# game thread, Cavs vs Bulls, 2 pm, UC, ESPN, WGN (local), March 31, 2007



## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

> The Chicago Bulls enter Saturday's game in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. A victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers would move the Bulls all the way into second.
> 
> Chicago (43-30) trails Cleveland (43-29) by just a half-game in the conference. Both teams are chasing Detroit for the Central Division lead and top seed in the East.
> 
> ...


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=475 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle><TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle width=235></TD><TD align=middle width=5>@</TD><TD align=middle width=235></TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=middle width=235>News | Players | Stats | Schedule</TD><TD align=middle width=5> </TD><TD noWrap align=middle width=235>News | Players | Stats | Schedule</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle><TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=middle width=235><TABLE cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=inTxtB colSpan=2>Cleveland Cavaliers </TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Record: </TD><TD class=inTxt>43 - 29 (.597)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Standings: </TD><TD class=inTxt>Second, Central</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>At Home: </TD><TD class=inTxt>27 - 10</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>At Road: </TD><TD class=inTxt>16 - 19</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Streak: </TD><TD class=inTxt>L 1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD align=middle width=5> </TD><TD noWrap align=middle width=235><TABLE cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=inTxtB colSpan=2>Chicago Bulls </TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Record: </TD><TD class=inTxt>43 - 30 (.589)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Standings: </TD><TD class=inTxt>Third, Central</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>At Home: </TD><TD class=inTxt>28 - 9</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>At Road: </TD><TD class=inTxt>15 - 21</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Streak: </TD><TD class=inTxt>W 4</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle><TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap width=235><TABLE cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=hr align=middle colSpan=4> Season </TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>PPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>96.4</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp PPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>93.2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.444</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.446</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>RPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>43.5</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp RPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>40.4</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD align=middle width=5> </TD><TD noWrap width=235><TABLE cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=hr align=middle colSpan=4> Season </TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>PPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>98.5</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp PPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>94.4</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.455</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.438</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>RPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>43.7</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp RPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>41.0</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD align=left> Back to Top</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle><TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top noWrap width=235><TABLE cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=inTxtB width=115>Player</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>G</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>PPG</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>RPG</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>APG</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>James, L</TD><TD class=inTxt>69</TD><TD class=inTxt>27.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Hughes, L</TD><TD class=inTxt>60</TD><TD class=inTxt>14.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Ilgauskas, Z</TD><TD class=inTxt>68</TD><TD class=inTxt>11.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Gooden, D</TD><TD class=inTxt>70</TD><TD class=inTxt>11.2</TD><TD class=inTxt>8.4</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Pavlovic, A</TD><TD class=inTxt>57</TD><TD class=inTxt>8.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.4</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Marshall, D</TD><TD class=inTxt>71</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.6</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Jones, D</TD><TD class=inTxt>56</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.6</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Varejao, A</TD><TD class=inTxt>71</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.8</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Gibson, D</TD><TD class=inTxt>51</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.6</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Snow, E</TD><TD class=inTxt>72</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Brown, S</TD><TD class=inTxt>20</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Newble, I</TD><TD class=inTxt>13</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.1</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Wesley, D</TD><TD class=inTxt>35</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Jones, D</TD><TD class=inTxt>4</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Pollard, S</TD><TD class=inTxt>19</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.1</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=5><TABLE width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=ch width=80>Head Coach: </TD><TD>Mike Brown</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD align=middle width=5> </TD><TD vAlign=top noWrap width=235><TABLE cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=inTxtB width=115>Player</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>G</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>PPG</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>RPG</TD><TD class=inTxtB width=30>APG</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Gordon, B</TD><TD class=inTxt>73</TD><TD class=inTxt>21.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.6</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Deng, L</TD><TD class=inTxt>73</TD><TD class=inTxt>18.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Hinrich, K</TD><TD class=inTxt>71</TD><TD class=inTxt>16.4</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.1</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Nocioni, A</TD><TD class=inTxt>48</TD><TD class=inTxt>14.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>5.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Duhon, C</TD><TD class=inTxt>69</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.2</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Wallace, B</TD><TD class=inTxt>70</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>10.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Brown, P</TD><TD class=inTxt>63</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.6</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Thomas, T</TD><TD class=inTxt>64</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Allen, M</TD><TD class=inTxt>51</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.3</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Sweetney, M</TD><TD class=inTxt>43</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.6</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Sefolosha, T</TD><TD class=inTxt>63</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.8</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Griffin, A</TD><TD class=inTxt>52</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Khryapa, V</TD><TD class=inTxt>29</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.2</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.7</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Barrett, A</TD><TD class=inTxt>4</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.5</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=5><TABLE width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=ch width=80>Head Coach: </TD><TD>Scott Skiles</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.nba.com/games/20070331/CLECHI/preview.html


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## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

Ohio press report:

