# Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago)



## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

> Aiming to be one the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls have a goal of finishing with fewer than 10 home losses. It won't be easy, though, considering the teams visiting the United Center this week.
> 
> The Bulls look to continue their push for home-court advantage in the playoffs on Thursday when they host the East-leading Detroit Pistons, who are coming off an improbable victory.
> 
> ...


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=475 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle><HR align=center width="75%" color=#193682 SIZE=2></TD></TR><TR><TD class=subMatchUp align=middle>
2006-07 Stats at a Glance</TD></TR><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>Detroit Pistons </TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Record: </TD><TD class=inTxt>45 - 25 (.643)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Standings: </TD><TD class=inTxt>First, Central</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>At Home: </TD><TD class=inTxt>21 - 13</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>At Road: </TD><TD class=inTxt>24 - 12</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>Streak: </TD><TD class=inTxt>W 2</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>42 - 30 (.583)</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>27 - 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 3</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>92.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.454</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.443</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>RPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>40.9</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp RPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>40.8</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>98.7</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp PPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>94.6</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.456</TD><TD class=inTxtB>Opp FG%: </TD><TD class=inTxt>.439</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxtB>RPG: </TD><TD class=inTxt>43.6</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>Hamilton, R</TD><TD class=inTxt>66</TD><TD class=inTxt>20.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Billups, C</TD><TD class=inTxt>60</TD><TD class=inTxt>17.2</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Prince, T</TD><TD class=inTxt>70</TD><TD class=inTxt>14.6</TD><TD class=inTxt>5.4</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.7</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Wallace, R</TD><TD class=inTxt>63</TD><TD class=inTxt>12.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.9</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Webber, C</TD><TD class=inTxt>51</TD><TD class=inTxt>12.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>McDyess, A</TD><TD class=inTxt>70</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.7</TD><TD class=inTxt>5.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.9</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Murray, R</TD><TD class=inTxt>57</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.6</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Mohammed, N</TD><TD class=inTxt>48</TD><TD class=inTxt>5.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.6</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Maxiell, J</TD><TD class=inTxt>55</TD><TD class=inTxt>5.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Delfino, C</TD><TD class=inTxt>70</TD><TD class=inTxt>5.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Hunter, L</TD><TD class=inTxt>41</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Davis, D</TD><TD class=inTxt>39</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.3</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Blalock, W</TD><TD class=inTxt>14</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.2</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Johnson, A</TD><TD class=inTxt>4</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Dupree, R</TD><TD class=inTxt>17</TD><TD class=inTxt>1.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.6</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>Flip Saunders</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>72</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>72</TD><TD class=inTxt>18.9</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.0</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.4</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Hinrich, K</TD><TD class=inTxt>70</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>68</TD><TD class=inTxt>7.2</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.3</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.1</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Wallace, B</TD><TD class=inTxt>69</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.5</TD><TD class=inTxt>10.6</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Brown, P</TD><TD class=inTxt>62</TD><TD class=inTxt>6.1</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.8</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Thomas, T</TD><TD class=inTxt>63</TD><TD class=inTxt>4.6</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.4</TD><TD class=inTxt>0.5</TD></TR><TR><TD class=inTxt>Allen, M</TD><TD class=inTxt>50</TD><TD class=inTxt>3.9</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>51</TD><TD class=inTxt>2.6</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>

NBA.com Bulls Seek Their Fourth Straight Win; Host Pistons


----------



## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

> Ever since Michael Jordan left, the Bulls haven’t spent much time in the spotlight.
> 
> During the rebuilding era, the Bulls typically would be scheduled for one national television appearance per season. This season, the Bulls were set to be on ABC, TNT or ESPN a whopping 21 times.
> 
> ...


Daily Herald | Sports


----------



## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

> Unlike last season, the Bulls (42-30) are virtually assured of a playoff spot heading into the final three weeks of the regular season. They're not thinking about making the postseason; they're thinking of improving their seeding to boost their chances of going deep into the playoffs.
> 
> Though the Bulls don't get much respect as possible contenders from the pundits on TNT and ESPN, the numbers say you can't dismiss them from consideration. They have the third-best overall record in the Eastern Conference, are 29-13 against East teams and 10-3 in the tough Central Division.
> 
> ...


Bulls' a-10-tion on closing run :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Bulls


----------



## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

> Even with the Pistons' formidable lineup stocked with All-Stars, most recent games in this series have been tight.
> 
> "It always seems to be a big game and have a little more importance," Skiles said. "We tend to match up decently with them.
> 
> ...


Pistons, Cavs bring season into focus on ChicagoSports.com


----------



## RagingBulls316 (Feb 15, 2004)

They just said on Comcast Sportsnet, Pistons will be without Webber and Hamilton tonight.

Also sounds like Duhon is going to play.


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

RagingBulls316 said:


> They just said on Comcast Sportsnet, Pistons will be without Webber and Hamilton tonight.
> 
> Also sounds like Duhon is going to play.



Why is it that whenever The Bulls play a team with an injured player that team gets called the "Short-Handed" team while The Bulls have Nocioni out, but I guess that doesn't make the Bulls "short-handed"?


