8th May, 2012: Playoffs Round 1 Game 5 – Sixers @ Bulls

Bulls: 1-3

This is it, win or go home. Luckily the Bulls are back at home now and hopefully the UC can make enough noise and get them through a win. It’s still amazing what has happened in the last two weeks, but that’s over now, let’s at least have some pride and go down swinging! Let’s GO! – JK

Gist:

1st quarter:

10:20  Lu has come out very aggressive tonight. Hitting a jumper then a nice drive and dish to Booz. Bulls up 4-0 early and Lu’s looking sharp. He’s obviously injured and has trouble dribbling, turning it over a lot. But he’s out there, playing in obvious pain and right now a 60% Deng is better than no Deng at all.

06:50  Bulls defense is so solid tonight, much better than all the previous three games. They’l need it if they want to win this because of all the low scoring. 

03:30  Lu with the bank shot for 2 with the shot clock down to 1! Bulls down 10-12. This is a majorly ugly game on the offensive end for both teams. Neither are shooting well or can run a proper set for decent look. All opportunistic baskets here. 

00:38  Brew with the and one layup! Bulls down 14-16. Happy for Brew, he was left out of game 3 without any explanation, well at least not the media, and took it in his stride. He’s a pro and you can always tell from his attitude. 

00:00  Bulls up 17-16, wiht a 7-0 run to cap the first quarter. It’s an ugly game as you can tell from the low scoring. The defense is strong though, gotta keep it up and keep grinding. 

2nd quarter:

08:56  Big block by Taj! And the putback down the other end! Bulls up 21-18. Taj is showing good energy at both ends of the floor. Hopefully he can provide the scoring like last game. 

06:41  Lou Williams in for the layup, and Kyle Korver just ripped John Lucas for not stepping up on him and getting his man. When Kyle’s yelling at you on D, you know you’ve done something wrong! But good to see intensity from Kyle. He’s been a good leader with Derrick and Jo out being the voice of the team. He’s probably the most well spoken of everyone. 

02:25  Bit of a tussle on the floors with Taj and Elton Brand. You gotta love an NBA scuffle and John Lucas is all fired up! Little man’s complex! Haha. Good to show a bit of fight! Go down swinging!

00:00  Half ends with the bulls up 35-26. Lot’s of heart shown by the Bulls fighting for loose balls and sticking hard on the defensive end. The offense isn’t being generated off sets, more broken plays and opportunistic plays, that’s alright as long as they’re also defending the transition well too. 

3rd quarter:

09:38  CJ with a nice wrap around feed to Booz for the layup. Bulls up 41-31. CJ having another rough night on his shot but playing a decent floor game. Rip was also having trouble with his shot and on the defensive end as well. 

02:06  Taj is down with his ankle now. Bulls just cannot catch a break. It’s been such a rough post season for the Bulls so far. Taj was playing great as well, he’s heading straight to the locker room. Bulls up 53-46. 

01:16  Booz with another turnaround jumper to put the Bulls up 55-46. He’s has a great quarter, scored 10 of his 15 in this quarter so far. Exactly, what the Bulls need from him. 

00:00  Booz finishes the quarter with a great drop step and layup! Bulls end the quarter up 57-48. Bulls found it very easy to use Boozer to score that quarter and finally kept feeding him while hot. They have a tendency to go away from him once he misses one or two. But he carried them that quarter and ticked the score over. 

4th quarter:

08:24  Lu with a deep deep three! Bulls up 64-49. u’s had his stroke on tonight, where was this for the last few games? Glad it’s back now at least. 

06:43  Taj checks back into the game. Showing great heart to come back in. Gotta love the guy! Bulls up 67-58. 

05:23  Brew with the big block as he just rips it away! Bulls up 71-58. Taj just can’t stop screaming out there with how much his ankle hurts. It’s unbelievable, he was shooting free throws screaming the whole way. 

00:00  Bulls WIN! 77-69. Ugly win, but way to grind it out and show some spirit for the hometown fans. 

Good Stuff:

• Gotta love the fight that Taj gave out there. He went down with a rolled ankle, then had the heart to come back in obvious pain to play it out and play well still giving it everything jumping all over the place. 
• Lu and Booz on the points tonight were big and really what the Bulls needed with 24 and 19 respectively. 

Bad Stuff:

• Not much from Rip and Korver tonight, but maybe its now evident that this isn’t their type of series. The Sixers seems to snuff out their plays from Game 2 onwards and both haven’t been able to get it going at all the last 4 games. 

