Bulls playoff run Heats up

This is a photo collage of the Chicago Bulls playoff run through the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs. It contains links to videos and articles in the collage as well.

Bulls enter as best team into postseaon

The Chicago Bulls in their last game of the regular season beat The New Jersey Nets 97-92 at home. Already having the first seed in the Eastern Conference this win didn’t mean much against a lower tier team, but after this win Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls claimed the best record in the NBA at 62-20.

Led by the leading unanimous MVP candidate and hometown hero Derrick Rose, The Bulls have yet to slow down after the all-star break with an impressive 24-4 record.

“The Chicago Bulls will beat the Indiana Pacers, no questions asked,” Security guard Claude Cima said.

The Bulls start post season play this Saturday against conference rival Indiana Pacers at 12 pm on ESPN. The Pacers are highly unlikely to beat the red hot Bulls who are currently on a nine game winning streak; beating some of the Eastern Conferences premiere teams in the last month including: The Boston Celtics at home and The Orlando Magic and The New York Knicks on the road.

Welcome home? Not quite

When the Bulls were scheduled to play the Utah Jazz on February 9th, the storyline was already set: Carlos Boozer returning to Utah for the first time since his departure last summer. Boozer gave the Jazz six seasons of solid production. For the last four years in Utah, he averaged a double-double, including two years in which he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds. But this had seemingly all been forgotten when Boozer returned to Utah in an opposing uniform for the first time in six years. How was the reaction to his return? Well, for one, every time he touched the ball the crowd booed loudly, and no, Utah fans weren’t saying Booz like they used to.

Did Boozer deserve this reaction? He isn’t Lebron James returning to Cleveland in a Miami Heat jersey, and it was pretty obvious that he was going to leave as a free agent. Most of the animosity towards Boozer came from him missing 138 games during his stint in Utah, including the final game of the 2010 regular season, which would have improved their playoff seed if they had won. Fans thought he could have played through some of those injuries because none of them required surgery of any kind.

I think each case of a player returning to face his former team should be treated differently. Fans get too emotional over a player’s return and tend to forget what that player did for several years. The Lebron case is an exception because James handled things pretty poorly. Boozer, on the other hand, had a little bit of a rocky ending, but that does not cancel out his six years in Utah. When he was playing there, the Utah fans could not question his effort and production for the Jazz. Since he had been an all-star in Utah and that’s where he became a star in the league, it was hard for the fans to let go.

It is obvious that role players that return to their former teams do not get the same reaction as Boozer in most cases. This was apparent when Bulls reserves and former Jazz members checked into the game for the first time since their departures. Ronnie Brewer entered the game in the first quarter to loud cheers that seemed even louder when contrasted with Boozer’s entrance. Kyle Korver received the same reception when he checked in during the second quarter. The fans were not as attached to these players, so that is why they were welcomed when they came back. 

Each scenario of a player returning to face his former team is different, and Boozer should not have gotten booed. He looked bothered by it during the game as he was forcing shots at times. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds on just 6 of 16 shooting. The Jazz fans apparently got what they wanted, though the Bulls won in the end. Boozer deserved a better reunion, especially as a long time Jazz star.

Joakim Noah out for 8-10 weeks

The Chicago Bulls were just getting used to playing with their full team when it was announced that center Joakim Noah would need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb.  Noah initially injured his thumb in late November, but was able to play through the pain.  As the weeks past and Noah’s thumb did not improve the Bulls staff was forced to sideline Noah in order to bring him back to full strength.  Noah will be out 8-10 weeks and is excepted back in early February.

This injury is a huge blow to the Chicago Bulls.  Rose was just getting used to distributing the ball between Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah.  With Noah out Taj Gibson will receive the bulk of the playing time at center.  Gibson who is averaging 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game will try and replace not only the offensive but also defense presence.  Noah was averaging 14 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.

Looking on the bright side of things, the Bulls play in a week division, and are still excepted to remain in the top four teams in the East.  When Noah returns to the Bulls he will be fresh and ready to play. Rose, Boozer and Noah will have enough time to relearn how to play together in time for the playoffs. In the end although this is a heartbreaking loss for the Bulls, things could be a lot worse (Atlanta Hawks).

A championship to Chicago?

The goal of every team and every player in sports is to win a championship. A team’s success is defined by how many championships they have won, and a player’s legacy is not complete until he has led his team to a championship. The Blackhawks achieved this goal by winning the 2010 Stanley Cup, their first since 1961. The parade that followed was evident that the city greatly appreciated what this team had done. But with their early struggles and the loss of key players like Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg, they are not looking like the Stanley Cup favorite.

