Friday, May 13th, 2011 at 9:17 am  |  93 responses

Post Up: Believe in Me Now

Bulls are back in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Chicago 93, Atlanta 73

The Bulls have taken a lot of flack this postseason for not being the dominant team that their regular season record and postseason accolades have suggested that they should be. But last night they showed the world just how dangerous of a squad they can be when everything is clicking. In closeout games in the Playoffs, the Bulls have been dominant, and Chicago destroyed the Hawks from the very outset leaving little chance or hope that Atlanta’s season could be extended by one more game.

The Bulls finally got solid production from Carlos Boozer who finally showed that he is a legitimate second option to Derrick Rose. He started out the game on fire and helped Chicago put some distance between themselves and Atlanta that they Hawks were never able to overcome.

Derrick Rose basically had the night off as his supporting cast took the load off his shoulders for really only the second game in the entire Playoffs, but it was good for him to be able to rest offensively because a much bigger challenge awaits. The Miami Heat.

This is the series that everyone has been waiting for and been talking about for at least a week now. Neither Heat supporters, fans or “Stans” are giving Chicago any chance of beating the team from South Beach, but the Bulls are ready and there definitely won’t be any backing down. The series should be epic, one that basketball fans everywhere, regardless of allegiance, should really enjoy. See you Sunday! — Bryan Crawford / @_BryanCrawford

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  • JTaylor21

    AllBall, umm this is not actually Deng’s best all-around season, that would be the 06-07 season when he put up 19ppg on 51% shooting. He’s having a great year without a doubt especially on the defensive end but in terms of offensive production, he’s been better.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    I brought up Kurt’s name because I think he can contribute well in short periods of playing time.
    The Bosh thing was a joke, considering dude stays scared.
    And f*ck fur, I don’t mind the cold!
    If cold weather bothered me, I’d be down south with you and all the other scared of the cold p*ssies! :D

  • http://slamonline.com AllBall

    Non-extremism is for p*ssies. I don’t know, but Smith may have turned the corner.
    Jtaylor, factoring in team success, this has to be Dengs best year.

  • http://slamonline.com AllBall

    Horford is not an All-NBA center.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    If you love the cold…then you should feel great when the frigid feeling takes over your little, saddened heart about 14 days from now and you’re looking to build an igloo to “chill” out in until next season with with your D.Rose MVP microfiber blanket.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Or perhaps you’ll wallow in your own pity on your Miami Heat hammack in your “White Hot” shirt and your Burnie slippers, throwing down not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven Coronas as you spend the next few months blaming the “Philipino Simpleton” for your “superteam’s” shortcomings.
    We shall see.

  • JTaylor21

    AllBall, my fault thought you were talking about individual success. I gotta give it up to Deng, dude has been balling since about his second season but only recently he received his just due.The only problem I have with him is that he’s too predictable on the offensive end. When he has the ball on the right wing, 9 times out 10 he’s going left and when on the left wing, he exclusively goes to his right. He almost never uses the between the leg dribble and I’m surprised defenders haven’t picked up on it yet.
    Anyways dude seems like a hard-worker and is doing just fine playing a certain way, so I’m probably nitpicking.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Also, JTaylor, when Deng did have his best offensive year, you can’t forget that team didn’t have Derrick Rose or Carlos Boozer, and he was considered the Bulls’ next star at the time.
    I think Deng is the Bulls’ second best overall player behind Rose because he’s so great on both ends of the floor.

  • Myung

    People saying we should trade Horford instead of Josh or that he’s not an All NBA Center clearly didn’t watch him all season long. Horford is more valuable to this team than Josh (and it can be argued, Joe), night in and night out. Please don’t tell me you’re basing your statements on this Bulls series or because you’ve seen maybe 7 Hawks games this entire season. If players got traded based on Playoff failures, then I could come up with a list of All Stars even better than Al. Yes, he had a bad series vs. Chicago. It was very disappointing. And I’ll be the first to admit I wouldn’t put him in my top 15 current player list (if positions didn’t matter), but the way the League has always been is that they HAVE to put a Center on each team. I believe throughout the course of the season, he was the 3rd best center in the NBA. Obviously the voters agree with my sentiment. I still think he’s best suited as a 4, but 5 is the position he’s been forced to play so he’s doing the best job he can. Who would you put over him (clearly this is based on the the regular 2010-11 season)?

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Never thought I’d say this, but thanks Oprah for moving up the start of the ECF from Tuesday to Sunday

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    I hope that human blimp Oprah implodes.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    LMAO, one of my co-workers who’s like 60 years old and is from the south side of Chicago just walked in my office and said “Rigo! We gotta rep HARD for the Bulls next week! We gon’ be looking like a couple of vice lords with all the red and black we’ll be wearing!”
    Ha ha people were like “….what’s a vice lord?”