MVP: Luol Deng/Carlos Boozer/Taj Gibson

• Luol with 24-8-1-2-2 and Boozer with 19-13-6 and a block were keeping the Bulls afloat as they desperately needed.
• Taj had 8-7-1 with 4 blocks and showing a ton of heart. Really lifted the team emotionally. 

Nice grind it out win of an ugly game. A win is a win though, and its always good to show fight, pride and ensure they don’t get sent home from their home court. They’ll play it out now and try to get the next one in Philly, then Game 7 is a coin toss but back at the UC. Let’s get there!

JK

6th May, 2012: Playoffs Round 1 Game 4 – Bulls @ Sixers

Bulls: 1-2

Game 4 Bulls with their backs to the wall–season on life support basically. Today is must win game and they’re going to have to do it without Jo, out with an ankle sprain. There are keys that just must be done, or else this game and series is over: 1. Find a way to score, 2. Defend transition, 3. Lu and CJ need to pick it up, 4. Thibs needs to not kill another member of the team. That’s all I ask, let’s go win it. – JK

Gist:

1st quarter:

08:20  Rip with a nice transition layup after a nice strip by Booz on the defensive end. Game tied at 8. Game has started pretty tight with little movement on offense for the Bulls but getting a bit better as the game has gone on. CJ has already taken some quick shots in the clock though, he needs to let it come naturally to him. He’s forcing out there. 

04:45  Terrible stretch for the Bulls as they can’t buy a basket and go down 8-18. Everything just seems so tough out there, shots aren’t falling, Lu got stripped down low after getting position, turnovers. Defensively they’re not protecting the paint or closing out hard enough. 

03:55  Deng with the nice drive and an and one! Bulls down 10-18. Need him to hit his free throws and keep being aggressive. 

00:00  After 1, Bulls down 15-24. Again, there’s trouble generating any kind of offense, shooting 28% FG. Twenty-eight. CJ has totally lost confidence blowing a wide open layup. Booz is in foul trouble already with 2. And the shots just aren’t falling for Rip or Deng. Hopefully the bench can bring something here today. 

2nd quarter:

09:46  Taj with a strong move and gets the foul. He’s playing well so far on both ends. Bulls down 21-27 now. Actually not doing too bad for how poorly they are playing. 

08:45  Taj with nice position and dunk for the Bulls 25-29 now. Taj has been huge so far he has the last 10 points for the Bulls. Time for a coming out party. He’s always been that luxury off the bench. I think he’s worth keeping this offseason if it came down to either him or Omer, basically for his offensive skills and that he’s still a very good defender. 

02:38  Bulls have hung tough and pulled to a 36 tie game. Taj is playing incredible and working well with Booz in the post. John Lucas needs to settle down a bit and play a proper PG role, he’s running up the court and not coming back to dribble up. Then he’s dribbling off his foot, he just needs to calm down out there. 

00:00  Half ends with Bulls down 2, 42-44. Hawes is killing us so far with his jump shooting. Bulls have hung tough and leveled out the game. Taj was huge in that second quarter after leaving with his 3rd foul, Boozer is looking a bit better on his shot as well. Our wings are struggling so much, Rip and Lu with nothing so far and they didn’t even play the second quarter. And right now, Kyle and Brew are actually looking better. For the second half, just need to make sure there isn’t that big drop off like in the last couple of games. Thibs needs to adjust and use his timeouts wisely for any kind of momentum needs. 

3rd quarter:

08:18  Lu with a 3! Finally! Bulls up 49-48. Let’s go now, make the run. Bulls needs to take what’s given to them on offense, can’t be forcing shots. That time they actually moved the ball well to Lu in the corner and he drained it.  

06:24  CJ with a 3! Bulls up 56-50. Hopefully this gives him some confidence, he needs it big time. He’s not forcing as much this quarter which is better. 

00:00  End of the 3rd and the Bulls down 63-64. They hung tough there with CJ showing some life having 7 points and Booz doing well to tick the score over. Rip and Lu are still struggling. Both of them can’t get any foul calls but I’m not sure how many are deserved. They’re driving in wildly and Lu clearly can’t handle the ball with his wrist, he loses it so much now. Might be worth the game to put Kyle in with Rip and see if you can blow the game open. 

4th quarter:

08:55  Again the Bulls cannot find a way to score here. At least Thibs has made early moves pulling John Lucas for CJ early and getting Booz back on. But they just cannot get any shots to fall. Bulls down 65-70. It’s only 5 points but that feels like 10 in these games. 

