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.

Bulls take lead in East

After last night’s win at United Center against the Washington Wizards (16-50), the Chicago Bulls (48-18) jumped into sole possession of first place of the Eastern Conference, a half game ahead of the Boston Celtics. This win extends their win streak to seven games in a row.  

At home, the Bulls have an impressive 30-4 record, the NBA’s second best home court record.

Chicago despite missing two key starters in Joakim Noah (flu) and Carlos Boozer (ankle), managed to win. Leading MVP candidate PG Derrick Rose put up 29 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. The Bulls were also supported by Luol Deng who scored 20 points and Keith Bogans adding 17 points of his own.

The team is quickly establishing themselves as a team to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference. Former player and the legendary Michael Jordan said at ceremony held last game against the Utah Jazz that, with this team, the Bulls could be adding six more rings to their resume.

Hurry up with the Carmelo trade already!

For the past half year, one of the biggest controversies in basketball is where  Carmelo Anthony will go. The two big teams that are trying to acquire Anthony are the New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks. There are so many different rumors going around that it is hard to believe what will really happen with Anthony.

A deal was so close to happening, but it fell apart. The trade would have been Carmelo Anthony, Richard Hamilton, and Chauncey Billups to the Nets, while the Denver Nuggets would get two future first-round picks, Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Anthony Marrow, Quinton Ross, Ben Uzoh and Stephen Graham. The Detroit Pistons would get Troy Murphy, Johan Petro and the Net’s second round pick. If this trade were to ever happen, it would be one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NBA history, paling only to the Miami Heat’s off-season free agent acquisitions.

Then, all of a sudden, Billups wanted a buyout if he was traded to the Nets. Also, even though there are already 14 plays in this trade, the Nuggets wanted to give the Nets Al Harrington, making that 15 players. To put pressure on the Nuggets management, the Nets were leaking certain information about the trade just to put the Nuggets on the spotlight. In return, the Nuggets told the Nets if they didn’t stop leaking news from the trade they would give Anthony to the Knicks.

Every day provides something new about the trade, but they are rumors. You can’t believe in anything reporters say because no one knows what is going on. The trade is said to happen around Tuesday 18^th or anytime this week. One thing for sure is you can’t believe it until you see it. So for now we all have to be patient for this huge trade.

Bulls finish “Circus” road trip with a 4-3 record

The Chicago Bulls have just recently finished their “Circus” road trip with a 4-3 record.  This is pretty impressive for this year’s team because they finished 4-3 even without their key free agent pick up Carlos Boozer.  The Bulls had a chance to win every game by not losing any game on the trip by more than nine points. 

The “Circus Trip” has been a nightmare for the Bulls for a long time now.  This year’s team is the first time the Bulls finished their “Circus Trip” with a winning record since the Jordan Era 1997-98 season.  This team finished with a 62-20 record and won the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz four games to two.

The Bulls played great on this road trip.  The trip started with a win and ended with a win.  The Bulls first defeated the Houston Rockets 95-92.  They then lost a very winnable game to the San Antonio Spurs(best record in the NBA right now) 103-94.  The Bulls traveled to Dallas to get a 88-83 win, and they lost to last year’s champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, 98-91.  The next day they beat the Phoenix Suns in double overtime 123-115.  Two days later the Bulls(without Derrick Rose- stiff neck) lost a heart breaker to the Denver Nuggets 98-97 on a Carmelo Anthony game winning buzzer beater.  The Bulls then traveled to the home of the Sacramento Kings to finish their “Circus Trip” with a 96-85 win.

In the six games that Rose played in, he played phenomenally.  He finished the trip averaging 30.5 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.6 rebounds.  Rose has been playing like the All-Star he was last year.  The Bulls are hoping he can keep this play up when Boozer returns.

Charles Barkley, an NBA analysis and former player, predicted the Chicago Bulls to win the Eastern Conference to advance to the NBA Finals.   

The real question is if the Bulls can play their whole season like the 1997-98 Bulls and maybe even do some damage in the NBA playoffs as Barkley predicted.

Lookout for the Lakers!

During the summer after LeBron James’ big decision to move to the Miami Heat, basketball fans were disappointed, disgusted, or excited for the 2010-2011 NBA season.  James’ decision left the back to back champions, The Los Angeles Lakers, behind the LeBron hype. People forgot that Lakers coach Phil Jackson only wins in three’s.