----------



## eymang (Dec 15, 2006)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

TNT says we sell out every game. Maybe they release some late because I checked today and saw center court and/or club level center court available. Too bad I have no money


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



eymang said:


> TNT says we sell out every game. Maybe they release some late because I checked today and saw center court and/or club level center court available. Too bad I have no money


there's some tricky accounting going on. something with the suites i think.
they don't count in the number of physical seats or the seating capacity, but in the end they count the people in the suites as part of the attendence...somethin like that, i could be wrong


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

Off to a solid start. Pistons 28%. Bulls are ahead by 10


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



RoRo said:


> there's some tricky accounting going on. something with the suites i think.
> they don't count in the number of physical seats or the seating capacity, but in the end they count the people in the suites as part of the attendence...somethin like that, i could be wrong


I know in the music Industry for concerts allot of tickets are given away as comp tickets to media people and others. Then a day or so before the show these people give back their tickets for resale.

I have got some of the best concert tickets ever from buying tickets the day of a show for concerts that were "sold-out".

I would guess the same thing goes for Sporting Events.


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



Orange Julius Irving said:


> I know in the music Industry for concerts allot of tickets are given away as comp tickets to media people and others. Then a day or so before the show these people give back their tickets for resale.
> 
> I have got some of the best concert tickets ever from buying tickets the day of a show for concerts that were "sold-out".
> 
> I would guess the same thing goes for Sporting Events.


ah i see. that makes more sense 

lol at mcdyess knocking everyone down.


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

damn hinrich tryin to draw a charge and fouling, tyrus has waiting for that shot attempt.


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

look at thomas hustle!


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

bulls are falling in love with the jumpshot though. 
good to see deng drive and get the foul.


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

yuck now we're not even getting a shot attempt off.


----------



## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

The problem is that Thomas and Gordon are on the bench, and that Griffin and Duhon suck.


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

Mebarak said:


> The problem is that Thomas and Gordon are on the bench, and that Griffin and Duhon suck.


that Griffin and Duhon i can watch those two pass to each other all day!


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

oh no, kirk with his 3rd foul. T on Kirk for complaining.


----------



## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

This is disgusting. No one, except Big Ben is looking for Ben Gordon on offense. Duhon, Griffin, and Allen are acting like their offensive superstars how much they try to go one on one and all. They suck, and they sholdn't be on the floor. Disgusting.


----------



## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

WOW thought you guys were gonna run away with this but it has got very close.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

Our scoring drought proves two things:
1. Lack of post-scorer
2. Skiles is a moron. A lineup of Duhon, Griffin, Wallace, Allen, and Gordon isn't going to score you points. You are playing 1 vs 5 on offense. Guys like Griff and Duhon are so timid in shooting. Duhon passed up a WIDE open 3 earlier in the game that resulted in a offensive 3 second violation.

Seriously, Skiles, pick a lineup that has a chance to score. This is why I miss Noce.


----------



## DaBabyBullz (May 26, 2006)

SKILES HAS TO GO!!!!!! What a complete moron he is. A lineup of Griffin, Allen, Du-Chump for an extended period while our lead is squandered is just unacceptable, and he tends to do this repeatedly. The guy is a loser, as are those 3 I mentioned that he has playing together right now. 

Another thing, Hinrich gets screwed on so many calls it's not even funny. Refs are clearly biased. 

Now Skiles finally puts in a decent lineup, with the exception of Du-Chump. He had my favorite lineup in there for most of the 1st quarter, and we had a 10 point lead (Kirk, Ben, Luol, Tyrus, Ben).


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

hroz said:


> WOW thought you guys were gonna run away with this but it has got very close.


welcome to a typical bulls game. don't worry we'll have a spurt in the second half


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

lucky to be down only 3. i hope skiles never tries that lineup ever again.


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

I am not watching the game but the stats I see look sad.

11 offensive rebounds and 8 more shots taken and we are down by 3.

Not good.

BTW Gordon is 2 for 8 I am not sure why anybody would be "looking" for him at this point. Hopefully he gets hot in the second half.


----------



## hroz (Mar 4, 2006)

RoRo said:


> welcome to a typical bulls game. don't worry we'll have a spurt in the second half


LOL fair enough

It has been an ugly ugly game(and I support the ROckets........)
But because it is close it is entertaining.


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

hroz said:


> LOL fair enough
> 
> It has been an ugly ugly game(and I support the ROckets........)
> But because it is close it is entertaining.


When Detroit and Chicago play it's gonna be ugly.

A few years ago when Detroit was on it's way up and Chicago really stunk, they got their one game of the year on TNT and it was against Detriot.

The game ended something like 77-75 Detroit at which point Barkley said a team that scores 15 points or less a quarter shouldn't be in the NBA. Of course he was referring to The Bulls, but Detroit didn't do much better and I think they went to the finals and won the following year.


----------



## JRose5 (May 4, 2003)

hahaha that shot was great.


----------



## Bullsky (Jun 11, 2006)

Red makes me laugh! "THAT WAS A GOOD BASKET!!!!"


----------



## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

Tyrus has been really solid this game, and more importantly hasn't picked up a foul in 17 minutes. ! 

He matches up very well with Rasheed. 

And yeah, that shot by Wallace drew a chuckle. Great shot.


----------



## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Gordon isn't that good at shooting those quick turnaround shots off screens. He needs time to look at the basket and get comfortable and properly squared up. I'm happy he made them and it's nice that one of our big 3 is stepping up, but it's a shot I almost never see him make.