  • http://slamonline.com AllBall

    I loved Horford during the year. I actually watched about 20 Hawks games this year, start to finish (regular season). Not bad for a non Hawks-fan right? How ever, I think that Smith may have turned the corner, whilst I think Horford is maxed out.

  • http://slamonline.com AllBall

    Sorry, only just read your question. Tyson Chandler (maybe).

  • Myung

    77 games. 15.3 ppg. 9.3 rpg. 3.5 apg 1 bpg. 56% from the field (5th in the NBA). 80% from the line. Not eye popping stats, I admit, but again, that’s good enough for 3rd best among centers. I will again agree with detractors that he underperformed in the postseason, particularly vs. Chicago (a team he tends to play well against in the past). But this is a regular season distinction. And we’re in 2011, not 1995. We don’t have Ewing, Robinson, Zo, Shaq, and Dream in the NBA. I think the only guy you could even argue deserves that 3rd spot was Bogut (Horford got 62 votes and Bogut got 13, for the record). If Love qualified as a center, then he certainly should be ahead of Horford, but he’s listed as a F. And for those arguing that Horford is really a F listed at C, then look no further than the guy who got all NBA 2nd team C (Amar’e). If you really, really get down to it, there’s only ONE All NBA worthy Center, and we know who that is. The next TRUE center (if you think Horford and Amar’e aren’t true centers) are Bogut, Bynum, Nene (arguably in the same boat as Horford and Amar’e), Tyson Chandler, Marc Gasol, Hibbert, and Noah (who missed too much time this past season). Slim pickings.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    I doubt Smith turned the corner since he played the same way ALL year last year, and still reverted back this year despite copious amounts of praise.
    If he didn’t get it after the great year he had last year, then he will likely never get it.
    I don’t know about Horford. The jumpers is money. But the post moves have not improved in a few years. He still gets pushed off the block too easy at the five, and I’m not sure the quickness advantage he relies on for points now will translate to the four. But I like dude’s defense.
    I don’t know about him.

  • Myung

    Chandler averaged 10.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, and 1.1 bpg. 65% fg (VERY impressive). 73% from the line. Pretty good numbers from a pretty good center. I wouldn’t put that above Horford though.

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    Rigo- fair enough…IF they win.
    Zoom- ….you might have a point there. Lol but there’s hope for him..

  • http://slamonline.com AllBall

    Smith is one of those guys you have to take a risk on, IMO. Give him one more year, I say.
    I watched some Hawk games where that jumper was absolutely automatic. Talking about Horford now. I don’t really see much in the way of post moves, although he has decent touch. You can see that his quickness advantage is negated against a quick 5 in Noah. I don’t think he would have a quickness advantage against starting 4′s.

  • Myung

    I agree with Allen. I don’t think Josh turned the corner. He had some very good games this year. He had some very bad games this year. THIS IS WHO HE IS. He is a spectacular ATHLETE who is the ultimate jekyl and hyde player in our League today. He can often put up eye popping all around numbers (particularly blocks). And I agree that watching 20 Hawks games this year is very solid (haha) and qualifies for more than a small sample size but I’ve watched pretty much every game of his professional career. His BEST seasons was last season, only because he didn’t shoot 3′s. But other than that, he’s pretty much been the same player, and I expect him to be the same player. And the reason I said trading Josh would be easier is because Joe is obviously locked under a contract that NO ONE will trade for (eventually, a daring owner might take his contract on, since we DID see Baron’s ridiculous contract get moved, but seeing that it still has 5 years left on it, no one will touch Joe right now) and Al was just extended during the middle of this past season. That makes Josh’s contract (which is relatively reasonable, in terms of both length and money owed) the most tradeable. The two most tradeable assets we have our Hinrich and Josh. Josh’s ceiling is higher than Al’s because of his athleticism, but we’ve been saying this about dude since 2004. He just finished year 7. The word “potential” has an expiration date, doesn’t it? And while his ceiling is higher, his floor is also much lower than Al’s. That’s truth.

  • Myung

    Allen, I again agree with you. Horford is not a good post player. He was at UF, but not in the NBA. Neither is Josh. Our best post player is, well, um, we DON’T HAVE ONE. We are a jump shooting team. Josh, Al, Marvin, Joe, Jamal, Kirk. All jump shooters. Comparing Horford and Josh in the post is like comparing them in a 3 point shoot out. It doesn’t really matter who wins; the result’s going to be ugly. The biggest difference between the two, other than basketball IQ and consistency (advantage: Al) is the consistent midrange jumper. Al is money from midrange (the chicago series notwithstanding). Josh is counterfeit money.

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    How does Noah know Sudanese? Jw

  • r2j

    I’m glad the Bulls are beyond the 1st round. We’re in the East conference finals against Miami. This will be a great series to watch.

