# Official Game Thread: Bulls vs Magic, 6 Central 11/1



## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

@









*Chicago Bulls at Orlando Magic*
6:00 Central on CSN Chicago listen live on WCKG 105.9 FM


*Bulls Starters*




































Brown - Deng - Wallace - Gordon - Hinrich

*Bulls Bench*











































Khryapa - Nocioni - Allen - Sefolosha - Duhon - Thomas


*Magic starters*




































Battie - Howard - Turkoglu - Hill - Nelson​


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## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

I borrowed heavily from Hustle for this - but here it is, the game thread for the next Bulls' victory.

And Yeah, I know we won't see Tyrus or Duhon tomorrow, but this was hard enough to do without me trying to get rid of them!


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## Dean the Master (Feb 19, 2006)

It is highly possible that the Bulls stay undefeated...., Magic doesn't have much of an improvement over the off season compare to the Bulls. I really want to see Hill comes back though.


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## soonerterp (Nov 13, 2005)

Crap I won't be home (I am cleared to return to work tomorrow).

Had fun tonight though!

Since can't listen to games on internet for free will take advantage of free NBA League Pass (for the time being) and record it I suppose.


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## El Chapu (Oct 23, 2004)

You may take Tyrus out from the Bulls' bench. Maybe Du too (not yet).


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## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

El Chapu said:


> You may take Tyrus out from the Bulls' bench. Maybe Du too (not yet).


Hey, it took my a half hour to get the darn thing up! I'm not messing with it. :biggrin:


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

So a loss means we get to blame you for not letting Hustle start the game thread :curse: :biggrin:


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## lougehrig (Mar 1, 2005)

narek said:


> Hey, it took my a half hour to get the darn thing up! I'm not messing with it. :biggrin:


Probably Sweets and Barrett in for Tyrus and Duhon.

Too bad. I was looking forward to Tyrus swatting Darko. Howard v. Wallace will be nice. Its good to have somebody to neutralize tough players like Dwight.


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

Why is du not playing?

No Duhon & Tyrus means more Khyrapa & Thabo...

we should be ok


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## El Chapu (Oct 23, 2004)

BullSoxChicagosFinest said:


> So a loss means we get to blame you for not letting Hustle start the game thread :curse: :biggrin:


Blame or Ban? 

:biggrin:


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## lougehrig (Mar 1, 2005)

The ROY said:


> Why is du not playing?
> 
> No Duhon & Tyrus means more Khyrapa & Thabo...
> 
> we should be ok


Reinjured his foot? He might play, doubt it though.


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

Bulls come out slightly tired but pull off a win 90-81


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

UMfan83 said:


> Bulls come out slightly tired but pull off a win 90-81


yeah I think they'll be a little flat compared to tonight, but the combination of our depth and the fact that we got the 1st-game jitters out of the way (did we even have any???) makes me think we'll ride our defense to a narrow victory. 

I think your score is just about right, but just to be original:
Bulls 88
Magic 82


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## the-asdf-man (Jun 29, 2006)

im gonna do the mandatory crazy person going out on a limb and say 96-72


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## ace20004u (Jun 19, 2002)

Bulls win by 44 tonight, just to prove they didn't show Miami any favortism! :banana: 


ACE


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## MKazz (Jun 22, 2003)

Gordon bounces back for 34. Bulls win 92 - 86.


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

Narek, you're not allowed to do these threads, if you can't show what media coverage if any there will be of the game.

You are fired. :laugh:


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

Any other bold predictions?

I think bulls win by 10. They're going to face a couple of young bigs, which is quite a contrast to the pair of old men we dominated last night!


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

DaBullz said:


> Any other bold predictions?
> 
> I think bulls win by 10. They're going to face a couple of young bigs, which is quite a contrast to the pair of old men we dominated last night!


True. Howard would run circles around PJ - I imagine Wallace will have that cover most of the night.

I like our guards much better than Orlando's, though. Luol will probably get to guard his hero Grant hill a little bit - that could be interesting.


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## YoYoYoWasup (Nov 14, 2004)

Dwight's Orlando's starting Center, so Wallace will get that assignment. Howard played very well against the Wallace boys (Rasheed and Ben) last season, though, and is markedly improved coming into this season. Honestly, despite Ben's defensive prowess, I don't see him slowing D12 down tonight.

All that being said, Chicago is the better, and more deeper team, and should win. Orlando's a good, young team, though, and won't lay an egg like the Heat.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

ViciousFlogging said:


> True. Howard would run circles around PJ - I imagine Wallace will have that cover most of the night.
> 
> I like our guards much better than Orlando's, though. Luol will probably get to guard his hero Grant hill a little bit - that could be interesting.


There's Darko to consider, too.


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## Wynn (Jun 3, 2002)

Will be interesting to see if the Magics can pick up the hot streak they had in finishing off last season. Disappointing that Tyrus will not be able to play, but I imagine that Khryapa will look to make the most of his opportunity.


