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Well, Vladimir Radmanovic was impressive. He made all three of his field-goal attempts (all three-pointers) for the visiting Chicago Bulls in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Wednesday (May 8) against the Miami Heat. And he had two steals and an assist in his 10 minutes on the court. Plus he was plus-4 (meaning the Bulls held a four-point advantage when he was in the game).
This photo from Game 2 was all over Facebook and Twitter. Not sure that Bulls management would tolerate such fan behavior at the United Center.
So much for the bright spots for the Bulls. The Heat prevailed 115-78 to even the series. Radmanovic was the only Bull to have a plus number. The only other Bull without a minus number was Richard “Rip” Hamilton. And he was the only Bulls player in uniform who didn’t enter the game. So technically, Hamilton does qualifies. OK, not really.
Speaking of technicalities (or at least technical fouls), the game featured five technical fouls and a flagrant foul. And that was merely in the first half.
Bulls center Joakim Noah and reserve forward Taj Gibson had early exits by drawing two techicals each. They were banished in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of hand. Down 55-41 at halftime, the Bulls were outscored 30-15 in the third quarter. Miami shot 60 percent from the field and looked like a team that could win its second consecutive NBA crown.
Yes, the Bulls lost the game — after they lost their composure. Which can happen when you fall behind by 46 points (104-58).
“We got sidetracked and you can’t do that,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We allowed frustration to carry over to the next play. … You come in here, you’re not going to get calls. That’s reality.”
Reality also is that the Bulls return home for Game 3 Friday with a road victory. So all they have to do is win their home games to prevail in the series. With starters Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich quite likely out again for that game, the likelihood of doing so is diminished — if not close to impossible.
And despite the TNT broadcast crew promoting the possibility of 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose returning for Game 3, that scenario would seem highly unlikely. It’s unclear whether Bulls guard Rose, who is recovering from anterior-cruciate ligament surgery from a year ago, might have incurred shell-shock during Game 2.
“I don’t know how many techs we got,” Noah said. For those keeping track, the answer: six. “I would call that not keeping your cool, not being very Zen.”
LeBron James had 19 points, including making all six of his first-quarter field-goal attempts, for the Heat. Reserves Ray Allen (21 points) and Norris Cole (18) combined for 12-of-16 shooting from the field, including 5-of-6 three-pointers.
It’s Scarlett and Giselle from “Pirates of the Caribbean” at C2E2.
Marco Belinelli led the Bulls with 13 points. Noah had 12 and Nate Robinson 11.
If nothing else, the healthy Bulls should be reasonably well-rested for Game 3. Jimmy Butler, who had played all 48 minutes in three previous playoff games, was on the court for a mere 31 in Game 3. Belinelli (39) was the only Bull playing more than 33 minutes.
As for the feistiness and whistle-blowing in Game 2?
“I don’t want to put it on the officials,” Thibodeau said. “In an NBA playoff game there’s going to be calls that go either way and if it doesn’t go your way, you can’t allow it to impact the next play. You can’t allow that to get you sidetracked, so you don’t do your job. You have to have the ability to do your job all the time. If you’re thinking about them, you’re not thinking about what you need to be thinking about.”
By tipoff for Game 3, expect Thibodeau to have his team focused on what it needs to be thinking about.
On a more amusing and entertaining note, here is a video that we were able to record during the recent C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) at McCormick Place:
If it’s Thursday (which seems likely because yesterday was Wednesday — provided that you are reading this on May 9, 2013, or a subsequent Thursday), then it is time once again for “Sports & Torts” with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris. The highly acclaimed interview show (well, it is held in such esteem in the Spada and Harris households, among reportedly elsewhere) is live at noon Central time on Talkzone.com. The May 9 guest is former Kansas City Chiefs standout Bobby Bell. He said he didn’t have much to talk about. And about 50 or so minutes later, we concluded our conversation. The program also will become available on podcast later in the day.
The editorial and video departments at elliotharris.com once again spent considerable time in a quest for non-gratuitous videos. So here we go:
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