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    Maybe it’s bc I haven’t seen as much of the mem-okc series as I should have but I still don’t think rose is THAT THAT much better than Westbrook. Rose is miles ahead of him in passing yeah, but westbrook is a great defender and rebounder.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Westbrook doesn’t have much of an advantage over Rose in terms of rebounding.
    And for me it’s just his superior IQ and knowledge of running the point.
    And I know without out a doubt that if Rose played with Durant, he wouldn’t be throwing up shots wildly in the 4th quarter on too many occasions like Westbrook did. Look no further than last summer on Team USA.
    Rose was more than happy to let KD do all the scoring.

  • http://Slamonline.com Datkid

    That’s fair, I agree with that…Westbrook hasn’t been running the point for that long.from the parts of that series I did see though, Shane battier and Tony Allen were all over durant. Plus durant wasn’t doing the best job getting open. So I’ll cut Westbrook a little slack. But in general I agree.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Now you know throughout the Heat/Bulls series, everyone will be writing and talking about the battle of the two Chicago natives.
    But for me, just as interesting will be the battle of the two Alaskans who would rather stay in Miami these days than come back home (and you know when they heard that? NOT when they were back…HOME!)

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com airs

    BULLSS!!!!

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com airs

    okay, that wasn’t me.

  • http://pickandroll.tumblr.com airs

    okay yeah that wasn’t me.
    but yeah, the battle of the chicago natives is gonna be pretty interesting.
    but juwan is kinda old, i don’t think he’ll get as much burn =\

  • http://slamonline.com The Fresh Prince of Nsam

    CHI#MIA!!! DAL#OKC/MEM!!! Waoh!
    My C’s are out, now I can pack my PP jersey, make provisions of Pringles and Guinness and enjoy Great NBA basketball; and the anticipated sadist pleasure that by the end of may one of these commenters will be as sad as I was this week : Eboy, RigoMatic, BC, JT21 or Darksaber… I can’t wait and I won’t tell u whose tears I’ll prefer… (Not u Dark).

  • http://Philosophervision@blogspot.com The Philosopher

    Shout out @ The Fresh Prince of Nsam.
    Shout out @airs.
    Shout out @AllBall, and the rest of SLAM in its total AND complete entirety.
    I hope the “Kingsmen”/Bulls series goes 7 games.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    I won’t cry if the Bulls lose.
    Twenty-year old MVP with a good 10-13 year run ahead of him, what’s there to cry about?

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    *Twenty-two, my bad.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Random comment –
    Am I the only one who ever plays the NBA’s version of “Where’s Waldo”?
    Trying to spot where James Goldstein is in the crowd at NBA games on tv?

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Rigo
    Do you really believe that the Bulls youth and health will allow them to beat Miami?
    While I agree that the Heat had a huge advantage in those areas against the Celtics and I believe the Bulls are the best defensive and rebounding team in the league, I think they have some obvious weaknesses that the Celtics didn’t have.
    First, Boozer is their second best player.
    Second, Boozer is being depended on to come through big in the clutch.
    Third, Boozer gets big minutes.
    Fourth, Boozer is bald.
    Fifth, Boozer likes to yell…
    Well you get the point.

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Allen –
    LOL!
    I tried to come up with a good answer to your “Do you really believe that the Bulls youth and health will allow them to beat Miami?” but couldn’t get over the whole “Boozer is…” diatribe.
    In all seriousness though, if the Boozer that showed up last night can show up like, 70% of the time in this upcoming series, it will negate almost all of Boozer’s deficiencies, imo.
    Except the yelling.
    Taj Gibson is not a bad alternative to turn to if Boozer is not delivering, also.
    Hopefully Noah and Taj will be primarily defending Bosh cause Bosh will eat Boozer up like Eddy Curry eats umm….everything up.
    Also, I diagree, I think Deng’s their second best player.
    AND ONE!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.bulls.com Rigo Gonzalez

    Milk Carton: Sooper Fadeaway

  • http://bulls.com airs

    well, its lookin like today’s post up is just about a wrap.
    monday should be crazy as hell.
    see you guys then

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/officerbarbrady what

    I’d rather trade Joe Johnson for 50 cents on the dollar than trade either Josh Smith or Al Horford. At least Smith and Horford are still not that old and could maybe, possibly improve if they get to play a full season with a capable point guard… something neither one has ever had before. This series gives me hope that Teague is that capable point guard. As long as Joe’s contract remains on the Hawks’ payroll their capacity to improve this roster (by making a run at Dwight Howard for example) is going to be limited, especially after the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in with the likely reduction in the salary cap.

  • http://slamonline.com The Fresh Prince of Nsam

    I can c u Phil!

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    My sister graduated today. Couldn’t be here, but guess what? Same conversation about Westbrook which was proven again tonight. Good night y’all

  • http://www.fiba.com Darksaber

    That earlier “crying” comment by The Fresh prince of Nsam made me smile bigtime.
    Props, mon ami.
    The bloody Grizzlies are like Arnold in T1: they just…won’t… die.
    Signed: a nervous Mavs fan who just KNOWS the tough-Grizz are gonna be the tougher matchup for Dallas

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