[NBA Live 2005] 06-07 Chicago Bulls | ASW 07 | 27-22

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Bulls' Thomas Nabs MVP as Rookies Win Close One

Rookies 124 | Nets 121

Chicago Bulls rookie forward Tyrus Thomas earned MVP honours in the 2007 NBA Rookie Challenge, finishing with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, to go along with 3 blocks. Thomas had an incredibly solid all round performance, leading the rookie team in assists, steals and blocks, while coming second on the team in scoring and fourth in rebounding. The rookies were lead by 21 points from a flashy Rudy Gay, who showed off more than his fair share of highlight reel worthy slams. The sophomore team was lead by a fantastic 35 point, 7 rebound performance from Indiana Pacer forward Danny Granger. The game was tightly contested from start to finish, neither team able to hold onto whatever short lead they earned. The rookies took advantage of the Sophomores seemingly uninterested demeanor on defence, as players like Rudy Gay and Tyrus Thomas took off for some monster slams while Marcus Williams and Adam Morrison lit it up from downtown. As the fourth quarter drew to a close, neither team could put up much of a lead on the other. Both teams when back and forth until the final two minutes, when Chris Paul and Deron Williams finally got the sophomore team clicking, resulting in a 5 point lead with just over a minute to go. However, a win was not to be. Rudy Gay attacked the defence fearlessly, puting up back to back baskets in a short span. As the sophomore team failed to convert on the other end, Tyrus Thomas found Marcus Williams for a big three ball to give the Rookies a one point lead. With less than 20 seconds to go, Chris Paul made a move on Marcus Williams, only to be blocked by Tyrus Thomas. Thomas leaked out on the break and recieved an outlet pass, finishing the break, and the game, with a monster one handed tomahawk jam.

Top Five Plays From The Rookie Challenge:

[5] Andrew Bogut denies Rudy Gay's dunk attempt
[4] Tyrus Thomas crosses Andrew Bogut and finishes strong
[3] Rudy Gay sees no defence, so takes it in for the 360
[2] Tyrus Thomas blocks potential gamewinner, finishes the break
[1] Rudy Gay finishes the break with a 360 windmill jam

[jonthefon]

Heh, that alley-oop looked like the toss went straight into the net

Sick screens too.

[Martti.]

Nice week by Haislip.. Not missing a shot from the field..

Good luck!

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question: How did you get the Knicks pick, I know in real life the Bulls have itm but how did you get it in the game? Is part of the roster update or something? (i don't knwo how these patches work)

Go here for the tutorial: http://www.nbaliveforums.com/ftopic32864.php

And here for the correct numbers for this years draft: http://www.nbaliveforums.com/ftopic45168-0-asc-350.php

Good luck and thanks for the compliments.

Thanks -km- and jonthefon, All Star weekend isn't far away!

[Sacke12]

Nice putback by Tyrus and hopefully he will be in the slam dunk contest. Good luck in the All-Star Weekend!

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Gordon Shows Up In The Clutch, Bulls Drop Mavs

Bulls 109 | Mavericks 102

Bulls shooting guard Ben Gordon nailed 3 three pointers within a span of 43 seconds to give Chicago a 4 point lead with just 24.4 seconds on the game clock, leaving it up to Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng to finish off the Mavs at the line. Gordon finished with a game high 25 points on 10-19 shooting, matching the Maverick's Dirk Nowitzki's 25 points effort of his own. Nowitzki also added 12 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, but couldn't get it done as the game wound down and Gordon began to heat up. Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich struggled in the first half, finishing with just 3 points and 1 assist, but finished up strongly in the second half, locking down the Mavericks' Jason Terry possesion after possesion. Hinrich finished with 15 points and 7 assists, tied with Andres Nocioni for the third highest point total for the Bulls, lead by Gordon's 25 and Luol Deng's 19. Chicago had a 5 point lead going into the third and at one point extended that lead to 14, but the Mavericks came roaring back and eventually managed to tie the game and take the lead behind a valiant effort from Dirk Nowitzki. However, as many teams have come to know - the fourth quarter is Ben Gordon's time. With the win, the Bulls improve to a 25-20 record and are just 2.5 games behind New Jersey for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Play of the Game - Kirk Hinrich finds Andres Nocioni for the drive and dunk