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## Ventura (Aug 9, 2005)

Hopefully lil Ben will keep attacking the basket and maybe draw a few early fouls on Howard.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

DaBullz said:


> There's Darko to consider, too.


yeah. He didn't get the minutes I expected him to in the preseason though, so I'm not sure what to expect from him tonight.


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

ViciousFlogging said:


> yeah. He didn't get the minutes I expected him to in the preseason though, so I'm not sure what to expect from him tonight.


Expect him to be very aware Wallace is going to own him, I doubt he has any confidence going up against him.


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## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

The Krakken said:


> Narek, you're not allowed to do these threads, if you can't show what media coverage if any there will be of the game.
> 
> You are fired. :laugh:


Want to volunteer? We'd love for people to volunteer for the game threads. If anyone's interested, PM me, and I'll try to set up a schedule or something bearing a resemblance of organization. :biggrin:


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## rosenthall (Aug 1, 2002)

I reckon the Magic will come out with a bit more fire than the Heat (not that that's saying much). This is supposed to be a statement season for them, and we were sort of developing a rivalry by the end of the season. And I would think that the game we had last night will stir them up a little more. 

It'll be interesting to see what Dwight Howard looks like. I think most people are expecting a breakout season from him. We'll probably have to throw the kitchen sink at him. I don't think Big Ben will be enough. If we can put a lid on him, I'd say our chances are pretty good. If not..........then it should be a tight game.


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## Chicago N VA (Oct 31, 2003)

Bulls 105 - 93.


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

rosenthall said:


> It'll be interesting to see what Dwight Howard looks like. I think most people are expecting a breakout season from him


Man I am so sick of analysts picking Howard and Paul as guys who are going to have a breakout years. No kidding, the last 2 ROY's are going to be pretty good thanks for the insight. Just seems like a waste of breathe.


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## Hairy Midget (Nov 28, 2005)

Hustle said:


> Man I am so sick of analysts picking Howard and Paul as guys who are going to have a breakout years. No kidding, the last 2 ROY's are going to be pretty good thanks for the insight. Just seems like a waste of breathe.


Okafor was ROY.


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## Chicago N VA (Oct 31, 2003)

Is this game offered in HD?


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## jordanwasprettygood (Feb 18, 2006)

Bulls win by 43. The domination continues. There will be much rejoicing for Bulls nation.


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## mizenkay (Dec 29, 2003)

first game on the pass tonight. no doubt with the magic feed. ooh boy!

will be also following the debut of "the mustache" with the bobcat. 

bulls win in a close one 97-94

:cowboy:


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

Hairy Midget said:


> Okafor was ROY.


okay well the best players from their drafts


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## Bulls rock your socks (Jun 29, 2006)

id say the bulls will have 95 - 100. they will dominate agian


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

Magic are 3 pt favorites. I know we're the better team, but I guess with the home court and Bulls coming off a game and a couple guys out, it gets close.


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## The Krakken (Jul 17, 2002)

narek said:


> Want to volunteer? We'd love for people to volunteer for the game threads. If anyone's interested, PM me, and I'll try to set up a schedule or something bearing a resemblance of organization. :biggrin:


Sure. Just don't ask me to do it before Thanksgiving.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

for those of us that dont have league pass, I hope that the live stats work tonight!


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

League pass is free this week BTW

I am looking forward to the Knicks losing


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

gordon 0-2 already.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

Shooting 13% early!


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## Steez (Nov 28, 2002)

Wow, DH is a beast... I havent see him play ... only seen highlights etc


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

OT:

Charlotte beating indy early 13-4

Philly up on Atlanta 15-2.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

20-10 magic. 

they are shooting almost 70%.


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## JustinC (Jul 10, 2006)

Where's the D?


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

I'm not too worried...things will even out in terms of shooting %


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

They wont continue to shoot 67% and we should improve our shooting as well. Magic came out and played inspired.


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## LuolDeng (Feb 22, 2004)

Just when we start to creep back in we turn it over twice in a row leading to 4-5 points.


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

oK nevermind the Bulls are playing like poop


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

What the hell, consecutive times they drive right to the basket and stupidly passing it off


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## LuolDeng (Feb 22, 2004)

We keep turning it over and giving them easy fast break points.


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

Blah, I now know how the Heat fans felt last night. Nothing is working for the Bulls, everything for the Magic.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

I don't think PJ Brown can jump more than 2" off the ground. It really is funny how our old bigs were younger than the Heat's old bigs. Different story tonight.

We really need Gordon to score. And Nocioni, I guess. There's not going to be a whole lot of nights where we get ~50 points from Hinrich and Duhon.


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

DaBullz said:


> I don't think PJ Brown can jump more than 2" off the ground. It really is funny how our old bigs were younger than the Heat's old bigs. Different story tonight.
> 
> We really need Gordon to score. And Nocioni, I guess. There's not going to be a whole lot of nights where we get ~50 points from Hinrich and Duhon.


