Noah’s Numbers Add Up to Bulls Rarity

February 23, 2012 @ admin → No Comments

The celebrating started early for Joakim Noah. The Chcago Bulls center turns 27 on Saturday. As if that’s not enough reason, Noah posted the first triple-double of his NBA career in a 110-91 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night (Feb. 22) at the United Center.

Maybe Nicole Moneer Guerrero will show up at the talkzone.com studio in attire like this. Credit: Bersano Photography

Noah had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double by a Bull center since Artis Gilmore’s in 1977.

Party!

Plus it was the last Bulls game before the all-star break.

Definitely party! Which was part of the evening’s postgame itinerary. Before that came a bottle requiring a corkscrew and some paper cups for Noah and a few teammates to enjoy before heading off into the night. Or, in Noah’s case, into the shower and then into the night.

His postgame popularity with the media had left him the last player to hit the showers. Noah had spent many minutes being interviewed by a French-speaking journalist. Certainly a welcome relief from the usual suspects who populate the locker room after games.

“It feels good,” Noah said of the triple-double. “It feels even better to have this break right now. We just wanted to come out and play hard and be focused. We got the ‘W.’ It’s my birthday in a couple of days; there’s going to be a team function [Wednesday] with all the Bulls players, so it’s going to be fun tonight.”

“THey are hard to get,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Noah’s accomplishment, “but you play to win. I was just pleased with the way he played.”

“He had a really good game with that triple-double,” Bucks guard Brandon Jennings said. “He really helped them out and hurt us when we went at [Derrick] Rose with our double-teams.”

“We didn’t body him up on him or jump with him,” Bucks coach Scott Skiles said of Noah. “You can’t do that against him because he can dribble and pass the ball so well, which is how he hurt as all night.”

Informed that Thibodeau would have taken him out if Noah hadn’t been closing in on a triple-double, Noah said, “We’re not playing for stats. We’re just trying to get wins. Obviously, this is a very hunbling accomplishment, but we are playing for more than that.”

In case Noah wants to find a way to improve on a triple-double, he might want to consider Nate Thurmond’s accomplishment in his Bulls debut on Oct. 18, 1974. “Nate the Great” had a quadruple-double, the first official one in NBA history, with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots.

Noah had his triple-double after three quarters. He theoretically could have gone after a quadruple-double. Of course, he would have needed nine blocks to accomplish that feat, so it probably was smarter to stay off his feet and merely watch the fourth quarter.

How about some Luvabulls videos:

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Speaking of Nate Thurmond, you can access his “Sports & Torts” interview from Feb. 9, 2012, at talkzone.com.

A reminder that “Sports & Torts” on Thursday at noon (Chicago time) with four lovely ladies coming to the studio. Bikini competitor/fitness guru Nicole Moneer Guerrero) bringing in Nicole Genarella, Samantha Slaven and Barbie Zweifel to chat with co-hosts David Spada and Elliott Harris. Also on the program will be an interview with legendary broadcaster Joe Garagiola. If you are unable to view and/or listen to the show at noon, it will be available later on podcast at talkzone.com.

Also, let the record show that you can become a part of the program as an advertiser. To find out about the possibilities of running commercials, contact David Spada by email at david@injuryinillinois.com.

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Always in pursuit of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service (or the cyberspace equivalent), here is a link to a Playboy announcement regarding a search for “Girls of the Big Ten.” You can access by clicking here. You’re welcome.

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Some Super Bowl partying with April Rose and her Maxim friends always is in season: