I had this awful feeling leading up to this game that the Bulls might come out flat and nervous and they did both. The media spent a good four days talking about how great they are and loving them and picking them make a Finals run. Today they had to live up to that and I think that got to them a bit.

They looked tight and nervous in the first few positions of the game. I think everyone did besides Rose who seems to never be rattled. What really surprised me was how they played as the game went on. Almost like they were waiting for the Pacers to suck, back off and let them take the game. That never came until 48 secs left.  Before that I pretty much mailed the game in after the Psycho T and one dunk.

@dabullcrapRyan

When you shoot like this you win. Bulls just got a reality check.

Then Rose pulls yet another rabbit out of his hat and the Bulls win. This is the one worry I had going into the playoffs. Are the Bulls like Lebron's Cavs where you stop everyone else and let Lebron or Rose do their thing. I hope not because we won't get close to sniffing the Finals if thats the case. I'm glad they figured out how to win but the holes are there and lets hope they find ways to plug them.

Deng late to the party.

As well as he played in the 4th he was late to this party. Doing nothing to help Rose in the first half. He played Granger great on defense but he needs to be the other guy to fill it up when Rose is resting. Lucky enough Deng hit some big 3s in the 4th and even grabbed a tech as he stood up for Rose. It was bizarre to see Deng grab a tech and get the crowd going. Not always in his nature. That leads me to the next thing.

Tough

I asked this question during the season. How tough is this team? We know they are easy to like and love but can they step on peoples throats? Can they get down and dirty? I really thought they were a bit soft today to be honest. The Pacers played physical ball while the Bulls didn't. This team needs to get tough and fast. People are now gunning for you. Bums like Foster want to knock knock your block off and "Goon" it up. And you better not back down like you did today for 3 plus quarters.

The Booz

I have supported him for all season. I know his short comings. I know his d sucks, I know he struggles vs bigger defenders but today he had terrible day. A melt down really. Boozer is one of those players that when things get tough or don't go his way(foul trouble) he goes into his shell. He gets worse. He won't forget it and bounce back. Thats what he did today. Gotta hand it to Thibs for sticking with him. After the and one dunk I would have pulled his ass. There were also mind boggling moments when he had guys like Rush on him in the post and he would pull out a fade away to the corner jumper when he could have pounded the dude for a lay up. He gotta be smarter and tougher if the Bulls are gonna do this thing. He gotta get to the hoop.



The Good
-Rose is with out a doubt the MVP
-Noah finding some bits of his game
-Korver was huge

The Bad
-The bench wasn't great
-CJ went back to Warrior CJ
-Rose's three point shot
-Pacer shooting %(I don't think it lasts)

The Ugly
-Carlos Boozer
-Brewers fear
-Don't let Jon Berry near a mic.
-Overall defensive effort

The Players

Noah: He wasn't great all game but he looked more like Noah. He got his normal double double and brought us energy. I think he is getting closer.
Boozer: A day he needs to forget. When shit its the fan he needs to respond better.
Deng: His inner emotion awoke. He had a few clutch shots.
Bogans: No where to be seen. Missed all three shots.
Rose: The only Bull to not get rattled. Hung in and showed how to lead.

The Bench Mob

Korver: His shot was on today and without we lose. He had some bad TO but he saved this teams ass.
Brewer: He almost made me eat my TV remote when he stole the ball at the end of the 3rd and could have attacked the rim on the fast break, he got scared and kicked out to a trailing Rose who had to take a tough three. If you don't want to score then get off the court. Nothing makes me more pissed then a hesitant player. Rant over.

Thomas: Was tough and kept the Bulls going with some hard plays. He was a huge signing.
Gibson: Shy and was nervous. Needs to shake it.
Watson: For whatever reason CJ went into jack a shot mode. This was the CJ I couldn't stand in the start of the season.
Asik: Didn't get much of a run.

Leave you with Noah overload....

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.

Well I made a giant error on the Celtic preview/PP rant. I said the Bulls haven't beaten the Celtics. I have no clue how that even happened. During the game it hit me like a ton of bricks... OH YEAH WE BEAT THESE FOOLS ALREADY... too late to edit.. oh well. I didn't have much creditability anyway. I mean there is poo in my banner. On to the game.

