[Offseason] ✖ Legacy Arise ✖ Retired

[Valor]

Just one more solid game from Gibson and Robinson and you'll be set.

Also I love how you're absolutely working Luol Deng to the bone in classic Thibodeau fashion. No wonder the guy has been playing like ass recently, he's running on fumes at this point.

Well, while I'm in someways mimicking Thibs' coaching style (cause mostly I agree with the stuff he does), there's also the factor of me not having any depth at the wings aside from Deng and Jimmy Buckets. There's no way I'm playing Vlad in the playoffs

[Martti.]

Time to finish them off.

[Valor]

Bulls rally late to eliminate Nets, advances to second round
Game Story | Box Score | Team Stats | Player of the Game


Noah dominated the fourth quarter and clinched the series win for Chicago

Brooklyn, NY -- At home with their backs against the walls, the Brooklyn Nets tried everything possible to force a game 7 and stay alive in this series.

To make a long story short, they didn’t.

Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls made sure of it.

After witnessing the Nets rally from a 7 point half time deficit and shoot a blazing 60% from the floor (12/20) in their third quarter to come back and take a two point lead, Noah turned up his usual intense effort up another notch in the final period.

That was all the Bulls needed.

Behind Noah’s double double of 13 points and 13 rebounds, with 10 of the 13 points coming in the fourth quarter the Chicago Bulls outscored the Brooklyn Nets 32-19 in the final period to take the series win here in game 6 and advance to the Conference Semifinals.

Noah played 41 minutes and held Nets’ star center Brook Lopez to just 4 points on 1 for 8 shooting.

"I thought our guys, we took a big punch in Game 1 and we kept fighting back and that's been the story of the season," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Joakim played huge for us tonight, his effort and hustle has always been the heart and soul for this team and that’s why we were able to get the win”

It wasn’t just Noah though, as the Bulls, whose offensive struggles this season with the absence of Derrick Rose, who is still out with the torn ACL, has been well documented (95.6 ppg, last in NBA), played terrific team basketball and spread the ball around for very efficient shots.

Chicago had 6 players in double figures while the other two combined for 12 as they shot just over 50% from the field (40/79) and once again dominated the backboards and on the defensive end.

Taj Gibson led the way with a team-high 18 points alongside 9 rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench, while Nate Robinson continued the hot shooting from game 5, scoring 15 points on 6 for 12 from the field and dishing out 6 assists.

After a back and forth first quarter, the Bulls jumped out and smothered the Nets in the second quarter, closing the half conceding just 13 field goals on 36 attempts by Brooklyn and outscored them 23-14 in the second period. While the Nets rallied back early in the second half, Noah and the Bulls closed them out late and punched their ticket to the second round.

Joe Johnson led the way with 20 points for Brooklyn, but took 19 shots (9/19 FG) to do so, including hitting just 1 of 5 attempts from three. Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace notched 16 and 15 points, respectively, but with just four Nets reaching double figures and nobody else above 5 points save CJ Watson (who went 2 for 10 from the floor to finish with 6 points), Brooklyn couldn’t pull off enough stops or buckets to force the pivotal game 7.

Nets star Deron Williams was visibly frustrated after the game, and spoke very briefly with the media before departing from the arena. He was held to just 13 points and 5 assists in the losing effort as Kirk Hinrich once again played great defense on Williams contesting every shot and denying the basketball. Williams had just 13 shot attempts in the game.

It was a brutal end to the Nets’ inaugural season in Brooklyn, in which they won 42 games and claimed the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls will now advance to the second round, where they will face off the winner of the Knicks-Sixers series. The series is currently tied at 3 games apiece.

Game Highlights

[Valor]

Time to finish them off.

