No one can accuse the Chicago Bulls of leaving anything on the table in their next to last game of the season. There was no holding back.
And in the month of April, the Bulls best players have dragged their team back from the brink of playoff elimination to be just one win away from the eighth and final seed in the East.
But the Toronto Raptors have not been eliminated. Despite the Bulls beating the Raptors at the ACC in game 80 and then taking down the Celtics at the United Center in game 81, the Bulls are still haven’t reached their goal.
And with the playoff clinching game against the Bobcats coming on the back-to-back in Charlotte on Wednesday. Are The Bulls Spent?
In the win at home against the Celtics, four of the Bulls starters played nearly the entire game.
- Joakim Noah, over 46 minutes, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks, 9 points.
- Derrick Rose, over 45 minutes, 22 shots, and 39 points.
- Luol Deng, over 43 minutes, 12 boards, 10 shots, 7 points.
- Kirk Hinrich, over 41 minutes, 20 shots, 30 points.
A career high in scoring for Rose and a season high in scoring for Hinrich.
Immediately after the game, the Bulls will be preparing to get on a plane and fly to Charlotte. Just what will these players have left to give?
The key players for the Bulls in the second of back-to-back games this season have averaged:
- Rose, 20.3 points in 35.1 minutes.
- Deng, 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in 36.6 minutes.
- Noah, 10.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in 30.2 minutes.
- Hinrich, 11.9 points in 34.6 minutes.
Averages which are all very close to their season averages.
But with each of these players having put in 10 minutes more than usual against Boston, the question remains: Are the Bulls Spent?
Charlotte has already clinched the seventh seed in the East and will face the Orlando Magic when the playoffs start. So the Bobcats are only playing for pride.
But this is the first time the Bobcats have qualified for the playoffs and they will be in front of their home crowd. It’s unlikely this young team will be willing to send their fans home with a loss before their first post-season games ever.
At least this is what the Raptors and their fans will be hoping for.
There should be a worn out Bulls team facing the excited and up-beat Bobcats in front of a highly charged home crowd that doesn’t want to see their new found heroes lose.
Bobcats, don’t let the hometown crowd down. Send them home happy!
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I have to say, watching the Bulls take the Celtics down last night, I was a tiny bit jealous at the intensity that the Bulls were showing … and really, have been showing for much of these last couple or so weeks. I’m torn – badly – about what I want for the Raptors at this point. On one hand, I do crave a bit of playoff hoops for this team … and if they get there, I’ll hope for the miracle that won’t likely happen. But, if the script plays out the way momentum seems to be suggesting … and the Bulls win their game tonight (or the Raptors lose, an equal possibility, I’d say), I’ll hope that the Bulls give the Cavs – who, I suspect I’m gonna hate for a while for playing favorites the way they did – ALL they can handle. And if it works out that way (Bulls in the playoffs), I’ll then cross my fingers that we get a worthwhile player in the draft. As I guess we all will. Cheers Steve.
Bulls put out an effort Raps fans haven’t seen much of since the all-star break. Except maybe in the OT loss to the Cavs and a couple of buzzer beater losses to Denver and LAL. (+ win over the Hawks)
Based on effort in April – Bulls deserve to get 8th. But you don’t always get what you deserve.
Could still be a historic night in T-dot.
Right now, the Cavs probably wish they hadn’t given away that game to the Bulls – or maybe they just don’t care.
Cheers
We shall see. I for one and miffed that I had to *gasp* cheer on the Celts last night–and true to form they lose when we need them to win. #$% Celts!
Will Chicago lose? I don’t know, but what I do see is a team that wants it–really wants it, and as for the whole Noah debate in the middle of the season, I now swing on the Noah side of things.
Hoping for the C’s to win is sick….
Then they go play like Raps have on many nights this year.
50/50 tonight – but I’m still going to the game!
Noah? May actually be playing better since he came back from injury.
It says a great deal about the sorry state of the Raptors franchise … 15 years in … that so many of the teams “fans” actually thought [or still think today] that Andrea Bargnani is a better basketball player than Joakim Noah.
It isn’t even close … and, really, nothing more than THAT needs to be said.
Bargnani may become a better player than Noah or not. t.b.d.
It’s a little early to be declaring one guy’s career is going to be better when both have 10+ years ahead of them.
Noah hasn’t accomplished much yet. He was still dominated by veteran bigs on the team’s western road trips and he’ll likely be dominated by the Cavs bigs in the playoffs. But he has tons of potential – could be another Marcus Camby.