Part of it has to be this being a back to back. PJ has never been known as a leaper but I did love how he denied Carlos an easy lay up with a well calculated foul.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

I was worried about this game. During preseason we didnt do too well in back to backs.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

Anyone but me think that Dwight Howard is already a monster player?


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

Guess the idea of getting to the FT line a lot doesn't work when you only make 1/2 and give up 2 points everytime on the other end


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

That was nice by Thabo


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## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

For those of you watching the game, what is going on? Why are we down 20?


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

I really hope that the board isnt this slow all year during games.


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

DaBullz said:


> Anyone but me think that Dwight Howard is already a monster player?


The kid is an absolute Beast. I love his game and his size for his age is amazing. I think he'll be making All Star Games for years to come.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

theanimal23 said:


> For those of you watching the game, what is going on? Why are we down 20?


$15M man was sitting on the bench while Dwight Howard is going to town. Maybe the Bulls are missing the weakside help that Thomas gave them last night.

Dwight Howard just had an outright amazing block on a gordon giant killer. The kid is amazing.


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## r1terrell23 (Feb 11, 2006)

I just got home just in time for asswhoop city.


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## Sham (Dec 2, 2002)

They shot 68% in the first half from the field. We shot 63% from the free throw line.

Apparently it's easier to put the ball in the hoop with 5 of our guys running around trying to stop you than it is when you're standing still and isolated from a matter of feet away.


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## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

Ben Wallce is 2 for 2 with his free throws tonights game.

Makes it 3 for 3 for the season! Go BIG BEN!!

I can't say much for chicago's play tonight though.. down by 18 in the half.

Orlando's passing game is super tonight, crisp and desicive..

Bulls look sluggish, and not really motivated. Not scrapping as much as Orlando..

I think you could say that they miss Tyrus's energy off the bench, though TT did some good and did some bad last night, he showed he can't be an instant spark just with his tenacity and energy off the bench.. the bulls are lacking that tenacity tonight.

But you could probably have suspected this, back to back, road game to road game. Another point is orland has alot of tall, lengthy players that we just can't match. Thats going to be a problem for alot of teams we face against that have multiple players that are tall, have length and relatively skilled..

Im sure Skiles is going to get into them and they'll probably make it close by the end of the game.


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## Seattle2Finals (Nov 1, 2006)

all i gotta say is the bulls will bounce back second half, dang tyrus is really missed....


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## Mateo (Sep 23, 2006)

Howard is dominating but his post moves still aren't very polished, but he's figured out how to use his athleticism where he can score easily in the low post.


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## jordanwasprettygood (Feb 18, 2006)

argh. 
well the magic can't keep hitting all their shots, right? right?


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## naibsel (Dec 21, 2005)

Question: Does D-12 drop 20-13 on the bulls in the 2nd half to average 40-20 for the season???

*EDIT:* and in a quasi related matter, as big Ben rides the pine, Bill Walton is tearing up Nazr Mohammed with 9pts 5rebs 2assists in the first 9 minutes of the Pistons-Bucks game


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

I don't see the back-to-back being any kind of excuse. All but two of our players are young enough that they should have the energy to put out for 48 minutes.

Surely Ben Wallace can play 28 minutes last night and 36+ tonight.


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## L.O.B (Jun 13, 2002)

Thabo looked good in late action in the 1st half. I wouldn't mind seeing how he matches with Hill in the 2nd half. Or is it to early to throw that task at him?


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## Showtyme (Jun 24, 2002)

From seasons past, I remember that we're good at getting hot offensively and clawing our way back into games if we have a poor offensive first half.

But (and purely from the box score), that doesn't appear to be the case. Rather, it seems that we can't DEFEND them. And when you bill yourself as a defensive team, and you can't defend a team... I don't know. Coaching strategy has to change.

The Magic are apparently going outside-inside. One of those is going to have to be shut down. Dwight Howard? Or the rest of the team?

I vote "rest of team".


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## such sweet thunder (May 30, 2002)

In other news: Chandler just went to the bench with three fouls.


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## DengNabbit (Feb 23, 2005)

Noc looks so dead on his feet tonite, saw him limping i think


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## DengNabbit (Feb 23, 2005)

k4e called yesterday one of the five games this year where Duhon hits his shots. this apparently is game 2 !


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

Am pretty surprised that we haven't seen Viktor so far


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

I'm a little worried when Dwight Howard is eating us alive, and Skiles continues to keep Ben Wallace off the floor and Malik Allen guarding him

What the hell is Skiles thinking??


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## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

The Pistons appear to miss Ben - the Bucks are dominating the boards in the Pistons/Bucks game.


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## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

Just got back from driving a friend to the airport...what's the story of the game?