Done

[Valor]

2013 NBA Playoffs First Round Summary





1. San Antonio Spurs (55-27) v 8. Dallas Mavericks (41-41)

Top Performers
San Antonio: Tony Parker – 21.0 ppg, 4.2 apg; Tim Duncan – 15.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.6 bpg
Dallas: Dirk Nowitzki – 19.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg; O.J. Mayo – 21.2 ppg, 1.6 spg

Spurs Win Series 4-1
Series MVP: Tony Parker


2. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29) v 7. Memphis Grizzlies (42-40)

Top Performers
LA Lakers: Kobe Bryant – 26.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.7 apg; Pau Gasol – 16.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Memphis: Zach Randolph – 19.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg; Mike Conley – 18.7 ppg, 7.7 apg, 2.7 spg

Lakers Win Series 4-3
Series MVP: Kobe Bryant


3. Oklahoma City Thunder (51-31) v 6. Golden State Warriors (42-40

Top Performers
Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant – 34.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg; Russell Westbrook – 24.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 7.7 apg, 2.3 spg
Golden State: Stephen Curry – 28.1 ppg, 6.7 apg, 2.1 spg; David Lee – 16.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg

Warriors Win Series 4-3
Series MVP: Stephen Curry


4. Los Angeles Clippers (51-31) v 5. Denver Nuggets (43-39)

Top Performers
LA Clippers: Chris Paul – 24.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 5.3 apg, 3.0 spg; Blake Griffin – 21.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Denver: Ty Lawson – 19.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 7.8 apg; Andre Iguodala – 14.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.3 apg, 3.8 spg

Nuggets Win Series 4-0
Series MVP: Ty Lawson





1. Miami Heat (65-17) v 8. Toronto Raptors (40-42)

Top Performers
Miami: LeBron James – 22.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 7.0 apg, 1.2 bpg; Dwyane Wade – 26.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Toronto: Rudy Gay – 19.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.8 spg; Andrea Bargnani – 17.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg

Heat Win Series 4-1
Series MVP: LeBron James


2. New York Knicks (55-27) v 7. Philadelphia 76ers (41-41)

Top Performers
New York: Carmelo Anthony – 28.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg; Amare Stoudemire – 17.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.4 bpg
Philadelphia: Andrew Bynum – 12.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.7 bpg; Thaddeus Young – 16.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.9 spg

Knicks Win Series 4-3
Series MVP: Carmelo Anthony


3. Chicago Bulls (54-28) v 6. Brooklyn Nets (42-40)

Top Performers
Chicago: Joakim Noah – 10.5 ppg, 13.0 rpg; Luol Deng – 16.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.5 spg
Brooklyn: Deron Williams – 14.2 ppg, 6.8 apg; Joe Johnson – 17.5 ppg

Bulls Win Series 4-2
Series MVP: Joakim Noah


4. Boston Celtics (50-31) v 5. Atlanta Hawks (48-34)

Top Performers
Boston: Rajon Rondo – 12.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 9.3 apg, 2.3 spg; Jason Terry – 17.3 ppg
Atlanta: Josh Smith – 20.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg; Lou Williams – 22.7 ppg

Hawks Win Series 4-2
Series MVP: Josh Smith

[Lamrock]

Beat the knicks! You'll have your hands full with a healthy (not finished) Amar'e, so good luck.

[Martti.]

You've got this.

[Valor]

Beat the knicks! You'll have your hands full with a healthy (not finished) Amar'e, so good luck.

Cheers, Amare is beasting here for sure, and Melo went off for 40+ in game 7 against the Sixers so I hope Lu can contain him a bit...

You've got this.

Will do my best, they lost Chandler in the first round so lets see if I can take advantage, not sure how long he's out for but it's at least game 1

Full series-by-series previews coming soon!

[Valor]

2013 NBA Playoffs Preview: Second Round



1. San Antonio Spurs (55-27) v 5. Denver Nuggets (43-39)

Key Rotation
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker | Manu Ginobili | Kawhi Leonard | Tim Duncan | Tiago Splitter | Stephen Jackson
Denver Nuggets: Ty Lawson | Andre Iguodala | Wilson Chandler | Kenneth Faried | Anthony Randolph | Danilo Gallinari


Comment: The Nuggets easily had their way with Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers, sweeping them in four games looking very dominant as the Clippers were unable to make a stop all series long, but they now match up against a very potent San Antonio Spurs team led by the veteran big three of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili. Popovich’s teams have always had great team defense, and this year’s Spurs are no different, as they held their first round opponent Mavs to just 94.4 ppg in their 5 game series victory. With McGee still out from the strained groin suffered in game 1 of the Clippers series, the Nuggets will have their hands full defending against the Duncan-led Spurs bigs, as well as the penetration of Tony Parker.
Prediction: Spurs in six


