Chicago Bulls Hot Streak Continues with Win at Boston

Derrick Rose and company beat the Celtics on Friday night in Boston, and everything seems to be working in the Bulls' favor at this junction. They have an NBA-best 11-2 record, one of Miami's Big Three has been injured in Dwayne Wade, and Rose continues to play superb basketball, scoring 25 points and coming through when his team needed him the most.

Not only did Rose play well, but Luol Deng eliminated some doubts as to his abilities and stamina, posting a double-double in 43 minutes of play while holding Paul Pierce to 3-of-12 shooting from the field. Joakim Noah also added a double-double, and Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer each scored 12 points.

As good as this win in Boston is for Chicago, it was against a Celtics team whose record is 4-6 and is struggling, it seems, with this high-volume schedule. Still, if the Bulls keep winning, critics will be sufficiently silenced.

In addition, the Heat's misfortune is the Bulls' delight. Dwyane Wade sprained his ankle, LeBron still seems inept when needed and the Heat have lost three straight with a defeat in Denver yesterday. Everything is going right for Chicago fans, whose fears about Rose's toe injury were also erased last night.

Another positive takeaway from this victory is that the Bulls are able to fend off rallies late in games with their defense and consistent scoring. Rose came through when needed, and the Bulls held the Celtics to 79 points in their house.

Even when it seemed like the Celtics would make a comeback, cutting a 20-point Chicago lead down to one, the Bulls came right back and broke open a five-point lead with 8:30 to play. This bodes well for Chicago because they have been able to coast down the stretch of nine of their last 11 games, winning 10 of those contests.

Coming up, the Bulls have nine games in the next 15 days, with a rematch against Memphis on Jan. 16, and the end of that stretch at Miami.

The team's performance and stamina should be very interesting to watch, as they play a hot Phoenix club and a surprisingly talented Pacers team. Miami's performance should be eye-catching as well, as they have lost four of the last seven and have a much tougher next 15 days than Chicago.

All in all, if the Bulls keep up their winning ways, fans should not be worried, as their stamina is looking better and doubts about key players continue to be diminished.