Showing posts with label ChicagoBulls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ChicagoBulls. Show all posts
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Saturday, 22 December 2012
All Ejection as Bulls Knick Win
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| Getty Images |
Turns out the early exodus of Knicks was just beginning.
Anthony was called for his second technical, earning an automatic ejection, with 6:45 left after he was whistled for a foul on Joakim Noah's offensive rebound and apparently said something to referee Olandis Poole.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson and centre Tyson Chandler were also ejected from the foul-filled game, and Chicago beat New York for the second time this season, 110-106 on Friday night.
Anthony finished with 29 points on 10-of-25 shooting, ending his streak of four straight 30-point games. The Knicks lost for the second time in three home games after winning their first 10.
Chandler and Noah were tossed after a fourth-quarter altercation, shortly after Woodson had been ejected following his second technical. The coach drew a loud ovation during his walk to the back from Knicks fans who angrily booed the officiating for much of the second half.
"I was actually in here, and then I just heard the crowd screaming and yelling, and I walked to the hallway, and Woody was walking back. Then I was actually in the shower, came back and Tyson was sitting right next to me," Anthony said. "So once I saw that, that's how the night was going."
"Things happen," Noah said. "Things happen, but we won the basketball game. I wish that we wouldn't have gotten ejected. Two guys just trying to go for a rebound and unfortunately guys got ejected."
When asked specifically about a possible suspension, the emotional centre seemed incredulous.
"Suspension?" Noah said. "For what? What did I do?"
"They were tangled up," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of the play. "Jo played a great game until ... you can't put it in the officials' hands and we should have all recognised that. They had enough, they weren't taking anybody talking to them. I think (Noah) was trying to make a point and he got thrown (out) so that hurt us."
Luol Deng had season highs of 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls despite briefly leaving the game with an injured left shoulder. He will be re-evaluated Saturday. Marco Belinelli added 22 points as Chicago won for the fourth time in five games.
Noah finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in completely outplaying Chandler, who took only one shot and was limited to five points and eight boards.
Chandler insisted he and Noah didn't fight and shouldn't have been ejected from a game that featured nine technicals.
"It was just an ugly game in general and then things contributed from there," Chandler said.
Kirk Hinrich had 16 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Bulls, who were totally shutting the Knicks down until allowing 45 mostly meaningless points in the fourth quarter after Chicago had led by 25 in the third.
"You get a 25-point lead on the road against a team like this, you're doing a lot of good things," Thibodeau said. "I'm disappointed with our approach and discipline in the fourth quarter, starting with my fourth-quarter technical. So we gave up 45 points and that's not good. That's not the way we want to close a game."
The Knicks were held to season lows of 85 points and 32.1 percent shooting in an eight-point loss in Chicago on Dec. 8, when Anthony was sidelined by a cut on his finger that required stitches. Woodson said before the game he thought the Knicks got good shots that night and just missed them, expecting his team would deliver a better performance at home with Anthony in the lineup.
Instead, the Knicks were never really in the game on a rare off night from Anthony, the NBA's second-leading scorer. The score got close in the final minutes, but the outcome had long been decided.
Once the game got away from the Knicks, so did their emotions, questioning calls that were made or arguing for ones that weren't. Chandler and Noah were battling for a rebound when they got tangled up and began jawing, and may have even made contact with their heads before they were separated.
"(Things) were definitely escalating, but I don't think they're used to being down that much, too," Noah said. "If they were up 20 points, I don't think they would have been that frustrated."
The fans weren't happy, either. Spike Lee stood a couple of feet behind referee Zach Zarba from his courtside seat in the fourth quarter, staring a hole through Zarba after one call went against the Knicks.
The Knicks had much bigger problems than the officiating.
They missed 10 of their first 11 shots as Chicago raced to a 14-2 lead. The advantage grew to 30-17 when Deng made a 3-pointer, and Belinelli followed with a free throw after Anthony was called for a technical foul after arguing a no-call on the other end. New York got it down to 30-23 when J.R. Smith made a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer.
"I think from the jump they were the more physical team from the beginning of the game and it carried out throughout the whole game. It kind of got to us a little bit," Anthony said. "We reacted rather than coming out from the jump being the more aggressive team and we found ourselves in a hole, and by the time we tried to be aggressive it was a little bit too late at that point in time."
The Knicks cut it to 42-37 midway through the second quarter before their offense stalled again. Chicago scored 12 straight points, taking its biggest lead at 54-37 on a free throw by Carlos Boozer with 10.9 seconds remaining, before Anthony stopped the Knicks' 5-minute scoreless drought with a driving layup with 3.2 seconds to go.