The Bulls wanted this one and The Celtics put up the white flag at some point in the 3rd. I do think this is the year the Celtics don't make it to the ECF. This turn it on and off Bullshit doesn't work when everyone is 35. Hell the Bulls can barley do it and there young as hell. I see Miami beating them in the 2nd round. Also add in the Perkins factor.

The highlight of the night was Rose making Rondo his bitch time and time again. The Rose vs Rondo fights from the last two years had me raising my voice to my friends and than would turn into full out wrestling match in the living room. Even as a rookie Rose was leaps and bounds better player to me. I saw Rondo as someone who did a lot because he had Ray on one wing, PP on the other and KG on the block. That opens truck like lanes for you. Not to mention my jumper is better than his(no really it is). I think if you stick Rondo on the Kings hes gonna be a pretty avg PG and not a All Star. You stick Rose on the Kings and they make a Playoff push for the 8th seed. My idiot friends are too dense to see this.


Rose did whatever he wanted. When you can score 30pts on 16 shots you got game. Not mention highlights. Has Kobe ever scored 30 on 16 shots? Its like Rose has become self aware this year. "oh I am the man"... Yes you are the man Derrick. He had the Cs on roller skates all night.



Boozer I think played his best defense since becoming a Bull. Even recorded a block! He was very active. Thibs had to be proud. He still struggles with bigger PF like KG but did his work on Green and Baby bitch. Speaking of which, Kurt big sexy Thomas won that mind game. Big baby is a bitch and Kurt took him out of the game.

Keith did a awesome job on Ray and hit his two three balls. What else could you want? Deng had another good game. He means a lot to this team and I would take him any day over PP right now. Noah did pretty good for not being 100%. He still has a way to go but will get there.

The Good
-Rondo cleans Roses Adizero on the street
-Boozer playing defense
-Deng is worth the money(haters from 2007)
-Thomas wins mind war
-Holding Ray Allen to 3-11(won't happen often)

The Bad
-UC seemed tame? Maybe not? I wasnt there.
-Korver chucking a bit.
-Watson only 8 mins
-Boozers hands
-Noah still hurting

The Ugly
-Omer's hands
-Celtic shooting
-O'neal 0 rebounds... what a joke.

The Players

Noah: His ankle still a huge issue. Wouldnt mind if he say vs the Magic.
Boozer: Played the best D of his Bulls career. Was solid on the block.
Deng: Better than PP imo. Out played his lazy ass on both ends.
Bogans: Stuck to Ray like glue. Hit two threes ..all is well.
Rose: Epic.

The Bench Mob

Korver: Chucked a bit but hit a three.
Thomas: Made Big bitch his bitch.
Watson: Did well for 8mins
Asik: Has awful hands. Gets too excited and rushes himself. May see limited playoff action.
Gibson: Awesome again. Just knows his role and plays it to a tee.
Brewer: Tip dunk and all energy.
Butler: We have a sighting folks! 3 ball!

They just won't do it will they? You know in Mortal Kombat when you have Sub-Zero on the ropes and it says "FINISH HIM!!" Than Scorpion pulls off his mask and his head is a scull and he spits fire all over Sub-Zero until he is fried to a crisp. The Bulls refuse to finish their opponents. I have lost count of how many teams the Bulls have been up on by 20+ to only let them come back out and get the game within hand or almost win it.

Its something that scares the shit out of me about this team has we head into the playoffs. Can you close people? Can you step on someone throat? Can You FINISH HIM!?!?!?!. As much as this team is loved and gets along  you gotta wonder if it has enough of a mean streak. All the former NBA champions have mean streaks. The Bulls of the 90s did. Is this group just to cuddly and likable? I don't wanna use the word soft. But do they thirst for blood? Do they wanna stomp you until you scream mercy? Would they Sweep the Leg? I really don't know if that's this teams personality.

I hope its something that won't hold them back as we head into the playoffs but its something to watch for sure.

Now I got that out of the system. The Bulls played well in stretches and laid off the Suns in others. Nash is still a great PG and when he goes out the Suns are awful. He did his thing getting others going on offense. He had 16 dimes. Rose looked like he was just gonna let the others win this one but once again he had to turn it on and put the team on his back like he has all year.


Rose didn't have the best shooting night(6-15) but was clutch again. Boozer and Noah seemed to click on some nice passes. Boozer filled up the box score again. Wait for the off night again and fans will hate him. I hope it doesn't come vs Boston.

