Archive for February 11th, 2009
Bulls Pull Off Dramatic 107-102 Win Over Pistons
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 | Chicago Bulls, NBA, Sports | No Comments
It was a roller coaster ride on Tuesday night at the United Center. The Bulls were up 8 points after 1 quarter, down by 1 point at halftime, down 12 points by the end of the 3rd quarter and still down by 10 points (100-90) with only 3 minutes left in the game. But somehow, some way, the Bulls found the will to win for Johnny “Red” Kerr on Tuesday night at the United Center – their first home game since their January 23rd 20-point blowout loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Bulls scored the next 9 points in the game to cut the Pistons lead to 1. After Rasheed Wallace knocked down 2 free throws to give the Pistons a 3-point lead, the Bulls scored the games final 8 points to secure the win. Derrick Rose converted a key layup to pull the Bulls within 1 point, and Ben Gordon’s four-point play (after a Derrick Rose rejection which Rose recovered and dished out to Gordon) put the Bulls ahead for good.
The Bulls received quality games from 5 players – Tyrus Thomas (22 points, 10 rebounds – 6 offensive); Derrick Rose (23 points, 4 assists); Ben Gordon(24 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists); Joakim Noah (12 points, 16 rebounds – 8 offensive); Andres Nocioni (14 points, 4 rebounds).
It was an emotional night as the Bulls unveiled a statue of Johnny Kerr holding a microphone that will be displayed inside the United Center. In addition to speeches by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, President Barack Obama and NBA Commissioner David Stern recorded taped messages to honor Kerr. Kerr is a Chicago native who coached the Chicago Bulls in their inaugural season and broadcast their games on television for more than 30 years. Kerr was in a wheel chair as he is battling a fight with cancer.
Next up for the Bulls is another important Eastern Conference match-up against the Miami Heat on Thursday night at the United Center. A win will give the team some momentum going into the All-Star Break and give the team some confidence as they open the post-All-Star Break schedule against the Milwaukee Bucks – the team directly ahead of them for the race for the 8th seed in the East. Go Bulls!