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Kirk Hinrich Ties Game, Wins It In Overtime In Offensive Show Against Houston

Bulls 133 | Rockets 130

Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich came out of no where to drop 41 points on the Houston Rockets in what was the most clutch performance in the league so far this season. Hinrich nailed 8 of his 11 three point attempts, two of those breaking the collective heart of this Houston Rockets team. Rockets All Star Tracy McGrady battled to keep the game close and finished with 40 points in the game on a terrific shooting percentage. McGrady gave the Rockets a 3 point lead when he connected on a layup and was fouled by Luol Deng, knocking down the free throw and leaving just 2.6 seconds for the Bulls to tie the game up. Coach Scott Skiles called a timeout and the Bulls advanced the ball to half court, ready to mave their move. Hinrich was on the far side of the court and sprinted down the baseline to the left side, popping out just inside the corner. Luol Deng gave Hinrich the ball and he delivered, knocking down the wide open three to send the game to overtime. In overtime, McGrady and Hinrich went back and forth, knocking down deep threes and slicing the lane to find their open teammates for easy jumpers. At one point the Bulls had 9 straight points off of Hinrich dribble drives, resulting in kickouts for Ben Gordon threes. However, McGrady handled it well and got his on the offensive end, tying the game up with 12 seconds to go. Hinrich glanced at Skiles and saw he said to "Push the ball up the court, no timeouts". Hinrich did just that, sprinting down court, hesitating, then rising up over Rafer Alston after a screen from Tyrus Thomas to sink the game winnning three ball.

Play of the Game - Ben Wallace slams down a putback dunk over Yao Ming

[The king]

Yes nice week

Good win vs. Houston!

Great recap

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GM John Paxson Signs Ex-Bull Antonio Davis

Chicago Bulls GM John Paxson announced the sign of ex-Bulls player Antonio Davis today. Davis, who was previously retired, has 13 seasons under his belt and signed a $2.3M deal over one year. Paxson said he signed Davis because "We have no centers to back up Ben. PJ can play a little center but he is already our starting power forward, theres only so many minutes he can play". Davis said he was happy to be back in the league, citing the Bulls great play as of late as a reason to come back and try for a ring one more time. "I played in the league for 13 years. 13 years of hard work and I have nothing to really show for it. I want to win a championship. The only way I was coming back to the league though was if it was a city that I truely loved and the team had a realistic chance at winning it all. Chicago holds both of those values. I'm very happy to be here and be around the guys." Davis said during the press conference.

John Paxson also said that there is most likely still one more move to be made before the trade deadline, just 2 weeks away. Paxson said that his main worry is the Bulls lack of a scorer down low. "Tyrus can score down low, but he doesn't really have a polished post game right now. He scores off offensive rebounds and in transition. PJ has post game but has never been much of a scorer, and we are trying to limit his minutes to save him for play off time. Our best post scorer is probably Marcus but even he tends to drift out onto the perimeter. Luol and Andres both like to play down low but their games are more suited to the perimeter and mid range. We badly need a good post scorer, wether it's through a signing or a trade." Paxson explained when asked about the Bulls major deficiency. Paxson was tight lipped when it came to who he was targeting, but Hawks GM Billy Knight was recently quoted saying he had recieved calls about ZaZa Pachulia recently from an "Eastern Conference GM wanting more post scoring".

[Sacke12]

Nice to see you get two more wins, you're starting to climb up over 50%. Antonio Davis will provide you with a lot of veteran leadership and hard work.
Also, good luck in finding a post scorer. If you do it through a trade, which players are you willing to give up?