No Bull, This is a Big One

Cavs’ hold on the No. 2 spot in East at risk vs. Chicago

By early this evening, the Cavaliers will either have a
1½-game lead in the battle for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs or be in the
No. 5 spot.
Other than that, a 3 p.m. road game against the Chicago Bulls isn’t that important at all.
“We’re looking at the standings every day,” Bulls shooting guard Ben Gordon said after his team defeated the Detroit Pistons 83-81 on Thursday night. “We’ve got Cleveland up next. Every game is really important to us.”
Going into Friday’s action, Detroit led the Eastern Conference with a 45-26 record. The Cavaliers were second, 2½ games back at 43-29, with the Bulls three games back of Detroit and just a half-game back of Cleveland at 43-30. All are members of the Central Division.
Here’s the rub: Because the winners of the other two divisions in the East can be seeded no lower than third and fourth, the best seed the third-place team in the Central can get is No. 5.
That means Atlantic Division leader Toronto (39-32) had the third seed prior to Friday’s action, with Southeast Division leader Washington (38-32) fourth and defending NBA champion Miami (38-33) sixth.
Chicago is currently the fifth seed, but it could flip-flop with the Cavs with a win this afternoon.
“These last nine games are important to us,” Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich said. “The last few years we’ve fought hard down the stretch and we want to do that again. We’ve got a chance to win the conference. We’ve just got to take care of our business and see what happens.”
The Cavaliers have also talked about wanting to win the East, but right now their primary goal should be holding on to the No. 2 spot.
That seed would guarantee home-court advantage against the seventh seed in the East, which was New Jersey heading into Friday’s games.
Not only that, the No. 2 seed would also have home-court advantage in the second round, where it would meet the winner of the series between the third and sixth seeds, which were Toronto and Miami prior to Friday. Toronto, Washington and Miami are grouped so tightly, however, that the third, fourth and sixth seeds are changing almost daily.
If they finish fifth, the Cavaliers (or Bulls) will still have home-court advantage in the first round if they have a better record than the No. 4 seed, which they almost certainly will.
However, the winner of that series will almost certainly play the No. 1 seed in the second round of the playoffs, with the No. 1 seed holding home-court advantage. Barring a Detroit collapse and/or a tremendous run by the Cavaliers or Bulls, the Pistons will be the top-seeded team in the East.
“Right now, we’re just trying to get better every day,” Cavaliers superstar LeBron James said, sounding a lot like coach Mike Brown. “At the end of the season, we’ll be ready for the playoffs.”
The Pistons and Bulls will likely win all head-to-head tiebreakers with the Cavaliers, so Cleveland will have to finish one game ahead of Chicago to hold on to the No. 2 spot.
That won’t be easy, as the Cavaliers have lost four of their last six games as they prepare to play the third game of a five-game road trip.
“I’m concerned about my basketball team,” Brown said. “My concern is that defensively we’re not bringing it. We are not understanding what has gotten us to the level we are at. We are not doing any of the things we normally do that make us a good defensive team. It’s disappointing.”
With two days to prepare for the Bulls, however, the Cavaliers should be rested and motivated this afternoon. They’ll have to be, because Chicago likes to make games ugly, as it did in beating Cleveland 84-78 at Quicken Loans Arena on Feb. 22 and 103-96 at the United Center on Dec. 30.
In the Bulls’ win at The Q, center Ben Wallace had 14 points, 19 rebounds (nine offensive) and seven blocks as Anderson Varejao completely failed to defend him or keep him off the glass.
In their win at the United Center, the Bulls used a whopping 24-0 run over an 8:40 span of the second half to take control. Malik Allen had all 10 of his points in that spurt, while Luol Deng had six of his career-high 32.
The Cavaliers’ lone victory over Chicago this season was a 113-94 blowout at The Q on Nov. 9, when their bench exploded for 56 points.
With so much on the line this afternoon, however, Brown will likely play his starters major minutes, with Varejao and Eric Snow the primary subs off the bench.
The second-year coach will also preach about the importance of staying focused at both ends of the court.
“We played well prior to these last (six) ball games on the defensive end of the floor,” said Brown, whose team won eight straight prior to its recent struggles. “We understood that was why we were winning games.
“We have to focus on what got us here,” he added. “We are a capable scoring team, but we have to realize it is not about that first. It’s about getting stops.”


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

What the hell kind of lineup is Skiles putting out there?! Why is Gordon on the bench? We're gonna lose this game! Aaaaagggggghhhhhh!


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## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

VincentVega said:


> What the hell kind of lineup is Skiles putting out there?! Why is Gordon on the bench? We're gonna lose this game! Aaaaagggggghhhhhh!


It's still a half hour until the game starts, so what are you talking about?!?


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

Well, it only took about 5 seconds for Wayne to screw up calling the game.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Someone needs to tighten up these Chicago rims...


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Holy crap...Tyrus with two sweet jams...


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## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

PJ again with 2 quick fouls. He usually gets 1 in the first few seconds.

Also, Deng doesn't seem to play well against Cleveland.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Damn, Tyrus! Two nice dunks already.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

rwj333 said:


> Damn, Tyrus! Two nice dunks already.


Make that 3...


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

Whoa. Tyrus with our last 7 points. I'm already wondering how many he'll go for tonight.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

You have got to be kidding me...Tyrus Thomas is in his own personal dunk contest.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

Walton (for those watching the ESPN broadcast) will proclaim TT to be the greatest player ever by the time the game's over if he keeps up the dunkfest.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

We're playing so well I feel like we should be up by more than 7 points.


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## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

ViciousFlogging said:


> Walton (for those watching the ESPN broadcast) will proclaim TT to be the greatest player ever by the time the game's over if he keeps up the dunkfest.


You think so? 

I for one have never heard Bill Walton utter a kind word the Bulls way during any commentary. I can't remember him announcing a game since they started getting good a few years ago.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

and there's "bad Tyrus" with the ugly TO.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

Orange Julius Irving said:


> You think so?
> 
> I for one have never heard Bill Walton utter a kind word the Bulls way during any commentary. I can't remember him announcing a game since they started getting good a few years ago.


he's just prone to hyperbole, and seemed to be working his way towards some sort of grand pronouncement when TT dunked the 3rd and 4th times.


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## badfish (Feb 4, 2003)

Orange Julius Irving said:


> You think so?
> 
> I for one have never heard Bill Walton utter a kind word the Bulls way during any commentary. I can't remember him announcing a game since they started getting good a few years ago.


Then you must not have watched him much last year and this year. He has been extremely complimentary about our team play and defense as I recall.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Tyrus is slightly manic and gets so out of control I can't help but laugh sometimes.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

It'd be nice if we were ahead by a bit more after outplaying 'em that quarter, but I'll take a 4-point lead for now and hope that we start getting the ball to Gordon and let him go nuts...


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

King Joseus said:


> It'd be nice if we were ahead by a bit more after outplaying 'em that quarter, but I'll take a 4-point lead for now and hope that we start getting the ball to Gordon and let him go nuts...


Deng started out cold too. If he gets going, we're in good shape.


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

- I continue to be mystified that some have claimed Tyrus has poor ball handling. You might be able to count on one hand the number of big man who dribble well enough to lead the break as he did twice in the first quarter.

- Why don't the refs like to call fouls for small guards? On one play Gordon was hammered - no call - and then Lu gets the call after a light slap on his wrist.

- For a guy who plays 12 MPG, Tyrus got a pretty large ovation when he first entered the game. It got me to thinking that while he currently has flaws in his game, his game should make him the ultimate fan favorite: a gritty, hard working defender who puts on a show for the fans with his athleticism.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

hmm, just like that, we're behind.

