Here's a little quote from Joakim talking about the Rockets game and Vinny's ejection the other night. I got this via Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. Try to keep a straight face while reading this. Seriously. Try.
“Just try to win it for Vinny, man. Kirky said that on the court yesterday and everybody just started laughing. I thought it was pretty funny. ‘Come on guys, let’s do it for Vinny.’ I thought that was pretty funny.”
Kirky? The best part is the mental image of Joakim Noah just chuckling to himself after Kirk says to win it for Vinny. It also goes to show you how Jo doesn't really take Vinny seriously. I don't blame him. But I'm still cracking up over here.
Here's Vinny's take on Flop-a-palooza last night. He clearly was annoyed, but didn't say anything that would piss off the NBA or the refs. I agree with him that he got tossed a little quick. I think one technical would have subsided, but yet, we got the W and that's all that matters.
One thing I didn't touch on in my recap from last night's win was the absence of Acie Law. This pic, courtesy of my boy D-Weiss, really tells the whole story. Jannero Pargo managed to play 16 minutes with another 1-5 performance, while Acie Law is bored out of his mind on the bench.
And why should he be interested? The guy played his butt off for two straight games averaging 20 points in that span, only to be rewarded with only 10 minutes of playing time in Derrick Rose's absence in a close game against the Cavs. Meanwhile, Hinrich, Murray, and Pargo played a combined 95 minutes while shooting a combined 29% from the field on 44 combined shots in that game. Truth.
So yeah, the man had a right to not be interested last night knowing that bad play would be rewarded, while his good play would only lead to him to be punished. This Pargo situation is truly getting out of hand. After he airballed a ridiculous shot in the 2nd quarter yesterday, the Acie Law chants started behind the Bulls bench. And you know what? I even prefer Law to Flip Murray's on and off antics, especially after the ridiculous blown reverse twisty finger-roll thingy he attempted on a fast break late in the game last night when it was getting kind of tight. All he had to do was go up, draw the foul, and probably still would have made the layup.
I really don't know what else to do about this Law/Pargo situation. I'm considering posting that Acie Law Mavs game highlight video that I posted a few entries ago every time I have to talk about this subject.
Be sure to check out the video of above. Chuck Swirsky did a nice job of making his way around the locker room and having a word with anyone who made a difference in tonight's victory. Let's talk about that victory...
So that's what a winning streak feels like? A mini-one, but still a winning streak. I was starting to totally forget that feeling.
The Bulls came out and took care of a very annoying Houston Rockets team that was on a second leg of a back-to-back at the United Center tonight. The Rockets looked pretty determined to win it in the first half. But the Bulls came out incredibly aggressive in the 3rd quarter and inflated that lead to 13 with under 2 minutes left in the third. That's when the craziness started to ensue. Kyle Lowry took the ball to the hole pretty strong. Derrick Rose clogged up the lane about 2 seconds before he got there. Literally. Rose planted his feet and made sure he was outside the circle. Ref calls a blocking foul. It's an and-1. Derrick blows a gasket. Vinny blows a gasket. I blow a gasket. Really...I did. My neighbors had to have been frightened. But Vinny really did lose his cool. He got two straight technicals for running out onto the court and screaming profanities and the idiots who were calling themselves refs tonight. That's the one smart decision I've seen Vinny make in months now. Then again, any coach in their right mind would have lost it after a call like that. Even Derrick Rose went nuts and had to be held back. Derrick got physically angry a few times in this game...and you never see that. That has to tell you something. But seriously, shouldn't a player like Derrick get that call? To be honest, any player should get that call...because it was a charge. But shouldn't a player like Derrick ESPECIALLY get that call? That just shows you my theory on the refs' bias against the Bulls. I can't tell you why it's there...I just know it is.
