Bulls take Lakers, continue winning ways

The Chicago Bulls got a big win on Tuesday, beating the Los Angeles Lakers, 94-89 at the United Center. Chicago has now won 12 of its last 13 games and is in second place in the NBA’s Central Division with a 15-10 record entering Friday’s game at New York.

Most of the Bulls hot streak has come against weak teams in the Eastern Conference. But Tuesday’s win comes against one of the marquee teams in the NBA, even though the Lakers are currently playing without Lamar Odom.

Chicago’s defense held Kobe Bryant to just 19 points on 6 of 19 shooting. Bryant fouled out of a game for the first time in a year. Bryant had scored 98 points in his past two games.
Luol Deng was the big man on the stat sheet with 23 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Ben Gordon added 22 points.

Now the Bulls return to the scene of the crime - Madison Square Garden. That’s where Ben Wallace wore a headband in defiance of coach Scott Skiles in a game on Nov. 25. That’s also the night Chicago started it’s current streak. The Bulls follow that game up with a Saturday home game against Charlotte, then take two days off for Christmas.

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Bulls conclude winning homestand with Bucks

The Bulls are streaking, thanks to an eight-game homestand that concludes on Friday when Milwaukee comes to town. Chicago has won six of the first seven games and has won nine of 10 overall.

The hot spell has improved the Bulls’ record to 12-10, good for third place in the Central Division, a game and a half behind Cleveland and Detroit. Chicago is one of just four teams in the Eastern Conference with a record over .500. Orlando (15-10) is the other.

Even better, Ben Wallace has seemed to respond to headbandgate and is playing his best ball of the season. In a 99-84 win over Seattle on Wednesday, Wallace scored 15 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, both season-highs.

Bulls coach Scott Skiles said after the game that he wants Wallace to be part of the Chicago offense, saying, “We throw Ben the ball quite a bit in the course of games.” Skiles didn’t comment if it was harder for teammates to see Wallace when he isn’t wearing a headband.

As for everybody’s favorite NBA story, the Bulls are supposedly not interested in trading for Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson. But the team has been rumored to be part several three-team scenarios involving Iverson. One report has the Bulls sending P.J. Brown to Denver for Marcus Camby as part of a three-team deal with the 76ers. Philadelphia would end up with expiring contracts and draft picks, Denver would get Iverson and Chicago would get Camby. The Bulls would reportedly use the oft-injured Camby as a “Rasheed Wallace” to Ben Wallace up front.

Tony Mejia on CBSSportsline.com reported the Nuggets are the favorites in the Iverson race so the Bulls very much could be in play here.

Meantime, the current Chicago team finishes up the homestand with Milwaukee. Then, it’s a quick trip to Atlanta on Saturday followed by a home game with the suddenly vulnerable Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

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There’s no place like home for Bulls

Sometimes the NBA is really simple. The Bulls were reeling a couple of weeks ago, losing the first five games of the annual Circus trip before lucking out and finishing the road trip at New York.

Now, Chicago has a seven-game winning streak going. The streak started with that win over the Knicks, which also happened to be the Ben Wallace headband game. On Friday night, the Bulls beat the Toronto Raptors, 93-90.

Some pundits have suggested the Wallace incident triggered the turnaround (Sports Illustrated among them) but we beg to differ. We think the reasons are simpler than that.

1) Five of the seven wins have come at the United Center. The Bulls are in a stretch of 10 games where they play nine at home. Yes, this is an extreme example, but it’s easier to win at home and harder on the road.
2) As they said on Blogabull.com this week, “The Atlantic Division is a cure-all for any team.” Five of the seven wins in the streak have come against Atlantic teams (Knicks twice, Celtics, 76ers and Raptors). This theory will be tested starting on Saturday when Chicago hosts Minnesota as the Bulls are done with the Atlantic for a while.

Wallace has played better after a poor start. But Chicago has gotten bigger contributions from two other sources: Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng. Hinrich scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter on Friday to help hold off a Toronto rally. Deng has been going off of late, scoring 25 points against the Raptors after burning the 76ers for 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 121-94 victory on Wednesday.

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Wallace, Bulls facing fallout from headband controversey

The good news for the Bulls is they’ve had a couple of days off to rest after their two-week road trip. The bad news for the Bulls is they’ve had a couple of days off after the Ben Wallace-Scott Skiles headband controversey.

If you haven’t been paying attention, Wallace was benched during last Saturday’s game against the New York Knicks when he took the floor with a headband. The game, a 106-95 Bulls win, gave Chicago a win at the end of a seven game road trip on which they lost the first six games. Chicago followed that up with a 102-85 win over the woeful Knickerbockers on Tuesday at the United Center for a two-game winning streak But nobody wanted to talk about that.

