulls’ Hue Hollins moment. One referee didn’t shorten the Bulls’ postseason and allow the 76ers to become only the fifth No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs.

What did?

Start with Asik missing two free throws with 7 seconds left. Go to Watson showing a stunning lack of awareness in passing the ball to Asik, a 46 percent free-throw shooter, with a one-point lead. How about Carlos Boozer disappearing during the biggest game of the season by shooting 1 of 11 and scoring three points?

“I’m disappointed with the loss but not disappointed in our team,” Thibodeau said.

Click here for the full report from the Chicago Tribune.

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Gibson In For Bulls, Noah Doubtful For Game 6

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Chicago Tribune

By K.C. Johnson

Speaking before a film session at a local community college, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Taj Gibson likely will play in Thursday night’s must-win Game 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Although Thibodeau said Joakim Noah is a game-time decision, Noah limped into the building and Thibodeau admitted the center would only “do a little bit” of the morning shootaround.

Both players suffered sprained ankles during this best-of-seven series. The Bulls trail the 76ers 3-2.

“Taj is better,” Thibodeau said. “He’s most likely (playing). Jo is better, too, but he’ll be game-time.”

Noah, who severely sprained his left ankle in last Friday’s Game 3, declined to speak to reporters. He hasn’t granted an interview since suffering the injury other than to broadcaster Chuck Swirsky on the team website and Cheryl Miller on NBA-TV.

Omer Asik will start at center.

Click here for the full report from the Chicago Tribune.

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Bulls’ Goal: Keep Being Physical Vs. 76ers

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Chicago Tribune

By K.C. Johnson

Taj Gibson has vowed to play Thursday in Game 6 against the Philadelphia 76ers despite spraining his right ankle in Game 5.

That’s a good thing, given that Gibson and what he brings to the game represents the Chicago Bulls’ best chance at rallying to win their Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Bulls have had success — even in the Games 3 and 4 that they lost — in slowing the pace down, turning the game into a half-court battle and making the 76ers beat them from the perimeter. Given the woeful shooting of the 76ers, who clocked in at 32 percent in Game 5, that’s a good thing.

Gibson was all over the court on Tuesday night, blocking four shots, diving for a loose ball in a scrum that resulted in double technical fouls for him and Elton Brand and completely taking Thaddeus Young out of the game. Young is a player who has hurt the Bulls often in regular-season games, but his impact on this series has been minimal.

Gibson’s impact?

“It’s been terrific,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said.

Click here for the full report from the Chicago Tribune.

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Rip Hamilton Knows What It’s Like To Rally From 3-1 Deficit

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Chicago Sun-Times

By Neil Hayes

The Bulls hoped to benefit from Rip Hamilton’s playoff wisdom, but they didn’t expect his experience of once being down 3-1 in a first-round series to come in so handy.

If the Bulls can’t match what Hamilton’s Pistons did in 2003, when they won three in a row to eliminate the Magic, their season will be over.

“It’s been a crazy year, from beginning to right now, so we know that,” Hamilton said. “We know that nothing’s easy. It hasn’t been easy for the whole season, with injuries and guys being out, so we know it’s going to be tough. We’ve just got to come out and be ready to play.”

If the Bulls are to extend this series, they’ll need to play with more energy in Game 5 Tuesday at the United Center than they did in the first quarter of Game 4. They must offset what has become a huge 76ers advantage at the free-throw line. The 76ers have shot 30 or more free throws in three of the four games. They only did that four times all season.

They’ll need to play better down the stretch.

“The thing they’ve done that has hurt us is they’ve gotten timely offensive rebounds late,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Oftentimes, that’s the difference between winning and losing. We have to find a way to come up with that loose ball, that offensive rebound at the end of the game. Our team has shown we can do that. We’re capable. We have to play a little better. We have to find a way.”

Click here for the full report from the Chicago Sun-Times.

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Banged-Up Bulls Looking For Answers

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Chicago Tribune

By K.C. Johnson

The banged-up, beaten-down Chicago Bulls returned home Sunday night, scheduled to take the practice court Monday afternoon at the Berto Center.

Joakim Noah won’t practice. Neither, of course, will Derrick Rose.

Without their best player in Rose and emotional leader in Noah, the Bulls face long odds to avoid becoming just the fifth top seed to lose to an eighth seed since the NBA went to a 16-team playoff format in 1984. Trailing 3-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Bulls face elimination on Tuesday night at the United Center.

“We need to play with more intensity,” Taj Gibson said. “It’s always hard to replace guys like Derrick and Joakim. But guys just have to step up.”

What can the Bulls do to address their lack of offense and fourth-quarter collapses? Coach Tom Thibodeau rarely changes his rotation, so playing Mike James is likely out. Thibodeau could try a smaller lineup featuring Luol Deng, who also is hurting with his left wrist, at power forward and Kyle Korver and Richard Hamilton at wings to flood the floor with shooters.

But Thibodeau has been hesitant to play Hamilton down the stretch, failing to play him in the fourth quarter of three games thus far.

Click here for the full report from the Chicago Tribune.

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