2. Los Angeles Lakers (53-29) v 6. Golden State Warriors (42-40)

Key Rotation
Los Angeles Lakers: Steve Nash | Kobe Bryant | Metta World Peace | Pau Gasol | Dwight Howard | Jordan Hill
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry | Klay Thompson | Harrison Barnes | David Lee | Andrew Bogut | Jarrett Jack

Comment: It took the Lakers the full seven games and a last second buzzer beater from Kobe Bryant to knock out the Memphis Grizzlies, but here they are at last. LA lost Steve Blake in the Memphis series, but they finally get Steve Nash back as they look to face off against the red-hot Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors in the second round. Fresh off a 7 game series themselves after edging out the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, the 6th seeded Warriors will look to knock off another higher-seed opponent in their underdog role. It will most likely be a shootout between Kobe and Curry, as both players are averaging well over 25 points in the playoffs.
Prediction: Warriors in seven




1. Miami Heat (65-17) v 5. Atlanta Hawks (48-34)

Key Rotation
Miami Heat: Mario Chalmers | Dwyane Wade | LeBron James | Chris Bosh | Udonis Haslem | Ray Allen
Atlanta Hawks: Jeff Teague | Louis Williams | Josh Smith | Al Horford | Chris Andersen | Devin Harris

Comment: Despite Miami surprisingly dropping a game to the Raptors and the Hawks out muscling the Celtics, it seems to be a relatively easy matchup once again as the Heat simply has too many weapons at their disposal. While Al Horford and Josh Smith will present various problems to LeBron James and Chris Bosh, there are no guards in the Hawks’ lineup capable of doing anything to Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen. Look for Miami to exploit these favorable matchups and another early finish to the series.
Prediction: Heat in five


2. New York Knicks (55-27) v 3. Chicago Bulls (54-28)

Key Rotation
New York Knicks: Jason Kidd | J.R. Smith | Ronnie Brewer | Carmelo Anthony | Amare Stoudemire | Raymond Felton
Chicago Bulls: Kirk Hinrich | Jimmy Butler | Luol Deng | Carlos Boozer | Joakim Noah | Taj Gibson

Comment: The Knicks struggled against the size of the Sixers’ Andrew Bynum following the loss of Tyson Chandler, who broke his finger grabbing a rebound late in New York’s game 1 loss to Philadelphia. They were somehow able to advance thanks to a heroic 44 point performance by Melo in game 7, but now faces off against the league’s best defensive team in the Chicago Bulls, who will no doubt take advantage of Chandler’s absence by dominating the paint like they have all season. They’ll have their hands full with one of the most potent scorers in Carmelo Anthony, but between Deng, Butler, and Gibson, Melo will have to work very hard for his points if his teammates do not step up their game on both ends of the floor.
Prediction: Bulls in six

[Valor]

2013 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Semifinals




Series Schedule

Game 1: New York Knicks 98 Chicago Bulls 96
Game 2: New York Knicks 84 Chicago Bulls 92
Game 3: Chicago Bulls 97 New York Knicks 103
Game 4: Chicago Bulls 97 New York Knicks 94
Game 5: New York Knicks 104 Chicago Bulls 86
Game 6: Chicago Bulls 113 New York Knicks 95
Game 7: New York Knicks 97 Chicago Bulls 95

[Valor]

Melo’s late basket propels Knicks to Game 1 victory
Game Story | Box Score | Team Stats | Player of the Game


Melo hit a 3-point play with 12.8 seconds remaining to give New York the win

New York, NY -- Down by 1 with less than 30 seconds on the clock, there was no question as to who the Knicks were going to. The Knicks knew it, the crowd knew it, and the Chicago Bulls knew it too.

They just couldn’t stop him.

Swarmed by four Bulls defenders after driving past Jimmy Butler to the basket, Carmelo Anthony twisted and turned in midair, switching to his left hand on the way and hit a ridiculous shot while being fouled to put the Knicks up by 1. The subsequent and-1 free throw hit nothing but net and all of a sudden New York held a two point lead against the visiting Chicago Bulls with just under 13 seconds remaining.