The Good
-Spreading the love. Everyone got theirs.
-Deng seems out of the slump.
-Taj almost double double
-Rose is clutch as a mother.
-Boozer and Noah connect.

The Bad
-Vince Carter sucks. How does he score 23?
-Omer only 6mins?
-We didn't finish em! or sweep any legs.
-Let Nash run wild.

The Ugly
-Noah only 4 rebs but still hurt.
-4pt play... Really Taj?
-How many MVPs take charges... and not get the call?!?
-Nash forgot his shorts.

Noah: The ankle is still an issue. Only 4rebs but some nice passing and scoring.
Boozer: Filling up the stats. I felt had some bad calls on him.
Deng: Keeps playing well and hitting timely 3 balls.
Bogans: Only one three. Which makes you useless tonight.
Rose: Seemed ready to just let his team handle it tonight but was called into duty when they dropped the ball.

Korver: Hit one three. Struggles on defense as always.
Gibson: Has looked good for couple of games. Still makes bone head fouls. Carter 4pt play.
Omer/Thomas: 9 mins for both...
Brewer: Keeps pace with 10pts and lots of energy.
Watson: Two huge 3 balls. Has improved much since the start of the season.

I didnt get a chance to watch the game with much focus as we were having friends over to see the baby. I did watch as much as I could. The Bulls once again struggled with lowly Raptors. Derrick Rose played out of his mind(again). The block just shows off what a freak athlete he is. Most players after a bad TO like that may have just watched as the fast break took off. Did Derrick? Nope. He told JJ NO SOUP FOR YOU!



It was good to see Kyle Korver bounce back. He had his worst game last night as a Bull vs the Pistons. He comes out and scored 10pts and some huge shots to keep the game out of reach. Taj gave us a 15 and 9 outing with 31 mins of work. Its good to know you have a poor mans Horace Grant on our bench who can step in and play well in most cases. Boozer was good. Showed some great effort. Diving on the floor for a loose ball and playing better defense. He has upped his play since hearing it from the fan base(not me). Those kinds off efforts earn you fans in Chicago.

Back to Rose. He was outstanding again. Just off the charts. You feel like he has hit that point where he can do whatever he wants when he wants. He picks his moments well. A guy that give you 30 something and 10 dimes on any given night is not Allen Iverson or Stephen Marbarry... He freaking Derrick Rose and he's a whole other animal.


His defense tonight was great. I think the Rose doesn't play defense crap can be put to rest. He leads the league in blocks for PGs. He had 4 steals vs the Pistons. The dude has locked down the big time PGs all year. If tonight didn't scream MVP, not sure what does.



Sorry no player by player run down(forgive me). Just couldn't watch enough to get a grasp for how our boys played. Hope be able to watch all of the Suns game.

Chicago Tribune

It was hard to watch this game since I was suppose to go. Every time something cool happened I was thinking, would have been great to see that in person. I'll get over it(no I won't). The Bulls came out and played a alright game. I mean the Piston's roster is a mess but it does have a few nice players. I got the feeling the Bulls were just in cruise control for much of the game.

The Bulls did do a poor job on RIP Hamilton as he went off for 30 which he hasn't done in sometime. Seem be open a lot and he just shot well. He looked 2004ish tonight so I think some of it was on the Bulls and the some was that it was just his night. Rebounding was an issue which is a rare problem(32 to 37). The Bulls did make it up with forcing a piston season high 20 TOs. Rose had 4 steals and a great 3 on 1 finish at the hoop.

Derrick Rose was on his game. He had a great first half, doing everything you could ask\of a PG. I think the long half sorta stumped his great game he had going. He had a nice 2nd half but I think the long wait slowed him down a bit. As he struggled in the 3rd.

The halftime thing to Rodman was nice but to long. Ran almost 40mins which isn't fair to the Bulls but hell maybe I being a bit of a bitch about it. I just think making a team wait that long is pretty big advantage for the home team. The Bulls showed it as they came out slow. Pistons got as close as 3 a few times in the game but the Bulls would pull it back out.

Carlos Boozer had a great game. Was close to a triple double. He got a ton of touches in the post and found a great rhythm and made bums like Chris Wilcox pay. He even stole the ball and dribbled it down for a lay(happy haters?)up. He needs to find a way to get this kind of production with Noah in the game. Will he in time? Not sure. I would bet if Noah and Boozer ever do get on the same page its gonna be in the first round vs the Pacers or the Bucks.

