Well that was interesting. I think we found out where Thibs falls on the play vs rest debate. I really don't have much of an issue with it but having Rose and others on the floor up 15 with 3mins left doesn't make since to me. as we saw with Brewer and Noah anything can happen and will. Not worth it imo. Hell he was gonna send Noah back in but the game ended which is a bit bizarre but ankles can be played through better right after the sprain if its not to serious. It still seems dumb. I hope for the Nets tonight that we see very little of Rose(20 mins please) and just keep Noah out.

As for the game the Bulls turned it off and on as they have been with lesser teams. They played some lazy defense in the first half. It also doesn't help that the Knicks shoot like 65% anytime the Bulls play them. Melo was doing whatever but was also just making his shots. Not much they could have done. Rose had three monster dunks in this game that stole any thunder Melo made. They sent the Garden into a craze.

I thought Noah looked pretty damn good even though his rebound stat will say different. He just looked more active. He seem to be tipping everything and had several strips and blocks. He looked sharper. Of course he tweaked his ankle. It will never get better unless the Bulls sweep someone and get a solid week off. Even then I don't think it will be right until after the season.

The Bulls came out in the 2nd half and decided they let the Knicks play enough and went on a 20 to something run. The Knicks couldn't even get a shot off as the Bulls ran the floor after misses or turnovers. The Knicks did gain some ground with the second the unit but they play zero defense so if they get down its hard for them to come back. This team is still flawed, even with Amare, I feel they will flop for the next 2-3 years.

Boozer stole(from even his own mates) rebounds all night. He was terrible from the field with 4-14 but whatever you grabbed 20+ rebounds. It felt good beating the Knicks. I hate them.

The Good
-Rose shows his stuff on a great stage
-Deng had 23 and 10 and out played Melo for 48 mins.
-Boozer owns the boards(not hard since knicks play small ball)
-Noah more active

The Bad
-First half defense
-Asik's hands
-Letting Toney Douglas play like a All Star again.

The Ugly
-Brewer hurts thumb
-God hates Noah's ankle
-Boozer shootings %
-Thibs keeping starters in too long..Bring Noah back in?!?!

The Players

Noah: Looked better. Way active. Just didn't get to the boards since Boozer was being a hog.
Boozer: Ate every reb in sight. Couldn't make a lay up.
Deng: Played great. He is now the best mid range shooter in the game.. Sorry RIP.
Bogans: Played pretty well and has of late. 8pts? That's playing with house money.
Rose: Started off slow but brought the house down after his lob from Brewer.

Bench Mob

Brewer: Hurt but hustled his ass off. Lets hope he can get back.
Korver: Cold as ever. Seems like some nights the dude is on and other he can't hit shit. If he is not hitting jump shots or threes than he is sorta useless. Lets hope this changes.
Gibson: Had a nice game. Almost served a facial on Turiaf but couldn't get it to go down.
Watson: 9pts and kept the team going once the Bulls first unit hit the bench. Keeps improving.
Asik: Omer played alright. Had a Turkish hammer slam. Still struggles catching the ball.