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

Seriously the Bulls are looking like garbage tonight. From the starting 5, to the bench to coach Skiles. Let's just forget about this one and try again Friday


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## DengNabbit (Feb 23, 2005)

my appreciation for Tyrus is rising bigtime tonite


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

VincentVega said:


> Just got back from driving a friend to the airport...what's the story of the game?


Dwight Howard dominating and everything the Magic throwing up going in. As far as the Bulls, think last nights game with the Bulls being the Heat and the Magic being the Bulls


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

anyone but me see the irony in Red's Ben Wallace fro/headband giveaway item?


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## chibul (Oct 14, 2006)

Disappointing game tonight. Hopefully we can bounce back - I figured it might be a letdown tonight after last night, but I didn't think we'd get blown out.


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

Dwight Howard is going to be arguably the best player in the NBA by season's end. That's my bold prediction.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

The good news is Knicks up 5 at half.


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## chibul (Oct 14, 2006)

UMfan83 said:


> Dwight Howard is going to be arguably the best player in the NBA by season's end. That's my bold prediction.


That's a HUGE stretch.


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## DaBullz (Jul 15, 2002)

Eddy Curry 10 points, 9 rebounds at half.
Crawford 9 points on 9 FTA at half.


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

The Magic have mastered the art of flopping I've noticed.


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## bullsger (Jan 14, 2003)

Yesterday was really a better day to watch the bulls at 2 am than today. Why didn't Deng or Brown played more?


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## UMfan83 (Jan 15, 2003)

You notice how half of Fedex Arena is empty on opening night? Guess basketball didn't work out there...


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## bullsger (Jan 14, 2003)

chibul said:


> Disappointing game tonight. Hopefully we can bounce back - I figured it might be a letdown tonight after last night, but I didn't think we'd get blown out.


I just have the same thoughts.


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## BullsAttitude (Jun 11, 2002)

I'm I seeing this correct on ESPN gamecast, up 17 with over 2 minutes to go and Orlando still has 4 of their starters in? 

Does Brian Hill have any confidence in his bench?


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## Bulls rock your socks (Jun 29, 2006)

i dont understand skiles. he subs ppl in and out and puts 10th 11th man on the floor in the 2nd quarter. i bet ben wallace is mad that he didnt play that much


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## BullsAttitude (Jun 11, 2002)

I was expecting a let down, but not this bad. I'm guessing opening back to back on the road caught up with us tonight. It's also hard to beat a team when they shoot 70% in the 1st half.

We miss Tyrus Thomas tonight, not offensive wise but energy wise on defense and rebounding. He is going to be more important than we thought.


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## Bulls rock your socks (Jun 29, 2006)

UMfan83 said:


> You notice how half of Fedex Arena is empty on opening night? Guess basketball didn't work out there...


yea memphis doesnt like basketball. only sport they watch is riding horses and bulls haha .


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## BullsAttitude (Jun 11, 2002)

Orlando timeout with 1:19 left, will Brian Hill pull the starters? Good game by Orlando but I'm seeing no confidence in the bench from Brian Hill.

Nope, leaves 2 out there!!!


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

Well nobody played well except Duhon tonight, so far he's the MVP of this team. Gordon scores 24 but his d was god awful. The Bulls had no answer for Howard, he made Wallace look like a college freshman. Someone said Skiles had a bad night because of who he played, when Allen was in, Howard was much less effective, he killed Wallace tonight. Wallace got fouled 3-4 times going for offensive boards and none of them were called. Bulls didn't get a call all game, more real weak fouls on Hinrich, and a super weak tech.

This game was not as close as the score indicated a true blowout.


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## chibul (Oct 14, 2006)

It's going to be tough to justify continuing to keep THABO at the end of the bench after the way he's played in the last two games.


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

chibul said:


> That's a HUGE stretch.


I hope your joking. Howard will be the best bigman in the league by the end of the season if he isn't already.


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## mw2889 (Dec 15, 2005)

I felt like we need T2, kind of weird.


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## BullsAttitude (Jun 11, 2002)

Here it is again

Orlando 32-41 from the line
Chicago 14-24 from the line

I didn't get to watch the game but was our defense that bad tonight and did we not take it to the basket?

Or was the refs calling every ticky-tac foul on us?


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## chibul (Oct 14, 2006)

Hustle said:


> I hope your joking. Howard will be the best bigman in the league by the end of the season if he isn't already.


There's a big difference between being the best big man (anyone forget about that guy in San Antonio?) in the league, and being the best player in the league.

I'd take Wade, James, Nash, Nowitzki and Kobe before even considering Howard. And that's just off the top of my head.


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

I will put this on the back to back. The starters didn't play as much as expected last night, but they played hard and aren't in midseason conditioning form. Probably had one normal minutes night in the preseason. I will give them one since they dominated last night. Don't think Tyrus would have made that much of a difference, some of the guys just looked asleep, basically like last night with the roles reversed. No surprise that Howard is a beast, but a little surprised that some of our guys looked scared of him or made him look so good. Skiles did some weird things too. Viktor has shown he can contribute, with TT out, why does he only play very late in the 4th with the game definately out of reach?