The bench was sorta hit or miss. Brewer was good again tonight. Making the most of his time with good finishes around the hoop and good defense where Korver may have had his worst game as a Bull. Terrible defense, fouling and missing wide open shots. He always bounces back.

The Bulls had to fight off the Pistons as they made a small run at the end to try and steal it but the Bulls were calm and cool as they made the right plays for the most part down the stretch(besides Rose's patten late game TO) to win the game and go 3 games ahead of Boston and 2.5 ahead of the now 2nd place Miami Heat. Bulls go Dino hunting tonight.

The Good
-Rose 3pt shooting
-Brewer bench play
-Boozer owning the block
-Rodman
-Deng back on his game
-Rose's 3 on 1 lay up.

The Bad
-Taj on defense(yeah bizarre)
-Rose's 3rd Q
-The Call on Rose where he didn't touch Wilcox.
-Half time length
-Noah's perm

The Ugly
-Rodman's awkward speech
-Korver was pitiful. 1-7.
-Ben Gordan's career
-Chris Wilcox plays.

The Players
Thomas: Hit the big jumper to go back up 5. He also had a few nice blocks.
Boozer: Ate Chris Wilcox for lunch. Was active on the both ends.
Deng: Looked like th Deng we have seen all year.
Bogans: He had me yelling at the TV on a few TOs and bad three point shots. But he did hit two threes.
Rose: Was pretty much a force. Didn't get many dimes. Just a another night of crossin fools.

The Bench Mob

Korver: ugh just forget this night. You got PUNKed.
Brewer: Filled the stat sheet in about 20 mins. Been great as a energy guy.
Gibson: Only got 13 mins and struggled on defense which is sorta bizarre.
Watson: Knows his role well.
Asik: Got only 10mins but he got one of those Turkish dunks in.

Dennis Rodman

Figured I give my own little respect to Dennis. He helped set the basketball world on fire while in the Bull uni. He brought it every night and made things fun to watch. If he wasn't head butting refs or kicking Camera dudes in the Balls he was on Opera crying about his personal life. There was never a boring moment. We gotta thank the Spurs for giving him up for almost nothing(Sorry Will Perdue). There will never be another Dennis Rodman. With out a doubt.

I didnt get a chance to watch the game with my own basketball league going on but I caught the highlights and box scores.

It was a typical Bulls bounce back game and vs a terrible team. The Bulls did look sharper. Passing was the big stat with 30 some dimes for the team. Boozer looked like Boozer. That will call the dogs off him a bit(crazy Bulls fans who want him gone..already). Just glad to see that the Bulls didn't play down to such a sorry team(its ok Minn we were that sorry team once.. Ron Mercer you say?).

Omer made the SC top 10 with his block on love. No soup for Love tonight. Deng looked sharper. I would love to see the Bulls do this to my home state team the Pistons on Friday. Keep the good vibes rolling.

Noah sat out. I know him and Boozer need to play on the same court but this wasn't worth the risk. Lets see if he goes on Friday. Derrick Rose seemed to take care of the Ball better too. He always improves after a shitty game which is nice since some players just let it get worse since they lose some "swag" or whatever that is.

I was suppose to go to this Bulls games in Detroit but work got in the way. Still pretty bummed about it. I guess FSN will have to do. Tried to get Playoff tickets too but with the drive from Michigan and the prices of the tickets its pretty much out of the question. Plus new born. Guess I will be waiting until next year.

Now lets flash back to a few T-Wolves pictures. Just in honor of how sorry this franchise has been(besides drafting KG).

It never gets old

Isn't he is jail?

Stretch it out.. hair is money

The worst 1st pick ever... don't even challenge it.

Well it finally caught up to the Bulls. What caught up to them? Wearing red at home and white on the road? No!... Slow starts. This really should have happened vs the Deers but Rose saved the day. The 76ers are very solid team. So solid they handed to the Bulls and won the season series 2-1. If I were the Magic.. I wouldn't take them lightly.