05:46  Down 5 here, and the Bulls have the Sixers in the penalty. They need to play some good defense and get some stops. Then on offense play strong, no turnovers and get to the line. Series will come down to these next 3 minutes. Need to draw level or be up at the 2 minute mark. 

03:18  Booz with the and one, after Jrue Holiday drained a couple of threes to put the Sixers up big. Bulls down 76-80 now. C’mon, fight and pull it out!

00:00  B

Good Stuff:

• At least CJ showed something tonight? Boozer again had a decent double double? Taj had a career high in a playoff game? It’s just simply not enough out there. It’s not getting us the W’s. 

Bad Stuff:

• Lots of things really: 1. Offense still couldn’t find a way to score, 2. No clear clock management message at 40 secs 4 points down, 3. Defense on Hawes was terrible and let him have 22 points, 4. Rip and Lu 6-20 between them, 5. Rotations aren’t working, 6. Booz with a terrible key turnover at the end, 7. Really bad end of the whistle tonight…

MVP: N/A

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Bulls head back to Chicago now down 1-3 in the series. Today was a must win game, but it seems like they’re just going to go quietly into the night on this season. Just too much to overcome, not enough hands on deck.

JK

4th May, 2012: Playoffs Round 1 Game 3 – Bulls @ Sixers

Bulls: 1-1

Game 3 away, series tied. Bulls really need to take this win to regain their momentum. Defense, adjustments on offense to counter the blitzing on Kyle and Rip, Lu and Boozer picking it up–all keys to tonight’s game. #DoItForDerrick Let’s GO! - JK

Gist:

1st quarter:

11:01  Booz with a nice rainbow jumper to open scoring. Bulls up 2-0. Nice start from Booz after a shaky opening possession from the BUlls with a 24 second violation. 

10:09  Lu with the and one! Lu and Booz coming out of the gate. Great to see. Both guys need to really step it up tonight for the Bulls to win it. Bulls up 4-2. 

07:59  Lu with the great long pass to Rip for the transition layup. Bulls up 8-5. Need more transition from Rip for easier points as well. Good sign with Rip, Lu and Booz getting on the board early. 

00:00  John Lucas beats the clock for a 1 point, 20-19 lead to ned the 1st quarter! Nice 1st quarter from Booz, he’s on 10-3-1, 5-6FG. Great start. Rip’s doing better off the blitzing screens making plays, that’s the best way to work out of those screens instill some doubt in them and get free. Lu is struggling a bit early, doesn’t seem even 90% out there. Need to get a handle on Turner and Williams tonight, they’ve done the damage. 

2nd quarter:

06:45  Bulls have their defense up a notch right now. Sixers are going a lot of one and done jump shots. Exactly what they need to do. Bulls up 30-25. 

05:43  Bill Murray in the house! He’s a Bulls fan. I love his movies, he’s awesome. 

03:27  Real grind it out game at the moment with both defenses locking down hard. Turner is still killing the Bulls on the offensive end. Bulls up 35-32. Jimmy Butler in, ahead of Brew. Thibs must really be down on Brew, he hasn’t played well lately and its hard in this series as he’s not much of a scorer. I feel bad for him cos he stepped up a lot this season with Rip and Lu out with injury. He had a great start but his shot has really gone away. He’ll definitely be back, he’s a pro’s pro. 

00:00  Half ends with the Bulls in an offensive funk. Bulls are down 1, 39-40. Need to feed Booz a bit more still and run the offense through him a bit. Rip’s doing a good job drawing fouls and making plays. Overall the Bulls need to also take care of the ball better. Lu is struggling big time tonight, he’s just not healthy out there and in foul trouble now. Need to pick up the offense in the second half. 

3rd quarter:

10:21  Jo with a great transition layup from a Rip pass. Bulls go up 43-40 early in the third. The start to this third quarter is vital going on from last game. The Bulls need to take control early and really give the effort to build a lead here. Lu is still struggling, dribbling off his foot early in the third. I think it might be a good time to insert Ronnie as you get the same defense and maybe a different look offensively. 

07:57  Jo’s just gone down with his ankle. Looked like a really severe roll. He’s been healthy all year, such a shame. 

06:46  Jo was trying to go, but it looked like he tweaked his ankle again in there. Bulls had to foul someone to get him out, none of the perimeter guys did and Jo had to foul and give Turner the and one. Gotta be smart there, c’mon!!

02:20  Omer with the nice lay in. Bulls up 58-50. Bulls showing fight here and forcing Sixers offensive into one and done shots. 