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## McBulls (Apr 28, 2005)

Bulls were a step slow on defense tonight -- the whole team. Slow to the boards as well --outrebounded 36-27.

This is a little unexpected, given the fact that the minutes were rather evenly distributed last night.
Maybe too much partying.


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

BullsAttitude said:


> Here it is again
> 
> Orlando 32-41 from the line
> Chicago 14-24 from the line
> ...


Both. It was like Big Ben was non existant. Also, like some bad games last year, we got back into the game by taking it to the basket (Duhon going right down broadway and everyone getting pumped about a comeback stands out) and then went back to bad jumpers


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

chibul said:


> There's a big difference between being the best big man (anyone forget about that guy in San Antonio?) in the league, and being the best player in the league.
> 
> I'd take Wade, James, Nash, Nowitzki and Kobe before even considering Howard. And that's just off the top of my head.


Only Garnett and Duncan could be added to the list, therefore I wouldn't call it a huge stretch. I think he will out preform at least 3 of those guys this year. I'd take James all day but Howard is real close.

It's tough to say whether he has come into his own or if this was a flash of things to come, but sooner than later he will be hands down better than Duncan, mostly because Duncan has started to fall off.


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## BullSoxChicagosFinest (Oct 22, 2005)

BullSoxChicagosFinest said:


> So a loss means we get to blame you for not letting Hustle start the game thread :curse: :biggrin:


AHEM


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

We got nothing from our big men. All of them. With TT hurt and Sweeney a DNP, that hurt us. 

12 rebounds among 4 big men. 9-23 shooting and 16 pts,


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

SMH

absolutely embarassing


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## fl_flash (Aug 19, 2002)

glad I didn't spend money to see this one in person! Pretty poor defensive effort tonight. I've got a feeling this Jekyl and Hyde act will be a pretty frequent one this season - especially the first month or two while these guys figure out who they are.

The Magic are a good team. Dwight Howard is the real deal and we got our asses handed to us tonight - just like we did to the heat. It happens. As Skiles might say - we're 1-1 - yippee. 80 more games to go.

If we can finish November at or above .500, I'd consider that a pretty good month - all things considered. We'll just have to see how it goes from here... Well, 82-0 is out of the question. Glad we got THAT monkey off our back!


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## Salvaged Ship (Jul 10, 2002)

If there is such a thing as a good loss, this may be it. 

After last night, there may have been some who thought the trophy should be handed over now and forget the rest of the year. Team may have felt a bit overconfident. These first two games showed when we play well we can win against anyone and when we play poor we can lose to anybone. Not the Bulls of the 90's who could be off and still win. 

Looking at the first two games I was hoping for a split. We got it. I think most would have been happy with that. Chalk it up to expereince, learn from it, and move on to the next game. This is a good team that learns from it's mistakes.


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## Salvaged Ship (Jul 10, 2002)

If there is such a thing as a good loss, this may be it. 

After last night, there may have been some who thought the trophy should be handed over now and forget the rest of the year. Team may have felt a bit overconfident. These first two games showed when we play well we can win against anyone and when we play poor we can lose to anybone. Not the Bulls of the 90's who could be off and still win. 

Looking at the first two games I was hoping for a split. We got it. I think most would have been happy with that. Chalk it up to experience, learn from it, and move on to the next game. This is a good team that learns from it's mistakes.


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## step (Sep 19, 2005)

> Well, 82-0 is out of the question. Glad we got THAT monkey off our back!


73-9 :tongue:


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## lougehrig (Mar 1, 2005)

DaBullz said:


> Eddy Curry 10 points, 9 rebounds at half.
> Crawford 9 points on 9 FTA at half.


Knicks blow a 19 point fourth quarter lead against a bunch of rookies and scrubs like Chucky Atkins. They were playing Crawford, Marbury, Francis, Richardson and Lee most of the fourth. Curry has decent numbers on paper, but has been outplayed completely by Warrick the second half. That's 6'8 Hakim Warrick. If Curry can't dominate against these bums I don't know if he ever will.

By the way the game is tied in 2 OT. Marbury, Francis already fouled out. Curry should have about 9 fouls, but they haven't called any on him lately for some reason.

Knicks are done already. They are trying so hard to beat a team of second stringers. It's pretty sad.


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## lougehrig (Mar 1, 2005)

Salvaged Ship said:


> If there is such a thing as a good loss, this may be it.


I agree. The second half we played well. They were very hot the whole game. 60% shooting! We are still figuring out our rotation. Noc was cold and played more minutes than Luol for some reason. Ben needs to play more minutes I think. I think there was alot to be gained from this game. Our offensive game looks greatly improved. We never gave up though, which is great. Dwight Howard is pretty much unstoppable.