----------



## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

I don't want to jinx it, and I know that Detroit is playing without Webber and Rip, but this will be a great win. 

If Thomas can contribute like this in the playoffs, I'll feel really, really good about our chances. 

:rock:


----------



## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

Why is this game thread so dead?


----------



## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

Four posts in a row!

edit: maybe not.


----------



## eymang (Dec 15, 2006)




----------



## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

I was actually get tense, so I'd been forgetting to post.

up by 7.


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



TripleDouble said:


> Why is this game thread so dead?


I really find it sad that this board is so dead lately. 4 years ago this team won less than 30 games and you'd think they won the Title.

Now they are doing the best they have since MJ and people are not so excited anymore.

As I type this Bulls just blow a potential 5 point play and still get a couple more opportunites and still can't score. Meanwhile Detroit is chipping away at an 11 point lead down to 4.


----------



## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

Did Gordon just choke 3 straight free throws? What the ****?


----------



## nitric (Dec 14, 2006)

Did Gordon just miss 4 straight free throws? :|


----------



## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

I think ScottMay once asked if Luol Deng scared defenses... He did on the last play, drew 3 defenders and fed Tyrus a key dunk. 

I know I whined a lot when the Gasol trade didn't happen, and maybe it should have, but Deng just keeps playing better and better.


----------



## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



Orange Julius Irving said:


> I really find it sad that this board is so dead lately. 4 years ago this team won less than 30 games and you'd think they won the Title.
> 
> Now they are doing the best they have since MJ and people are not so excited anymore.
> 
> As I type this Bulls just blow a potential 5 point play and still get a couple more opportunites and still can't score. Meanwhile Detroit is chipping away at an 11 point lead down to 4.


Winning is just not controversial enough.


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

WOW, Bulls have missed their last 4 free throws, BW (Predictable) and now BG just went 0-2 each in a row. Could have iced this game. Can you say CHOKE!!


----------



## nitric (Dec 14, 2006)

We are handing this game to the Pistons, doubt we can win it now.


----------



## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

the other board has a 46 page game thread. Maybe they just migrated


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

nitric said:


> Did Gordon just miss 4 straight free throws? :|


3, a Techincal and then 0-2 on a shooting foul.


----------



## nitric (Dec 14, 2006)

2 point game now, nice!


----------



## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

what's the score and time?  My scoreboard website is having a cow


----------



## ballerkingn (Nov 17, 2006)

If we lose this game it's all Ben Gordan's fault 3 straight FT missing in a very close game.we should be up 5 not 2.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

I think there are 2 things that are critical to our playoff success

1. Fouls on our starting guards. If it can be less than 3 heading into the Max, we will be in good shape. If Kirk or Ben pick up 3 in a half (or both of them) it can get scary.
2. Our team has shown some progress, but we really need to play better vs trapping and zone defenses.


----------



## eymang (Dec 15, 2006)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

I'm a big fan of Kirk but why in the hell would you pass it to Ben W there?


----------



## nitric (Dec 14, 2006)

2s left and we are up by 2 Hinrich could have made it a 3 point game :|


----------



## nitric (Dec 14, 2006)

We will either be heart broken or we steal this game.


----------



## DaBabyBullz (May 26, 2006)

I almost posted earlier that our FT shooting (we were like 18-19 or something at the time) was what was keeping us in the game. Now it looks like missing FTs at the end might lead to us losing. Our good FT shooters just got cold, not a good thing at all. I usually feel pretty good about Kirk and Lil Ben shooting FTs. Looks like we dodged a bullet there! :clap2: :yay:


----------



## nitric (Dec 14, 2006)

Bulls Win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## rosenthall (Aug 1, 2002)

Gahh. It looks like the basketball gods are working against us.


----------



## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

Hopefully they take a two..


----------



## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

Yes! Bulls win!


----------



## rosenthall (Aug 1, 2002)

[wipes brow of sweat off of forehead]....whew.


----------



## Bullsky (Jun 11, 2006)

BIG win for the Bulls!


----------



## ballerkingn (Nov 17, 2006)

Wow got very lucky for once on that delfino foul.


I'm so glad we didn't lose this game,i would be very upset because we where up big late and let them come back.Skiles needs to find someone off the bench that can score during these drouts.I'd say try sweet's or allen or both together,get a better inside outside match going.But that's me,skiles won't ever do that he'll just try and put more Defensive line up's.


----------



## nitric (Dec 14, 2006)

Now we need to beat the Cavs to take the #2 spot! Woot, can we go for #1?


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

Why, WHy, WHY Do the Bulls always leave time on the clock? 

Can't Ben G or someone let the clock run down and hit the game winner as the buzzer goes off?

It's Win, But I wouldn't call that a steal, I'd call it hanging on.


So now the matchup on Saturday is for 2nd place in the East!!! Yeah!:clap2:


----------



## rwj333 (Aug 10, 2002)

I can't decide what's better-- the win, or Tyrus having a phenomenal game.


----------



## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

:clap: :yay: :clap: :yay: :yay: :worthy: :bananallama: :banana: :banana: :banana: :bananallama: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :bananallama: :bananallama: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: 

Nice work.


----------



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



rwj333 said:


> I can't decide what's better-- the win, or Tyrus having a phenomenal game.


