Indiana Pacers
De Ja Vu: Rose, Deng Lead Bulls Over Trailblazers in OT
Saturday, February 27th, 2010 | Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, NBA, Portland Trailblazers, Sports, Utah Jazz | No Comments
For the 2nd game in a row, Derrick Rose and Luol Deng paved the way for a big Bulls win at the United Center. Rose scored 33 points – 12 in the 4th quarter – to get the Bulls into the extra period. Rose thought he had won the game with a driving layup as the horn sounded to end the 4th quarter, but the ball rimmed out. The Trailblazers held Rose scoreless in OT, but Deng chipped in 7 of his 23 points in the extra frame and the Bulls were able to pull away for a 115-111 overtime victory over one of the better teams in the NBA. Joakim Noah also had one of his better games since dealing with a severe foot injury – he scored 8 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 27 minutes.
The Bulls are now 31-27 overall with a stellar 19-9 home record at the United Center. The Bulls are in Indiana tonight to take on the Pacers, before returning home to play the next 4 games in the United Center against the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz.
Rose, Deng Lead Bulls Past Pacers 120-110
Thursday, February 25th, 2010 | Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, NBA, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sports | 1 Comment
The Chicago Bulls kept up their fast start after the NBA All-Star Break with an easy 120-110 win over the Indiana Pacers at the United Center in Chicago. Luol Deng led the way for the Bulls with 31 points and 9 rebounds. He also blocked 4 shots on the defensive end. Derrick Rose just missed a triple-double with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Taj Gibson also turned in another solid effort with a double-double – 14 points and 11 rebounds (including 7 offensive boards).
Granted the Bulls 5 of 6 streak out of the gate is somewhat expected – they beat the Knicks twice, the Timberwolves, the 76ers and the Pacers. But in the NBA, you play your schedule and you have to win these games. The Bulls are now 3 games over .500 at 30-27. They have a lock on the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference with a 1.5 games lead over each of the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks. The Charlotte Bobcats are the only other team in the hunt for the 8th seed in the East (2.5 games behind the Bulls), so the Bulls are in a good position to qualify for the post-season for the 2nd year in a row.
Bulls, Blackhawks Get Back on Track with Saturday Night Wins
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, NBA, NHL, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks each got back on track with bug wins on Saturday night.
The Bulls defeated the Miami Heat 95-91 in front of a crazy home crowd at the United Center. The win snapped a 3-game losing streak after the team had played so well on their west coast road trip. Luol Deng (25 points, 7 rebounds) and Derrick Rose (24 points, 5 rebounds) led the way for the Bulls. The Bulls are tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the 6th/7th seeds in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The Heat and Milwaukee Bucks are tied for the 8th and final seed in the conference. It’s going to be a battle down the finale 3 months of the season for these playoff-hungry clubs. The Bulls have 2 more games – tonight at the Indiana Pacers and Wednesday night v. Orlando Magic – before the NBA All-Star Break this weekend.
The Blackhawks defeated the Blues 2-1 on the road in St. Louis. The win snapped a 3-game losing streak – the last 2 of which were tough home losses in which the Hawks blew early leads. Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews tallied the Hawks 2 goals in the win, while Annti Niemi had a stellar night in net, stopping 34 of 35 shots on goal. The Blues scored their only goal with under 2 minutes to play in the game, denying Niemi his 5th shutout of the season. The Hawks still hold a 15-point lead in their division and they trail the West-leading San Jose Sharks by only 4 points for the best record in the Western Conference. The Hawks have 3 more games – tonight v. Dallas Stars; Saturday night v. Atlanta Thrashers; and Sunday afternoon at Columbus Blue Jackets – before the Olympics break.
If the Bulls and Blackhawks can keep up this exciting pace, Chicago sports fans will have a lot to cheer about at the United Center come NBA and NHL playoffs time in April, May and June…
Bulls Top Pacers 104-95; 7th Seed in East?!
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 | Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, NBA, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Bulls defeated the Indiana Pacers 104-95 at the United Center on Tuesday night. With the win, the Bulls are now 12-17 – good for the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference. What a joke?!
For now, it looks like Vinny Del Negro’s job is safe. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with a dominating performance – 28 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds (he did have 6 turnovers however). Luol Deng continues to be a consistent presence for the Bulls – 15 points and 8 rebounds. “Bench” players also were the key to success in the win: Tyrus Thomas grabbed 15 boards and was clearly missed by the Bulls as he recovered from a broken arm injury. John Salmons poured in 17 points while Brad Miller chipped in 16.
The Bulls close out 2009 with a trip to Detroit to play the Pistons on New Year’s Eve. The Pistons have lost 8 straight games, so the Bulls are hoping they can make that 9 in a row…
Chicago Bulls – - As Inconsistent As Ever
Thursday, February 26th, 2009 | Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Sports | No Comments
What is going on with this frustrating Chicago Bulls NBA Team?
Friday night in Chicago, the Bulls beat the 38-20 Denver Nuggets easily -116-99.
Two nights later in Indianapolis, the Bulls struggle against the 25-35 Pacers and lose 98-91.
On Tuesday night back home in Chicago, the Bulls cruise to a 120-102 win over the 42-15 Orlando Magic.
But the next night, in a battle against a team one game behind them in the Eastern Conference playoff race – the 26-32 New Jersey Nets – the Bulls lay an egg in the 4th quarter (getting outscored 37-21) and lose 111-99.
If the Bulls would have won those 2 games against lesser opponents, they would actually be tied with the Detroit Pistons for the 7th and 8th seeds in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But so it stands that the Bulls continue to lose to teams that they “should beat” and continue to stay on the outside looking in for the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Granted, the Bulls have had to adjust with the addition of 3 new players into the regular rotation – John Salmons, Tim Thomas and Brad Miller. But this isn’t a new occurrence for the Bulls during the 2008-9 NBA season. The Bulls have already lost games to Memphis, Charlotte, Minnesota (twice), Oklahoma City, the New York Knicks and Toronto. Even if the Bulls don’t lose half of those games, that’s 3 more wins that gets them closer to the .500 mark that will probably be good enough to make the playoffs in the East.
More and more collapses in the 4th quarter lead many to believe that 1st year head coach Vinny Del Negro just doesn’t have what it takes to be a consistent head coach at this level. Others feel that the Bulls really don’t have a solid player beyond Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon – who himself has limitations because of his small size as a guard. That being said, it’s probably a combination of both.
The Bulls still have a good shot to make the playoffs in the East, but they will have to buck that trend of losing to teams that are either behind them or just ahead of them in the East. Except for a stretch in March where the Bulls have to play Orlando, New Orleans, Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers in an 11-day stretch, the Bulls schedule features numerous games against teams that are 1-3 games ahead of them and teams that are behind them in the East. This means a recipe for taking care of your own business and having the ability to control your own destiny. That’s all you can ask for, but I’d be willing to bet that the Bulls don’t have what it takes to come out on top in enough of those games to qualify for the post-season for a 2nd straight disappointing season in Chicago.