Just a mess of a night on defense. The Bulls looked to be in quick sand for most the night. Or asleep. Seems like this sluggish starts have started to be really bad since becoming the best in the east. Teams are gunning for the Bulls now so they need to take each game serious. If they wanna be killers they gotta come out to play every night. If they wanna be the 2010 Cavs then they will flop to end the season and in the playoffs. The Bulls have some tough games to close the season out in Boston and NYK(I know they suck but have been lights out vs the Bulls this year). While the Heat have the easier final games. I could see the season ending 1.Heat 2.Bulls and 3.Celtics if the Bulls keep this trend up.

Deng had another tough night. It seems like whenever Deng is off so is the whole team. He seems to be the bizarre key to this team. Noah,Boozer and others can have off nights and the Bulls can win. Seems when Deng struggles so do the Bulls. 3-11 tonight, lots of short shots. Gotta wonder if the minutes are getting to him.

Rose did all he could tonight but was too careless in the process. 31pts never looks good with 10 TOs. Just bad dribbling and even worse passing. Just seems to go too fast at times. I know as he gets older this will get better. The thing is that he never takes bad shots but a lot times makes bad passes.

Noah struggled with Hawes which is sorta like What? But he did. Left him open in crunch time and Hawes made him pay by hitting three jumpers... or pulled three jumpers out of his ass. Boozer is now officially on many Bulls fans most hated list. They are willing to ship him for Sean May and a bag of skittles(unless Sean may eats the Skittles first). I plan on diving more into this topic later in the week. I cant take over this game review about how wrong fans are with the slumping Boozer. In good time... All in good time.


This wll be a great wake up call and a lot good may come of this. I am guessing it can re focus the team that work needs to be done and cruise control will cost you everything. Like it did tonight.

The Players

Noah: Had a nice night stat wise but just struggled on help defense and with Hawes in the 4th. I think he is coming around to his old form which is good.
Boozer: Same for Boozer. A nice stat night with 15pts and 9rebs but still not scoring like he was earlier in the season. Defense is still pretty bad. If he can just get to avg...
Deng: Two straight tough games for Deng. 3-11 for 10pts. How are his legs holding up? Not well. Every shot short.
Bogans: Only hit one three tonight. BAD BOGANS! BAD!
Rose: Had his highlights. Got his points but gave up 10 TOs. Just a terrible night with the ball. The great thing is he will work on this. He will make it right. Just gonna take time. He was a huge reason we made a run back in the game but he was a huge reason we were down in the game...if that even makes sense.

The Bench Mob
Gibson: Now with bigger shoes(no really he wears a bigger shoe). Taj had 4pts and 3rebs and 2 blocks. Again in 16mins. I think he may get a bit more if Boozer keeps slacking. But I think he should be getting in the 20min range.
Korver: No three balls again. 4pts. Bad night.
Brewer: Brought some energy off the bench but missed two big FTs and was "meh".
Watson: Was paired with Rose for some more scoring. Was pretty much a non factor.
Asik: Did much of nothing in his 10 mins.

Talk about a frustrating game one minute and than a thrilling fun one the next. The Bulls played down most the game to the terrible Bucks. Fear the DEER was an issue for most the game. The Bulls just seem to be in cruise control and figured they just hang around long enough to start playing when they wanted to. Boozer had his up and down moments. Noah seemed to be back with his active play. Thibs went with a bizarre 4th quarter rotation as he started Rose in the 4th which he never does but with most things coaching and Thibs he knows what he was doing.

The Bulls looked bored for most the game until they swooped in and stole the game with great defense and Derrick Rose in the last 3 mins.

They seem to play some of these bad teams with a laid back approach. Like they are figuring out that they can play half ass for most the game to only turn it on and win because they are that much better. It also could be just with it being so late in the season and players I am sure are wanting to get to the playoffs. The Bulls can't do this as they must keep the focus on the number one seed.

The Bench did play well in spots. The defense was bad in spots. Derrick Rose only put another vote in his box for MVP when he took over the game. He was unreal most the game. Derrick Rose never comes out of the gate and says "I'm scoring". He picks and chooses his spots to score and get his team the ball. He uses such a great balance of judgment when doing this. He simply won't chuck the ball until it goes in. Even when he has bad shooting nights, its just him missing open shots or lay ins. I rarely see Rose take bad shots.