[jonthefon]

Screenies wrong'd

A tough Texas road trip, but you made it through! Nice work. Clutch performances by both Hinrich and Gordon too.

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Nice to see you get two more wins, you're starting to climb up over 50%. Antonio Davis will provide you with a lot of veteran leadership and hard work.
Also, good luck in finding a post scorer. If you do it through a trade, which players are you willing to give up?

Thanks. About the trade, I really don't know.

I will not be moving Wallace, Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Nocioni, Thomas, Sefolosha or Davis. That leaves Azubuike, Sweetney, Allen, Duhon, Brown and Haislip on the block.

Out of those I really need a backup guard, so Kelenna will probabaly stay. I really like Sweetney, he always plays well when I give him minutes. Great rebounder and can back it up offensively, I would rather keep him. Malik Allen is someone I will definately look into moving. Hasn't appeared in a game yet and probably wont barring an injury to one of my other forwards. PJ is likely to stay, he's just incredibly solid and helps me alot. Duhon I haven't really figured out how to use yet. I know Duhon is on the block in real life so it's not unrealistic to trade him. He is quite likely to be moved. Marcus Haislip has been great as of late but I rarely use him for big minutes becuase there are so many power forwards on my roster. he does a great job at filling in at center but I have a tough time defending bigger players with him. He's likely to stay.

So that means the guysI'm mostly looking to move are Malik Allen and Chris Duhon. Though if the price is right, I would lookinto moving Sweets, PJ, Marcus and Kelenna if it means a better team.

As for targets, I just played the Sacramento game (in next weeks recap) and was completely destroyed by both Corliss Williamson and Shareef Abdur-Rahim, so those guys are targets now. Zaza is a very attractive target, nice post game and size, plus he's only 23. The Hawks also need a point guard (Duhon) and the salaries match. I'm also looking into Juwan Howard, Randolph Morris, Nazr Mohammed, David Harrison, Hilton Armstrong, Robert Swift and Melvin Ely. I'm also looking at signing Maurice Taylor but I would much rather lose some of my PF's through trade to clear up more playing time.

It's a tough decision.

Thanks for the continued interest, your input is great.

jonthefon, thanks for that, screens fixed.

[k-d]

It's a very good moment for your Bulls, and you're six games over 50%. In my opinion Zaza would be a good addition to your team.

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Bulls Start Out Hot, Grab Win On Road

Bulls 115 | Wolves 104

The streaking Chicago Bulls headed down to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves Sunday night. Chicago got off to a hot start, building a huge 18 point lead by the end of the quarter. Minnesota managed to beat out the Bulls by 7 points over the final three quarters, but it was not enough to overcome the huge lead dropped on the Wolves shoulders early. Luol Deng led the way for the Bulls with a 19 point effort, followed Hinrich's 18, Wallace's 16 and Gordon's 15 points. Rookie Tyrus Thomas had a big rebounding effort off the bench, grabbing a game high 12 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Minnesota was lead by a strong effort from Ricky Davis, who had 25 points to go along with 6 assists and 4 rebounds. All star power forward Kevin Garnett recieved a scary injury in the third quarter, where a falling Luol Deng landed on ankle, causing Garnett to limp back to the trainers room. Garnett returned in the fourth quarter however, finishing up strong and putting up 22 points in 28 minutes. With the comfortable win down in Minnesota, Chicago now extends their win streak to three games, all coming against Western Conference teams. The Bulls are currently sitting at 26-20, good for the 4th seed.