Wallace likes to wear headbands but Skiles has a team rule prohibiting them. Skiles pulled Wallace two minutes into the game and sat Wallace at the start of the second half as punishment.

AP writer Jim Litke said Skiles has to be at least as angry with Wallace because of his play. After signing a $60 million contract with the Bulls, the best rebounder in the league has been struggling. Reportedly, he misses his buddies in Detroit. In 14 games, Wallace is averaging 5.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
The bottom line was a 25-minute team meeting after a badly-needed victory.

Wallace followed up the controversey with an eight-point, 12-rebound game on Tuesday. Next up for Chicago is a Friday night game at Oklahoma City. Waiting their is Tyson Chandler, the former Bulls center whom Wallace was signed to replace. Chandler is averaging a career-high 11.9 rebounds per game. Ironic, as Chandler was considered a bit soft in the middle and Wallace was supposed to be an upgrade. It should prove to be an interesting night.

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Bulls finish road trip with win over Knicks

The Bulls have just one thing to say:

Thank God for the Knicks.

Chicago finished up a nightmarish seven-game road trip on Saturday night, beating the even-more-hapless New York Knickerbockers, 106-95. The Bulls had lost the first six games of the trip by a combined score of 630-571.

The long road trip is an annual early-season tradition for Chicago as the United Center (and previously the Chicago Stadium) hosts the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus for nearly two weeks. It’s annually the longest road trip by an NBA team and when the Bulls were good, it was an advantage, getting a chunk of the road schedule out of the way early. In the post-Jordan era, Chicago has had a much tougher go of it. This year’s fiasco left the Bulls with a 4-9 record, tied with Milwaukee for last place in the NBA’s Central Division.

Worse for the Bulls, even in victory, there was controversey. Center Ben Wallace was benched in the third quarter because he violated a team rule against wearing headbands. Wallace wore the headband in the first quarter, something he did when he played in Detroit. Chicago coach Scott Skiles didn’t explain why it took until after halftime to discipline Wallace.

Luol Deng led the Bulls with 24 points while Kirk Hinrich had 21 and Andres Nocioni scored 19.

Now Chicago hosts those same Knicks on Tuesday, the beginning of a stretch of nine out of 10 games at home. The Bulls need to string together some wins if they want to get back in the race.

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Disastorous road trip continues for Bulls

The Chicago Bulls came into the season expecting to contend for the NBA’s Central Division championship and had hopes to go deep into the NBA playoffs.

Those hopes are on hold for the moment. Chicago has lost the first five games of a seven-game road trip with back-to-back games at Philadelphia and New York on Friday and Saturday.

The latest disaster was a 113-109 loss at Denver on Nov. 21. Two days prior, it was an 82-72 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bulls opened the trip with losses at each of the Texas teams.

Ben Wallace has struggled with his new team. The former Detroit Piston is averaging 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, both below his career averages. More disturbingly, the 32-year old Wallace’s statistics are in decline. His rebounding average has fallen each of the last four years from a career-high 15.4 in 2002-03. His blocked shots have fallen five consecutive years from a high of 3.5 per game.

It’s still early, of course. The Bulls record sits at 3-8 and there’s plenty of time to right the ship. The good news is that Chicago has a couple of days off for Thanksgiving. On Wednesday, the Bulls took time to feed the homeless at the Pacific Garden Mission Gospel League Home in Chicago. The way they’ve been playing, it was a welcome respite.

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Long Road Trip Off to Rocky Start

The Bulls dropped a second consecutive game on Thursday night losing to the Rockets 101-100; this, on the heels of a 12-point loss to a struggling Dallas team on Tuesday. Two games into the seven-game road swing and the Bulls are yearning for some home cooking.

In response to Ben Gordon’s early season struggles, Head Coach Scott Skiles moved Gordon to the bench and started Chris Duhon in his place. More of the same inconsistency from Gordon; on Tuesday he played 35 minutes, scoring 17 points, but shot 6-18 from the floor. Thursday, as the script goes, BG was filthy, carving up the Rockets D for 37; single-handedly bringing the Bulls back from a 21-point second-half deficit.

The wows continue for the reigning NBA Defensive Player-of-the-Year, Ben Wallace, who has been worthless the last two games. Wallace, who during the off-season signed a four-year deal with the Bulls, believed to be worth $60 large, has tallied 7 points and 13 rebounds…….total!! Big Ben is searching right now; you can tell by his body language that he’s struggling and isn’t sure where to turn. His infectious energy is gone and with it his production. The Bulls desperately need BW to start earning his money, by rebounding, defending, and leading. Until Wallace starts to contribute the Bulls will remain a one-dimensional team.

This road trip is so long you may forget what the Bulls look like; get your Bulls tickets now, before you’re left out in the Chicago cold. VisitStubHub now for the best selection of Chicago Bulls tickets on the web.