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## JRose5 (May 4, 2003)

Gah.. Just came in, had an exam at 5 and one at 7, so I didn't see any of the game.
What the hell happened?

I'm going to read through the thread here when I get a chance, looks like Dwight had a good game.


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## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

BullSoxChicagosFinest said:


> AHEM


I won't do it next time!!!! I promise.

But I did the Bucks/Pistons game thread in the Bucks forum and the Bucks won.


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## step (Sep 19, 2005)

> But I did the Bucks/Pistons game thread in the Bucks forum and the Bucks won.


Traitor!


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## The ROY (Nov 11, 2004)

lougehrig said:


> Dwight Howard is pretty much unstoppable.


His speed, power & atheleticism is YOUNG SHAQ, no question about it.


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## CanadianBull (May 6, 2006)

Salvaged Ship said:


> If there is such a thing as a good loss, this may be it.
> 
> After last night, there may have been some who thought the trophy should be handed over now and forget the rest of the year. Team may have felt a bit overconfident. These first two games showed when we play well we can win against anyone and when we play poor we can lose to anybone. Not the Bulls of the 90's who could be off and still win.
> 
> Looking at the first two games I was hoping for a split. We got it. I think most would have been happy with that. Chalk it up to experience, learn from it, and move on to the next game. This is a good team that learns from it's mistakes.


Good post. Games like these will happen over the course of the season.

Magic are a good team led by a beastly/frightening PF that almost no team has an answer for. I'll take 1-1 and hopefully the boys can bounce back against Sac on Friday.


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## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

I wasn't expecting our flaws to get exposed so badly this early into the season. Orlando did whatever they wanted to do. Glad I recorded the game on DVR and was able to zoom through the crappy play.


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## McBulls (Apr 28, 2005)

The ROY said:


> His speed, power & atheleticism is YOUNG SHAQ, no question about it.


Speed & atheleticism >> young Shaq
Power < young Shaq

But all in all, I've changed my mind based on this performance. I'd rather have him than Ming.


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## ztect (Jun 12, 2002)

Dwight Howard has really hit the weight room. Unlike other high bigs not named Amare of late, Dwight seems really dedicated to doing what it takes to develop his game and body. He didn't have those post moves last year. 

What's frustrating is that with all the high picks the Bulls had over the past 7 years, the Bulls always seemed to get their best picks in the years without the biggest studs. The one stud they drafted Brand, they traded, for a player with a basketball IQ of 67 and 13 year old hands. The one young stud they could have drafted- Amare-came the year after every team was relunctant to pick a high schooler that high after Kwame, Tyson, EC and Diop didn't live up to their respective hype.


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## SALO (Jun 6, 2002)

ztect said:


> Dwight Howard has really hit the weight room. Unlike other high bigs not named Amare of late, Dwight seems really dedicated to doing what it takes to develop his game and body. He didn't have those post moves last year.


This is why I laugh when people around here say they don't want certain players to put on a lot of weight (e.g. Tyrus Thomas). Dwight Howard has put on _at least _ 20 lbs since entering the league, and yet did you see how high he jumped when he blocked Gordon's runner? He's still athletic as hell!

Check out how skinny Dwight was in high school...



















:eek8:


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## Kapitalistsvin (Mar 30, 2006)

For that being high schóol.. I wouldn't excactly call it skinny.

Any more on Thabo? It sounds like a good game (by him) to me.


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## Wynn (Jun 3, 2002)

The Bull will never win another game.


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## LegoHat (Jan 14, 2004)

SALO said:


> This is why I laugh when people around here say they don't want certain players to put on a lot of weight (e.g. Tyrus Thomas). Dwight Howard has put on _at least _ 20 lbs since entering the league, and yet did you see how high he jumped when he blocked Gordon's runner? He's still athletic as hell!


It certainly worked for Dwight Howard, who looks to be the next dominant big man in the league, but gaining weight isn't always the best solution. Just look at Emeka Okafor for example, he had a nice first season, and then decided to bulk up seriously before his sophomore season. He lost a lot of speed and explosiveness, and then he decided to do a lot of cardio this offseason to get back to the size he was in his first season. He had 19 pts, 13 rebs and 6 blocks last night against the Pacers., which is one of his best games ever. I know he had back problems last year, but the added size didn't help him at all, as I know he would be the first to admit. 

I definitely think that Tyrus should add about 15 lbs, but it's not guaranteed that it will automatically improve his play.


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## badfish (Feb 4, 2003)

Blech. :nonono: 

Bad game to see in person as a Bulls fan. Unfortunately, my wife had a last minute business trip and couldn't go to the game with me so I brought her father. A die hard Bears fan, more of a casual Bulls fan. Definitely an OWG as he despises the so-called whiny, selfish, playground style basketball played by guys who get paid way too much money yadda yadda yadda. I've done my best kool-aid man impression to try to get him back from the dark side.

Our seats were 4th row, center court on the side of the team benches. Several of the Magic top brass were sitting next to us, including the CEO, Bob Vander Weide. 