The Bulls had the one chance to send it to overtime or win the game, but Nate Robinson missed his 10th three point attempt of the evening on a wide open look as the buzzer sounded, and the Knicks take home the 98-96 game 1 victory here in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Melo and JR Smith led the way for New York with 24 points apiece, with Anthony adding on an impressive 14 rebounds, including 4 on the offensive glass.

“Game 1s are statement games, we are at home and I thought we did a good job tonight” Anthony said, “It’s tough without Tyson (Chandler) with us but guys are putting in the effort to make up for his presence.”

Chandler suffered a broken finger in the Knicks’ first round series with the Philadelphia 76ers and remains out until further notice.

It is evident that New York suffers from the paint presence of the former Defensive Player of the Year, as they didn’t notch a single block in the contest and gave up 14 offensive rebounds. However, what was even more evident was the Bulls’ inability to create baskets on the offensive end, as no one else aside from Luol Deng was able to effectively score after the Knicks decided to corral Carlos Boozer following his 6-6 shooting first quarter.

Boozer ended up going 8 for 24 from the field for 17 points, 12 coming in the first period as he was taken out of the game completely by the Knicks defense.

Luol Deng led the way for Chicago with 19 points and 10 rebounds, but missed both of his only two free throw attempts late in the fourth quarter, which became the difference in the ball game.

“No excuses, I’ve got to hit those” Deng said

But he was pretty much alone on the offensive end in addition to keeping Carmelo Anthony in check for all of Anthony’s 41 minutes.

Nate Robinson added 19 from the bench, but shot just 6 for 16 from the field including 3 of 10 from three. Hinrich was 3 for 10 on wide open looks while the other guys aren’t really scorers. Noah finished with 7 points and 13 rebounds, with nearly all of his points coming from putbacks as he grabbed a game-high 7 offensive rebounds. It was the same with Gibson, who finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds (4 offensive).

The struggles on offense has been a recurring theme for Chicago all season long, as they were by far the worst offensive team in the NBA, scoring a league-worst 95.6 points per game on a league-worst 44% shooting from the field alongside a dismal 30% from three, which is obviously again worst in the league.

Against an elite offensive team like New York, who possesses an unstoppable scorer in Carmelo Anthony, the defensive-minded Bulls must find a way to score baskets if they want to advance to the Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons.

Game 2 will again be held at Madison Square Garden before the series shifts to the United Center in Chicago for games 3 and 4.

Game Highlights

[Martti.]

Tough loss that late, but nice job keeping it close on the road, maybe in game #2 you can be the victor. Boozer gotta crash the boards.

[Valor]

Tough loss that late, but nice job keeping it close on the road, maybe in game #2 you can be the victor. Boozer gotta crash the boards.

Kind of rare for me to score nearly 100 and still lose, but that's Melo for you...Deng and Jimmy B are taking all the rebounds away from C-Booze

[Valor]

Noah, Boozer dominates as Bulls even series at 1-1
Game Story | Box Score | Team Stats | Player of the Game


Noah dominated on both sides of the court tonight

New York, NY -- Joakim Noah wears his emotions on his sleeves, sometimes it’s a good thing, other times it’s a bad thing.

Tonight, it was definitely a good thing; at least that was the case for the Chicago Bulls.

After losing game 1 to a Carmelo Anthony game winner in the final seconds, Noah sat silently in the Madison Square Garden visitors locker-room for hours, filled with rage.

Fueled by that burning desire for revenge, Noah put in a performance for the ages with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and a career playoff high 12 assists, becoming only the third player in Chicago Bulls history (Jordan x2, Pippen x4) to record a triple double in a playoff game and the first since Scottie Pippen in game 3 of the Bulls’ 1996 First Round series against the Miami Heat.

Add that with Carlos Boozer’s game-high 28 points, and the Bulls were well on their way to a 92-84 game 2 victory over the New York Knicks, who were still without center Tyson Chandler, to even the series at 1 game apiece. Boozer also added 10 rebounds, which only added onto the enormous 52-31 rebounding advantage for Chicago.

“I thought our bigs played very well tonight being aggressive in the paint,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said, “They hit the glass really well and had great energy throughout the game”

The Bulls also had a 52-34 edge on points in the paint as well as 12 offensive rebounds as they shot an impressive 49% from the field. The (rare) efficient scoring led them to victory despite turning the ball over a total of 18 times.