Let's get Ben ouot there.

as I type, ugly turnover leads to 2 more for the Cavs.

this team can be so streaky.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

Bad start to the 2nd quarter as we let the Cavs go on a 7-0 run...


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## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

badfish said:


> Then you must not have watched him much last year and this year. He has been extremely complimentary about our team play and defense as I recall.


I watch most of the nationally televised games, but have missed 1 or 2, as today I am at work. I haven't heard Walton do a Bulls game this year.

Last year I heard if maybe once, but I don't remember it being that good. 

Wow, horrible start to Q2.


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## eymang (Dec 15, 2006)

Red needs to chill out

man I hate Duhon


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

I expect to see Gordon in after this timeout, we could use him right about now. 48-40 Cavs...


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## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

Bulls combining Horrible Defense with Putrid Offense. Lucky to be down only 8.


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

Kerr said that Skiles was hot when he called a timeout and afterwards, Viktor, Malik, and Du were in for Gordon, Deng, and Tyrus. Must be problems with the defense. Marshall absolutely killed us with his three point shooting. I feel like Tyrus might've been a better option to chase him out to the perimeter than Ben.


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

Orange Julius Irving said:


> Bulls combining Horrible Defense with Putrid Offense. Lucky to be down only 8.


The offense has been streak but not pretty good; we're shooting 48.5%. It's the defense that's killing us. They have 52 points with 4 minutes left in the half and are shooting nearly 60%.


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## bre9 (Jan 8, 2006)

The 2nd quarters always kills the bulls and Gordon is always on the bench a little to long and the 2nd quarter. It's Skiles fault.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

An embarassing defensive performance thus far. Rebounding sucks too. Offense also fell apart when the incompetent Duhon checked in for KIRK. Plus the usual crappy lineup for half the 2nd qtr that Skiles plays. Why does our idiotic coach think Gordon needs a 6 minute rest after playing the 1st qtr? He does this all the time. Nothing is more torturous than watching 6 minutes of Duhon.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

Gordon should not be guarding Pavlovic. Bleh. 57-47 with 2 minutes to go...


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

bre9 said:


> The 2nd quarters always kills the bulls and Gordon is always on the bench a little to long and the 2nd quarter. It's Skiles fault.





SPMJ said:


> An embarassing defensive performance thus far. Rebounding sucks too. Offense also fell apart when the incompetent Duhon checked in for KIRK. Plus the usual crappy lineup for half the 2nd qtr that Skiles plays. Why does our idiotic coach think Gordon needs a 6 minute rest after playing the 1st qtr? He does this all the time. Nothing is more torturous than watching 6 minutes of Duhon.


Out of curiosity, do you guys think the Bulls have ever struggled for any reason other than the fact that Ben Gordon was on the bench? Gordon's playing 35+ minutes since the break. I don't really know what more you want.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

We're lucky to only be down by 6 at the half, that was an ugly 2nd quarter...


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## bre9 (Jan 8, 2006)

Bill Walton wants Ben Gordon step up more.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

Deng only 2-8 in the first half, hopefully he steps it up. We aren't even shooting poorly, we just can't stop 'em on D. Donyell with his three 3's hurt us, as did our inability to rebound the ball at the end of that quarter.


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## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

King Joseus said:


> We're lucky to only be down by 6 at the half, that was an ugly 2nd quarter...


Just what I was thinking. Still a good ending to bring it from I think 12 down to 6 before the break. Hopefully the worst is behind them and they can come out in Q3 energized.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

SPMJ said:


> An embarassing defensive performance thus far. Rebounding sucks too. Offense also fell apart when the incompetent Duhon checked in for KIRK. Plus the usual crappy lineup for half the 2nd qtr that Skiles plays. Why does our idiotic coach think Gordon needs a 6 minute rest after playing the 1st qtr? He does this all the time. Nothing is more torturous than watching 6 minutes of Duhon.


Ilgauskas really hurts us. We have no one who can match up with him. Varejao, Gooden, and Ilgauskas have 6 offensive rebounds but it feels like more. 

I have no idea why Skiles took Thomas out, or put Khryapa on Lebron. Wallace is playing too many mintues, too. Walton rightly criticized him for his rotations.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Well, TT had a nice first half. Where is the rebounding? WOuld be nice if the perennial DPOY would get a few tough rebounds.

We are a streaky team that is so helter skelter. Frankly, I do believe we have the personality of our coach. I don't mean that negatively, just that we don't seem to find consistency.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

We need a consistent 7 footer so bad. This game again illustrates, if the other team has a good 7 ftr we are very beatable.

I know not alot of teams have a good 7 ftr, but in the playoffs, it's more commonly a half court game.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

JeremyB0001 said:


> Out of curiosity, do you guys think the Bulls have ever struggled for any reason other than the fact that Ben Gordon was on the bench? Gordon's playing 35+ minutes since the break. I don't really know what more you want.


I don't know... when Gordon plays well, he plays extrememly well. So usually it's best to have him out there as long as possible when he's hot. He had 1 or 2 defensive breakdowns but otherwise he appears to be extremely focused.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

rwj333 said:


> Ilgauskas really hurts us. We have no one who can match up with him. Varejao, Gooden, and Ilgauskas have 6 offensive rebounds but it feels like more.
> 
> I have no idea why Skiles took Thomas out, or put Khryapa on Lebron. Wallace is playing too many mintues, too. Walton rightly criticized him for his rotations.


I wouldn't have minded Khryapa in there on Pavlovic, but he definitely shouldn't be guarding LeBron, I agree...


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Hopefully PJ can match up with Ilgauskas in the second half. It's sad, but we really need him. 

It'd be really nice if we could get Varejao this summer, too. He'd be a nice back-up center.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

rwj333 said:


> I don't know... when Gordon plays well, he plays extrememly well. So usually it's best to have him out there as long as possible when he's hot. He had 1 or 2 defensive breakdowns but otherwise he appears to be extremely focused.


When he fell down on that one play early in the game and wanted a loose ball foul called on Z (and let Pavlovic hit an open 3) he got up and went and hit a 3 right away. Right there I thought that we should've kept feeding him the ball, as I think he would've either hit a shot or drawn a foul for a few plays in a row just out of being a bit miffed.