Mixed Bag for Bulls to Start Season

The Bulls seven game road trip, which will take them away from the United Center for nearly three weeks, should be very revealing and give Bulls fans a good gauge of just how competitive their team is.

ESPN guru, Marc Stein, has the Bulls ranked tenth in the league right now, which is very generous given the less than impressive start to the season. While the season is brand-spanking new, there are two trends that have emerged early on; one exciting and the other concerning. First the good; third-year player, Luol Deng, looks like he’s ready to make the leap to the next level and appears to have the goods to make him a perennial all-star. Deng has demonstrated an aggressiveness that was often missing the last two years. Deng is second on the team in scoring and is shooting the ball at a 52% clip. A tough guard for many teams; Deng’s length allows him to shoot over shorter defenders, while his quickness at 6’9” creates an advantage when guarded by a big.

Conversely, Ben Gordon has been the epitome of inconsistency to start the year. Gordon is averaging 12ppg. on 38% shooting. Gordon has led the Bulls in scoring on two occasions, scoring 24 points and 37 points, respectively. However, Gordon has also dropped four bombs, shooting a combined 5-35 (.147) good for 16 total points or an average of 4ppg. Gordon is getting every team’s best perimeter defender and when his jumper is broken, as it has been this season (.200 from beyond the arc), Gordon is forced to try and create scoring opportunities going to the basket. This forces him to make shots in traffic over bigger and stronger defenders.

Gordon is too good a player to continue to perform with such inconsistency. Bulls fans calling for the organization to trade Gordon should practice patience and let him get his rhythm; once this happens he should be good for 20 a night.

Don’t wait for the road trip to end; get your Chicago Bulls tickets now. Visit SutbHub for the largest selection of Bulls tickets on the web.

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Bulls Slow Start Not A Surprise

November 10, 2006

Bulls Trying to Mesh New With Old
We’re now officially one week into the 2006-2007 NBA season and the Chicago Bulls are off to what can only be considered as an inconsistent start. The Bulls are struggling to find their rhythm as they try and successfully integrate newcomers Ben Wallace, PJ Brown, Tyrus Thomas, and Sefolosha, with veteran Bulls, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich, and Luol Deng.

The results so far have been less than encouraging for Bulls fans. However, the season is very young and it would be premature and unconscionable to start unloading your Bulls tickets this early. In fact, the Bulls are probably where they thought they would be after one week of action; 2-3. The biggest concern to this point is the inconsistency in which the Bulls have played. Blow-out wins over Miami and Milwaukee have been overshadowed by lackluster performances at Cleveland and a late-game collapse against Sacramento.

The Bulls need to get their business in order before they embark on a seven game, 11 day road trip; their longest of the season. The Bulls schedule has them traversing the country where they’ll face six teams that advanced to last year’s play-offs.

This could be the true litmus test for a team searching for its identity. If the Bulls return to the comfy confines of the United Center with an overall record hovering at or above .500, then you can consider the road trip very successful.

Whether you’re planning to catch the Bulls in one of the seven cities they will visit during this ridiculously long road trip or you are counting the days until they return to the United Center; make StubHub your first stop when buying Chicago Bulls tickets.

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Bulls Preseason No Guarantee of Things To Come

October 31, 2006

While the Bulls finished the preseason with a 6-2 record, be careful about placing too much stock in a highly successful preseason. Many of the Bulls games were decided in the fourth quarter by players more likely to spend the winter in a Dakota Wizards jersey than a Bulls uniform.

The preseason is simply a means for veterans to dust-off the rust and play their way into shape. Many teams open camp with one or two roster spots up for grabs; however, in the era of guaranteed contracts, most teams know exactly what their roster will look like on opening night. This preseason the Bulls gave center Luke Schenscher an opportunity to demonstrate he has the strength and ability to play in the league. However, with the addition of Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown, and rookie, Tyrus Thomas, Schenscher was the odd man out and was cut by the Bulls. Basketball is a numbers game and the Bulls could not afford to keep Schenscher, especially given he did very little during the preseason to make himself indispensable. At 7-1, the Bulls needed Schenscher to prove he can rebound, play d, and block shots. He did not deliver.

Schenscher will likely bide his time playing in the NBDL, waiting for a team to call him up. If the Bulls front line catches the injury bug during the season they may turn to Schenscher. Or more likely, another team in the league will look at Schumacher’s height and length and figure he can add depth to their roster.

Bear in mind, a good preseason doesn’t always translate into a successful regular season, especially when crunch time minutes are turned over to guys like Schenscher. The preseason is over and it’s finally time for some meaningful basketball. Visit StubHub for a Chicago Bulls tickets experience that’s a slam dunk.  

 

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