Chicago led by as many as 12 points at one point but the Knicks made a late rally as Melo scored 8 of his 12 points in the 4th quarter.

It was a difficult night for the usually potent Knicks offense, with Melo being denied of the basketball the entire game (He only got off 14 shots, hitting 6 of them), the Bulls dared JR smith to shoot, and shoot he did, as he put up 25 shot attempts despite only making 7 in total, including a 3 for 12 night from three.

“Shots didn’t go in, that was my fault probably,” Smith said, “Somebody’s got to shoot those though, I just wasn’t feeling it I guess”

Smith finished with 18 points, which led the Knicks but some may question the decision to shoot more than twice as many as anybody else on the team when he only hit 7 of his 25 attempts. Knicks coach Mike Woodson, however, dismissed the issue, citing the lack of interior defense and rebounding as the reason behind the loss.

“They are a good team, give them credit.” Woodson said, “But we’ve got to be tougher inside, they had a field day in there”

The series now shifts to Chicago, where the Bulls will host the next two games before coming back here to New York for game 5.

Game Highlights

[Vespasian92]

People don't really realize just how valuable Noah is to the Bulls, especially with D-Rose out for the season again. He and Boozer can probably get you by the Knicks without Chandler.

[Lamrock]

Triple-double for Noah! I like your chances in this series.

[Valor]

People don't really realize just how valuable Noah is to the Bulls, especially with D-Rose out for the season again. He and Boozer can probably get you by the Knicks without Chandler.

Absolutely, Noah is one of those guys (like Asik) that doesn't garner a lot of attention because he doesn't get on a lot of highlights and all that, but actually is very good at what they do and brings a lot to a basketball team. Hell, I've said it time and again, I'll take Asik over Howard if I was managing the Rockets.....and Love/Aldridge/Bosh/Duncan/Randolph/Nowitzki over Blake Griffin, who's only being called a great player because he can put up highlight reel dunks

Triple-double for Noah! I like your chances in this series.

Cheers Lamrock, I really like Noah's passing abilities in the high post and he really is my best facilitator with Rose out tbh

[Martti.]

Awsome game by Noah, although a few more steals and a couple of blocks would be nice, a complete stat-sheet stuffer.

[Valor]

Awsome game by Noah, although a few more steals and a couple of blocks would be nice, a complete stat-sheet stuffer.

Cheers Martti, as I said before it's very hard to get blocks in 2K13 despite the slider at 100 for both human and CPU (probably a big reason why Noah didn't win DPOY), but yeah he's great for me

[Valor]

Been a long time since I updated, but now that I'm back from my summer/winter vacation in Taiwan I'm going to get back into this story. Game 3 coming soon

[Valor]

Melo’s 42 leads Knicks over Bulls in OT
Game Story | Box Score | Team Stats | Player of the Game


Perhaps more impressive than his 42 points was Melo’s effort on defense

Chicago, IL -- Over the years, the knock on Carmelo Anthony has always been his seemingly lack of effort despite being a talented scorer.

He made it his mission to dispute that tonight, at the expense of the Chicago Bulls.

Behind Melo’s monster 42 points and 15 rebounds performance and a late 8-2 run in overtime, the New York Knicks took a 103-97 victory on the road at Chicago and now leads the series 2-1. Anthony also posted 5 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in the winning effort, going 16 for 29 from the field in 50 minutes of play.

“Just doing whatever it takes to win,” Anthony said, “This is the playoffs, everyone’s got to bust their tails off to get those Ws.”

New York needed every bit of it, with everybody aside from Anthony struggling on all aspects of play. JR Smith hit only 5 of his 21 shot attempts, including an abysmal 3 for 13 performance from deep. Jason Kidd went 4 for 14 from the floor for 12 points; and while center and defensive anchor Tyson Chandler finally returned after missing the last two weeks with a broken finger, he never really made an impact, putting up a pedestrian 4 points and 7 boards in 39 minutes of play.

It didn’t hurt though, when the Bulls had their own struggles as well.

Noah dominated inside with 15 points and 17 rebounds, including 7 offensive boards, but it just wasn’t enough as the entire team struggled to score the basketball.