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

rwj333 said:


> Ilgauskas really hurts us. We have no one who can match up with him. Varejao, Gooden, and Ilgauskas have 6 offensive rebounds but it feels like more.
> 
> I have no idea why Skiles took Thomas out, or put Khryapa on Lebron. Wallace is playing too many mintues, too. Walton rightly criticized him for his rotations.


You'd think you'd want to leave Tyrus in as well as he was playing. As I said, supposedly Skiles was angry when he made those subs so perhaps he thought Tyrus wasn't following our defensive schemes correctly. He's also critisized Tyrus' conditioning in the past so maybe he thought he was running out of gas. Hard to say.

I thought their offensive rebounds feel into two categories: rebounds Z was taking from us with his height and unlucky long rebounds. I like our chances in the second half down only six because between the long rebounds and the fact that they were shooting 14 of 19 at one point in Q2 (Hughes three ball bounced 6 or 8 feet in the air and went in!), I think they benefitted from a lot of good luck.


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## SALO (Jun 6, 2002)

Wallace allowing back to back offensive rebounds to Big Z and Gooden at the end of the half. Both he and PJ are giving us absolutely nothing. 

PJ's been racking up fouls in bunches for a long stretch of games now. I guess the refs are ignoring his veteran's presence out there. The guy can't move his feet and he's a liability guarding anyone out on the perimeter and also on his defensive rotations.


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

rwj333 said:


> I don't know... when Gordon plays well, he plays extrememly well. So usually it's best to have him out there as long as possible when he's hot. He had 1 or 2 defensive breakdowns but otherwise he appears to be extremely focused.


I don't disagree but every game, Skiles has supposedly benched Ben for some unconscionable period of time and yet he's still somehow averaging 35 MPG since the break. Maybe he ends up with 35 minutes tonight when 38 or 40 would've been more appropriate but there's only so many minutes he can play in one game.


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## bre9 (Jan 8, 2006)

Gordon's Hot


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

Ilgauskas is tall.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Wow, these refs really suck.

Could we get less calls?


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## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

chifaninca said:


> Wow, these refs really suck.
> 
> Could we get less calls?



What do you expect? This is the Lebron James league.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Surprised they actually called a fould against the Cavs..........

REFS SUCK all year long. I would hope we would start getting some Ref love by now


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

YOu know what ----- Bulls should be required to shoot 100 FT's every day. They are not a good FT shooting team, so the refs may be doing them a favor.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

Bulls just can't maintain anything right now. They started hot and now they're looking horrid in almost all facets.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

BG and Kirk to an extent the only ones showing fight.

Ben Wallace and Deng have been nothing short of pitiful today. This loss is on them.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Tyrus Wade is active today


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Deng turns it over


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Free Throws don't help us since we can't make any


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

TT hits a jumper!

That has to be an omen. :yay:


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Let's see if that TT block gets us going.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

TT with a HUGE block! Might have been goaltending, but who cares.


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## McBulls (Apr 28, 2005)

SPMJ said:


> BG and Kirk to an extent the only ones showing fight.


And Tyrus Thomas, mistakes and all.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

TT is showing that we should glue PJ's ancient arse to the bench except to replace Wallace occassionally.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

5 point game.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

If Tyrus can work on that 15 footer and make it consistently, that would be huge for his game!


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Gordon unconscious.....

Deng needs to be guarding King James


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Why is the double team so slow to come when freaking Duhon's guarding LeBron?


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

Lebron and Ben seem ready to compete to see who can impose their will on the game.

as tough a defender as Duhon is...he uhhh....shouldn't be on Lebron.


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

Duhon on LBJ? Seriously Skiles! If Noce was here, we'd throw him on there, but still.

Great game by Gordon, Tyrus, and Kirk. 

Exciting game to watch. This is a huge week. Lets do it guys.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

whew, dodged one there. Pavlovic usually makes those.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

Gordon forced the last couple...and another offensive rebound allowed. yuck.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Wow, we are doing everything we can to lose this game.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

Lebron hits a superstar shot with Deng draped on him. 

Hope the Bulls have one more spurt left.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Who can make an offensive play if BG goes cold?


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

Whats the disgusting growth behind Goodens head??

That is one hideous looking dude in general, then he has a hideous patch of hair at the back of his head. Dreadful.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Tyrus is getting banged up every minute it seems...


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

TT's gotta make both here.


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## McBulls (Apr 28, 2005)

chifaninca said:


> TT is showing that we should glue PJ's ancient arse to the bench except to replace Wallace occassionally.


yep. The kid makes a lot of mistakes and on enemy floors he'll get fouls, but he's gotta play. The Bulls look like they have a future star on their hands, and the future might as well come now rather than later.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

SPMJ said:


> Who can make an offensive play if BG goes cold?


Well its the Jordan younger days result of the other guys not being involved and going cold..

Even when his hot,his got to get others invovled and interested. Because you know his going to have a period where his going to go dry, and his not the type of player that can carry this team for the entire game.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Ya know...I come for Tyrus Thomas, but I stay for Luol Deng. Tyrus is having the best game I've seen him play this season.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

What's up with these UC rims? Ugly sound once the balls makes contact with them.


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## McBulls (Apr 28, 2005)

Bulls really miss Nocioni in this game. Somebody needs to punch LBJ in the balls every now and then when he goes to the middle.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

GOD BG got a solid look there. Gotta make that.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Creating in the clutch isn't KIRK's game.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

We fight so hard to get back in the game, but they make it look so difficult to create a good shot in a tight game.

This is still close, but this is a painful game to watch. If we play like this in the playoffs and continue not to make big plays in the crutch time, we're doomed.

Not to be too dramatic, but we've got to start making more key defensive and offensive plays at the end of games.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

sweet passing there, ending with the TT slam. Now let's play D.

Lebron settled there. We have to take advantage.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Ugh a play for KIRK going to the basket. Something he absolutely does NOT do well. UGH.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

How many dunks does Tyrus have tonight? 8??

Its so true what everyone says, he is so quick off his feet.


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## nybullsfan (Aug 12, 2005)

i dont like to nitpick but i wish it was some way skiles could have used thabo more on lebron this game, instead of those plays when duhon was on him


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Gordon is a damn star.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

My bigger reason to be upset with Skiles is the lack of TT for the season. I understand he's been horrid at times, so is Skiles' boo Kirk and Du.

I will restart the Fire Skiles club if TT isn't getting major minutes the rest of the season.