It's a tie! :yay::clap:


----------



## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

TT with the big game. That's performing when it counts. TT was our bench. And only 1 foul


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

Bulls clinched a Playoff Spot as well:yay:


----------



## BeZerker2008 (Jun 29, 2006)

Great Freakin' game! I was sweating down to the end of the game & just am happy the Bulls pulled it off. I had flashbacks of the last game, but just glad Detroit didn't hit the last shot.


----------



## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

Dogding bullets for the last couple minutes there! :yay: :clap: :cheers: :biggrin: :worthy: :cheers: :biggrin: :clap2: :yay: :clap: :yay: 

Good win! Needed it too! Plus they clinched a playoff berth! Nice!

Let's beat Cleveland now!! Get #2 seed!


----------



## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

I'm sure everyone saw that top-of-the-backboard-and-in shot that Big Ben pulled off. That was the shot of the night right there!

:clap2: :biggrin:


----------



## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

We're near enough if we're good enough. You can't ask for much more than having to beat the 2nd place team to take their spot. Fingers crossed for the next game.

Did I mention TT?


----------



## bre9 (Jan 8, 2006)

That was a good pass from Ben to Kirk. Gordon finally getting smarter when he gets doubled team.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

One thing I don't like. Our team plays nervous at the end of games versus the trap. The Pistons had that game and were shorthanded. Hopefully this is the year the playoff experience pays off. We're getting there. Might be another year, but we will be within grasps this year of doing something amazing.

I HOPE Noce is back. Imagine other teams trying to match our energy level with TyTy and Noce.


----------



## darlets (Jul 31, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



PowerWoofer said:


> I'm sure everyone saw that top-of-the-backboard-and-in shot that Big Ben pulled off. That was the shot of the night right there!
> 
> :clap2: :biggrin:


Great to have you back PW.


----------



## PowerWoofer (Jan 5, 2006)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



darlets said:


> Great to have you back PW.


Great to be back. 

Great to see the Bulls win, too! :biggrin:


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

I think it's pretty amazing that this team is within striking distance of 1st place in the East, can beat the best in the East despite having a glaring weakness in low-post scoring.

With Noc out we also have a glaring weakness from our bench. Yet the team still wins!!!

Anybody listening to TNT? Did Berkley refuse again to give The Bulls any props?


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

7-2 gets us to 50 wins. It still sounds very hard but possible nonetheless.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

The following week is a good test: CLE, ATL (Trap game if we win on Sat), DET, and NJ. 

CLE is the most important game. CLE and NJ are the two games I consider big tests. Detroit is important, but CLE we need for the 2 seed, and NJ is likely the 7th seed.


----------



## 7RINGS? (Sep 28, 2004)

T2 Made a couple rookie mistakes but overall he had an awsome game and it was against the Pistons!! I think he is getting more comfortable with the Bulls.Man Tyrus is the guy that stood out to me the most!! That lob dunk was awsome,that one he took to the whole was sweet too.He He had a ton of boards and he is always full of energy! Easily one of the most exciting players we have had in awhile.BG AND BW had good games to,but thats nothing new.Great win for us but we need to hold our leads.Go Bulls!!:cheer:


----------



## narek (Jul 29, 2005)

Orange Julius Irving said:


> I think it's pretty amazing that this team is within striking distance of 1st place in the East, can beat the best in the East despite having a glaring weakness in low-post scoring.
> 
> With Noc out we also have a glaring weakness from our bench. Yet the team still wins!!!
> 
> Anybody listening to TNT? Did Berkley refuse again to give The Bulls any props?


I tuned Barkley out but I might have noticed if he did give the Bulls props. They spent an awful lot of time pimping the NCAA final four for a network not involved with college basketball.


----------



## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

The new Starbury shoes were good for 19 rebounds.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

Do they come in black? If not, a special order needs to be placed.


----------



## Orange Julius Irving (Jun 28, 2004)

narek said:


> I tuned Barkley out but I might have noticed if he did give the Bulls props. They spent an awful lot of time pimping the NCAA final four for a network not involved with college basketball.


I usually tape their commentary just to see if he says anything but like you mentioned he always finds something else to talk about if the Bulls do well. Of course if the Bulls play poorly he goes off on how they can't score, yadda yadda. If he can't say anything negative about The Bulls I think he tells the guys to talk about something else.


----------



## ChiBron (Jun 24, 2002)

Horrendous 2nd qtr thanks to Skiles filling his quota of playing a dreadful lineup for a LONG stretch for god knows what reason. Plus Duhon's back to playing with 0 confidence on offense.

Final 4 minutes of 4th qtr was pretty bad too. Gordon uncharacteristically missing 3 straight FTs. Kirk making some very poor decisions with the shot and the pass. GORDON attacking WAYYY too early on our final possession of the game. Had Detroit made a GW I was gonna put the loss on him for leaving time for Detroit to put a shot up. This is basic stuff. You can't make such stupid mental mistakes on this level. KIRK giving the ball to Wallace on our 2nd to last offensive possession was another inexcusable mistake. EASY to see why we have such a mediocre record in close games.

I liked everthing else aside from that. TT is so much fun to watch and whenever he's in the game he brings an excitement that's been missing in our home games since MJ. The UC atmosphere since TT's much improved play has been very DIFFERENT.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

I don't think it'll happen, but how cool would it be if we let Big Ben don headbands for PLAYOFF games, similar to our shoes/socks rule?


