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Marquis Teague played 14 minutes and Daequan Cook eight for the Chicago Bulls on Saturday (May 4) against the Nets in Brooklyn in the decisive Game 7 of their Eastern Conference opening-round series. Oh, wait. This is supposed to be about who didn’t play rather than who did, right?
Luvabulls Pam and Ashley rooted from afar for Game 7.
* Derrick Rose, who hasn’t played all season.
* Kirk Hinrich, who has a calf injury, tried to test it in pregame warmups and — like Rose — watched the game in street clothes on the bench.
* Luol Deng, who did not even travel from Chicago because of having undergone a spinal tap and spent time in the hospital because of complications.
That’s the story line, no?
No.
Thanks in large part to Bulls center Joakim Noah, who guaranteed a Game 7 victory. And in large part to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who was masterful in manipulating a depleted roster to maximize its potential.
The result: Bulls 99, Nets 93. On to Miami for the Bulls in a conference semifinal against the top-seeded Heat with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade awaiting the series opener Monday.
The Luvabulls will be back at the United Center for Game 3 Friday vs. Miami.
While some folks may want to whine about D-Rose not playing, his absence adds to a more compelling narrative.
The big question for Rose is not whether he will return to play in the second round but whether he brought enough dress clothes with him for Games 1 & 2 in Miami that we haven’t seen him yet wear on the bench.
In a Saturday morning chat with media, Rose said he was unaware of any criticism that he should be out on the court.
“That’s my first time hearing about it,” Rose said. “I barely turn on the TV. I’m with my son all day so that’s about it.
The Luvabulls will have at least two more games for dancing at the United Center.
“You hear stuff, people say stuff. I have a lot of people text me, asking if I’m alright because I guess they’re paying attention to what’s going on in the social media, but I’m far from it. I rarely watch games. If it’s not our game, I rarely watch it. I know every team, I’ve been watching their teams the whole year. There’s some good teams out there. I saw enough basketball. It’s just that I just got to get on the court and play.”
Someone who did get ont he court and play was Noah. He had 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots. Guard Marco Belinelli had 24 points. Forward Carlos Boozer added 17 and Nate Robinson 12. Jimmy Butler, the other Bulls starter, played the entire 48 minutes for the second game in a row. And Teague and Cook each played meaningful minutes after rarely playing.
No Bulls player had more than two turnovers; the team had eight for the game.
There’s always room for a photo of Ashley Kaltwasser. And video, too.
The Bulls, who enjoyed a 61-44 halftime lead, had its advantage shrink to seven after the Nets scored one-third of their points (31) in the third quarter. But the Bulls withstood any late challenge the Nets tried to create.
“Before this series I didn’t know I would be able to play, I could barely walk,” said New York native Noah, who has suffered from plantar fasciitis. “To be able to win a Game 7 like this in front of my family in Brooklyn, I mean, I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”
“Noah is a warrior,” said guard Deron Williams, who led the Nets with 24 points. “He battled through his injuries and had a monster game. We really had no answer for him down low tonight.”
The Nets also appeared to lack the inensity the Bulls brought.
“Our team has shown resiliency all season,” Thibodeau said. “I see them every day, I know they have the belief.”
Nets guard Joe Johnson (six points) was 2-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-9 from three-point range.
“He has been playing injured and obviously the shot wasn’t going down, but he has been so clutch for us in the fourth quarter all year, and we wouldn’t be here in Game 7 if it wasn’t for him,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “We didn’t lose because of someone not shooting the ball. We lost because [of] the way we didn’t match the energy in the first half, and that was the difference in the game.”
There would seem a possibility that Carlesimo may be coaching for Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov next season. Well, if Prokhorov has a team in Siberia.
Meanwhile the Bulls have headed to warmer weather in South Florida.
“We know how good Miami is,” Thibodeau said. “So we’re going to have to be at our best, playing great basketball. They’re a very deep team, extremely well-coached. Very well-balanced, so we’re going to have to be at our best right from the start.”
Something says if the Bulls fall short against Miami (and most rational observers would say they will), it won’t be for a lack of effort. Certainly not if Game 7 against the Nets is any indication.
What a night. You have no idea how the Bulls game cut into the requisite research the video department at elliottharris.com does every day. Even so, we were able to come up with some non-gratuitous video:
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