The Players

Noah: Looked to be his old self. 12 pts and 11 rebs. Ran the floor well. Had a huge dunk in the forth to spur the run. #GAMER.
Boozer: Up and down game but a better one than his Grizzlies game. 14pts and 11 rebs is solid. He still wasn't great on defense but I do think he is trying unlike some Bulls fans.
Deng: Struggled tonight. Only had 6 and 5. I do think his heavy mins will catch up to him on some nights so he gets a pass in my book.
Bogans: Hit two 3s and had 8 points on a rare lay up. If he hits two 3s a game than he worth something.
Rose: Out of this world. One of his best games. He seems to light up when Jennings stands in front of him. He abused him most the night. Rose was clutch and helped his MVP cause.

The Bench Mob

Gibson: Not many mins for Taj. Only 13. Does come in play solid D no matter one. Still the ultimate role player.
Thomas: 2 pts and all sexy
Brewer: Huge game with 10 pts and a lot of energy. Got some good 4th quarter mins. Not to mention his 4rebs and 2 steals.
Watson: Was pretty good. Helped with some scoring in the 4th. Only one dime but no TOs so whatever.
Korver: Kyle had a off 3pt night since he missed all three but had two back to back jumpers that gave the bulls some push.
Asik: Only 8 mins but 4rebs and two points. Very active.

I knew this game was gonna be a dog fight. The Grizzlies are a much improved team. They just beat the Celtics in bean town and you knew they would bring it to Chicago. The Bulls looked a bit sluggish for a lot of the game. Once the Grizzlies would get up 7 to 8 points the Bulls would say alright we will play along and erase the lead fast and than get a 4 to 5 point lead to only lose it again due to a lack of focus. The Bulls just turned it on and off through out the game. Some of our best players had a awful night(besides Deng) and we still pulled out a win which is a good sign that we can have off nights and still win.. Vs a playoff team no less.

The Grizzles did do some bullying as they were just more physical and having Tony Allen act like a total jack ass most the game helped the Bulls wake up a bit. Tony Allen never acted like that in Boston when playing the Bulls because A.Doc Rivers would have pulled him and sat him for 5 straight games and B.He faked a thumb injury one time so he wouldn't have to travel to Chicago due to a death threat. So that was one missed opportunity for him to act like a bat shit crazy mad man with a bad beard. After every made shot he would taunt players and the crowd. Like he had done something in the NBA. At one point after a fast break dunk he did a Michael Jackson kick thing and than pured into the crowd. Trust me Tony no one cares(besides the dudes that wanna MURK you). At least we got a nice Tony Allen MS Paint out of it. 

The Players

Noah: He did struggle at times. Also had some touch fouls. He seems to be in a funk right now. Just not getting to the rebounds. Its not a lack off effort. Just seems to be less confidant right now.
Boozer: Had a few nice moments but struggled on defense a lot. Guys like Randolph can push him around on the block. He did grab 9 REBs but had 5 TO
Deng: Had the best night of all the Bulls. Right now he is treading on.. never thought I would say this.. POOR MANS SCOTTIE PIPPEN... Yeah Had 23 and 6 Rebs and played great defense. His 3 point shot has become a great weapon and makes the Bulls that much harder to guard.
Bogans: Has a purpose... Hit 3s. He did this. Pass GO.. Collect $200.
Rose: Rose while shooting awful(6-22!) did make an impact. Great scores find a way when the shots are not falling. He got to the line for 12-13 shooting and made some great passes for scores. He worked on a triple double but came up short. He still forces things at times that result in TOs but thats gonna happen when you handle the rock so much.

The Bench Mob

Gibson: Played great for only 16 mins. Came right in and gave the Bulls life. Got some Horace Grant in him. 6pts and 7 Rebs in 16 mins is outstanding.
Thomas: Didn't do much. Was hoping he would punch Tony Allen in the face.
Korver: Hit one huge three. Struggled on defense. Sounds like most nights.
Brewer: Had a nice showing of 7pts and 4 rebs. Hit some surprising jumpers. Which is like Keanu Reeves "Whoa".
Watson: Was "meh". 1-5 but took care of the ball.
Asik: Omer didn't get a whole lot of time but did play well. He brought a lot of energy with Taj. Now if he could just hit a free throw. Hack-a-Asik coming soon.
Butler: Watched.

I had a good feeling after the Bulls laid an egg in Canada. You knew Coach Tibs and Rose would have this team ready to play. I did end up missing the first quarter but when I came in the Bulls were down 5 in the start of the 2nd. You could tell they really wanted this one. Derrick Rose and company just kept plugging away. They were down 10 points at many times and didn't panic.