----------



## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

Whew, just got home. Close one! 9 more left, baby!

We did our best to give it away there a couple of times. I don't know what that's all about.


----------



## DaBabyBullz (May 26, 2006)

Tyrus is really what makes these games worth watching. If he's not in there, the Bulls can be (and are quite often) a very boring team to watch. When TT is on the floor, my attention "rating" is increased about 100x, cause I don't wanna miss any big plays by him. He had some really nice plays tonight, and his hustle is half of what makes him fun to watch. He almost blew the game for us at the end, but he had a good idea in trying to bounce the ball out of bounds off of Rasheed's (?) knee. He just didn't execute the idea is all lol. He matched up much better on Rasheed than PJ did, but then again, he usually does, being the VASTLY SUPERIOR PLAYER TO PJ EVERY NIGHT. He really should be starting at PF, and PJ should be relegated to bench duty.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

I rather have PJ start so Ty doesn't pick up a bunch of fouls in the beginning. I rather save Tyrus for most of the 2nd half to close games.

But yeah the second Tyrus enters, I try not to miss a single play. You never know what he is going to do.


----------



## Salvaged Ship (Jul 10, 2002)

Also need to thank the Pistons for their whining to the refs. I know Gordon missed that tech near the end, but we ended up getting enough free points to squeak by. 

They remind me alot of the old Pistons (except they are not dirty). Hard D, tough to put away, always seem to come back, and always moaning to the refs..


----------



## VincentVega (Oct 12, 2003)

We're gonna lose this game! Fire Skiles!


----------



## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

kulaz3000 said:


> The new Starbury shoes were good for 19 rebounds.





> Wallace debuted his Stephon Marbury-created Starbury shoes, which are trying to change the shoe market as an affordable basketball shoe. "If people have any doubts, tonight [was] a good opportunity to tune in and see what a $15 shoe can do," Wallace said.


Luck seems on Bulls' side on ChicagoSports.com


----------



## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



VincentVega said:


> We're gonna lose this game! Fire Skiles!


Skiles needs to be fired. Did you see that god awful lineup he had out there in the 2nd quarter? What was even worse, was Duhon, Griffin, and Allen were all playing selfish ball, and ignoring the two Ben's. Thats when we fell behind big time.


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



SPMJ said:


> Horrendous 2nd qtr thanks to Skiles filling his quota of playing a dreadful lineup for a LONG stretch for god knows what reason. Plus Duhon's back to playing with 0 confidence on offense.


I thought this thread was missing a post bizarrely critisizing some lineup Skiles put out on the floor. I assume you're talking about the Duhon, Allen, Wallace, Gordon, Griffin lineup that played for just over two minutes after Hinrich picked up his third foul and was outscored by three points? Sorry but I find that to be a pretty underwhelming argument.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

It was definitely more than two minutes and three points. Bulls had a 10 point lead that turned into a 3 point deficit. We are lucky we were down by 3 at the half. That was some of the ugliest basketball I've seen. I never ever want to see that lineup out there again.


----------



## kulaz3000 (May 3, 2006)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



JeremyB0001 said:


> I thought this thread was missing a post bizarrely critisizing some lineup Skiles put out on the floor. I assume you're talking about the Duhon, Allen, Wallace, Gordon, Griffin lineup that played for just over two minutes after Hinrich picked up his third foul and was outscored by three points? Sorry but I find that to be a pretty underwhelming argument.


They also forget that we only have four legit scorers in Hinrich, Gordon, Deng and Noc. With Noc being out, we only have 3 consistent scorers.

With foul troubles, i don't know why people constantly complain when we have no other players that are consistent scorers. We put in Allen, people complain that he doesn't play enough defense, we put in Sweets, and they complain that he doesn't play thin enough, we play Griff they complain that he doesn't play young enough. 

We are who we are on the bench. Noc is sorely missed and a big piece that we are evidently missing to do most of our bench scoring. So deal with it.


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



Mebarak said:


> Skiles needs to be fired. Did you see that god awful lineup he had out there in the 2nd quarter? What was even worse, was Duhon, Griffin, and Allen were all playing selfish ball, and ignoring the two Ben's. Thats when we fell behind big time.


That's completely factually inaccurate. Lineups composed of Deng, Duhon, Hinrich, Tyrus, P.J., Wallace, and Gordon are outscored by 7 points when Griffin enters the game with 6:54 remaining. The lineup you're complaining about was then outscored by 5 points until Deng and Tyrus were subbed in with 1:34. I don't see how you can argue that we "fell behind big time" with that lineup when more than half of the run took place with mostly starters in the lineup.


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



theanimal23 said:


> It was definitely more than two minutes and three points. Bulls had a 10 point lead that turned into a 3 point deficit. We are lucky we were down by 3 at the half. That was some of the ugliest basketball I've seen. I never ever want to see that lineup out there again.


I'm just going by ESPN's play-by play. Are you arguing it's inaccurate?

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=270329004


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



kulaz3000 said:


> We are who we are on the bench. Noc is sorely missed and a big piece that we are evidently missing to do most of our bench scoring. So deal with it.


