Latest News
He was Nate the Great — especially late. Even so, Nate the Great had to wait — for his team to know its fate.
Reserve guard Nate Robinson had 23 fourth-quarter points to help the Chicago Bulls rally to send Game 4 of their NBA Eastern Conference first-round series into overtime against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday afternoon (April 27) at the United Center.
Bulls fans and saw plenty of Nate Robinson — and Luvabulls — in Game 4.
Followed by another overtime. Followed by another overtime.
By the time the game concluded, the Bulls had won 142-134 in triple overtime to take a 3-1 series lead. The time of the game was 3:57. The contest lasted so long that some wondered if the game had gone another extra session or more whether the Luvabulls dance team might run out of choreographed material to perform. Or how many more overtimes might have brought about Derrick Rose changing from street clothes to put on a uniform.
Robinson fouled out with 1:03 left in the second overtime and watched as the Bulls outscored Brooklyn 15-7 in the third overtime. Nazr Mohammed had four points in the final overtime when the Bulls made 6-of-9 shots from the field to the Nets’ 2-of-8.
Robinson finished with a game-high 34 points (14-of-23 field goals, including 3-of-7 three-pointers) in 28:32 off the bench.
“That’s what Nate’s capable of,” Nets coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “He’s the guy that can change the game, an X factor. He has nights when he gets going and he is very difficult to defend.”
“He hit big shot after big shot,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That’s what makes him so valuable. We got him going, and he had a great run. He just played a great game.”
Or a Nate game, as the 5-9 guard might like to think of it.
“I tease coach a lot because it seems like every shot I shoot, he’s mad regardless,” Robinson said. “Everybody knows coach is a drill sergeant, but he has a heart somewhere in there. I know he does. He smiles every blue moon, and it’s good to see. I just keep shooting and hope to make them. Then he can’t say much. I talk to him about calling plays for me and asked him not to. Don’t call it for me the ball will just find me. I just need to be spontaneous.”
Kirk Hinrich, who played a game-high 59:36, had 18 points (all in the first three periods) and 14 assists (nine after the third period). He also pestered Nets guard Deron Williams from the game’s beginning, as the Bulls’ defensive intensity set the early tone.
Williams finished with a team-high 32 points. Brook Lopez had 26 points and 11 rebounds. Joe Johnson had 22 points, including a tying basket that sent the game to a second overtime.
The Bulls trailed 109-95 with 3:45 left in regulation before Robinson made one of his two turnovers with 3:19 to go. Nets guard C.J. Watson — with whom Robinson had a confrontation that had the two players entangled by the scorers’ table in the second quarter (with each player assessed a technical foul) — went in for a dunk on the play. And missed.
“The basketball gods were definitely on our side,” said Bulls center Joakim Noah (15 points, 13 rebounds with his mother among the game’s spectators. “C.J. missed dunk was huge. Thank you, C.J.”
The Bulls went on a 14-0 run with Robinson accounting for 12 consecutive points and Carlos Boozer the final two thanks to a Robinson assist.
“Nate Robinson brought us back,” said Boozer (21 points, eight rebounds). “We got stops so we got the ball to Nate. We got a stop and we got the ball to Nate. We got a stop and we got the ball to Nate. He carried us. He was amazing.”
For those interested in the non-basketball portion of the program. we have the lovely Luvabulls and the Swingin’ Seniors:
Meanwhile, in the world of non-gratuitous video (in no small part because the editorial and video departments at elliottharris.com have a broad definition of “gratuitous”), despite the time constraints caused by the Bulls game, we were able to come up with some worthy footage — even if it did require working late into the night and early hours of Sunday:
Advertising opportunities are available on ElliottHarris.com. For information and rates, contact sales@elliottharris.com.