Smith had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 19-7. Their 19 wins through 25 games was bettered only twice in franchise history, when they were 23-2 in 1969-70 and 20-5 in 1972-73. They won the NBA title both times.
Deng appeared to hurt his left shoulder in the third quarter when Jason Kidd reached in on him, but returned to the game after using a heating pad on the bench.
"We're going to check again (Saturday), but I don't know exactly what it is," Deng said. "Something with the ligament there, I don't know if I sprained or ... we'll see. It's almost like a pulled muscle. I never had anything like this, but it just feels like a pulled muscle or a sprained tendon. I really don't know."
Friday, 9 November 2012
Thunder Beat the Bulls
The NBA scoring champion had eight of his 24 points in the final period, and the Thunder beat the Bulls 97-91 on Thursday night thanks to Kevin Durant.
"It was one of those games you have to grind out," Durant said. "We've been through so many. We know what it takes."
Durant iced the game with an off-balance jumper off one foot with 35.1 seconds to play. He added another jumper a few seconds later and then finished his game-ending spree with a couple of free throws.
Oklahoma City outscored Chicago 31-19 in the fourth quarter, overcoming a six-point deficit.
"That's winning time, fourth quarter," Durant said. "In the fourth quarter, we really turned it up a lot. But if you want to be a really good team, you've got to do that from the beginning of the game."
Serge Ibaka scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half and had a team-high nine rebounds for the Thunder, who beat the Bulls for the third time in their past four games at Chicago.Russell Westbrook finished with 16 points and 12 assists.
"I told (Durant) be aggressive, just be aggressive, especially in the fourth quarter," Westbrook said. "It was his time. Everybody knows that's his time. He took his time and got the shots he needed."
Luol Deng led the Bulls with 27 points, and Richard Hamilton added 20 points and eight rebounds. Joakim Noah had nine points, 13 rebounds and a team-high six assists.
"Overall, I thought we played hard but we turned the ball over a lot," Noah said. "(Durant) hit some really tough shots."
Hamilton made a tying jumper with 2:52 to play, but then Durant took over, making a floater from the top of the key over Deng to keep the Bulls at bay.
"I was on him," Deng said. "He's 6-9 (6-foot-9). A great player. Really tough shot."
While Durant came up with some clutch baskets at one end, the Bulls had no one to answer with star point guard Derrick Rose sidelined with a knee injury that will keep him out of action into the new year.
"Derrick Rose is an unbelievable player, don't get me wrong. He is Chicago," Durant said. "But those guys are great complements to him. Once one of your best players is out, guys got to step up, and that's what they've been doing ever since he's been out."
The teams combined for 43 turnovers. The 21 miscues by the Bulls were a hot topic after the game.
"We have to sustain our defense and take care of the ball," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We did not sustain our effort and we need to have low turnovers."
Durant was passive for much of the game and didn't attempt a free throw until the closing seconds. He has had just one game without a free throw attempt since the start of the 2010-11 season.
"I like Kevin to be a playmaker," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "That is what separates great players from good ones. The 19 shots like tonight are where I like him to be."
The Thunder put together a 7-0 run to grab the lead with 8:34 to play. Nick Collison capped the surge with a layup off a pass from Eric Maynor.
Deng snapped the run with his third 3-pointer of the game. Deng entered the contest 1-for-11 from behind the arc. Chicago ranked last in the league in 3-point makes, attempts and percentage, but hit a season-high five 3s in the game.
"Lu provides whatever you need," Thibodeau said. "If you need him to score more, he can do that."
The Thunder responded a six-point run, taking a five-point lead after Ibaka blocked a Deng shot from behind, igniting a fast break and Thabo Sefolosha's layup.
"They are hard to guard," Thibodeau said. "They made some tough plays and closed it out."
Kirk Hinrich scored seven points to lead a third-quarter charge for the Bulls, hitting his second 3-pointer of the game and reaching double figures in scoring for the first time this season. Chicago led 72-66 entering the final period.
The Bulls jumped to an early eight-point lead, but the Thunder closed the opening period with a 9-2 run to tie the game. Durant scored the last six points of the quarter on two dunks and a jump shot.
Ibaka scored 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting in the opening quarter and increased that to 15 by the half, when the Thunder led 48-47.
Jimmy Butler helped Chicago stay close the second quarter, putting up six points, three rebounds and three assists in the period, while playing solid defense on fellow reserve Kevin Martin, who scored 15 points for the Thunder.
Hinrich finished with 12 points.