Thank you, I've been engaging in this argument and making that point in every game thread for the last week or two. The bench has not been productive with Noc out but that doesn't mean Skiles can just play the starters the entire game.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

I like our bench. But, something has to be done about the timidness of Duhon and Griffin. Those two were dribbling around when they probably had an opportunity to score. Gordon wasn't getting the ball, then fine, try to create something on your own. Get a pick, and try to get open for a J. Griff can hit that. Du was finishing around the rim well as of late. Try driving in.

I like Malik, and hope he stays. We are missing a guy who should be able to provide what Sweetney in an ideal world, should be able to. 

For next year, I'd be happy to go in this bench:
Duhon
Thabo/Griff
Noce/Vic
*McDyess*
Rookie/Allen/PJ

We have one roster spot left, and you pick Marty Vicious or Barrett. It depends how well Thabo progresses, in regrads to choosing.

Even without McDyess, thats a good bench to have in comparison to most of the league.

I don't know if he will leave Detroit, but if they don't go to the Finals, I could see him wanting to leave if money is equal. I wouldn't offer him more than a 3 year deal. 

I'd want PJ on the cheaps, more for a Veteran role and provide spot minutes when the Rookie-Center can't.


----------



## DaBabyBullz (May 26, 2006)

Jeremey, you have to watch the games with those lineups. It was the worst basketball I've EVER seen tonight when Du-Chump, Allen and Griffin were in there. Skiles called no timeouts, made no substitutions, nothing. Hell, put Khryapa, Sefolosha, etc in there. Those guys were HORRID! They looked worse than my 9 year old nephew's basketball team did when I went and watched them the other day...I'm not exaggerating much (if any) either. I guarantee that if we always looked like that (for what seemed like forever) I wouldn't bother ever watching 1 second of basketball again.

It might not've been that exact lineup in there for the whole run, but it was a combination of AT LEAST 2 of Allen, Griffin and Du-Chump that lost us our lead of 10 points and put us down by 6. We went on a 6-0 run to end the 1st half...with a DIFFERENT lineup on the court for that run.


----------



## crazybarns (Jul 6, 2006)

Barkley Just said Tyrus Thomas has so much talent he is going to kill himself. It was funny!


----------



## SALO (Jun 6, 2002)




----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



theanimal23 said:


> I like Malik, and hope he stays. We are missing a guy who should be able to provide what Sweetney in an ideal world, should be able to.
> 
> For next year, I'd be happy to go in this bench:
> 
> ...


Honestly, I wouldn't mind getting rid of P.J., Malik, Sweets and completely revamping the frontline. Keeping one to sit towards the back end of the bench wouldn't bother me but at this point I'm pretty frustrated with all three. It may be the reality of the situation though, good bigs are very hard to come by.

As far as bolstering the bench, I'm a card carrying member of the Chris Mihm club. I think he could start too. McDyess would also be great. Having a league average player with height off the bench would be huge because we could almost entirely elminates the minutes of players of P.J./Sweets/Allen because I think those guys' minutes hurt us a lot.

If we do well in the post season we might be getting to the point where we can lure higher quality veterans who want a shot at a title to play limited minutes. Truth be told though, the best developments for the bench in addition to signing a good big with the MLE would be to stay healthy next year and see substantial improvement from Thabo.


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



DaBabyBullz said:


> Jeremey, you have to watch the games with those lineups. It was the worst basketball I've EVER seen tonight when Du-Chump, Allen and Griffin were in there.
> 
> It might not've been that exact lineup in there for the whole run, but it was a combination of AT LEAST 2 of Allen, Griffin and Du-Chump that lost us our lead of 10 points and put us down by 6. We went on a 6-0 run to end the 1st half...with a DIFFERENT lineup on the court for that run.


I don't have cable so I wasn't watching tonight. I agree that it's not a very good lineup but you have to use your bench under certain circumstances whether it's good or not. We only have about six or seven good players right now and players get injured, have off nights, or get into foul trouble so sometimes you end up with poor lineups for short periods.

According to ESPN's play-by-play, Duhon is the only one of that trio in the game until 6:43 when Griff enters and then Griff and Allen both sub out with about 1:35 left. You're describing a 16 point swing and as I wrote before, we were only outscored by 5 points from the time Griff enters until the timeout. So it is not true that a lineup with at least two of those three were responsible for the run. 

Watching the game can give you a lot of insight but sometimes peoples' perceptions are misleading. Since the cold, hard facts contradict the theory that lineups with those three players were almost entirely responsible for the run, this appears to be one of those cases. Perhaps they looked so terrible at there that it just seemed that they were on the floor for most of the run.


----------



## theanimal23 (Mar 2, 2005)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

I'd like our depth to go like this:
Deng/Noce
Thomas/MLE/Allen
Wallace/Rookie/PJ

With Allen and PJ not getting much PT. They would get spot minutes, sorta like how Jannero would, or Griff earlier this year. 

I think we need to go after a Vet who has some game with the MLE. Offer a 2-3 year deal with MLE money. I really like McDyess backing up Tyrus. Mihm isn't bad either. As of today, I'm assuming we are landing Hibbert or Splitter at our current draft position. I'm liking Hibbert.

But we would have plenty of depth. We do lack scoring somewhat from our guards though with that bench, but Thabo is going to have to progress.


----------



## TripleDouble (Jul 26, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*

Don't forget that Nocioni or Deng will get big minutes at the four too. If Deng plays 38 minutes again, Nocioni or Deng will get at least 15 minutes at PF.