00:00  Bulls go up 60-51 to end the 4th. Ugly play that quarter and Jo going down is going to be tough. He’s still insisting on staying on the bench and not calling it a night. They shouldn’t risk it. Even if he has to sit out next game because its likely going to swell, Bulls do have enough up front I think without him in. He needs to rest it and get it better, it was a bad roll. Bulls just have to keep getting back on transition D, they’re stopping that well. 

4th quarter:

10:13  Rip drains a huge 3 over Turner! Bulls up 67-53. Looked like he loaded up on that one to take it to Turner again. Jo’s coming back in? No…please don’t. I’m saving the rant for after the game. Woosahhh…

03:55  Sorry was ranting on Twitter about Thibs for about 5 minutes there. Bulls are struggling big time not, up 71-68 but fading fast. Sixers are pressuring hard, Bulls are turning it over. Gotta hang tough here. 

01:24  Bulls down 3 now and just have no one to turn to on offense. Absolutely lost out there. John Lucas decides its a good move to just jack up shots with 18 seconds left in the shot clock. No ones moving, balls turning it over, it’s not looking good. 

00:00  Bulls lose, 74-79 final. Down 1-2 in this series now, Rose out, Jo on a bad wheel, possibly out next game, Lu’s struggling, Brew’s out of the rotation…I can’t see it ending well at all this season, let alone this series. Seems like there’s just too much against us here.

Good Stuff:

• N/A

Bad Stuff:

• Thibs. You just can’t trust him to be responsible out there, I’m sorry. Is this the reason he was never made a head coach, for his inability to look at the long term for a team? Allowing Jo to go back in, was plain irresponsible and madness. No other head coach in the league would have done that, and the fact that we were up 14 makes it worse. Asik was playing fine. Thibs has to be held accountable for keeping Noah out of the game, no matter what Noah says. Of course Jo is going to want to come back in, he’s a competitor. But are your players coaching or are you? He needs control AND self control. 
• The offense is just totally broken out there. There’s no movement, no sets. Why didn’t they feed Boozer earlier on in the third after a hot first half? Why not give Korver more of a run when Rip was struggling with his shot? Lot of questions.

MVP: N/A

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Really bad loss giving up a 14 point lead. Down 1-2 in this series now and fading. Someone needs to step up and right this ship otherwise they really will fade into the night of the NBA season in spectacular fashion. Gotta bring it in Game 4 otherwise kiss this season goodbye.

JK

1st May, 2012: Playoffs Round 1 Game 2 – Sixers @ Bulls

Bulls: 1-0

Obviously the news on DRose was the worst possible–out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. It’s crushing, there’s been so much talk about it, and all there is left is to send the best of wishes to Derrick. But there’s still games to win. It’s a matter of how, not why as Kyle Korver said. This team is still hungry and if anything they want to #DoItForDerrick.  Let’s GO! - JK

Gist:

1st quarter:

07:15  Booz is getting killed by Brand defensively. He just can’t keep up and needs to give giving more resistance or at least making himself dangerous on the other end. I think with Derrick out now, there’s a opportunity to run a bit of offense through Booz as they had some success with during the regular season. 

04:18  CJ takes a very quick 3 early in the shot clock. We don’t need that. Can’t fall in love with the jumpshot, that’s what killed us in the regular season when we couldn’t score the ball. It was just one on one and jumpshot after jumpshot. Score tied at 16.

00:34  CJ with the 3! Bulls up 28-25. Great transition offense. Bulls need to find a way to free up Rip a bit better, the Sixers are blitzing him off the screen so that he has to give it up across the court and doesn’t have the avenue into the block. 

00:00  Bulls end the quarter up 3, 28-25. So far they’ve played decently, Jo has been huge so far and Rip’s hit a couple of jumpers. Just have to keep it rolling. 

2nd quarter:

09:54  Sixers score on a transition. They’re coming up empty on jumpers so far this quarter and the Sixers are running out for dunks. The Bulls really need to slow the game down and make Philly play in the half court set. If they get out transition, they will kill you with their athleticism. Bulls down 28-29.  

07:59  Taj comes flying through with the put back after a couple of goes. Bulls up 32-29. Bulls are going to need the bench offensively more than ever now. Korver, Taj, Lucas and Brew are going to have to put in some points when they get on the court. 

03:36  Give up the ball John Lucas! He dribbles around until there’s 9 left on the shot clock then gives it to Jo of all people to bail him out? He’s lucky Jo bailed him out with the running hook. Bulls up 41-39. 

