2004-05 Chicago Bulls Season- Lost in First Round to Indiana

[bullsfan009]

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

EAST
New Jersey Nets....................................24-5
Detroit Pistons.......................................22-7
Chicago Bulls........................................18-11
Boston Celtics.......................................17-12
Miami Heat............................................15-14
Indiana Pacers......................................15-14
Charlotte Bobcats..................................13-16
New York Knicks....................................13-16
Cleveland Cavaliers...............................12-17
Washington Wizards..............................11-18
Philadelphia 76ers..................................11-18
Milwaukee Bucks....................................10-19
Toronto Raptors.....................................10-19
Orlando Magic........................................9-20
Atlanta Hawks........................................3-26


WEST
Minnesota Timberwolves..........................23-6
Phoenix Suns.........................................20-9
San Antonio Spurs..................................20-9
Utah Jazz...............................................18-11
Dallas Mavericks.....................................18-11
Seattle Supersonics.................................17-12
Denver Nuggets.......................................17-12
Los Angeles Clippers................................15-14
Houston Rockets......................................14-15
Sacramento Kings....................................14-15
Portland Trailblazers.................................13-16
Memphis Grizzlies.....................................13-16
Los Angeles Lakers...................................12-17
Golden State Warriors..............................11-18
New Orleans Hornets................................7-22


LEAGUE LEADERS
Points Per Game......................................Iverson, PHI: 28.7 ppg
Rebounds Per Game................................Wallace, DET: 16.1 rpg
Assists Per Game...........................................Kidd, NJ: 12.7 apg


AWARD WINNERS
MVP..........................................................Kevin Garnett, MIN
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER...........................Ricky Davis, BOS
6th MAN OF THE YEAR................................Greg Ostertag, SAC
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR................Ben Wallace, DET
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR................................Emeka Okafor, CHA

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM:
C-.....Robert Swift, SEA
PF-....Emeka Okafor, CHA
SF-....Luol Deng, CHI
SG-...Ben Gordon, MIA
PG-...Beno Udrih, SA

ALL-NBA TEAM
C-.....Eddy Curry, CHI
PF-....Kevin Garnett, MIN
SF-....Andrei Kirilenko, UT
SG-...Dwyane Wade, CHI
PG-...Steve Nash, PHO

ALL-DEFENSE TEAM
C-....Ben Wallace, DET
PF-...Tyson Chandler, MIA
SF-...Andrei Kirilenko, UT
SG-...Larry Hughes, WAS
PG-...Kirk Hinrich, CHI

4 AWARD WINNERS FOR THE BULLS!!! And, the guys that I traded, Ben Gordon and Tyson Chandler, won too!!!

[Diogo]

So the Bobcats go to the playoffs but Philadelphia don't... that's unbeliveable

[COOLmac©]

maybe the bobcats made a season turning trade in the season..... i'm not suprised at al a non .500 team make it to the playoffs for a 29 game season......i once have a 6 way tie for the 7th,8th spot.....imagine how shocked i was to see that much ties in my franchise
anyways congrats to the bulls.they have homecourt advantage and things are really looking great

[bullsfan009]

So the Bobcats go to the playoffs but Philadelphia don't... that's unbeliveable

Yeah, I was surprised about that, too. They won just 2 more games than Philli- I think b/c of their defense with Okafor in the middle.

maybe the bobcats made a season turning trade in the season

I didn't allow any CPU trading, so that wasn't it...

I think overall, the teams that made it should have, and only a few that in real life that are going to be in the playoffs didn't, like: Houston, Sacramento, Memphis in the West, and the Cavs, Wizards, and 76ers in the East.

[bullsfan009]

FINAL BULLS STATISTICS

Eddy Curry..........17.8 ppg........10.8 rpg.....2.4 apg.....2.3 bpg......0.9 spg.....48.8% FGs
Antonio Davis.......6.6 ppg..........4.1 rpg......0.6 apg.....1.0 bpg......0.5 spg.....47.2% FGs
Luol Deng...........14.3 ppg..........5.0 rpg......1.9 apg.....0.7 bpg.....0.7 spg.....48.6% FGs
Adrian Griffin........2.8 ppg.........1.4 rpg.......0.6 apg.....0.1 bpg.....0.3 spg....44.4% FGs
Eddie Griffin........5.4 ppg..........1.8 rpg........0.6 apg.....0.6 bpg.....0.5 spg.....44.4% FGs
Orthella Harrington..6.8 ppg.......5.4 rpg......1.4 apg......0.5 bpg.....0.5 spg.....44.1% FGs
Kirk Hinrich.........17.2 ppg.........2.2 rpg.......7.8 apg.....0.5 bpg......3.1 spg.....42.6% FGs
Andres Nocioni.....5.8 ppg.........4.0 rpg........1.1 apg.....0.7 bpg......0.6 spg.....41.7% FGs
Jannero Pargo.....3.6 ppg..........0.3 rpg........1.3 apg....0.1 bpg.......0.5 spg.....36.1% FGs
Eric Piatkowski.....5.6 ppg.........2.5 rpg........0.6 apg.....0.1 bpg......0.5 spg.....36.9% FGs
Dwyane Wade.....20.9 ppg........6.8 rpg........6.4 apg.....0.9 bpg......1.1 spg.....51.7% FGs