Gordon just lost the ball.......No regulation winner from him this game again. Ben needs to spend more time on his ball handling, less time on his crappy drink.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

yeeesh. that was painful to watch.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Pavlovic was out of bounds. How is that a timeout?


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## nybullsfan (Aug 12, 2005)

:curse:


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

wow, he was way out of bounds before he called timeout. tough break.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

WTF is Gordon doing?? 2nd straight game where he attacks too early instead of running out the clock.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Wow, Pav choked, that was horrible D by the Bulls.

Lucky tobe going to OT. I'll take it. Let's win this DENG IT


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## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

nvm. OVERTIME!

Thank god.


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## nybullsfan (Aug 12, 2005)

YEA HOW ON EARTH IS THAT A TIMEOUT THIS:curse:


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## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

gordan needs this timeout to rest. all his misses are short.
hopefully deng can get his shot back for the OT.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

That was the most bullsh*t call for the timeout they gave to the Cavs. The refs only gave them the timeout because its Lebrons team. They were a f*cking ridiculous call!


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

B.S. that Cleveland got that timeout. He didn't even have control of the ball!

Glad we got the block at the other end. Man, I really thought we'd score for the win there.


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

Gordon had 2 chances. I so thought he would draw the D at the end there and dump it to Tyrus.

We got lucky. I thought that shot went in LOL. My eyes tricked me.

Play smart guys. We'll win. Can't get stripped anymore.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Come On Make A Dam Ft


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Deng has played his worst game of the year today.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

I can almost forgive Deng for that since he's been playing good D on James, but Wallace has been useless


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

STOP DRIVING THE BALL, GORDON


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Thomas witht he block, Overpaid Wallace watching as the block is layed back in


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

I hate Gordon goes in the air and tries to pass!!!


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

The next guy that passes the ball to Ben Wallace for anything other than a dunk, should be on the bench for the remainder of the season


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

LeBron James is the inbounder?


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Pass out the helmets........Brick wallace at the line


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

GREAT JOB BEN WALLACE>..I apologize


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Come on D.....Gordon, assert yourself, no weak falling shots...........


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## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

Big Ben with clutch free throws and his only points of the game! THAT'S what I wanted to see from him this season! :biggrin:


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

SPMJ said:


> STOP DRIVING THE BALL, GORDON


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


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## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

Damn it! We're down 1! This isn't good!


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## LuolDeng (Feb 22, 2004)

Gordon is playing like a God damn moron today.


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

Ugh. This is such a huge game. Gordon insists on driving into traffic and throwing up bad shots. Besides that, he's been money. By the way, the refs have been pretty fair but the disparity in calls between LeBron and the rest of the players in the game is ridiculous. No sense complaining though. Superstar treatment is an NBA legacy.


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## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

wow gordan can't handle the double team


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Loss on Gordon. What a choke job.


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

And Gordon turns it over. Way to go BG.


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

That's why Ben Gordon isn't, and will never be, a point guard.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Close game, but ultimately a tremendously disappointing loss. Crap  .


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

damn damn damn. we had so many chances.


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## T.Shock (Feb 11, 2003)

And Gordon plays OT with two hands wrapped around his neck. Wow. Just a hard loss to take.


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## BeZerker2008 (Jun 29, 2006)

Why? Why? Why do you give the last play to BG? He's choked on the double teams and has not proven to hit the GW shot. Damn!!!


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

"God dammit"

Thats right Gordon you said it best... how many stupid passes are you going to make in your career?

Working on your ballhandling and passing this offseason.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

Tough way for Ben to end the game................

This team needs to spend extra time on FTs and Dribbling.


Hang the loss on fundamentals today


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## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

That sucks! We really needed this game badly! Gordon choked. Nothing more to it! DAMN!!!!!!


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## nybullsfan (Aug 12, 2005)

gordon over dribbles way to much, they should seriously have practice for him where u have two defenders doubling him and he learns how to pass to the open man


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## ballerkingn (Nov 17, 2006)

Ben really didn't come up big like he should have about 4 or 5 times late.Still though kirk missed FT's on the and 1 was big too IMO,if we go up by 3 it changes the game throughout the OT.


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

No one thinks gordon may have been alittle tired from carrying the offensive load today?


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Seriously, what the heck is wrong with Gordon's clutch ability this year? I knew he missed alot of game-winners this year, but they mentioned during the game that he missed like 5 chances in a row before hitting the winner against Indiana. 

And then he gets not 1, not 2, but THREE chances to win the game today and falls short every time. He shot it well today, but really a crappy finish.


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## eymang (Dec 15, 2006)

Bad loss


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## chifaninca (May 28, 2002)

I do agree that to stop Ben G is easy, double him and he's Turnover machine


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## CanadianBull (May 6, 2006)

My God, thank Gordon for that loss. 4th Q and ovetime he sucked. Over-dribbled, bad shot selection, bad passing and just plain bad decision making. Such is the double-edged sword with him I suppose....

Ugh, what a sh1tty loss....


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## lgtwins (May 18, 2004)

Dumb drive after drive by Ben Gordon at the end of 4th Q and in overtime cost us this game. Even with 37 points, his dumb drives and turn-over cost us big time. I have no idea why he forced those drives when his jumper was working all night. Trying too much, maybe? But dumb.


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## ballerkingn (Nov 17, 2006)

Also don't know about you guy's but lebron only seems to play well against us.I rarely hear of him going for big scoring pt's against any other team throughout the season,but when he plays us he always play's well offensive wise.I think paxs must find someone that can slow him down for the next 10 year's if that can be done,but he just kills us for some F'in reason.....Dame i hate lebron AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Never seen Gordon play so bad with the game on the line. He made one bad decision after another.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

CanadianBull said:


> My God, thank Gordon for that loss. 4th Q and ovetime he sucked. Over-dribbled, bad shot selection, bad passing and just plain bad decision making. Such is the double-edged sword with him I suppose....
> 
> Ugh, what a sh1tty loss....


I didn't think it was possible to feel that way when a guy scores 37 pts, but that about sums it up.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Does this mean our chances at the 2 seed are gone?


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

This one replaces the loss against Detroit on ABC as the worst loss of the season.


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

chifaninca said:


> No one thinks gordon may have been alittle tired from carrying the offensive load today?


