Well, the Bulls didn't exactly mop the floor with the Heat but a win's a win, right?
Many will point to Luol Deng's 33 points or Ben Gordon's near triple-double. Admittedly, this game may have been Deng's official playoff "coming-out party" as he finally put together a post-season performance that us Bulls fans knew he was capable of. He and Gordon helped overcome a virtual no-show for the frustrated, foul-plagued Kirk Hinrich.
But the true stars in this contest came off the bench and also in form of a former rival. Andres Nocioni's offense and defense inspired this Bulls team when they were searching for answers. Thabo Sefalosha contained Dwyane Wade in Captain Kirk's absence. And perhaps most importantly of all, the off-season acquisition of Ben Wallace seems to be paying off.
The stat sheet won't tell you the story. Big Ben had 14 rebounds (6 offensive) which is only a small part of the role he played. Tipped balls to teammates which won't count for rebounds as well as some key defensive plays drawing fouls from the opposition helped the Bulls tremendously. No offense to speak of but that's not really what we need from Ben, now is it?
This team certainly did not play a perfect game, nor do they look ready to be the 2007 NBA champions quite yet. But for Game 1, Round 1? I'll take it.
1 comment:
Less than 10 minutes, two blocks back to back and then one thunderous alleyoop when he hustled down the court. That sequence ignited the crowd, just like every time he came on the court.
Post a Comment