Play of the Game - Kevin Garnett delivers a huge facial on Ben Wallace

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Gordon Drops 27, Kings Frontcourt Destroys Bulls

Kings 109 | Bulls 101

Sacramento Kings forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim absolutely dominated in every which way Wednesday night, finishing with 28 points and 15 rebounds in an amazing effort. Abdur-Rahim completely manhandled everyone the Bulls threw at him, wether it be PJ Brown, Ben Wallace, Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni, Antonio Davis or Marcus Haislip. The impressive showing against Chicago, currently looking for a post scorer, may have placed Abdur-Rahim on Chicago's radar. "He's definately someone we're looking at, especially now. He's not as post orientated as alot of the other guys we are looking at, but it's hard to ignore a guy when he does this to your own frontcourt" GM John Paxson said during a post game interview. Chicago was lead by Ben Gordon, who put up 27 points after a rather disappointing performance against the Timberwolves earlier in the week. Luol Deng struggled all game long, going for just 9 points on 4-15 shooting, bothered by numerous double teams. "Out plan was basically to stop Luol Deng. He's shown what he's capable of this season and we felt he was our biggest threat coming into this game, especially with Ron being injured. We decided to double him, and he struggled. Obviously our strategy worked, and we came away with the win" Kings head coach Eric Musselman said.

Play of the Game - Tyrus Thomas gets rewarded for his great defence with a dunk

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Hinrich Almost Completes Amazing Comeback, Falls Just Short

Bulls 112 | Raptors 116

Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich, with his team down 13 points with only 1:33 to go, dropped in 4 straight 3's along with some amazing assists to drag the Bulls back into the game. With Chris Bosh at the line and just 11 seconds to go in the game, Bosh extended the lead to 3 on his first free throw, bringing the crowd to their feet. However, those fans confidence quickly turned to worry as Bosh missed the second free throw and rookie Tyrus Thomas triumphantly pulled down the rebound. Thomas sent an outlet pass to Luol Deng, who hesitated for a moment, then attempted to pass to the double teamed Kirk Hinrich. The ball was knocked away and rolled back near half court, where Thabo Sefolosha picked it up and sprinted to the three point arc to fire a 3 at the buzzer. Unfortunately, the shot missed badly and the Raptors escaped with the win. Bulls guard Ben Gordon was injured during the 3rd quarter, hurting his back in a collision with PJ Brown. Gordon had 14 points before going to the locker room for the rest of the game. "If Ben was there during those final moments, it would have been alot different." Hinrich said of his injured teammate. "I have no doubts in my mind that if he had gotten the ball as that clock wound down, we would be playing an overtime period. He just has a knack for delivering when we need him most. I really hope this injury isn't a bad one, he's the heart of this team".

Play of the Game - TJ Ford puts the dagger in the Bulls with a jam

[buzzy]

Nice week, altough you lost 2 games. Shoulda win the home game ..
Can't wait for the ASW - I'm hoping for lots of videos. btw nice move by Tyrus!

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Rookie/Sophomore Game Rosters Announced

Today the NBA offically announced the rosters for the Rookie vs. Sophomore game today, along with the other all star representatives for All Star Weekend 2007. Starting for the Rookie team will be LaMarcus Aldridge of the Blazers at center, Andrea Bargnani of the Raptors at power forward, Jorge Garbajosa of the Raptors at small forward, Brandon Roy of the Blazers at shooting guard and Randy Foye of the Timberwolves at point guard. Coming off the bench for the Rookie team will be Rudy Gay of the Grizzlies, Adam Morrison of the Bobcats, Tyrus Thomas of the Bulls and Marcus Williams of the Nets. Starting for the Sophomore team will be Andrew Bogut of the Bucks at center, Charlie Villanueva of the Bucks at power forward, Danny Granger of the Pacers at small forward, Luther Head of the Rockets at shooting guard and Chris Paul of the Hornets at point guard. The reserves for the Sophomore team will be Deron Williams of the Jazz, Channing Frye of the Knicks, Marvin Williams of the Hawks and Jarrett Jack of the Blazers.