Luol Deng needed 21 shots to score his team-high 22 points, Nate Robinson and Carlos Boozer hit only 7 of their 17 shots, Jimmy Butler made only 3 buckets, and Kirk Hinrich connected only 2 of his 9 three point attempts.

“Shots weren’t falling and we weren’t able to get stops,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said, “You can’t win like that.”

After trailing to begin the second half, the Knicks stepped up their offensive game in the third quarter and never looked back. They took the lead early in the fourth quarter and looked poised to win, but Kirk Hinrich tied the game up with a three pointer with 10 seconds remaining in the game to send it to overtime.

But from then on it was all New York, as the Knicks scored 8 points in the final minute and a half of the extra period and stunned the United Center crowd.

The series will continue here in Chicago for game 4.

Game Highlights

[Valor]

Series tied at two apiece as Bulls take control of the paint
Game Story | Box Score | Team Stats | Player of the Game


Noah anchored Chicago’s defense with 3 blocks on the night

Chicago, IL -- There’s an old saying in basketball, “he who controls the rebound, controls the game”

It certainly held true at tonight for the Chicago Bulls.

Led by Noah’s 15 rebounds, which included 8 on the offensive glass, the Chicago Bulls outrebounded the New York Knicks 54-37 as they fended off a late Knick rally to take home a 97-93 game 4 victory and even the series up yet again at 2 games apiece. Noah also scored a team high 26 points along with 5 assists and 3 blocks as he played a whopping 41 minutes in the contest.

“It’s the playoffs, we can’t afford to be thinking about being tired and all that stuff” Noah said, “They are a great team and if we don’t go all out for all 48 minutes we’ll find ourselves on the other end of the scoreboard.”

It was yet another valiant effort from Noah and the Bulls big, as it has been all season long without the services of their MVP Derrick Rose. The offense struggled shooting the basketball as usual, hitting just 4 of their 15 three point attempts. Luol Deng went 4 for 15 from the field, Hinrich was 3 for 10, and while Jimmy Butler connected on 5 of his 11 attempts for 15 points, he turned the ball over 5 times.

Another big reason which propelled the Bulls to victory was the stellar defense played on Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who dominated with 42 points in the Knicks’ OT victory in game 3. Melo was held to 14 points, hitting just 6 of his 23 shots and only went to the line once for his lone two attempts. He did have 9 rebounds and 6 assists, but the Knicks just could not get going with their primary offensive option being held to such a bad shooting night.

JR Smith tried to pick up the slack for the Knicks, as he notched a game high 29 points, hitting 11 for 23 of his shot attempts, including 7 three pointers in 36 minutes, but only 4 Knicks scored in double figures as the explosive New York offense revolves around the lead of Carmelo Anthony.

“I’ve got to play better if we want to win” Anthony said, “Make no mistake, JR was big, but if we want to win I have to step it up and dominate like I should”

New York hit just 34 of their 88 shot attempts, but did make the game close as they forced 21 Chicago turnovers for 24 points, including 14 that came in transition. The Knicks made a 8-0 run to cut the lead to 2 early in the fourth quarter; However, following a Thibodeau shouting rant during a timeout and some timely baskets, Noah and the Bulls were able to hold on to their lead and the game.

The series will now shift back to Madison Square Garden for game 5 before returning to Chicago for a potential series finale.

[Valor]

Knicks offense explodes as New York takes series lead
Game Story | Box Score | Team Stats | Player of the Game


Melo’s 30 puts the Knicks one win away from the Conference Finals

New York, NY -- For the New York Knicks, it all begins and ends with one Carmelo Anthony.

It showed in game 4 when they stumbled with him struggling, and it certainly showed tonight with him back to being the offensive juggernaut that he is.

Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points, 12 during a 16-2 run in the second quarter, and the New York Knicks soundly defeated the visiting Chicago Bulls, 104-86, to take the 3-2 series lead going into a potentially decisive game 6.

JR Smith continued his strong shooting from game 4, as he hit 9 of his 16 shots, including 5 three pointers, to add 23 points and 7 assists of his own. Veteran point guard Jason Kidd chipped in with a double double of 11 points and 10 assists, and the Knicks overall shot 50% from both the field and beyond the arc in an impressive victory over the defensive dominant Bulls.