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



SALO said:


>


I'm constantly amazed by the fact that Tyrus can jump so high that his waist is at the same level of the heads of players who are 6'6 to 7 feet tall. Wow.


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



JeremyB0001 said:


> I don't have cable so I wasn't watching tonight. I agree that it's not a very good lineup but you have to use your bench under certain circumstances whether it's good or not. We only have about six or seven good players right now and players get injured, have off nights, or get into foul trouble so sometimes you end up with poor lineups for short periods.
> 
> According to ESPN's play-by-play, Duhon is the only one of that trio in the game until 6:43 when Griff enters and then Griff and Allen both sub out with about 1:35 left. You're describing a 16 point swing and as I wrote before, we were only outscored by 5 points from the time Griff enters until the timeout. So it is not true that a lineup with at least two of those three were responsible for the run.
> 
> Watching the game can give you a lot of insight but sometimes peoples' perceptions are misleading. Since the cold, hard facts contradict the theory that lineups with those three players were almost entirely responsible for the run, this appears to be one of those cases. Perhaps they looked so terrible at there that it just seemed that they were on the floor for most of the run.


it was an awful lineup. particularly two 24 sec violations in a row. griff and duhon playing hot potato for 15 secs is not fun. there were other possessions where everyone stood around watching. malik tried an 18 foot turn around and the ball never left his hand because he got blocked badly.

indeed they were able to scrape away at the lead but i agree with the sentiment, we were lucky to be down only 3. 

this is about the 3rd game where i think skiles stuck to a wacky rotation, but it's not like he had much choice with the foul situation.

also it's an interesting move because i think he's trying to get malik, griffin, and duhon on track for the playoffs. letting them come in with a big bulls lead was ideal i guess. hopefully they'll look at the tape and come up with some adjustments. hopefully skiles will shorten the rotation and lean on the starters more in the playoffs, so this is a good time to try a lineup like that...i guess


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



RoRo said:


> also it's an interesting move because i think he's trying to get malik, griffin, and duhon on track for the playoffs. letting them come in with a big bulls lead was ideal i guess. hopefully they'll look at the tape and come up with some adjustments. hopefully skiles will shorten the rotation and lean on the starters more in the playoffs, so this is a good time to try a lineup like that...i guess


I think that's great in theory but I have no conception of how easily our players become fatigued so I have no clue how it would work out. The fact that there are more days off in the playoffs certainly bodes well. The problem I see is that while P.J. starts, his minutes are not productive most games. I think there's a case to be made that we only have six good rotation players right now (the starters minus P.J. and plus Du and Tyrus). Playing a rotation of six or even eight players is very difficult so Skiles will have his work cut out for him in the playoffs, especially if Noc doesn't return at full strength.


----------



## JeremyB0001 (Nov 17, 2003)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



theanimal23 said:


> I'd like our depth to go like this:
> 
> ...
> 
> But we would have plenty of depth. We do lack scoring somewhat from our guards though with that bench, but Thabo is going to have to progress.


Great post. I agree with all of your points.


----------



## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

Detroit Free Press

Pistons' rally falls short
March 30, 2007

BY KRISTA JAHNKE

FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

CHICAGO --The cost of having inexperienced role players on the floor at crunch time is that their good moments often come in equal proportions to their bad ones.

And so it was that the shorthanded Pistons got two quick-thinking plays out of Carlos Delfino late in Thursday night's game against the Chicago Bulls -- one that helped tie the game and one that lost it.



With time winding down and his team down two, Delfino first poked the rebound off his own miss toward Tayshaun Prince, who scored a quick lay-up.

Then Delfino fouled Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich, who was attempting a three-pointer. When Hinrich hit two of the three free throws, it clenched the Bulls' 83-81 win.

Prince, who scored 26 points, missed a short jumper as time expired.

"I feel bad, all day," said Delfino, who had a similar gaffe earlier this season. "We hustled all the last quarter to get in the game ... I feel bad because this is not the first time."

The Pistons had rallied from a 12-point hole in the fourth quarter, despite playing without starters Richard Hamilton and Chris Webber, who are out with a flu-like illness.

"We went to a half-court trap that we sometimes use," said Chauncey Billups, who scored 12 points on a 3-for-16 shooting night. "We got them to speed up, and they played out-of-character for a little bit."

But while the Pistons held the Bulls to 35.7% shooting, they had trouble collecting their misses. The Bulls outrebounded the Pistons -- 51-37.

Bulls center Ben Wallace had 19 rebounds and scored six points in his third meeting with his former team.

"We made some good initial stops," coach Flip Saunders said.

The Bulls opened the fourth on a 17-4 run that ended with 5:03 left with a driving dunk from Tyrus Thomas, which put them up 12.

But Rasheed Wallace, who earned another technical foul and scored 19 points, and Delfino hit back-to-back three-pointers, and the Pistons trailed 79-75 with 2:09 left.

Then, with 48.1 seconds left, Billups got inside for a lay-up that made it an 81-79 game. After Rasheed Wallace stole the ball from Thomas, the Pistons scored on Prince's putback, setting up Delfino's costly foul with 2.8 seconds left. "He's a young player that loses concentration," Saunders said.