03:08  Jo just crossed Thaddeus Young something fierce! Taj is loving it on the bench! Bulls up 43-39. 

00:51  Jo makes back to back jumpers! Bulls up 53-45. Jo hasn’t missed a shot, he’s playing his butt off out there. If Jo can score like this it’s definitely the right way to winning. Consistency is the issue though, he can pop up but you can’t rely on him for his scoring. Booz, Rip, Lu really need to bring that. 

00:00  Half ends with the Bulls making a nice run and end up 55-47. Jo is on fire having a great game, and John Lucas is scoring. Bit of a concern with Rip and Korver being pretty controlled out there but the blitzing Sixers D. Bulls need to run something different to spring them free. 

3rd quarter:

10:25  Booz has to box out on Brand. Bulls had Turner dead cold throwing up a wild shot and Brand just strolled in for the put back. He gets paid as the number 2, he needs to play like it. 

06:39  Bulls are in a funk right now. Booz is not producing, ball is getting turned over, surprised Thibs isn’t calling time. Sixers are hitting everything out there. Bulls down 3, 61-64.

03:44  Long 3 from CJ! Bulls down 66-70. Let’s go make a run here. Bulls need to tighten it up on D and bring it on offense. Too much one on one at the moment. 

02:11  Interesting that Reggie Miller mentions Thibs doesn’t want to use all his timeouts to stop this run. He has to in my opinion. This kind of run is going to turn the game, he needs to make more in game adjustments here. That’s my one peeve with how he coaches in that he wants everything the same, the same guys, the same effort, and drilling the guys the same way, but there is something to be said for adjustments. You can see how Doug Collins has adjusted by shutting down the shooting opportunities for Rip and Kyle by blitzing them. What has Thibs done? He’s still running the same sets trying to spring them free. Understand that this doubt only come about when losing but it seems evident. 

00:00  Bulls got spanked in this quarter. The number of alley ops, free dunks and layups the Sixers got was really unacceptable. And now you get yourself in a 69-83 hole. Need a lot more effort, patience on offense and focus on D to bring this back. 

4th quarter:

11:23  Not sure why Rip isn’t out there? I know you need Brew in for defense but he just lined drove a jumper off a Korver pass after he was doubled. Surely you need the scoring here. Bulls down 69-85. 

09:45  Once Korver gets doubled off the curl he’s getting the ball to the open man usually Booz/Taj, but that next pass is the one that gets the Bulls in trouble. They turn it over or Booz isn’t hitting the shot. This is what I mean about adjustments, it’s been happening all game and nothing is being done by it. Make the other wing cut in, tell the PF to make a play, do something!

08:50  11 consecutive misses for the Bulls. Down 21 now, 70-91. It’s over. DRose’s face tells the story.

00:00  Bulls lose 92-109. Disappointing way to bounce back from the DRose injury. 

Good Stuff:

• Jo had his best game in a while and really the only guy who can hold his head up for his full game effort. 

Bad Stuff:

• Was really disappointed Thibs didn’t try more things out there. What about using Rip and Korver together for the offense we needed at the start of the 4th? We didn’t see Rip in the 4th at all and he only had 22 minutes. Deng hardly saw any minutes. We saw a bit of CJ and John Lucas together but I thought he could’ve also called more timeouts to stop the run. You don’t want to run out of them at the end but they might be worthless in the end which they turned out to be. 
• Rip, Lu and Booz combined for 27 points. Not good enough for those three who are supposed to be carrying the scoring load. They need to give so much more and can’t be the guys sitting on the pine while Lucas, Korver and Taj are trying to win it out there. 

MVP: Joakim Noah

• The only Bulls who had the right attitude and produced on the court tonight. He had 21-8-5 and 1 steal on 10-11 FGs. 

Disappointing game, but they will move on and need to.  Derrick is not coming back, that’s for sure, but the other guys need to produce. It’s not a choice, it’s a requirement. It’s only one game, can’t get too high or low in the playoffs, but do need to bring the effort.

JK

28th April, 2012: Playoffs Round 1 Game 1 – Sixers @ Bulls

Bulls: 0-0

Playoff time baby! 1st round is against the Sixers. Time to get some game into DRose’s legs, get game time together as a starting unit, stay healthy and rack up the wins. 16 to the ring, Let’s GO! - JK

Gist:

1st quarter:

08:50  Bulls have started well with the scoring spread and DRose looking lively. They go up 10-3 early and looking very sharp to start. All the starters have scored except for Noah. And Doug Collins calls for time! 