I'm sure he was tired. But so were Wallace (47 minutes), Hinrich (46 minutes) and Deng (45 minutes).


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## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

Despite the horrible loss, lets not forget this line:

38 mins 9-11 FG 9-10 FT 8 Reb 3 Stl 3 Blk 2 PF 27 Pts


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## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

VincentVega said:


> That's why Ben Gordon isn't, and will never be, a point guard.



thank you vincent. and thank you bill walton. and SPMJ. 

"he overdribbles and can't see in traffic"

bulls had so many chances. a very disappointing loss. i was wondering the same thing about "why no thabo" myself (someone said it) and this _bromance_ between skiles and duhon is like the second quarter albatross. it just brings everything down. duhon guarding lebron. is someone HIGH. (oh don't start). 

however, nice stuff from tyrus today. he was bringing out some dewymoist comments from walton. who has, for the record, become a total bulls homer!! never fails to praise pax!!

man, i really, really, realllllly miss nocioni.


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

Gordon's dribbling skills aren't that great. Thats something I finally noticed. He keeps going to the rim and loses the ball. And he and often the rest of our team has trouble beating a half court trap.


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## jsuh84 (Oct 16, 2004)

I'm sad.

Off to pondering my own mortality..


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## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

chifaninca said:


> I do agree that to stop Ben G is easy, double him and he's Turnover machine


If Gordon is so easy to stop, why is he averaging 21 points per game?


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## RagingBulls316 (Feb 15, 2004)

Blame Gordon? You people are pathetic.

If he didn't take the last shot, you would be complaining too. Who else is going to take the shot. Nobody on this team besides Gordon can create a final shot.

Skiles deserves the blame for this loss. What was he doing putting Viktor on Lebron in the 2nd quarter. All those points Lebron scored while dominating Viktor during Skiles lapse of coaching add up and are part of the reason we lost this game. It's easy to blame the guy who missed the last shot, but when you leave a major mismatch in the game to be exposed for 3 minutes. It's going to kill you in the long run, and it did.

Gordon is a big reason we got back into this game with 37 points. But go ahead and forget all that and blame him, because he missed the last shot. Boo hoo.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

I can't remember Gordon failing so badly in crunch time in all his time here. Still, he's been solid in other games, so I don't think you can put too much stock in one game. It still sucks though.

Deng, Gordon and Hinrich had 14 TOs combined. 

Thomas had now had 2 great games in a row. 

Luol Deng was curiously off. This is his first poor game in like 2 months, so I forgive him. Not a lot of other positives, though. Home game, too.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

When Nocioni comes back I wonder how the frontcourt minutes will shake out. We still need PJ to play because he's so tall, but Thomas has been excellent, too. And Deng needs to stay on the court 38-40 minutes. Maybe less Wallace?


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## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

rwj333 said:


> Luol Deng was curiously off. This is his first poor game in like 2 months, so I forgive him. Not a lot of other positives, though. Home game, too.


Deng was off offensively but did a very good job on Lebron when the two were matched up. I loved how aggressive he was getting in Lebron's face.


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## ballerkingn (Nov 17, 2006)

Hay look at it this way though guy's at least where still in the playoff's.And don't knock the cav's thier a good team that has a star,so thier going to get calls we only dream of. that last call on kirk was a star call,and has happen to us billion's of time throughout the season and has never been called,but i respect the fact that lebron made the ft more then getting the BS call.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

TripleDouble said:


> If Gordon is so easy to stop, why is he averaging 21 points per game?


Because teams don't always double him. Because he gets the ball in other ways. 

The inability to beat double teams is a problem but I'm not ready to call it unsolvable.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

I still don't understand why Gordon was so keen on attacking the rim in the 4th qtr when his jumper was working fine. He completely abondoned his 18-20 footer the last 10 minutes of the game.


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## bre9 (Jan 8, 2006)

Why all of you blame Gordon it's Skiles fault for keep going to him and making bad plays coming out of timeout. The bulls big three really had a bad night Deng was off, Kirk was so so and Gordon was mainly carrying the bulls offense load but he just made bad turnovers and the refs didn't help him at all. And that second quarter really screwed the bulls and that gave the Cav's confidents. Bulls had them in the first quarter until the bench came in. You can't blame one person.


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## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

rwj333 said:


> Because teams don't always double him. Because he gets the ball in other ways.
> 
> The inability to beat double teams is a problem but I'm not ready to call it unsolvable.


If a player was easy to stop, teams would stop him. Why give up 21 points when you could just stop the guy?


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## SALO (Jun 6, 2002)

mizenkay said:


> thank you vincent. and thank you bill walton. and SPMJ.
> 
> "he overdribbles and can't see in traffic"


Walton is right on the money here. I used to say Kirk had a problem overdribbling earlier in the year, but he's been better lately. Now it's Gordon who dribbles too much and his passing still stinks. Gordon dribbling into traffic or having a tall defender come over to double team him almost always leads to him turning it over.


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

Miz said it best!

I'm not a fan of Walton, but he made good points that we can't use the excuse of being a young team. We are not. Young by age, but that is it. 

Imagine how bad our bench would be without Tyrus' current improvement while Noce is out. It'd be BRUTAL.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

RagingBulls316 said:


> Blame Gordon? You people are pathetic.
> 
> If he didn't take the last shot, you would be complaining too. Who else is going to take the shot. Nobody on this team besides Gordon can create a final shot.
> 
> Gordon is a big reason we got back into this game with 37 points. But go ahead and forget all that and blame him, because he missed the last shot. Boo hoo.


I can't speak for any of the "This is why Ben Gordon is not a point guard" crowd but I just have higher expectations. I essentially agree with you. 

Anyway, if he's going to get the glory when he hits a big shot and helps us win, he's going to get criticized when he misses several chances at a win.


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

SALO said:


> Walton is right on the money here. I used to say Kirk had a problem overdribbling earlier in the year, but he's been better lately. Now it's Gordon who dribbles too much and his passing still stinks. Gordon dribbling into traffic or having a tall defender come over to double team him almost always leads to him turning it over.


+1

Hopefully he watches the tape to reinforce how much he has to improve here.


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

I by no means discredit how much Ben carried us while Luol had a somewhat off day, but he has to improve on this area as we heavily depend on him.

Btw, Tyrus Thomas guys! Wow. Don't look away from the TV for a second while he is playing! 