Deng sprained his left thumb during the fourth quarter after it appeared he got hit by Ibaka. He was icing the thumb after the game.
"I jammed my thumb," Deng said. "Just got to ice it, treat it, I have a jammed thumb."
Deng injured his left wrist last season, tearing a ligament. He decided to put off surgery on the injury and has noted several times over the past few months that he might not have to have surgery on the wrist at all depending on how it responds to treatment.
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Bulls Give Magic First Loss
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| Getty Images |
Luol Deng scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 99-93 win over Orlando on Tuesday night, the Magic's first loss of the season.
Deng and Nate Robinson keyed a 15-2 second-half burst in which Chicago turned a five-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Robinson hit two straight jumpers to put Chicago ahead 74-70 early in the fourth, the Bulls' first lead since midway through the third period.
"We executed well," Deng said. "I thought Nate did a good job of looking for his shot and running the plays we were calling."
Deng teamed with fellow starter Joakim Noahand three reserves for most of the run, with Robinson, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson making key contributions.
"The guys we had in, Taj and Jimmy, gave us a big lift," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Nate also was really good out there. I thought in the second half, we played a lot harder."
Noah had 20 points, nine rebounds and five blocks for Chicago, while Robinson added 11 points and six assists off the bench. Robinson's layup with 2:35 to play put Chicago up 91-81, its biggest lead of the game.
"(Winning is) all that counts, but we need to play better," Noah said. "This isn't going to cut it against a better team. We've just got to keep fighting.
"They're an underrated team. I feel like they've got a lot of offensive firepower, they spread the floor. It was a good win tonight."
Arron Afflalo led the Magic with 28 points, 19 in the second half. E'Twaun Moore added a career-high 17 points.
"Our lull offensively gave them an opportunity to hit some shots in the fourth quarter," Afflalo said. "It's unfortunate, because it was a game I thought we could have won."
Glen Davis, who entered the game fourth in the NBA with 25.5 points per game, scored 16 points but shot just 7 of 22 from the floor and fouled out.
"The Bulls did a good job of getting us out of our stuff," Davis said. "You have to give them credit. They're a great defensive team."
Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who had won three of their previous four in Chicago entering the game.
Orlando had started the season 2-0, surprising many around the league after the Magic traded star center Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers over the summer. The Magic came up short in their bid to go 3-0 for just the fourth time in franchise history.
"We can't play one-on-one basketball," Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said. "When we shared the basketball, we got good looks. But when we turn it into a one-on-one contest, we're not going to get good looks."
The Magic led 70-65 when the Bulls started their decisive run late in the third quarter. Deng tied the game with a jumper with 10:58 to play. Later, Robinson capped the run with a layup in transition.
"I think we wanted it more," Robinson said. "I think at the end, we were more gritty. Coach said whatever it takes to get the win. So tonight, we had to gut it out."
Orlando trimmed the lead to four on Afflalo's 3 in the final minute, but Chicago held on down the stretch. Gibson's dunk and free throw with 39 seconds remaining iced it for the Bulls.
The Magic pushed the lead to seven in the second quarter behind seven points from Moore before Richard Hamilton closed the lead to 48-45 with a pull-up jumper in transition to close the first half.
J.J. Redick continued his hot shooting early with a 3-pointer and a midrange jumper during the spree. Redick hit 16 of 25 shots in Orlando's first two games.
After making his first two shots, Redick hit just one of the next seven before hitting a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, with Butler sticking to him for most of the second half.
"We just found a way," Noah said. "We fought hard at the end. Jimmy (Butler) gave us a great spark."
The Bulls needed the win after losing to New Orleans on Saturday and with Oklahoma City visiting the United Center on Thursday. The Bulls have not lost two straight at home since a five-game skid from March 1 to March 19, 2010.
"This was a tough game," Deng said. "They're playing well, and we lost our last game. It's one of those we needed to win. You don't want to lose two, then we've got Oklahoma (City) coming in. The fourth quarter was really good for the team."
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
Friday, 11 May 2012
Bulls Sent for Six in Wells Fargo
Andre Iguodala hopped on the scorer's table and played to the crowd as the catchy 76ers' anthem blared in the arena.His teammates joined Iguodala and danced along as confetti fluttered around them.
Eight years of going home empty in April is over. The Sixers at last had a reason to go wild.
Iguodala made the go-ahead free throws with 2.2 seconds left, and Philadelphia rallied for a 79-78 victory over the top-seeded Chicago Bulls in Game 6 on Thursday night, advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2003.
The 76ers will face Boston, which beat Atlanta in six games, in the conference semifinals.
