Chicago Bulls Finally Get Revenge on Knicks 106-90, Put Pressure on Spurs
The Chicago Bulls came out with a dominant start to the third quarter and finally got a win over the New York Knicks, the only team in the NBA they hadn't yet beaten.
It was their 61st win of the season, and pulled them into a tie with the San Antonio Spurs for the league's best record after their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Bulls trailed at half time but opened the second half with a spectacular 26-2 run. While the Knicks put on a run of their own to end the quarter, and at times pulled to within seven points in the fourth quarter, the Bulls pulled away at the end.
Derrick Rose struggled in the first half only scoring 10 points on 11 shots but was key to the Bulls third quarter run, and finished the game with 26 points on 19 shots, going 10-19 from the field and 2-6 from three.
Luol Deng quietly had a big game as well, scoring 23 points and getting 10 rebounds. Carlos Boozer only scored 14 points but had a season-high 22 rebounds for the Bulls.
Overall the Bulls absolutely conquered the Knicks on the boards who were without Amar'e Stoudemire. The Bulls had 51 total rebounds and 12 offensive boards to New York's 33 rebounds and five offensive boards.
New York and Chicago entered the night with the NBA's two longest winning streaks. The Bulls now stand alone in that regard with their eighth straight win. They have also won 19 of 21 and 27 of 31. Since the Knicks beat them on Christmas Day the Bulls are 43-10.
Derrick Rose also scored his 2,000th point in the game, making him the first point guard in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 600 assists, 300 rebounds and 50 blocks in one season. Only two other players have accomplished the feat, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Excluding the block John Havlicek and Oscar Robertson have also accomplished the feat.
Tom Thibodeau also moved up to second place on the most wins by a rookie head coach in NBA history. With one more win tomorrow night against the Nets he will tie Paul Westphal of the Phoenix Suns for the all-time record.
The Knicks were the only team the Bulls hadn't beaten this year. With the win the Bulls became the only team in the NBA this year to have beaten every other team.
Ronnie Brewer sprained his thumb in the win and Joakim Noah tweaked his ankle. While some will point to the injuries and wonder why Thibodeau was playing his starters I'll mention two things. First, Brewer isn't a starter and only played eight minutes before he was injured, so that wouldn't have made a difference.
As far as Noah goes, he hasn't fully gotten his timing back, and the value of having him playing in rhythm is worth having him pay. The tweak looked minor and he looked like he could have come back if it were an important game.
The opportunity to have home court throughout the playoffs for a young team has tremendous value as well so the game wasn't actually "meaningless."
The Bull conclude their regular season tomorrow night at the United Center against the New Jersey Nets. Since the Spurs (who played their starters Tuesday) lost to the Lakers (who also played their starters), the Bulls can clinch a tie for best record in the NBA with a win.
