04/10 CHI vs NYK recap (NBA.com)
(I’m so disappionted YAYSports hasn’t done a post about this, I had to steal the title they would’ve used.)
Since there’s no baseball to talk about today, I guess I have actual time to mention the Bulls game I went to last night. I had a master plan to meet up with one of the people I was going with and grab dinner before the game, but they canceled at the last second. I ate a little at the game, but I think I could’ve used a meal after. Something – fast foodish. IRONY.
The Bulls won 98-69, and it wasn’t even that close. The Knicks sucked in the first quarter (10 TO!, two offensive fouls and two traveling calls to start the game), sucked in the second quarter, sucked even more in the third quarter, and then inflated their stats in the 4th, with the Bulls b-team playing the whole quarter. (It was a sad day for Barrett and Victor to be inactive – they would’ve gotten tons of time!)
The Knicks tried to claim this was just a tough 4th game in 5 nights, which would is a reasonable excuse if you didn’t actually watch the game. They just played awful, played dumb, and played out for themselves. It didn’t make the players look good, and it made the coach looked worse. The only reason it was a 30 point game is the Bulls were off in the first half – it could’ve been 50 if guys were having better games.
As I said, it was the end of the bench for the Bulls in the 4th, versus some starters for the Knicks (and it was still about even.) Probably about half the crowd filed out by four minutes left, and the crowd that was left
* was waiting for the parking lot to clear out
* was enjoying booing the Knicks
* was wondering if the Bulls would get to 100, just because goofy inconsequential things like getting a free Big Mac are fun to cheer for. As any one with any perspective might realize (so I didn’t hear this on sports radio today), a victory by your spots win is pretty much the same kind of goofy inconsequential thing too, and a Big Mac is slightly more edible.
With 3:40 left, the Bulls were at 94, and we were debating if they’d get to 100. 6 points in that much time shouldn’t seem like much, but there weren’t really scoring threats on the court and Skiles isn’t one to run up the score.
At 0:39 left, the Bulls are at 98, and up by 32, the game’s pretty much over. Duhon had missed a 3, the Knicks got the rebound, and it was over. All the Knicks had to do, to follow the hidden rules/ethics of Not Running It Up, is hold onto the ball past 0:24, so the Bulls wouldn’t have to take a shot. Instead, Nate Robinson jacks up a three – obviously in attempt to better his stats (as he spent most of the 4th doing) – and the Bulls get the rebound with 0:26.
I guess they could’ve held the ball, taken a :24 second violation, and gave it back to the Knicks – but why? They only got the ball back in this situation because the Knicks didn’t care enough to wait three more seconds, and there’s no since in annoying the home fans over something minor.
Duhon was going to dribble it out and take that violation, or maybe just wait till the last second, but Skiles and the assistants told him to go ahead and shoot, and he took a three. He missed (he’s not good), and maybe Malik Allen shouldn’t have taken the rebound shot, but it was about from his sweet spot on the court, and he wanted to send the crowd home happy. It was understandable, but I’m not sure if it’s the way to go.
Anyway, Malik misses too, because no one in this lineup can hit a shot, and the Knicks are so against the idea of running up the score…that Nate Robinson ran down the court to get another basket. Thabo thanks you for letting him add 1 to his block total.
Francis coming on the court after the whistle to yell at Thomas surprised me – I was paying more attention to the Bulls bench (and getting my stuff to get out of there), but that was kinda of a dumb punk move, I think. Did Steve Francis think the rookies were calling the plays and making the decision to go for 100? Yell at Duhon or Malik or the Coach, yelling at the rookies was just lazy and dumb.
(OTOH, there’s a significant chance Tyrus was trash talking the entire game to the point where picking him out had some justification.)
Here is where I was going to quote Steve Francis, but it occurs to me now – it’s Steve Francis! I hope the cheap shoe thing takes the nation by storm, but I don’t know another good reason why anyone should listen to Steve Francis about how to act, seeing as he seems to have some issues in that department himself.
The other thing you need to know is there’s very obviously bad blood between the two franchises, probably much more between the off-the-court players (at least before this game), dating back to the Eddy Curry trade, and I’m sure that played a part into the feelings. But the Knicks are dorks, and are going home, and I hope they lose out every single game from here on out.
Do the Knicks go the lottery, or do the Bulls go since they’ll obviously swap picks? I’m kinda hoping the Knicks have to go, because I’d love to see the expression on their faces if/when they hit it big in the lottery.
(I’m reading this again now, and it’s about the worst rambling thing ever. Sorry!)