So I ask, which Chicago professional sports team has the best chance of winning a championship in 2011?

First, we visit the Bulls. With the addition of Carlos Boozer this offseason, the Bulls believed that they could compete with the best of the Eastern Conference with a lineup featuring Boozer, Derrick Rose, and Joakim Noah. But the injury to Boozer has left the Bulls without big-time scoring threat out of the post, and the team has gotten off to a 5-3 start. The season is very long and with Boozer expected to come back in a month, the Bulls will inevitably begin to click with all-star candidate Rose and Boozer.

Senior Jake Johnson believes the Bulls have the best chance of the Chicago teams. “The Bulls (have the best chance). They have the best young talent in the nation,” said Johnson who believes the Bulls have a best chance of all Chicago teams to win a championship in the future.

But can they compete for a championship in 2011? I don’t think so, though it’s not because they lack talent. It is because of the talent of other teams. The Bulls cannot compete with the Celtics, Magic, and Heat, who are without doubt the class of the East. The Bulls could make run to the second round, and possibly to the conference finals, but a championship is probably out of the question.

The Cubs or White Sox? Not in 2011.

At the halfway point of the NFL season, the Bears are 6-3 and they are a half game behind the Packers in the NFC north. They have not played that great in spite of the start, and at times have looked worse than the lowly Lions. But if the offense begins to start clicking along with the solid defense, the Bears could make the playoffs. They still have to play the Packers again and the Vikings twice, so if they play well in the division they could make the playoffs. I think they will find a way into the playoffs, but no more than that. The NFC is not that strong this year, so that will give the Bears room to sneak into the playoffs.

That leaves us with the Blackhawks again. Sure, they are not looking like last year’s squad which never seemed to struggle. They have obvious flaws like the inconsistency of the defense and a few offensive players (Patrick Kane).

But the question I asked was which team has the best chance of winning a championship in 2011. And the answer to that question is the Blackhawks, regardless of their play thus far. They have the best chance because they will make the playoffs, and in the NHL more than any other professional leagues, once a team gets in the playoffs they can make a run. Rarely does an 8-seed beat a one seed in the NBA, but last year in hockey, the 8-seed Canadians beat the top-seed and went all the way to the eastern conference finals behind a hot goaltender. If the Hawks can get some momentum going forward, they could make a push similar to two years ago when they got off to a slow start, but reached the conference finals.

So in 2011, it looks like the Blackhawks have the best chance of all of the Chicago teams of winning a championship, and it would be a historic championship if they would have to repeat.

Bulls await hectic Summer of Lebron

Only one more month to go until the long anticipated free agent signing period begins. This will be the biggest sports story of the summer because of the numerous elite players available in the free agent pool. The most talked about is obviously Lebron James. Questions about where James will go after the 2010 season have been being asked for the past two years. The most talked about teams for James include the Bulls, the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Miami Heat along with the option of resigning with the Cavaliers.

Reports have surfaced that the Bulls is one team that James is looking at really hard. He would love to play in a big market like Chicago, but it is intriguing that he would consider playing in the shadow of Michael Jordan. It was assumed that James would not want to play in the shadow of Jordan in Chicago, but recently he says that he is interested.

Where James goes will dictate where the other major free agents go. Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, and Amare Stoudemire are a few other players who have the option to sign with another team after July 1. Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki may also become a free agent or be used as trade bait for Lebron James, if the Cavaliers decide to do a sign and trade.

There is a possibility that one team can get two of these free agents, and that team will immediately become a championship contender. Any team that adds James and Bosh or James and Wade will become the frontrunner for the 2011 NBA Championship. The possibility of Wade and James, arguably the two of the three best players in the NBA, on the same team is just scary. The aforementioned Knicks and Bulls are two teams that have enough cap space to land two max-salary free agents.

Though the Bulls have the room to land two of the big available free agents, it does not necessarily mean that they will. They have to worry about getting one first, especially after Dwyane Wade told reporters and other free agents that the Bulls aren’t loyal to their players. Hopefully, this doesn’t sway others like James away from the Bulls.

Teams can be begin to sign free agents starting on July 1^st. All NBA fans will be watching to see where James and others will go. Bull’s fans especially will be watching because they realize that the Bulls control their playoff destiny this summer.

Bulls down 2-0 after sneaking into playoffs

The Chicago Bulls were able to win their last two games of the season to edge into the playoffs. They sneaked past two playoff teams – the Bobcats and Celtics – to ensure the eighth and final playoff spot. The Toronto Raptors were left out of the playoffs by one game. The spot both teams were fighting for seems to be who would lose in the first round of the playoffs.