Ok, Final Four Time


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

theanimal23 said:


> I by no means discredit how much Ben carried us while Luol had a somewhat off day, but he has to improve on this area as we heavily depend on him.
> 
> Btw, Tyrus Thomas guys! Wow. Don't look away from the TV for a second while he is playing!
> 
> Ok, Final Four Time


Tyrus was unstoppable. With Brown, Wallace, Nocioni, Deng, and Thomas, we suddenly have some nice frontcourt depth. I mean, I don't want to get too high after only 2 great games, but it's certainly encouraging that he's playing more like Kenyon Martin and Amare Stoudemire than Bo Outlaw and Keon Clark.


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## bre9 (Jan 8, 2006)

Overall Tyrus had a great game and BG7 had a great game it's only so much you can expect from the little guy the team depends on him so much. The bulls will bounce back in the next game and put this in the past.


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## ballerkingn (Nov 17, 2006)

1 more thing overlooked today is how far deng still has to go,and how he needs to step up in crunch time.He was a non factor basically the whole night and if he got his usually 18 to 20 we win this game easy.Ben basically had to compensate for him tonight,still deng needs to find a way to be a factor in more close game's if he's ever going to be considered an all star.


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

rwj333 said:


> Tyrus was unstoppable. With Brown, Wallace, Nocioni, Deng, and Thomas, we suddenly have some nice frontcourt depth. I mean, I don't want to get too high after only 2 great games, but it's certainly encouraging that he's playing more like Kenyon Martin and Amare Stoudemire than Bo Outlaw and Keon Clark.


I feel with what Tyrus has shown, *IF* he puts in the off-seasons to improve a la the Big 3 and hangs out with PJ and Ben in the weightroom, it is safe to say that we can expect a bright and successful future as our PF. I can see him as a solid 18, 10, 2 player. He has that J which Walton mentioned that will be reliable after practice


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

theanimal23 said:


> I feel with what Tyrus has shown, *IF* he puts in the off-seasons to improve a la the Big 3 and hangs out with PJ and Ben in the weightroom, it is safe to say that we can expect a bright and successful future as our PF. I can see him as a solid 18, 10, 2 player. He has that J which Walton mentioned that will be reliable after practice





Doug Collins said:


> He's got a chance to be one of those all-defensive players for a long time. This young guy has got freakish talent. Things you cannot teach he does instinctively.


..


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## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

ballerkingn said:


> 1 more thing overlooked today is how far deng still has to go,and how he needs to step up in crunch time.He was a non factor basically the whole night and if he got his usually 18 to 20 we win this game easy.Ben basically had to compensate for him tonight,still deng needs to find a way to be a factor in more close game's if he's ever going to be considered an all star.


He needs to improve in this area. hopefully it's just a matter of experience. He didn't play well in last years playoffs.

TT was great. I'm quite shocked that he scored so many.

Hopefully Noc comes back for the play offs, we'll need him to guard Lebron if we play them. He also steps it up alot for the play offs.

A disappointing loss, but I think this team is still growing and will be better for it in the long run.


----------



## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

Though Tyrus had a great game, offensively and defensively today. Im going to say that half of his points came because of the Cavs poor defense and teams general lack of knowledge and respect of Tyrus game right now. It was evident that most of his points came from dunks, from drives and dish offs, from poor decisions on the defenders, and defenders not thinknig that Tyrus is a scoring threat. They would clamp down on those easy points in the playoffs..

I did love it when he hit the 15 footer. Once he gets that down pat, he'll be a total force. I also loved the fact that his shooting rythme seemed to be on tonight.. he has very good shooting form, and high arch. He just now has to keep the form and become consistent.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Here's a question, since I don't want to start more threads. Do we want conservative Paxson or instinctive Paxson?

Conservative Paxson would have chosen Iguodala and Aldridge. Instinctive Paxson chose Gordon and Thomas (and might have traded for Wade, but lets leave that out).

Iguodala and Aldridge are more versatile and would have been much better fits, Gordon and Aldridge are both rather one-dimensional but have shown unique ability.


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## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

kulaz3000 said:


> Though Tyrus had a great game, offensively and defensively today. Im going to say that half of his points came because of the Cavs poor defense and teams general lack of knowledge and respect of Tyrus game right now. It was evident that most of his points came from dunks, from drives and dish offs, from poor decisions on the defenders, and defenders not thinknig that Tyrus is a scoring threat. They would clamp down on those easy points in the playoffs..
> 
> I did love it when he hit the 15 footer. Once he gets that down pat, he'll be a total force. I also loved the fact that his shooting rythme seemed to be on tonight.. he has very good shooting form, and high arch. He just now has to keep the form and become consistent.


he makes it look easy, but if it was pj/allen/sweets on the recieving end they would have been slow motion rejections or lower percentage layups. if teams have to keep a body on tyrus from here on out, it should open things up for deng or the guards.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

RoRo said:


> he makes it look easy, but if it was pj/allen/sweets on the recieving end they would have been slow motion rejections or lower percentage layups. if teams have to keep a body on tyrus from here on out, it should open things up for deng or the guards.


Im not taking away from Tyrus's performances, thats no doubt. The fact that he found the open space, and his ability to get off his feet so quickly even before the defender thinks about jumping to contest the shot is awesome.

Im saying, in the playoffs, Tyrus's space and ability to move around into the open spaces will be limited as teams will clamp down on him now that his showing the ability to do that and nulify that aspect of his game. So once he obtains some solid post moves and continues his work on his 15 footers it will be harder for him to get those dunks in the playoffs that he did tonight.

But no doubt, what he did today was awesome. I believe it was most definitly him that actually gave us the momentuem swing at the end that gave us that slim lead. His dunks and his blocks at crunch time swung the game to our side, and the Gordon decided to make his infamous, passing whilst in the air, and passing the opposition moves that his so great at.

Im sorry but Gordon choked, though he did put on in a good position with his points. But its as simple as that, he made a stupid move, with that offensive foul, and also not recognizing the double team, and trying to hold onto the ball so he could hit the game winner himself. His got to realize that his a big enough of a threat even when he doesn't shoot, and that its ok to be a decoy and set up others with the game on the line also...

If Jordan could use himself as a decoy and pass off to Steve Kerr from a game winner for a Finals game, i think Gordon can do that to. His got to stop thinking that he HAS to shoot it at crunch time.


