Full-Strength Chicago Bulls Flashing Their Potential and Sunday NBA Takeaways
Homebound for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Chicago Bulls are a team on the rise.
A 102-84 win over the Brooklyn Nets means Chicago will finish its annual circus road trip with a winning record, and this latest victory offered glimpses of the run that could be coming.
Jimmy Butler continued his ascent toward stardom, leading the Bulls with 26 points on an ultra-efficient 7-of-12 effort from the field. His 13 free-throw attempts bumped his season total up to 132, the third most in the league.
Once a defensive specialist, Butler is now performing on the other end in an appropriately Chicagoan, blue-collar manner.
With Derrick Rose chipping in 26 solid minutes and Pau Gasol posting his third consecutive double-double (25 points and 13 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting), the Bulls' scoring attack was plenty productive. Steady reserve contributor Nikola Mirotic added 12 points and 12 boards as well.
Defensively, well...let's just say the Nets won't be in a hurry to watch tape of the 37.2 percent shooting Chicago held them to.
At 11-6, Chicago hasn't been hurting for success this season. But this win had a little extra significance. It added more evidence to the growing pile indicating that, if healthy, Chicago is as scary a team as there is in the league.
Per Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com: "The health of their starters has played a big role in their success on this trip. The Bulls improved to 5-0 on the season when their intended starting lineup of Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah start."
The problem, of course, is that the Bulls' greatest weakness is their vulnerability to injury. It's great that Chicago hasn't lost any of the five games it's played with a healthy first unit. It's less great that said unit has only been fit enough to play five times in a month.
Rose hadn't started and finished two consecutive contests all year until he survived against Brooklyn on Sunday. And it's still not known when Taj Gibson, Chicago's most important reserve, will return from an ankle injury.
Toss in the accumulated nicks and bruises always afflicting Noah, Butler and Gasol, and you've got a collection of talent whose potential is surpassed only by its frailty.
We know all that, though. Chicago has dealt with significant injuries for nearly all of Tom Thibodeau's tenure at the helm. The next one—whenever it comes—won't catch the team unprepared.
What we also know is that the Bulls aren't satisfied with their start. And they're not getting too full of themselves either.
"I just wanted to be on the [opponent] scouting report,” Butler told reporters after his game-high 26 points, via Sam Smith of Bulls.com. “I don’t think I was on the scouting report last year. Maybe I made it onto people’s scouting reports this year. My mindset [in 2011] was just to stick in this league, find a way to help the team win. You’ve got to show the organization and your teammates you are here to play."
Butler's teammates and his organization know what he's about. The rest of the league is finding out, too.
Brooklyn, now 6-9 on the year, is headed in the opposite direction. If not for the good fortune of facing the depleted Oklahoma City Thunder and the amateur-hour Philadelphia 76ers in the past couple of weeks, the Nets would be sitting on a nine-game slide.
It seems things are getting desperate.
That's right, Kevin Garnett literally added some bite to his world-renowned bark.
No harm, no foul, apparently.
As for the Bulls, they'll enjoy four of their next five tilts at home. And observers throughout the league will be paying close attention, hoping to find out if the East's sleeping giant is waking up for real. The homestand will feature contests against some of the superior West's top ranks, including the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers.
A winning circus trip is a big deal. But that achievement will pale in comparison to a strong showing against real competition.
Chicago looks ready.
Around the Association
Dubs Own the East
The Warriors stomped out the reeling Detroit Pistons by a final score of 104-93—a misleading margin that doesn't indicate the truth: The game was essentially over by halftime.
Saginaw native Draymond Green enjoyed his Michigan homecoming, hitting five triples on the way to a team-high 20 points. Stephen Curry dampened spirits briefly when he suffered a worrisome left ankle tweak in the third quarter, but X-rays came back negative.
On a nine-game winning streak and heading home with a 5-0 road trip complete, the Dubs have reached cruising altitude.
Kobe Bryant Can't Get Call, Gets Triple-Double and Win Instead
Beating the Toronto Raptors to end a four-game losing streak would have been impressive enough, but Kobe Bryant didn't stop there.
He piled on with a triple-double, finishing with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in the Los Angeles Lakers' 129-122 overtime victory.
Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 29 points.
Kobe couldn't draw a blocking call on Jonas Valanciunas when he attacked the basket at the end of regulation, which pushed the game into the extra period. There, Kobe added six points and the two boards he needed for his 20th career triple-double.
And what Kobe-centric evening would be complete without a new Bryant meme?
L.A. is now 3-0 against the East and 1-13 against the West.
Good news: The Lakers hit the road for a three-game sojourn against Detroit, Washington and Boston this week.
Kings Can't Dance Without Boogie
Out for the second straight game due to illness, DeMarcus Cousins wasn't available Sunday to help the Sacramento Kings avenge their controversial last-second loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The first defeat came on Nov. 13 when Courtney Lee flipped in a buzzer-beater with tenths of a second remaining. The Kings protested the result and lost.
Memphis' 97-85 margin of victory in this one didn't leave any room for debate. Zach Randolph got loose for 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Marc Gasol tossed up 18 points, six boards and five assists against an overwhelmed Kings interior.
The Grizz have won five straight and lead the West with a sterling 15-2 mark.
Pop Pops In, Rondo Rims Out
Gregg Popovich rejoined the San Antonio Spurs after two games off to deal with an undisclosed medical procedure. His replacement, assistant Ettore Messina, led the Spurs to a 2-0 record in the interim.
Based on the easy 111-89 win over the Boston Celtics, Pop didn't screw anything up by returning to the plug-and-play (plug-and-dominate?) Spurs.
Rajon Rondo, on the other hand, continued his struggles with what should be the easiest of shots. He went 0-of-2 from the foul line, dropping his season-long conversion rate from the charity stripe to a "there's no way that's right" 9-of-30.
Good thing he can pass.
D-Wade Still Seems Good; Melo Can't Fix Knicks
Hey! Remember Dwyane Wade?
Well, it turns out he's still good—when he decides to take the floor, that is.
Wade suited up for the Miami Heat for the first time since Nov. 12, and his 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting led Miami to a 86-79 win over the host New York Knicks.
Carmelo Anthony's return after two games off to rest his aching back wasn't enough to get New York going. He had 31 points in the losing effort.
The Heat's offense took on some new dimensions with Wade back on the floor, and though it's hard to know how often he'll be able to play going forward, it's encouraging to see him looking very much like the D-Wade of old when he's out there.
Meanwhile, the Knicks have lost four straight and, unless you count an Oct. 30 victory over a very shaky Cleveland Cavaliers team as a quality win, have yet to defeat a decent opponent. This is going to get worse before it gets better.
The Gerald Green Scouting Report Is Simple
Phoenix Suns high-flying wing Gerald Green broke out the self-alley-oop in a 93-90 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
If the play looks familiar, it's because we saw something very similar from Green last season.
Be advised: When Green picks up his dribble and looks stuck at the right elbow, he's got you right where he wants you.