The Defense did a 180 from previous night vs the Raptors. Guys like Brewer and Deng did a good job of pushing Lebron and Wade to areas of the court they didn't want to go. I think of the last shot of the 3rd when Brewer forced Wade to the corner for a very tough fade away three. Of course Lebron and Wade got theres. They are just tough to keep down when they are running and gunning. The Bulls shut down the fast break in the second half and that helped swing the game. Force the Heat tp play slow and the % goes up of beating them. There were times when guys like Kyle Korver would lose Wade on a cut to the hoop and Lebron would hit him for a easy lay in. Thats gonna happen when you have two wing players as good as them.

Noah did one of hell of a job on Bosh most the night. Boozer was on him at times and was much improved from his Raptor game efforts. Bosh went 1/18!!!!1 which is like..dear lord. I have never been blown away with Bosh. He seems like a Jermaine O'neal to me. A big who is in love with the 18-20 foot shot when if he wanted to he could go to the block and wreck havoc. Last time the Bulls played the Heat he came off as a lazy pussy when he basically said Asik hustled too hard and that's why he got hurt. This time he just plain sucked. Sorry I really can't stand you.

In the end the Bulls team effort was too much. The bench was out standing. Reggie Miller at one point asked "who is gonna score out here?" The Bulls bench than went on a run lead by Brewer and Asik tough rebounding. Down the stretch Rose made some clutch moves(one time broke Lebrons ankles but missed) and made the smart pass to Deng for the win. Lebron jacked a terrible 3 that Deng defended very well and it missed everything but the back board. The Madhouse on Madison went nuts. DaBulls Win.

Player run down.
*Noah: Played Bosh great, was a huge reason Bosh had one of the worst shooting nights in NBA history. At times he seemed gassed which is normal coming off such a long lay off but his effort gave the Bulls the edge. I don't think they win this game with out him.
*Boozer: Played well. I think he struggles at times with bigger longer post defenders like a Bosh and he went right at him a few times and scored. His defense was a lot better this night than the previous. He was worth every penny last night.
*Deng: Started off slow but chasing Lebron around and playing the minutes he does can lead to some slow starts. Deng only had 20 points 10 Rebs and 5 dimes while putting Lebron into some tough shots... Oh and he hit the game winner. Are Bulls fans finally gonna give Deng credit and stop trying to deal him at any chance they get?
*Bogans: Did he play? Oh yeah he did start but just logged 17 mins and was 0-4. Blah.
*Rose: Had an off night shooting wise but was clutch when it counted. He picked and chose his spots and it seemed to work. He even had the larger Lebron(which shows what kind of insane athlete he is) on him and got to the rim at will. His last fade away jump shot was maybe a bad attempt since he can get to the rim so easy and was living at the line. There were a few times when he just made bad choices with the ball and turned it over but a night when things weren't going perfect for Rose and he still battled through and had an impact.

Brewer: Played great. Had an impact on the defensive end. Made a huge jump shot down the stretch. Was super active. He is a great bench player period.
Korver: Struggled on Defense but that's not surprising when he has to match up with a Wade or Lebron but did hit two 3s. He was 2-7 and could have been better. He missed some wide open 3s.
Taj Gibson: Talk about a up and down night. Taj at one point had some nice moments with a block and 5pts but than had three straight plays he would love to have back. Missed a dunk and than a lay up. On the next Heat fast break he gave Lebron a and one. Taj than just walked to the bench frustrated. I think he still struggles with limited time(only 15 mins) he gets now(from last year).
Omer Asik: Showed everyone why he wasn't traded. I'm glad we didn't pull the trigger. He plays hard and will only get better. He's a great solid back up. 11 Rebs... Oh yeah.
Watson: Didn't do anything to hurt the Bulls or anything to really make an impact but was +5 in PER.
                                                              Bulls               Heat

Points	89	93
FG Made-Attempted	32-79 (.405)	34-82 (.415)
3P Made-Attempted	2-12 (.167)	4-21 (.190)
FT Made-Attempted	23-27 (.852)	21-25 (.840)
Rebounds (Offensive-Total)	6-39	13-53
Assists	12	17
Turnovers	12	14
Steals	8	7
Blocks	5	3
Fast Break Points	34	18
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant)	23 (2/0)	27 (0/0)
Largest Lead	11	9