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## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

kulaz3000 said:


> Im not taking away from Tyrus's performances, thats no doubt. The fact that he found the open space, and his ability to get off his feet so quickly even before the defender thinks about jumping to contest the shot is awesome.
> 
> Im saying, in the playoffs, Tyrus's space and ability to move around into the open spaces will be limited as teams will clamp down on him now that his showing the ability to do that and nulify that aspect of his game. So once he obtains some solid post moves and continues his work on his 15 footers it will be harder for him to get those dunks in the playoffs that he did tonight.


If they stay with Tyrus and clamp down on him, it becomes much much easier for our guards and forwards to drive into the paint. Win-win.


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## BeZerker2008 (Jun 29, 2006)

RagingBulls316 said:


> Blame Gordon? You people are pathetic.
> 
> If he didn't take the last shot, you would be complaining too. Who else is going to take the shot. Nobody on this team besides Gordon can create a final shot.
> 
> ...



No, the fact is Gordon should be able to find guys when the double team comes at him, that's (imo) why skiles keeps going to him. It figures he has to eventually learn how to find guys not make costly turnovers. There were at least 3 or 4 times where we had a lead and instead of setting something up he goes to the rim, gets the offensive foul or turnover costing us to build on the lead, (although free throws were a problem but another story) that's why it ticks everyone about BG. 

Hinrich had at least two or more times that his shot/free throws have won us the game, why not go to him? While I agree that skiles is partial to the blame, Gordon deserves as much for not making smart decisions in the end.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

I've got to bring it up one last time and the final time. But that timeout call was ridiculous.

It was a blatant bad call when firstly he was sliding, when the rule states that you can now roll but can't be sliding, secondly he was obviously out of bounds even before he had possession of the ball. How in the hell can you even come close to calling that in favour of a timeout without even consulting the other refs.

That was just wrong.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)




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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)




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## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

rwj333 said:


> If they stay with Tyrus and clamp down on him, it becomes much much easier for our guards and forwards to drive into the paint. Win-win.


yeah, hopefully it balances things out and teams can't overplay on kirk and ben. or deng doesn't have to worry about weakside help if he's trying to post, etc. we might have ourselves a pf that teams have to defend, yay.


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## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

What troubles me the most is watching the starters log so many minutes on the front end of a back to back. It's shocking to me that people would consider this game or the one Detroit game to be the worst losses of the year simply because we blew a good opportunity for a big win. I find losing games against poor teams like Charlotte or Memphis to be far more infuriating. I can tell you right now that if we lose to Atlanta tomorrow, I'll be more upset about the outcome of that game than this one.



bre9 said:


> Why all of you blame Gordon it's Skiles fault for keep going to him and making bad plays coming out of timeout. The bulls big three really had a bad night Deng was off, Kirk was so so and Gordon was mainly carrying the bulls offense load but he just made bad turnovers and the refs didn't help him at all. And that second quarter really screwed the bulls and that gave the Cav's confidents. Bulls had them in the first quarter until the bench came in. You can't blame one person.


No offense but I feel that if someone went through all the game threads and counted how many times you blamed Skiles for a loss, the end result is that we would be a 65 win team with a "competent" coach.


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## SALO (Jun 6, 2002)

Our guards panic under pressure, especially Gordon. We almost coughed up the Detroit game at the end because they kept trapping our guards. 



> "We learned some things about how to play them," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said ominously.


Obviously Cleveland watched that game and learned the same thing...



> Gordon, pushed to almost halfcourt by the aggressive double team of Anderson Varejao and Larry Hughes, threw a lazy cross-court pass to Thomas that Drew Gooden stole. That represented one of his five turnovers; the Bulls had 19 overall.
> 
> "[Guard] *Damon Jones suggested we do a blitz on Gordon defensively and that's what we did down the stretch*," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "*It really worked*."


http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-070331bullsgamer,1,4809738.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines


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## step (Sep 19, 2005)

> "[Guard] Damon Jones suggested we do a blitz on Gordon defensively and that's what we did down the stretch," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "It really worked."


What is their scouting department doing if this had to have come from a player?


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

Good game Bulls fans.

Trust me, it is really appreciated that you guys are taking this loss quite gracefully. There isn't enough of that in the league today, and it is really appreciated.

From a Cavs fan, the Bulls and the Pistons are really the only two teams in the East I wouldn't want to face in the playoffs, so I'm sure will be an intense series if we meet again. You guys just have some great young players in Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Tyrus, and others. I feel like Detroit will soon drop out of the Easter conference powers and it will be between the Cavs and Bulls from here on out.

Good luck with the rest of the season fellas. I'll be rooting for you (to finish just below my Cavs) to represent the Central Division well. You're a serious team, and although I know you seem to be down on Gordon right now, he's a hell of a closer. As a Cavs fan, I was sure we were going to lose in regulation when Gordon had the ball. That's the advantage you guys have. Good luck again.


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## bullybullz (Jan 28, 2007)

Brandname said:


> Good game Bulls fans.
> 
> Trust me, it is really appreciated that you guys are taking this loss quite gracefully. There isn't enough of that in the league today, and it is really appreciated.
> 
> ...


Hey, you guys grinded it out in the end. Good game for both teams.


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## Brandname (May 24, 2006)

bullybullz said:


> Hey, you guys grinded it out in the end. Good game for both teams.


Personally, I think it showed just how even the two teams are. If we meet in the playoffs, I think it will probably come down to 7 games and probably even just a couple of plays to decide the series.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

step said:


> What is their scouting department doing if this had to have come from a player?


Yeah...the Cavs have some organizational...issues.
I think Dan Rosebaum works for them or worked for them on stats, and still Mike Brown doesn't put his best lineups out on the floor. We went with the lowest scoring backcourt for much of the year before he decided to change anything.

Lebron coaches the team half the time. It's all pretty mickey mouse.


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## step (Sep 19, 2005)

> It's all pretty mickey mouse.


It sure looks like it. I could understand if this happened against a cellar dweller, but it was against a division rival and possible playoff opponent. Those are the teams I'd expect my team to be watching 24/7, especially at this time of the year.

I was surprised that it came from Damon, I'm just not sure if he was keeping tabs on the competition or watching his friends play or even both.


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