"I don't know how we won this game," coach Doug Collins said.
Collins and the Sixers hardly cared the series win comes with an asterisk.
The Bulls lost reigning MVP Derrick Rose to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in their Game 1 win. Centre Joakim Noah missed the past three games with a sprained left ankle.
"I thought we had more than enough to win with," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I'm disappointed in the loss but I'm not disappointed in our team."
Without their stars, the Bulls found it tough to gut one out against the Sixers.
Omer Asik missed two free throws for the Bulls with 7 seconds left that would have given them a three-point lead. Iguodala grabbed the second miss, sprinted the length of the court, and was fouled by Asik on the driving layup.
The Sixers put their season in the hands of one of the worst fourth-quarter free-throw shooters in the NBA.
Collins was hunched over and his hands clasped with Iguodala at the line.
He made both -- and 20,362 fans went absolutely wild.
Iguodala made nine of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter in this series after shooting 45 percent (23 of 51) from the line in the period this season.
Iguodala changed his approach at the line this series. He started thinking what it would be like to teach his son how to shoot free throws.
Dads don't miss.
"I was like, 'Son, this is how you shoot free throws,' " Iguodala said.
The Sixers are the fifth No. 8 seed to win a first-round series against a No. 1 seed. Memphis eliminated San Antonio last season, while Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.
In his second season, Collins already had led the Sixers to their first winning season in seven years. Now, it's on to the second round for the first time since Allen Iverson was an All-Star.
The Sixers were smiling and mobbed each other as they dashed to the locker room to keep the party going.
The Sixers were 2.2 seconds from playing Game 7 in Chicago.
Now, they will pack their bags for the second round. They went 2-1 against the Celtics this season.
Collins had a catch in his voice at the postgame podium and was joined by his 4-year-old grandson, Cooper. Collins rubbed his head and held back tears talking about faith, family and his guys in the locker room.
"I'm a Sixer for life," he said.
Iguodala scored 20 points, and Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams each scored 14 for the Sixers who were outrebounded 56-33.
Iguodala snagged the one that mattered.
"We win on a rebound. Something we don't get all night," a smiling Collins said.
The Sixers started 20-9 and led the Atlantic Division for the first half of the season until a late fade sent them tumbling toward eighth place.
None of that matters now.
Not even the fact the Bulls were down two stars.
The 50-win Bulls are heading home early a year after they reached the conference finals.
"We were on the ropes and we battled," forward Carlos Boozer said. "In the end, it came down to the very last second. So, it's tough. We were right there, given everything, right there. It will be a long summer."
Luol Deng had 19 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls. Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Boozer grabbed 13 rebounds.
The Bulls had the lock-down defensive effort to nearly pull off the win.
The signature series came in the fourth quarter when the Sixers wasted a forced turnover on the other end with a brutal offensive possession.
Spencer Hawes missed a shot, Thaddeus Young missed two straight in the paint, and Hawes missed again against hands-up defense that sent the bench into a frenzy. Noah was the first one up pumping his fist and screaming encouragement for the fantastic defensive effort.
Hawes fired an airball next time down and there was a collective groan from the crowd.
Iguodala made up for a string of Sixers misses with a tying 3 that made it 70-all.
The Sixers tried to get a laugh by showing the Bulls bench on "Kiss Cam." Noah popped his warmup jacket toward the camera and the crowd booed the oversized "Chicago" on the big screen.
Noah was one of the top offensive rebounders in the league and the Bulls figured on missing his presence in the middle. Led by Deng and Boozer, the Bulls instead went out and controlled the boards, holding a 49-29 edge early in the fourth.
"We have to use this as motivation to move forward," Thibodeau said.
Saturday, 5 May 2012
Sixers Second Win in Wells Fargo
Joakim Noah crashed down on his side and clutched his sprained left ankle and it was bad news for the Bulls already without Derrick Rose. The Bulls can't afford any more injuries to their stars as it could mean the 76ers could be the team advancing to the next round.
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Bulls Win But Lose Rose
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| Photo: Landov |
Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose will miss the rest of the NBA season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Rose was helped off the court late in Chicago's 103-91 playoff-opening victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, a staggering blow for a team eyeing a championship run.
He scored 23 points and was playing more like the league's reigning MVP after missing 27 games because of injuries during the regular season, but his season came to an end as the Bulls were wrapping up an impressive win.
Rose crumbled to the ground after he drove the lane with about 1:20 left and the Bulls leading by 12. He was going for a layup when he came to a jump-stop and seemed to change his mind as the 76ers' Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen rotated over, passing off to a teammate before an awkward landing.