06:42  Booz with the nice fadeaway jumper to put the Bulls up 12-7. He’s continuing his nice shooting from the regular season. We need him to work this playoffs.

05:01  Rip with the jumper and he’s catching fire, shooting 4-4. Bulls up 19-11, and working well. Defense is a little sloppy and letting the Sixers get some easy scores. Need to tighten up a little. 

04:03  Jo with huge and one slam! Bulls up 23-15. Jo’s on the bard now in an emphatic way! We need his energy on defense a little more though. Brand had gotten some easy scores. 

00:00  After 1 the Bulls are up 28-24. Great start for the Bulls, they usually start sluggish in these day games but came out focused. Defense needs a bit of tightening up out there. A couple of uncontested dunks purely on rotation errors. Offense is humming with scoring coming from all avenues. They gave up a bit of a buffer in the lead there but just need to tighten up on D and get it back. 

2nd quarter:

09:40  CJ with the great dish to Jo for the slam! Bulls up 35-28. CJ’s been so big this season and his confidence is so much better. He’s more DRose than John Lucas this season in terms of being a PG. That’s a good thing. 

06:35  Bulls are struggling a bit on the offensive end at the moment. Booz, Rip and DRose go back in. Gotta get back into offensive rhythm now. Up 39-33 still. Philly are pushing the ball every chance they get. They’re also decent on the offensive end so the Bulls really need to take care of the ball. 

04:05  Jo with the nice tip in after the DRose miss on a layup. Bulls up 43-36. And then DRose feeding Rip on the break for a layup! Bulls up 45-36 now, Rip having a great game! 

03:07  Kyle takes a big charge! Great defensive play. And DRose turns the corner on Evan Turner and lays up for the 47-36 lead. Take that son!

01:50  DRose with the jumper after the nice screen by Jo springs him loose. Bulls up 51-40 and DRose is heating up! Watch out! 

00:00  At the half Bulls are up 53-42. Bulls had a nice spurt in the the second half of that quarter to get the lead up. The bench isn’t producing that great at the moment Kyle and Brew struggling specifically on offense. Bulls need to lock down on Brand and Young taking those mid range jumpers. Good first half though. 

3rd quarter:

09:25  Rip hitting a jumper and opening up scoring for a 55-48 lead after a lazy Bulls start this quarter. DRose has turned it over twice and totally lost Jrue Holiday on defense. Gotta pick it up before Thibs bursts a vein. 

08:03  DRose with a 3! And the Bulls go back up 12, 60-48. DRose looks angry out there and he should be because the Bulls just keep letting the Sixers back into this game with them drawing as close as 5 early this quarter. They need to build up the lead to make cutting it to 10-12 a closer affair for the Sixers. By the way, Deng is playing Iguodala fantastically he’s shooting 2-10 FG so far, great job by Lu. 

05:51  DRose with another 3! Bulls up 65-51. I guess he’s ok! But really he is a bit rusty still and still having a great game even though not getting to the rim a whole lot. Brand still giving the Bulls fits with his jump shots. 

05:06  Booz with the strong and one from a nice feed from Jo! Bulls up 68-53 now. Jo is playing a great, great game too. He’s on 8-10-3-12 so far. Awesome. 

01:02  Kyle with a 3! Nice for him to get on the board and puts the Bulls up 75-64. Definitely will need Kyle’s shooting this playoffs, had a rough start earlier this game. 

00:00  Bulls finish the quarter up 79-66. Again that quarter the Bulls opened up the door again. It got a bit chippy with some T’s and Evan Turner is definitely public enemy number 1 in this series. Bulls have to close this game out early in the 4th and look forward to the next game. 

4th quarter:

10:08  Kyle with a jumper, he’s hit two this quarter already and puts the Bulls up 83-66. Hot Sauce!

07:28  Lu with the jumper to put the Bulls up 17, 88-71. Bulls looking in better shape now, getting hands on offensive boards now. 

06:05  DRose with a 3 from waaayy downtown with the shot clock running down! His stroke on the 3 is so good tonight he’s got 3, and also closing on a triple double with 21-9-8-1-1. Bulls up 20 now and that should be all she wrote. 

01:10  DRose has gone down. My heart’s just dropped. 

00:00  Bulls WIN 103-91. Somber end to the game though with DRose going down. Pray that he’s ok. 

