Last night the Bulls had a shoe in victory because they were playing the struggling New York Knicks at the United Center. Amar'e Stoudemire was averaging an un-100 million dollar like 21 points and 7 rebounds per game. Danilo Gallinari was being called one of the worst starters in the NBA. Ray Felton was doing his best Ray Felton imitation. And no one had ever heard of Toney Douglas. But that's why they play the games.
From the opening tip the Knicks hit every three they threw up there. Some of them were open looks, some of them were not. As a team they shot a prosperous 67% from behind the arc hitting 16 threes. Needless to say this was a career day from just about everyone on the Knicks. D-Gallo went 4-4 from the arc, Felton was 4-6, and Douglas was 5-9. That will never EVER happen again. Guys may go off like that, but there is no way everyone will go off at the same time.
Even with all that, the Bulls were close and had several opportunities to make a game of it. Unfortunately, every time the Bulls got within 8 (which happened twice in the second half) the Bulls would turn the ball over and someone would hit a three. There is little you can do when the Shooters are this hot from behind the arc.
Most of the talk from last night is going to be about Tom Thibodeau benching Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in the fourth quarter. At one point the Bulls were within 9 and there was still almost 6 minutes left to play. I thought Coach would put Noah and Rose in to go with Brewer, Gibson, and Korver, but instead he rode the bench and they lost. It's easy to second guess, but honestly I don't think the Bulls were winning this game. Even late in the fourth the Knicks still were hitting threes as Felton iced it with a deep three a good two feet behind the arc. Would I have brought back Noah and Rose? Yes. Do I think it's a big deal that he rode the bench and was sending a message to guys that if they don't close out on shooters they won't play? No. He's the coach, and I trust him, unlike VDN who wasn't a coach.
Other notes from the game:
Rose was just awesome last night. He played his most complete offensive game of his career scoring 24 points on 17 shots and dishing out a career high 14 assists. It was spectacular to watch, offensively he was everywhere. Defensively he still has some work to do. He still doesn't get through the pick quick enough, but the effort is there and he is doing a pretty good job at recovering to get a hand up on the shooters.
Amar'e looked terrible for most of last night despite being played one on one almost exclusively. In fact, he was the only dark spot on an otherwise flawless Knicks game. Stoudemire was 5-21 from the field, fouled out late in the fourth quarter, and had 8 turnovers. That is some 100 million dollar player. At least he's healthy, unlike our 75 million dollar player.
Ronny Turiaf is the perfect backup big man. He does all of the little things you need, He's quick on the defensive rotation, he's a stud rebounder, and he only shoots within the offense. Last night he dominated the 25 minutes he played grabbing 7 rebounds and scoring 9 points. He was way more effective than Stoudemire.
It's time to Bench Bogans or try him as the backup point guard. Bogans does next to nothing offensively and it seems like every time the Bulls need a big momentum bucket or they need something to go right for them the ball ends up in Bogans hands and he screws it up. That is better than what CJ Watson is bringing to the table right now, but they can't bench him, they isn't a third PG on the roster. Watson is doing nothing and it makes me long for the days of Jannero Pargo, ok that's not ture. Nothing makes me yearn for those days. On the year Watson is shooting 36% from the field, is yet to hit a three, and has almost a 1:1 assist turnover ratio, which is just plain terrible. I think Brewer should be thrown into the starting lineup with Korver backing him up. The two of them can split the 2 guard minutes and it will be a lot more effective than what Bogans is currently giving them. As for Watson, you just kind of half to ride that one out.
Lastly, tonight it's Bulls at Celtics. While I expect them to lose this should be a very interesting game as both teams will be fired up for Coach Thibs return to Boston.
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Shoe in victory? There is a proverb about counting chickens that seems apropos here.
ReplyDeleteWe can't bank on Toney D to chip in 30 points a night, but Gallo just might break this cold streak and be the complement to Amar'e and Felton that D-Walsh envisioned when he threw this mix together. Add in some positive contributions from Chandler and Turiaf, and, dare I say, we are looking at a possible Knicks over Bulls 4/5 upset in the playoffs.
P.S. Amar'e is worth $100 million to the Knicks. The team had to walk away from the free agent bonanza with something to bring home. They are selling tickets and creating highlights for their network, cable company and real estate property. I'm sure they'll recoup those costs in over-priced nachos and Shake Weight ad buys alone.
T-Stew
Deluded Knicks fans, gotta love em'. I actually watched the entire game and agree with Nuge's assessment. The Bulls didn't quit and everytime they got it close the Knicks hit a three. Rose's defense was horrendous. You don't leave Tony D. when he's having the night of his life AND he can't do anything but shoot 3's....
ReplyDeleteAs for the Knicks, they will be battling for the eigth seed and the honor of getting bitch slapped by the Heat. Everyone is gettng to see how good Amare is without Nash. Felton is good every fourth game. I do like their bench a lot better than last year. I thought Chandler and Turiaf are nice off the bench. But its all about Amare and I have no confindence in him. He's trying real hard and wants to be the man but he can't do it. He's a second best player NOT a franchise player.
I still like New Jersey over the Knicks to sneak in.
Are these people aware of how big of a jerk you are? I've met Derrick Rose...if he had any idea of what type of person you really are, he never would have let you in his house. Shame on you for the person you are and for the way you've treated people throughout your life. I want you to know that YOU are PERSONALLY responsible for a certain individual requiring psychiatric help well into their adult life. Some day you're going to get what you deserve.
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