The Bulls face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, led by probable MVP Lebron James. James was the MVP a year ago and will likely make it two years in a row unless Kevin Durant somehow edges him out. The Cavaliers cruised through the regular season and finished with the beast overall record in the NBA at 61-21. They could even afford to rest Lebron James the last four games of the regular season.

Unfortunately for the Bulls in Game 1, Lebron was not rusty at all. He finished with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. The Cavaliers cruised to a 15 point lead at the half. The Bulls came out in the second and outscored the Cavaliers by two points in the third quarter and managed to cut the Cavaliers lead to 7 point with about four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Derrick Rose led the comeback as he finished with 28 points and 10 assists. But in the end, it was too much James and point guard Mo Williams. James converted a three point play and Mo Williams (19 points) hit a three pointer which sealed the Bulls fate in Game 1. The Cavs ended up winning 96-83.

The Bulls had to play again in Cleveland on Monday night. This time the Bulls seemed more prepared in the first half than they did in game one. Instead of trailing by double digits, the Bulls found themselves down by just two points at the half, and were tied with the top-seeded Cavaliers after three quarters. The reason for this was the improved play of Bulls center Joakim Noah. After Shaquille O’Neal pushed him around in game 1, Noah was able to find his offense and defense and finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

The fourth quarter was a different than the first three quarters for the Bulls. They trailed 96-93 with about four minutes left before the best player in the NBA took over. Lebron James went on to score the next 11 points for the Cavaliers which included a long three pointer. James finished with 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists while shooting an efficient 70% from the field. The Cavaliers outscored the Bulls by 10 points in the fourth quarter to take Game 2 by a score of 112-102.

The series heads to Chicago for games three and four. Though the Bulls have home-court advantage, the Cavaliers had the second best road record in the regular season. The Bulls need to play perfect basketball in order to defeat the Cavaliers because game 2 was close and the Bulls played about as good as they are capable. If the Bulls can manage to win one or two games in this series, it should be considered a success.

Bull Run

After drafting Derrick Rose first overall in the 2008 draft, there was no question whether or not he would be able to get to the basket in the NBA and finish. There were concerns though, that he would not be able to develop a jump shot in the NBA. Recently, those concerned fans have been silenced as the Bulls have been winning and Rose has been hitting from the outside.

The Bulls began their seven-game western road trip poorly. They lost to the Warriors and Clippers, two mediocre teams in the Western Conference. Bulls fans were worried that this could turn into an 0-7 trip, as the Bulls have to face five playoff contenders in a row to finish off the trip. Instead, the Bulls beat the Suns 115-104, and Rose led the Bulls with 32 points. More importantly, most of his points came from the outside. 17 of his 32 points came from beyond 15 feet and he made 8-12 shots from that range.

But Rose and the Bulls didn’t stop there. They traveled to Houston the next day and overcame a fourth quarter deficit to beat the Rockets. They then handed the Spurs a loss two days later on January 25^th. Rose had 27 points in that game despite playing with the flu. Once again, he was hitting jump shots, making him a threat all over the court, rather than just in the paint.

Then the Bulls traveled to Oklahoma City to take on a good Thunder team on Wednesday. They continued their winning ways and Rose continued his hot streak Rose had 26 points and six assists to lead the Bulls to a ten point win and bring their record back to .500. Most impressive, though, is that the bulls have put together this nice streak away from the United Center. The Bulls started the season just 4-15 on the road, but have since improved that to 8-15.

The Bulls finish up the road trip Friday, January 29^th against the New Orleans Hornets. In order to win, Rose must keep playing efficiently. During the win streak, he has shot over 50% from the field in each game. He has also turned the ball over just seven times while handing out 22 assists over the past four games. Other players have performed as well. Despite being hurt, Noah has contributed a lot including a gutsy performance against the Spurs, where he scored the final five points of the game. Rookie Taj Gibson has picked up the rebounding while Noah has been playing hurt, averaging over ten rebounds per game during that span.

Derrick Rose also did something that has not been done since Michael Jordan was on the Bulls. That is to be announced to the Eastern Conference All-Star roster. Rose was selected as an All-Star reserve Thursday, marking the first time a Bull has made the team since Jordan did it in 1998. Last year Rose competed in the Rookie challenge and the skills competition during All-Star weekend, but not the all-star game.

Right now the Bulls stand tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. They are just 1.5 games out of fifth place, and if they keep playing like they have, that is a great possibility. To continue their streak they need to stick to the formula: win on the road and a whole lot of Rose.