In the third quarter, official Leroy Richardson called Rasheed Wallace for his 19th technical foul this season. Every other technical after No. 16 is worth a one-game suspension. Wallace had pointed at Richardson and said something in defense of Flip Murray, who had been called for a foul on the play.

Rasheed Wallace said he got the technical for telling the official to call it the same at both ends. Saunders, Bulls coach Scott Skiles, Billups and Hinrich also were called for technical fouls Thursday.


----------



## TomBoerwinkle#1 (Jul 31, 2002)

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune...gamer,1,1790488.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines

Bulls 'D' up on Pistons, clinch playoff berth

By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

March 30, 2007, 12:15 AM CDT


The 83-81 victory over the Pistons had been secured, thanks to Kirk Hinrich's two free throws with 2.8 seconds left and Luol Deng's adhesive defense on Tayshaun Prince at the buzzer.

The third straight playoff berth had been clinched, a high-water mark of 13 games above .500 had been reached and the Bulls had closed within a half-game of the Cavaliers. A Bulls win in their Saturday showdown with the Cavs would vault them past Cleveland for the lead in the race for the second seed.



And still, the Bulls talked in hushed tones and forced smiles late Thursday night in their United Center locker room.

If you want an idea of how far this organization has progressed, lend an ear to the players' reaction to another playoff appearance.

"We're beyond that," Hinrich said dismissively. "We expect to make the playoffs. Our plan is to finish the season strong and make a run in the playoffs. It's time for us to do that."

Added Ben Gordon, who passed to Hinrich for his game-winning points: "That's not a big thing for us. We want and need to make it far in the playoffs."

If so, the Pistons might be in their way, and they won't be without under-the-weather Chris Webber and Richard Hamilton then, as they were Thursday.

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

The Bulls know they can't cough up a 12-point lead with 3 minutes 56 seconds to play, miss six straight free throws before Hinrich strikes and endure quarters like the second, in which they shot 5 of 22.

"It wasn't the greatest painting," Deng said. "We didn't play well and have to stop those lapses. We just found a way to win."

Indeed, they defeated the Pistons for just the second time in 14 home games and improved to 14-5 since the All-Star break thanks to Gordon's 25 points, Ben Wallace's 19 rebounds and a 22-11 edge in offensive rebounds.

Wallace's failure to corral his 20th rebound off a Carlos Delfino miss led to Prince sinking an easy lay-in with 9.8 seconds remaining that tied the game 81-81.

But Gordon took the inbounds, and mindful of the Pistons trapping and double-teaming down the stretch, surveyed his scene.

"I wanted to see if I could probe and get a shot," Gordon said. "I found Kirk at the last moment."

Hinrich pump-faked a flying Delfino into the air and leaned into the Pistons' guard, drawing contact beyond the three-point line. He missed his first attempt, the Bulls' sixth straight.

"I figured I had three, so I'd be all right," Hinrich said.

He was, and so were the Bulls after Deng, otherwise burned by Prince for 26 points, forced him into an air ball at the buzzer.

"I tried to crowd him," Deng said. "The biggest thing was to not give up a three. I knew his release was high, and I told myself not to jump for the pump fake."

The Bulls took a 77-65 lead after a 13-2 run started by a crazy Wallace shot that arched high off the top of the backboard and dropped.

Gordon, 5 of 14 through three quarters and battling foul trouble, scored seven straight points after Wallace's wonder. And then Tyrus Thomas, active with 13 points and 10 rebounds, added two free throws off an offensive rebound and a rim-rattling dunk to help keep the Bulls' goal of single-digit home losses alive.

"Tyrus was great," coach Scott Skiles said.

But the Pistons made their final run. It reminded all, despite the pregame hugs and good-natured taunting, that the sideshow of Wallace facing his friends and former teammates no longer held center stage.

Basketball, even when it was less than artful, ruled.

"You can tell our maturity because we're learning to win games in tough situations," Wallace said. "We're not worried about our seed. We're just trying to become a better team."


----------



## RoRo (Aug 21, 2002)

*Re: Game Thread, Pistons vs Bull, March 29, 2007, 7 pm, TNT (CSN Local for Chicago*



JeremyB0001 said:


> I think that's great in theory but I have no conception of how easily our players become fatigued so I have no clue how it would work out. The fact that there are more days off in the playoffs certainly bodes well. The problem I see is that while P.J. starts, his minutes are not productive most games. I think there's a case to be made that we only have six good rotation players right now (the starters minus P.J. and plus Du and Tyrus). Playing a rotation of six or even eight players is very difficult so Skiles will have his work cut out for him in the playoffs, especially if Noc doesn't return at full strength.


i don't think it's fatigue necessarily. Duhon/Griff/Malik will be called upon in the playoffs, that's certain. But right now they're not playing like a reliable veteran group. 

so i think Skiles tried to see if this group could go out there and at least maintain the lead.

I agree with you though on PJ, i at leasat wish Skiles would consider rotating starters based on matchups. PJ was a bit slow to contest perimeter shots, Detroit's a team that likes to stretch the defense and open up the middle. TT eventually earned the right to stay out on the floor and his speed makes closing out on shooters and recovering back to the paint easier. Ideally, the smarter Tyrus plays the more time he'll take from PJ and Malik. Malik has been inconsistent so i can see why Skiles wants to get him in sync now as oppsed to later.


----------

