Chicago Bulls Beat Orlando Magic 85-59, Tom Thibodeau Fastest to 100 Wins

The Chicago Bulls have a real affection for their head coach, and tonight they helped him to a new NBA record as they beat the Orlando Magic, 85-59. In the process, they earned Tom Thibodeau his 100th win in just 130 games coached, the fastest anyone has ever gotten to that mark. 

The player of the game for Chicago was...Carlos Boozer? Yes, Carlos Boozer.

Boozer scored 24 efficient points on 12-of-18 shooting. He added 13 rebounds for good measure. He also played solid defense (that was not a typo) as he held Ryan Anderson to just 10 points and had four steals. 

Chicago got some help from their bench, particularly John Lucas III, who scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Luol Deng added 14 points and four rebounds. Joakim Noah had nine points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Perhaps the Bull of the game wasn't even a player though, as Tom Thibodeau's defense was on full display as they absolutely clamped down on Orlando's offense. It was the fewest points given up by the Bulls ever. It was, in a word, an appropriate performance. 

They held Orlando to a .353 field-goal percentage and .200 from deep. It was going so good they even "defended" the Magic from the stripe, keeping them to just .389 on free throws. It was a defensive masterpiece. 

This concluded the toughest stretch of games the Bulls had on their schedule this season, with 12 of 15 opponents either currently holding a playoff spot or within a game of one. The Bulls were 11-1 against those opponents and 13-2 overall.

This is all in spite of the fact that they were missing Derrick Rose for four of those games and their other All-Star, Luol Deng, for the other two. 

The Bulls next play a pair of games against the Toronto Raptors, the first on the road and the second at home. Rose probably won't be in the game on Wednesday in Toronto based on the reports that he hasn't been able to run the last couple of days. 

Frankly, if they can continue to win without him, they should. There's no need to rush him back. The playoffs are starting to get closer, and it's better to have a rested backcourt without injuries than a hampered one. The Bulls are chasing the top seed as it is. 

This raises something that makes the fact that Thibodeau has set the record all the more remarkable, though. In the 130 games it took him to get to 100 wins, Thibodeau only had his starting lineup 39 times, or for just 30 percent of the time. 

Additionally, Avery Johnson, who had previously held the record, inherited a team that was 42-22 when he took over midseason. The Bulls were 41-41 the year before Thibodeau took over, although there was a major personnel overhaul. 

If the Bulls continue to win and secure the top seed in spite of all the wins, Thibodeau could make history a second time, as the first coach to ever repeat as Coach of the Year in consecutive seasons.