And yes, he still has the hairstyle.

I think I was the only Bulls fan in our section. Although I wasn't able to get my hands on a jersey in time, I did wear my red Bulls hat. 

A few observations from my vantage point.


We looked sloppy even during warmups. Gordon was missing everything. I know he found his touch eventually but this had me worried.
I don't know if they showed this on TV but the Magic players were introduced one by one while escorting a Magic cheerleader to center court. If you're familiar with Bill Simmons' Unintentional Comedy Index, this was an index buster. :cbanana:
Dwight Howard is a beast that we will have to contend with for the next 15 years. Not only do we have to worry about Bron and Wade, but this guy may even be a tougher obstacle. I'm not saying he's a better player than those two but his impact on the game is thunderous. He's filling the gaps in his game very nicely and at a quick pace. We're talking about an all-timer here. Kudos to the Magic for drafting this kid when the "safe" choice was Okafor.
We missed Thomas' energy. I can't believe I'm saying that because "we are the hardest working team in the NBA". Sure didn't look like that in person. We picked it up a little in the 2nd half but still disappointing.
Noc was pressing bigtime. Going after Darko one on one for as many possessions as he did was asinine. Noc may be able to outquick Antoine Walker but not Darko. And with Darko's length, forget about it. We wasted a few possessions on that matchup.
Speaking of Darko, big kid. Doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed out there. But, if he can just be a reliable 3rd or 4th option on offense and be a defensive intimidator in the middle, the Howard/Milicic frontline could be a problem for the rest of the league.
I know our "$15M" guy didnt have the best game, but Malik Allen inherits the Pargo Club signature IMO. Fortunately, they don't keep sharp things around the spectator seats. Mine eyes were burning. Seriously, he's a fine 5th or 6th "big". It doesn't matter that he started for a playoff team last year. Hot garbage. What is it with the dearth of skilled big men in this league? My god. :sigh: 
Unfortunately, I flaked out on bringing my Sef is God sign. My wife was supposed to take care of that. :curse: Sef looked pretty good though. Not terribly quick and not the greatest footwork on defense but he does have something you can't teach. Stretch Monster arms. He is the Sef-Monster. Although he made a few shots, he needs to work with whomever Noc worked with in the offseason to get his shooting base corrected. Needs much more consistency there.
The Magic match up well against us. We will have problems with them throughout the year. They are very long and have size we just can't counter. A simple post up game plan was enough to beat us. Hill against Hinrich? Yeah, right. 
Duhon was solid, per usual. Deng showed me a little something, but nothing spectacular. He's got a much slower release than I thought. If he's got Pierce or Hill potential, he needs to have a faster release methinks.

There's really not much else to add. I wish there were more positive things to note. It's just one game and this was against a pumped up young team on their opening night. Hopefully, we are that pumped up on our opening night.


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## JRose5 (May 4, 2003)

Thanks for the rundown, badfish.


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## ScottMay (Jun 15, 2002)

badfish said:


> [*]Dwight Howard is a beast that we will have to contend with for the next 15 years. Not only do we have to worry about Bron and Wade, but this guy may even be a tougher obstacle. I'm not saying he's a better player than those two but his impact on the game is thunderous. He's filling the gaps in his game very nicely and at a quick pace. We're talking about an all-timer here.


I totally agree. I think we've got a 1-2 year window to win the east, and that twenty years from now, Howard will be a part of the Chamberlain, Russell, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq, Duncan discussion. The combination of size and quickness is just ridiculous and he's super smart and coachable. I hope that Paxson's got a sense of the urgency while he mulls over consolidation trades. I would happily overpay for a Garnett or Pierce type in an attempt to win this year or next. 



> Kudos to the Magic for drafting this kid when the "safe" choice was Okafor.


Where's Dick Vitale and all the other people who were killing the Magic for making that pick? 

Nice recap, btw.


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## harley (May 24, 2006)

Deng, Noc and Big Ben were no shows. If we are going to do any damage in the east we cannot have three of our main core not playing hard.


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

One thing no one has mentioned, when Wallace was on the floor the Bulls just left him one on one with Howard for almost the whole game. Which is why I think TT could've helped a lot last night. He covers more ground than anyone on the team, maybe the league. He probably would've been a foul magnet, but it's better than letting Howard get easy bucket after easy bucket. When a big man is dominating you down low you have to stop him from being able to put the ball on the ground, I don't think the Bulls were ready for the offensive polish Howard added to the game this offseason, he didn't show it in the Olympics.


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## kukoc4ever (Nov 20, 2002)

I didn't get a chance to watch this game last night. 

How did *PJ BROWN* look? Judging by the box score, it looks like he had a rough night at the office. 

How were his intangibles and wisdom looking last night?