The Lakers have started the first eight games of their season undefeated. Six of their wins come from their home court at the Staples Center. This year they hope to win the NBA Finals and secure a second three-peat in eight years. Led by superstar Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, both with five championships with the Lakers.

Lookout for PF Pau Gasol to help guide the way for the Lakers this season again, already averaging 24.1 PPG and 10.9 RPG. In his last game against Portland, he tallied a triple double with 20 points, 10 assists, and 14 rebounds.

The Lakers are the team to beat this year and are the only remaining undefeated other than Chris Paul’s 7-0 Hornets. Expect Phil Jackson to run his devastating triangle offense all year and remain the top seed around playoffs.

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.

NBA trade talk

With the NBA trade deadline coming to an end on Thursday, February 18, many teams have been throwing players around for either playoff potential purposes or salary cap room. Teams that have the upper hand after Thursday are the following.

Teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers are making a big name for themselves by acquiring power forward Antawn Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a 2010 first round draft pick. The Cavs are looking to seek LeBrons first NBA title, making them even more of a powerhouse than they already are.

The New York Knicks had a great trade deadline giving and getting what they needed. By clearing Jarred Jefferies million dollar contract for more cap room they also acquired NBA star Tracy McGrady.

The Houston Rockets did a great job by getting rid of T-mac’s contract. Even though they lost one of their key players, Carl Landry, they acquired a better, more versatile Kevin Martin from the Kings. Another key addition to the team was lottery pick Jordan Hill.

Our own Chicago Bulls had a great trade deadline by getting rid of big contracts of Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons the Bulls give themselves a great amount of cap space to go out and get superstars like Chris Bosh or a Dwayne Wade in the off season.

There were some teams that did not capitalize at the deadline. The Phoenix Suns failed to trade Amare Stoudemire and get rid of his contract that expires at the end of the year and the San Antonio Spurs were very disappointing by not going out and acquiring anyone while rival Dallas Mavericks added two key players (Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood).

It will be an intresting off season for the Suns and Mavericks as both teams star player (Dirk Nowitzki and Amare Stoudemire) can opt out of their contract and sign with new teams. It will be the biggest off season signing in NBA history and will be very intresting to see where certain stars will end up.

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.

Bulls early season review

The Bulls were back at home on Wednesday after a grueling end to November. Coming off a seven game road trip primarily out west, the Bulls want to look reminiscent of their 4-2 start, not their 1-6 road trip.

The Bulls find themselves in the middle of the pack in the Central Division after the first 16 games of the year. With a 7-10 start to the year, the Bulls do need to elevate their play, especially Derrick Rose, the catalyst of the offense.

Rose is averaging about 15 points per game and about 5 assists per game, which is good by most standards. The problem is that Rose has the high standards that come with being the number one pick in last year’s draft. Though he has been slowed by an ankle sprain, this is the year in which he needs to elevate his game and improve both himself and the team. Expect Rose to look among the league’s best by the end of this year.

A pleasant surprise on the Bulls roster this year is former fan enemy, Joakim Noah. When he came into the league, Bulls fans thought he was a joke, all hype from Florida’s NCAA championships. He is proving those fans wrong this year as the NBA’s second best rebounder. Yes, that is not a typo, Noah is second in the entire NBA in rebounding with 12.3 rpg, trailing Dwight Howard by a tenth of a rebound.

Preseason predictions had the Bulls as high as fourth and as low as eleventh. They are a team that when playing well can compete with some of the top teams, as we saw in the first round matchup against the Celtics last year, but a team that can and will play down to their opponents. Throughout the month of December, the Bulls have a pretty winnable schedule, where they face teams such as the Knicks, Pacers, Kings, and the 1-19 New Jersey Nets. The December round-up is not too soft because the Bulls have to face the Cavaliers, Celtics, and Lakers, but all but four December games are home games.

When Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich are 100 percent, the team should be ready to make a run. Currently seventh in the Eastern Conference, despite having a losing record, the Bulls are seemingly in good position to make a run. Teamed with a friendly December schedule, Chicago needs to make its move in the upcoming weeks. Rose and Luol Deng need to carry this team like they should.

Like Noah, Deng was criticized for being overrated after several injuries and sluggish play since his fine first couple seasons. Deng is averaging 18 point per game this year, which is exactly what Bulls fans like to see.