Good Stuff:

• DRose’s comeback tonight was great prior to going down. It took him some time to get rhythm and he didn’t attack the basket as much, but he also didn’t need to with all the support he was getting in scoring from Rip (19), Kyle (11), Lu (17) and Jo (12). 
• Lu played Iguodala great tonight holding him to 11 points on 3-11 shooting. Lou Williams was also held to 9 points on 1-6 shooting. Great D tonight on those 

Bad Stuff:

• Obviously DRose going down was terrible. The worst thing that could happen after such a great game back. Should he have been out there? Hard to say, he as playing so well, but then again he had hardly played lately why not work him into it slower? We’ll have to see how he pulls up. Hopefully it’s not serious. Did not look good though. 

MVP: Derrick Rose

• DRose had a great game back after resting the last game of the season. He had 23-9-9-1-1 but then went down with a very sore knee and could not get up on his own. Again praying it’s just a stinger. 

Great win, but cannot ignore DRose leaving due to injury especially up 20 points and 1:20 left. If he’s out for an extended period, it could jeopardize the Bulls’ title chances. I’m shocked and just really worried/sad right now. Hope its all good. Hopefully.

JK

26th April, 2012: Cavs @ Bulls

Bulls: 49-16

We got there! Last game of the season and it feels like forever ago since DRose sunk the game winner in LA on Christmas day. The Bulls have gone through a lot since then, but are slowly bringing it altogether for playoffs. Let’s get the win and roll on. Let’s GO! - JK

Gist:

1st quarter:

07:05  Rip runs off those screens and then makes great plays. Either it’s a curl off the screen for a jump shot or drawing the big man and then giving it up to the post guys. That time it was Jo who he hit for a nice dunk. That’s an added avenue of playmaking as opposed to last season. 

02:07  Omer with a strong offensive board and putback. Bulls up 21-20. Nice work there big fella, Bulls are going to need his strong play in the playoffs. He played a big part in the Miami series and then got injured for the last game. He’s a great defender out there and I think that’s more of what you need off the bench from a big man rather than an offensive force. 

00:00  John Lucas end the quarter on a iso play for himself and gets blocked. Why wouldn’t you just use Taj in a pick and roll? I think the theme of this season with Lucas is ‘Why?’. He just kills me. Anyway, Bulls up 26-25 and on cruise control. 

2nd quarter:

09:52  I didn’t know Luke Walton played for the Cavs. He obviously was included in the Ramon Sessions trade but it didn’t occur to me he’d play. I thought he’d be a buyout case. He looks awful slow out there, could be close to the end for him unfortunately. 

03:53  Mike James strong to the rack. Bulls up 47-39. I’d say that he will be the one that makes the final roster spot over Scal. He can just provide much better scoring and Scal can still have his impact in street clothes. 

00:00  Half ends with Bulls up 58-45. It’s a bit of a yamner out there. Tristan Thompson is interesting as a young big out there. Could use some work, but is a good size. 

3rd quarter:

09:13  Booz with the nice transition layup strong to the hoop. Puts the Bulls up 64-47. He’s been really sharp in this game too, hasn’t played much but has been really efficient with his shot. Love seeing that. 

03:12  Taj with a throwdown! Bulls up 78-56. CJ with a nice dish. He’s missed all his shots so far this game and knows it so he’s just starting to dish the ball around a bit more now. 

00:00  After three the Bulls up big 80-62. Time to rest the starters and key bench guys here. 

4th quarter:

09:40  Scalabrine chants are out early. Wonder when Thibs takes a seat. 

02:59  Scal’s coming in and Thibs is sitting. This last game of the regular season is over. Win 50 is in the books for this regular season. 50 wins out of 66 games, what a season. Especially with the injury troubles. Unreal. 

00:00  Bulls WIN! 

Good Stuff:

• Nice cruise game to get the minutes in for the guys on the bench and also rest for the starters. It’s starting to feel like it will all pull together for the playoffs now. 
• Again, 50 wins in a 66 game season is so impressive. 

Bad Stuff:

• N/A 

MVP: John Lucas III

• He ticked the score over tonight and shot much better in the second half. He had 25-2-4, 2 stls and 3 threes. Nice day at the office. 

Great win and great regular season! Nothing left to say but bring on the playoffs!

Go Bulls!