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## Hustle (Dec 17, 2003)

kukoc4ever said:


> I didn't get a chance to watch this game last night.
> 
> How did *PJ BROWN* look? Judging by the box score, it looks like he had a rough night at the office.
> 
> How were his intangibles and wisdom looking last night?


He looked like crap as did most of the Bulls. He was obviously intimidated by Howard down low.


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## ViciousFlogging (Sep 3, 2003)

kukoc4ever said:


> I didn't get a chance to watch this game last night.
> 
> How did *PJ BROWN* look? Judging by the box score, it looks like he had a rough night at the office.
> 
> How were his intangibles and wisdom looking last night?


 :laugh: 

it's all part of Gandal....I mean, PJ's master plan. 


in all seriousness though, I've been on the fence as to just how awesome Howard will be, but I think I'm in ScottMay's camp now. As much as I like our team, I think it's likely that we have some more work to do to either get over the hump immediately (before Howard becomes utterly unstoppable) or find our own "anti-Howard"...and unless Oden is all he's cracked up to be and we somehow win the lottery and draft him (and those things both working out for us would be nothing short of a miracle), I don't know if such a thing exists - he's gonna be THAT good. So, yeah, I'm hoping Minnesota tanks and KG starts getting grumpy. I still don't know how much of the team I'm willing to dismantle for him, but I'd like to at least have the chance to make the move.


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## badfish (Feb 4, 2003)

kukoc4ever said:


> I didn't get a chance to watch this game last night.
> 
> How did *PJ BROWN* look? Judging by the box score, it looks like he had a rough night at the office.
> 
> How were his intangibles and wisdom looking last night?


Nothing special. Then again, it's really hard to see wisdom, isn't it? What does it look like? :wink: 

It looked like he had solid positioning on defense. Howard was just out of his mind last night. That just opened things up for the rest of the Magic players, which in turn opened things up for Howard. It was just their night. I don't think there's a post player in this league that will be able to stop Howard on a consistent basis. We just needed to a better job of denying him the ball. That's a defensive scheme that Skiles is going to have to develop pronto.

The think that frustrates me about Peanut Butter Jelly is that I've never seen him go to his right on a post up. And when he goes left, I get flashbacks of Chandler. But, in consolation, it does seem to draw a foul.

I liked the move for PJ as I think he will contribute in limited minutes. I think he's a smart defender who can knock down the open shot and make his free throws.


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## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

OK, I didn't read the other posts, so sorry if it's already been mentioned, but.. . 

I seriously think people are underrating how bad the Bulls are without a guy like Tyrus on the court. That guy will contend with Howard. MAYBE not in terms of strength or overall stardom, but I'm sure once they both get to play against each other, they will have some memorable battles.

It sucks that he couldn't play yesterday, because I believe with Tyrus, we could have contained Howard more than we did. Also, he can do certain things Howard has done, but Howard has more power, and he's a little older. I think with time Tyrus could become the type of player Howard is becoming as well.

Am I right in saying this, or am I just going crazy here?


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## ScottMay (Jun 15, 2002)

PowerWoofer said:


> OK, I didn't read the other posts, so sorry if it's already been mentioned, but.. .
> 
> I seriously think people are underrating how bad the Bulls are without a guy like Tyrus on the court. That guy will contend with Howard. MAYBE not in terms of strength or overall stardom, but I'm sure once they both get to play against each other, they will have some memorable battles.
> 
> ...


Short version -- you're just going crazy.

I like Tyrus, I think he's got a ton of upside, I think he's going to be a blast to watch, but his ceiling isn't anywhere near Howard's. IMO.


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## mgolding (Jul 20, 2002)

3rd Year out of high school. This guy is what Michael Jordon thought K Brown was going to be all thsoe years ago.

When before the draft Dwlight Howard said he was going to be a combination of KG and Duncan I laughed. You arrogant little crap is what I thought. Well, it turns out I am who should be laughed at. Duncan was still in college at this point. Everyone has different development curves but because of where he plays on the court Howard could end up having a Lebron like effect in years to come.


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## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

Orlando went on a massive win streak to end last season, and nearly pushed their way into the play offs. They are going to be a good side this season (barring injury)

As far as I'm concern, we played two play off bound teams, back to back, at home, on their opening night, and we split 1/1. I'm happy with that.

We have a rough schedule to start the season. Hopefully it will act as a toughening up and bonding period for the team, as it has done in the past two seasons.


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## Babble-On (Sep 28, 2005)

Damn, the Bulls got outplayed in evry way possible. Hopefully it was just a letdown after the big opener.

Its kinda disturbing to see my concerns about the team's frontcourt show signs of being on the money so soon. PJ looks like crap so soon after I was encouraged by his play in preseason. Malik is still a 3rd string quality player on any team but ours. And besides them and Wallace we have no other bigs.

And I'll join the "Howard is the truth" chorus. He was really good before, but he was scary last night. His aggressiveness was scary. I'm not ready to ceoncede the future to him yet though. He hasn't played a single truly meaningful game yet in his career.


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