Medical personnel tended to Rose for several minutes as he was writhing in pain near the baseline before helping him to the locker room. Rose was taken to the hospital, where MRI results confirmed the Bulls' worst fears.
In the game, Rose found his touch after a slow start and also contributed nine rebounds and nine assists. Richard Hamilton added 19 points, Luol Deng scored 17 and Joakim Noah (12 points, 13 rebounds) had a double-double for Chicago.
Elton Brand led Philadelphia with 19 points. Jrue Holiday scored 16, and Thaddeus Young had 13 points. Chicago product Evan Turner scored 12 and was booed mercilessly after acknowledging he thought the Miami Heat would be a tougher first-round matchup.
Friday, 20 April 2012
King James Rules Bulls
Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls 83-72 in an ill-tempered and physical encounter between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
Both teams have long secured postseason berths and are favourites to face off in the Conference finals but Thursday's intense battle gave fans an idea of what they can expect despite the absence of several key players.
The Bulls guard and last season's Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose sat out the game due to an ankle problem, while Miami's Chris Bosh was also absent for the second successive game with an unspecified injury.
LeBron James continued his outstanding run of form with 27 points along with 11 rebounds and six assists.
Dwyane Wade, who missed the last two games for Miami, bagged 18 points on his return while Mario Chalmers chipped in with 16 points.
Despite the missing elements from their teams, there was no shortage of passion and Miami's James Jones was ejected for a flagrant foul for the first time in his career after an incident with Joakim Noah in the second quarter.
There were a number of other rough clashes with Wade and Richard Hamilton involved in one and James sending John Lucas to the floor with his shoulder in another.
The Heat defence restricted Chicago (47-16) to a season-low points tally and the victory moved Miami (45-17) within a game-and-a-half of the Bulls in the race for top spot.
The Houston Rockets' playoff hopes in the Western Conference suffered another blow as they lost their sixth consecutive game with a 105-99 overtime loss to the lowly New Orleans Hornets.
The defeat puts Houston a game behind the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz who are tied on 33-30 for the eighth and final playoff spot with three games each left to play.
The Suns boosted their chances of making the playoffs, after missing out last year, thanks to a thrilling 93-90 win over the LA Clippers.
There were 24 changes of lead and the final one came after two free throws from the veteran Steve Nash made it 91-90 with 25.9 seconds left.
Channing Frye's two free throws extended the lead before the Clippers' Blaker Griffin, who made 16 points, missed a three-point attempt with the final play.
The Indianapolis Pacers extended their winning streak to seven games with a 118-109 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks to guarantee home court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Bucks had led 40-34 in the second quarter but Indiana stormed back with an 18-2 run, allowing them to go 66-52 up early in the third.
David Granger led the Pacers with 29 points while the Bucks had center Larry Sanders ejected.
The playoffs begin on the weekend of 28 April.
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Thursday, 23 February 2012
Michael Jordan Files Lawsuit in China
Basketball legend Michael Jordan has filed a lawsuit in China against a Chinese sportswear company, accusing the firm of unauthorised use of his name.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame recipient and former Chicago Bulls star said on Thursday that Qiaodan Sports, a company located in the southern Fujian province, had built its business around his Chinese name and jersey number without his permission.
"It is deeply disappointing to see a company build a business off my Chinese name without my permission, use the number 23 and even attempt to use the names of my children," Jordan said in a statement.
"This complaint is not about money. It's about principle and protecting my name," he added.
Jordan is known as Qiaodan in basketball-mad China that has produced its own basketball superstar in Yao Ming. The moniker was registered by Qiaodan Sports, the statement said. It did not specify what compensation Jordan was seeking from the company.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Chinese company defended its use of the name.
"Qiaodan is a trademark registered under the Chinese law by our company and the legitimate use of the trademark is protected," Qiaodan Sports said in emailed comments.
Over the past few years, the company has become the Olympic partner of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. And in 2010, it became the official partner of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
Jordan filed the case on Tuesday in a Chinese court. NBA breakout star Jeremy Lin may face similar issues in China further down the road as a woman in the eastern province of Jiangsu has already registered his name, in Chinese characters, as a trademark, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Lin himself is applying for a trademark in the United States to the term "Linsanity", which is widely used to describe his meteoric rise to fame, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office website.
Apple Inc faces similar legal tangles in China. On Thursday, a Shanghai court denied a request in a trademark case by Chinese technology firm Proview Technology (Shenzhen) to stop Apple from selling its iPad tablet in the city.
Proview claims it owns the iPad trademark in China, while Apple says the trademark was bought from the firm years ago.
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