The Rockets were flopping all night. I mean ALL freakin' night. Luis Scola is undoubtedly the biggest con-artist in the NBA right now. I hate him. It was infuriating to watch. The constant flopping. The pump fake and jumping in to Joakim Noah when Noah was going to sail by. The worst part of it is the refs were falling for it every time. It's like they can't tell when a player is trying to take advantage of their stupidity. Or they just don't realize that the player knows that they are stupid? Basically, they should be insulted. Because Scola has created an artform out of taking advantage of the stupidity of NBA refs. The Bulls must have had 10 offensive fouls called on them. But that pump-fake by Scola where he leaned a foot into Noah when Noah wasn't even near him, and then the refs called a foul...that, my friends, was criminal. On both Scola's part and the refs' parts. Plus, Scola seems to have taught his degenerate teammates how to flop as well. It was a flop party. In the end, the Bulls started flopping too, mostly because they realized the refs had apparently never heard of a flop before, but also to give the Rockets a taste of their own medicine since they knew the refs were clueless. And it worked. The Bulls regained control of the game and pretty much never looked back.
Derrick Rose had a monster game. 27 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds. 12-22 from the field. He shot 7 three-pointers. That's 13 three-pointers in his first two games back from injury. What in the world is going on? And he's made 6 of them? Suddenly Derrick Rose is the best three-point shooter on this team? I mean I should't be surprised...but it did come out of no where. Hey, I'll take it! Best of all, maybe he's rubbing off on Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich went four for freakin' four. 4-4!!! Holy shnikes. I still go by the theory that the pressure is now off of him to score, so he's not thinking as much, so in turn, he's scoring. Ridiculous, but I believe that to be the reality. Either way, Hinrich has provided back-to-back 17 point nights with very efficient shooting efforts both nights.
Taj Gibson and Brad Miller were both huge on the boards. Each had 10 points and 12 rebounds. They helped the Bulls absolutely destroy Houston on the glass, outrebounding them 53 to 39. Haven't seen that in forever. It has to have something to do with Joakim Noah being back on the floor. Joakim only played 12 minutes, but he gave the Bulls 4 points and 6 rebounds in those 12 minutes. His ability to get the ball is just ludicrous, and it definitely has an effect on his teammates. When Joakim's around, the other big men just have a better nose for the ball. Just more intensity. I love it.
Tonight it was Flip Murray who was huge off the bench. Usually it's either Murray or Warrick, and tonight Flip was on fire. 18 points on 4-8 from the field. He also shot 11 free throws. A very quality night for Flip. He had to come in and play the 3 since James Johnson got into foul trouble early, and he took advantage of the bigger guys who were guarding him by using his quickness and driving to the hole. Going small seemed to work just fine tonight.
The Rockets made a run at the end of the game behind some Aaron Brooks three-pointers, but I was very impressed with the way Derrick guarded Brooks all night. He wasn't letting Brooks, who happens to be very quick, outrun him or get ahead of him. He stayed in front of him, and for the most part, minimalized whatever damage Brooks could cause. Brooks went 3-17 on the night for 9 points...um...not good.
Hinrich also did a nice job on Kevin Martin who only went 5-14 and scored the rest of his points on 8 free-throws. Luis Scola had himself a good game, going for 22 points and 10 rebounds, only because Joakim was limited tonight. And oh yeah, also because he apparently hypnotized the refs to get every single call when he touched the ball.
Good win for the Bulls tonight. Unfortunately, the Raptors, Heat, and Bucks all won. The Raptors played the Wolves, and that was going to be a W no matter what. But from this point forward, the Raptors' schedule gets tougher and the Bulls' schedule gets much easier. This is it. This is when the Bulls need to make their run. I have faith that they'll do it. They've already started by winning these first two as the team is getting healthier. Now with our star-players back from injury (minus Luol Deng of course), and the schedule becoming much easier, the Bulls are primed to put the Raptors in panic mode and take over the 8th seed. They sit 2.5 back, but we'll see how long that lasts. Go Bulls.
With a little more than a month remaining of the NBA schedule, who do you see as the main contenders? Who's a dark horse? What teams do you think will surprise, and who will disappoint?
Or viewed as:
1. Who do you see as the main contenders?
2. Who's a dark horse?
3. What teams do you think will surprise;
4. and who will disappoint?