All Star Festivity Participants Named

No All Star Weekend is complete without the Three Point Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest. Today the NBA announced the participants for both of these spectacular events. Competing in the Three Point Shootout will be Ben Gordon of the Bulls, Mike Miller of the Grizzlies, Damon Stoudemire of the Grizzlies, Jason Williams of the Heat, Mike James of the Timberwolves, J.R Smith of the Nuggets, Rashard Lewis of the Sonics and Mike Dunleavy of the Pacers. The highflyers competing in the Slam Dunk Contest this year will be Tyrus Thomas of the Bulls, Dwight Howard of the Magic, Carlos Boozer of the Jazz and Ricky Davis of the Timberwolves.

All Star Game Rosters Announced

Becoming an NBA All Star is what every NBA hopeful dreams of, yet just 24 players reach that All Star level each year. This years All Stars were recently anounced by the NBA. Starting for the Eastern Conference All Stars will be - Dwight Howard of the Magic at center, Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers at power forward, LeBron James of the Cavaliers at small forward, Andre Iguodala of the Sixers at shooting guard and Gilbert Arenas of the Wizards at point guard. Coming off the bench for the Eastern Conference will be Shaquille O'Neal of the Heat, Chris Bosh of the Raptors, Joe Johnson of the Hawks, Richard Jefferson of the Nets, Jason Kidd of the Nets, Vince Carter of the Nets and Dwyane Wade of the Heat. The Western Conference All Stars will be starting - Pau Gasol of the Grizzlies at center, Kevin Garnett of the Wolves at power forward, Carmelo Anthony of the Nuggets at small forward, Tracy McGrady of the Rockets at shooting guard and Steve Nash of the Suns at point guard. The reserves for the Eastern Conference All Stars will be Yao Ming of the Rockets, Tim Duncan of the Spurs, Rashard Lewis of the Sonics, Jason Richardson of the Warriors, Allen Iverson of the Nuggets, Elton Brand of the Clippers and Amare Stoudemire of the Suns.

[The king]

WOW!!

Nice photos Shannon

[Sacke12]

Too bad you lost 2 outta 3 games this week, but at least you still 5 games over .500. You didn't get a lot of invites to the All-Star Weekend, but at least Tyrus Thomas and Ben Gordon will get some shine on national tv.

And about the trade, you seems to be on track on what you want and how to get it done, so good luck in finding it before the trade deadline.

[k-d]

I want recap of All Star Week End, please. I want to see Ben and Tyrus in action!

[TomCat]

Okay 1-2 week. Still got a good record IMO.

Also very nice preview of the all-star weekend, but you made one error that I spotted....

The reserves for the Eastern Conference All Stars will be Yao Ming of the Rockets, Tim Duncan of the Spurs, Rashard Lewis of the Sonics, Jason Richardson of the Warriors, Allen Iverson of the Nuggets, Elton Brand of the Clippers and Amare Stoudemire of the Suns.

Should be The reserves for the Western Conference All Stars

Anyway I can't wait for the all-star weekend. Roy or Aldridge for rookie game MVP!!!!!

[Lamrock]

Haven't checked this one in a while. Still a VERY high-quality dynasty. The best active one at the moment. Looking forward to all-star festivities.

Arenas for All-Star MVP!

[jamon51]

Awesome job! You obviously have a good eye for design and presentation.

What do you mean by a good Sim Engine update? You modified the sim engine? I'd like to know how or at least get your mod...I use 2005 exclusively, and the simmed games are so unrealistic. I play 5 minute quarters though.

[Lean]

are the screens of the draftees from March Madness?

[Lamrock]

Damn. This one one of the really good dynasties, and now it looks like its done. Oh well.

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Don't worry, I will get back to it soon enough. I have been really busy with alot of health issues lately and basically just haven't had the time/feeling to play NBA Live much.

I want to start season 2 by the time the 07/08 season starts in real life, so I got plenty of time. Thanks for the continued interest, I should be able to play the Rookie/Soph game tomorow and have some updates within the next couple days.

[jonthefon]

Can't wait !

Didn't want to be the only person playing a Live 05 dynasty