“I thought the guys played with great energy tonight,” Mike Woodson said, “Obviously the shots were falling tonight and we were in a good rhythm offensively, but we were pretty solid on d as well.”

The Knicks forced 19 turnovers from the Bulls and, unlike game 4, matched Chicago on the boards with 40 rebounds (Bulls had 46).

Aside from turning the ball over, the Bulls just struggled on offense as a whole, hitting just 1 of their 11 three point attempts and shot 42% from the field for the game.

It was Chicago’s frontcourt leading the way again, as both Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer racked up double doubles in the losing effort. Noah notched 12 points and 15 rebounds while Boozer led the Bulls with 21 points alongside 11 boards.

Guard/Forward Jimmy Butler had his best offensive performance of the playoffs with 18 points on 7 for 12 shooting, but veterans Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich struggled mightily. Deng hit just 2 of his 16 shot attempts while Hinrich turned the ball over a game high 7 times.

It did not help that sparkplug Nate Robinson contributed to the turnover mess with 4 of his own while finishing with just 4 points on 1 of 9 shooting.

“We were way too sloppy with the basketball,” Tom Thibodeau said, “You can’t do that and expect to win. This is the playoffs, and our play was pretty disgraceful tonight”

Game 6 will be held back at the United Center, where the Bulls will look to starve off elimination and the Knicks will look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, when they lost in 6 games to the Indiana Pacers.

[Valor]

Noah’s triple double powers Chicago as Bulls force game 7
Game Story | Box Score | Team Stats | Player of the Game


Gibson’s 5 offensive rebounds was a big factor in the Bulls victory

Chicago, IL -- With their backs against the wall and their season on the line, the Chicago Bulls looked to their emotional leader for the spark they needed.

They got it.

Despite suffering an ankle sprain midway through the second quarter, Bulls center Joakim Noah played a whopping 41 minutes in the face of elimination, and put up his second career playoffs triple double, which also happens to be the second of this series, to lead the Bulls to a 113-95 victory over the New York Knicks and forces a winner-takes-all game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

Noah stuffed the stat-sheets with 17 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and a pair of steals and blocks, and insisted on staying on the floor despite clearly being bothered by his ankle.

“It’s an elimination game, man, ain’t no time to worry about those things” Noah said, “All I’m thinking about right now is how we can win the next game”

Noah’s valiant effort and all-rounded performance sparked what was perhaps the best offensive game of the season for Chicago, as they shot a blistering 52% from the field and put up 113 points. Carlos Boozer led all scorers with a game high 26 points while Nate Robinson came off the bench and added 22.

“The ball was moving quite well and guys were knocking down those open looks,” Tom Thibodeau said, “We also got back to crashing the glass hard and making sure they didn’t have any second chance points”

New York had just 1 offensive rebound and was out-rebounded 31-49 by Chicago.

The Knicks, who had a chance to close out the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, was led, as usual, by Carmelo Anthony, who led the team with 24 points and 7 rebounds in the losing effort. Veteran guard Jason Kidd had his best shooting performance of the season, finishing 8 for 13 from the field for 22 points, but notched 6 turnovers as he was smothered defensively by the Bulls’ Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich.

It also did not help the Knicks that JR Smith chose this inopportune time to go cold after back-to-back 20+ point games. Smith connected on just 2 of his 10 field goal attempts, including a dismal 1 for 6 from deep, as he finished with just 6 points while turning the ball over 4 times in 36 minutes.

“We didn’t show up, period.” Carmelo Anthony said, “We are capable of playing much better than this and we know it”

The Knicks, who gave up a whopping 62 points in the paint, will surely welcome a trip back home as they prepare for the series-deciding game 7 while Bulls fans are holding their breath at the unknown status of Joakim Noah’s ankles, because chances are, if Noah isn’t able to go for game 7, New York will be celebrating their first trip back to the Conference Finals in 13 years.

[Martti.]

Hopefully Noah can go 100% in game #7, it will be really tough to beat the Knicks with Jermaine O'Neal up front. Noah's been beastin', though looking at how he's playing in real life, no surprises really. DPOY in my book.