This is part 3, part 2 was yesterday, and part 1 was 2 days ago...
Dave Kelsey (T-Wolves Blog)
1. Who do you see as the main contenders? - Clearly the two best teams are LA and Cleveland.
HOWEVER, among the "good teams" this season is more wide open than ever. Dallas is playing out of their minds, and I don't think you can just dismiss Denver. I also really like athletic, versatile teams like Orlando and Atlanta.
Really, I think if one team gets a lucky break and steals a crucial game, that could propel them to a huge run. Say someone like Portland steals the first round homecourt by winning in LA (for example), who knows what could happen from there.
2. Who's a dark horse?
- Not the TWolves. Just kidding. Oklahoma City or Portland.
3. What teams do you think will surprise? - Dallas in the West and maybe Atlanta or Charlotte in the East. Dallas, because of the Washington trade and the fact that they are usually written off due to past post-season failures. They are just a great team right now.
And I think they can match up well against any team in the league.
Atlanta, because I love their versatility. I could see them possibly making it to the Eastern Conference Finals with a few lucky breaks. Charlotte is on this list because their defense is superb.
However, I don't see Charlotte advancing past the second round in any scenario.
4. Who will disappoint? - Definitely Boston. Stick a fork in them. God, they look older than my dead grandma.
They are a shell of the title winning team from two years ago.
Does anyone even see them getting out of the first round? I'm also not impressed with Miami, Toronto, or San Antonio. Utah is just "blah" to me. They are solid all around, and might do alright, but I don't see them with any true title aspirations. The same goes for Phoenix.
You want a recap of last night's game? Derrick Rose. That's the recap. Seriously. Well, almost. But boy, did he make his presence felt. When a franchise player is gone for a while, it's almost as if you forget what a difference he makes. Then when he comes back, it becomes so obvious why it is that he's the franchise player. That's exactly what happened last night. If anybody ever questioned the significance of Derrick's production, which I doubt anyone ever has, no one will ever question it again.
To be honest, no one put it better than Ricky from Sixers4guidos. After the game, Ricky told me that "the Sixers are the best cure for any ailing opponent." While I agree with that statement, I still think the Sixers could have come out with a victory had they encountered the Bulls a day earlier. Or more precisely, a day before Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah both returned to the basketball court. And let's not underestimate the significance of Joakim Noah's return, even though he only played 9 minutes in the game. Joakim managed to score 7 points and 4 rebounds in his 9 minutes. But what was even more important than that production was the boost in morale his actual court-presence so obviously provided. The way this team plays is just so different when Noah is on the court. He provides energy and always plays with confidence. And it's infectious. Plus the fact that he's a dominant rebounder and plays with just a different level of toughness obviously helps.
But let's talk about Derrick Rose for a bit. In his first game back from injury, he played for 37 minutes...second most in the game behind Kirk Hinrich's 42. By the way, I still don't understand why Kirk Hinrich has to play 42 minutes and Acie Law is only allowed to play 4 minutes, especially when he's played twice as good as Hinrich as of late, but I digress. But back to Rose. In his 37 minutes, he scored 23 points on 9-16 shooting, with 5 assists, 4 rebounds, a steal and a block. The most interesting part of Derrick's stat-line from this game? He went 4-6 from three-point land. More than half his points were from three. Incredibly strange. Derrick never shoots threes. I think the most threes he's attempted in a game prior to this one is three. Has he been practicing the three-point shot? He's gotta be practicing. How else can you explain him attempting 6 threes? That's incredibly out of character. But forget the amount of attempts. He freakin' made two-thirds of his attempts. 4-6? Hinrich couldn't even dream of going 4-6 from three-point land, and he's been shooting them without a consciense since he came into this league. If Derrick is developing an effective three-point shot, the man can maybe play a more effective 2-guard than point guard. With that added to his arsenal, he, in my mind, becomes the best point guard in the league. Maybe even one of the best shooting guards in the league. You can't guard him off the dribble, so if you have to worry about his perimeter shooting, especially out there from three-point land, he becomes literally unstoppable. It's over. And he was doing this with an ailing sprained left wrist and all. Not to mention every offensive play was run through him. It's amazing how an intelligent and talented basketball player has an effect on absolutely every offensive possession that a basketball team runs. The outcome of evey Bulls game effects so heavily on Derrick Rose's presence, but he knows this, and he looks totally prepared for this. Clearly, and this goes without saying, Jannero Pargo and Kirk Hinrich, with all their powers combined, are simply not Derrick Rose. And this is why I haven't lost faith in our playoff hopes yet, Bulls Faithful. And I believe this is the point that Jalen Rose was getting at in that video I posted a few days ago. With Derrick Rose coming back healthy (and nailing threes), anything is possible.