JK

25th April, 2012: Bulls @ Pacers

Bulls: 48-16

Wow, three days off! So rare in this crazy season, but couldn’t come at a better time when the Bulls need to both recuperate and get some practice in. The Bulls have already clinched number 1 spot in the East but have the plucky Pacers tonight. Good opportunity to play some decent competition and warm up for the playoffs.  Let’s GO! - JK

Gist:

1st quarter:

08:45  DRose is a bit loose with his shot at the moment. He’s trying to find his range out there again. I’ve got not problems with him testing it out in a fairly meaningless game. Bulls up 9-6. 

06:47  Booz is on fire with his jumper so far tonight. Puts the Bulls up 15-10. He’s been great all season and you want that to continue with a big playoffs. He definitely has a chip on his shoulder and ready to silence his critics from last year. He’s definitely got the chance if the seedings play out and the opponents end up being the 76ers, Celtics and Heat. All teams are undersized up front. 

03:51  Booz with great action with Jo and bullets a pass to him for the dunk. Bulls up 23-14. Great ball movement and Booz has started with a great 1st quarter. It’s also good to see the Bulls start well. Ever since the All-Star break they’ve fallen into a slow starting type team. It’s always so much better to have your lead as early as possible. 

00:00  Bulls finish up the quarter with a pretty big first quarter score for them 32-24. They’ve been fairly sharp early, Lu and Booz shooting quite well. DRose looks like he’s pacing himself, which again is fine with me. Wait til the real season before gearing up. 

2nd quarter:

07:25  CJ with a steal and transition jumper to put the Bulls up 38-26. The Pacers don’t look like they’re going to give trouble at all this playoffs with this kind of play. Understand Granger’s out and there’s not too much to play for and they want to stay healthy and not go too hard, but they don’t look dangerous at all right now. 

04:21  Kyle with the jumper off the inbound play and puts the Bulls up 45-32. Kyle’s jumper is looking good today and he’s got 9 in the quarter so far. Kyle’s had the one of the better runs on the team post the All-Star break along with Taj. 

03:00  Booz with the beautiful pass down low to Jo for the stuff and the 13 point lead, 47-34. It was one of those great plays where Booz catches around the foul line on an entry pass and automatically passes backdoor to a cutting Jo. Beautiful to watch. 

00:00  Half ends with the Bulls up 49-36. Great to see DRose with a couple of driving scores, and had his crossover going. The Bulls really just seem like they’re pacing themselves out there and just running through the motions. 

3rd quarter:

10:17  Boozer cannot miss tonight. His jumper is so sharp, Bulls up 53-38. Bulls in general are shooting very well at the moment and not relying too much on the three which they can get into when they’re down and desperate. 

02:36  Rip’s been ice cold from the field tonight. A lot of them are good looks but have just been going in and out. If he’s hitting half of his shots along with DRose as well, this game is a blowout. 

00:00  End of the third period and the Bulls up 67-59. Again, there’s not much juice in this game as we roll into the 4th. Lance Stephenson has been impressive for the Pacers. Lincoln High School legend showing up. 

4th quarter:

09:01  Brew with the tip on the offensive board straight to Taj for the uncontested dunk. Bulls up 73-61. Great hustle by Brewer, he’s had a good second half so far. The depth shining through again. 

04:03  Kyle again with a 3! He’s shooting great even with a hand in his face and the Bulls lead by 12, 85-73. A lot got talked about the need to surround Rose with more shooters and they may have found one in Korve. Even though he was with them last season, he never was in the rhythm he has been in the last 10 games. Along with Rip, Lu and sometimes Watson playing alongside DRose, they seem like they have enough shooting. 

00:00  Bulls WIN! Relatively easy game compared to a normal regular season game between these teams. But great opportunity to get in rhythm and get some time for the starters together. 

Good Stuff:

• Depth was telling again tonight with that ‘win off the bench’ factor that Kyle provided. Omer with 9 boards in 13 minutes and Taj with 10-3-1 and a block held down the post. I thought Brew also had a very good 3rd and early 4th quarter with some great hustling. 
• DRose again working into rhythm. He wasn’t spectacular but much more lively in driving the ball and making moves to get into the lane. 
• Boozer (16-7-2-1-2, 8-10 FG) and Noah (14-14-2, 1 block) were also fantastic, doing their jobs. 

Bad Stuff:

• N/A 

MVP: Carlos Boozer/Kyle Korver

• Both these guys kept the score ticking over, Booz in the first half and Kyle in the second. Kyle had 20 points off the bench, putting in a winner performance with Rip struggling with his shot. 

Good solid win against some decent competition and looking forward to the playoffs. It’s going to be the 76ers or Knicks, and to be honest I don’t care who, I think we have enough to make a run. Excited for the weekend!

JK