Let's not go too carried away. Philadelphia, at this point, are probably tanking. It's in their favor to lose so that they can move up in the lottery. They have no legit star. Elton Brand is so obviously washed up that Taj Gibson looks like Karl Malone in comparison. Andre Iguodala, right now, couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. Everyone else is a second or third-tier nobody. Players I'd consider near D-leaguers at best. And they know this...which is why they're banking on the lottery. So I suppose the win wasn't that impressive. But then again, the Bulls came out and did what they were supposed to do against a bad team. With their two best players in action, the Bulls routed a bad team away from the United Center. You can't ask for much more. They still got outrebounded slightly, but they shot the ball much better than the Sixers and had nearly double the assists...and only 9 turnovers. And they again held a team to under 100 points...for the 2nd game in a row. Good lord, it's a miracle.
Also, quick side-note...Kirk Hinrich played much better. This is because the lack of pressure to score and run the offense. The guy just can't do it when the success of the team and the offense is on his shoulders. But he can definitely do it when Derrick Rose is the man, and he can just sit back and play a supporting role. He's played better in that supporting role all season. He finished the game with 17 points and 11 assists, off of 7-15 from the field. Probably one of his best games of the season, if not the best. Plus, besides Hinrich, it looks like James Johnson is starting to develop nicely...and hopefully he can fill the void of Luol Deng at least slightly with his superior athleticism and incredibly solid defense. I like him more and more every day.
So the truth is, Bulls fans, there is still plenty of hope out there. The Bulls still sit 2.5 games back of Toronto as I predicted they would by weekend's end, since Toronto played the Nets last night, which is an automatic victory. They're also only 3 games back of the Bobcats. And they're still slated to play these teams. Anything can happen now that Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah have returned to action, as long as these two stay healthy, or as healthy as possible. The Bulls play the Rockets tomorrow. I think this game is winnable. More on this tomorrow...Go Bulls.
It has been announced that Derrick Rose will start tonight alongside Kirk, James Johnson, Taj, and Brad Miller. Hakim Warrick and Acie Law better be the first 2 up off the bench. Oh wait...nevermind...CUZ JOAKIM NOAH IS DRESSING TONIGHT. He's only expected to play a maximum of 10 minutes tonight...but still...a huge morale boost for this squad. The Bulls absolutely must be determined to end this losing streak tonight. The Raptors play the Nets tonight, so if they don't want to fall 3.5 back, they have no other choice. GO BULLS!
The Bulls face the Sixers tonight. No previews. No nothing. Only one thing on my mind: Time to end this streak. The 100 point opponent streak ended last night. And tonight, the losing streak must come to an end. It must. No if's, and's, or but's. With the news that Luol Deng could be gone for the season, the Bulls have never needed a win so bad. EVER. Derrick Rose is questionable tonight. We won't know whether he's playing probably until game time. What I do know is that even the Bulls B-team, or C-Team, matches up just fine against these Sixers.
The Bulls haven't faced a sub-.500 team in March. Their last sub-.500 opponent were the Pacers on February 27th. When looking at that little factoid right there, the losing streak, compounded with all the injuries, kind of seems like it was unavoidable. Can't really be mad at the Bulls, can you? Yes, you can. To find out why, feel free to read my recap of last night's debacle. Tonight...we get back on track, right? The Sixers are tanking for the lottery anyway, right? RIGHT?!?!?
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 