[bullsfan009]

*more season wrap-up stuff

Playoff Matchups
***NOTE: Because this is NBA Live 2000, the playoff format was still 5-7-7-7. It wasn't till a couple years after that they started doing the best-of-7-games first rounds.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) New Jersey Nets vs. (8) New York Knicks
(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Miami Heat

(3) Chicago Bulls vs. (6) Indiana Pacers
(2) Detroit Pistons vs. (7) Charlotte Bobcats

WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Minnesota Timberwolves vs. (8) Los Angeles Clippers
(4) Utah Jazz vs. (5) Dallas Mavericks

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Seattle Supersonics
(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (7) Denver Nuggets


BULLS-PACERS SERIES BREAKDOWN, POSITION-BY-POSITION

CENTER
Eddy Curry (CHI) vs. Jeff Foster (IND): Foster is a very good defender and rebounder, can't score that well, and Eddy is almost the opposite, but not quite b/c his defense and rebounding has picked up lately. Eddy's too strong for Foster in the post, though, which will limit Foster's effectiveness, because as I said, he's not in there for offense. ADVANTAGE: BULLS

POWER FORWARD
Orthella Harrington (CHI) vs. Jermaine O'Neal (IND): This is a nightmare matchup for Harrington- O'Neal is one of the best power forwards in the game. He's taller and quicker, but not as strong, as Harrington. Orthella has to try to use that strength to keep him out of the paint, which is easier said than done. O'Neal also has a nice jumper out to 17 feet, as well as a fade-away in the post. ADVANTAGE: PACERS

SMALL FORWARD
Luol Deng (CHI) vs. Stephen Jackson (IND): Deng has been very consistent and solid all season, but lacks the explosiveness of Jackson, who can light it up in a hurry. Defensively, Jackson has a slight edge, as well. Deng's been great for a rookie, but for now: ADVANTAGE: PACERS

SHOOTING GUARD
Dwyane Wade (CHI) vs. Reggie Miller (IND): Once upon a time, this would have been a classic, intense matchup, but not now. Wade is an athletic beast, possessing the quickness, strength and leaping ability that Miller long has lost. Miller still will be tough- he's a very savvy veteran, but Wade has the definite advantage here. ADVANTAGE: BULLS

POINT GUARD
Kirk Hinrich (CHI) vs. Jamaal Tinsley (IND): Tinsley is a tough player, and a good competitor, as is Hinrich. Kirk, though, is developing into a great player, while Tinsley has endured long stretches of being injured or benched. This could be a tougher matchup than it sounds, but for now, it's Kirk Hinrich all the way. ADVANTAGE: BULLS

BENCH
The Bulls have a solid bench, led by veterans Antonio Davis, Adrian Griffin and Eric Piatkowski, and accompanied by dynamic players such as Eddie Griffin, Andres Nocioni, and Jannero Pargo. The Pacers have a much shorter bench, though they do have solid players like Fred Jones, Austin Croshere, and Anthony Johnson. The Bulls take the advantage, though. ADVANTAGE: BULLS

PREDICTION: Bulls in 4.

[COOLmac©]

wow indy vs. the bulls.........a preview to the real thing coming this may.....

[bullsfan009]

Yeah, I know- the Pacers are probably going to be the Bulls' first round opponent. (BTW COOLmac, that's a crazy sig. with McGrady )

And now, for my first playoff game:

ROUND 1, GAME 1: Pacers @ Bulls

IND 102, CHI 100
Lost For Words- Bulls Surrender 17-Point 4th Quarter Lead, Lose to Pacers

CHICAGO- The Bulls lost their first playoff game in 7 years in heart-wrenching, devastating fashion last night to the Indiana Pacers. Leading by 17 points after the third quarter, Indiana scored 40 points in the final period to send the Bulls and their fans home in shock and disbelief.
Longtime Bulls nemesis Reggie Miller, in his final professional season, turned back the clock to look like the Reggie Miller of old. He dominated, scoring a game-high 35 points, and also grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. Famous for being a clutch player who plays the best when it matters most, Miller poured in 25 second-half points, and 14 in the final quarter to overtake the Bulls' seemingly insurmountable lead.
The Bulls started off the game on fire- hitting 12 of their 18 shots (67%) and leading 28-13 after the first quarter. Their lead ballooned to 24 midway through the 2nd quarter, as Kirk Hinrich caught fire from downtown. He hit 4 threes in the period, and the Bulls led by 20 at halftime. The Bulls had held Jermaine O’Neal scoreless in the first half, and the entire Pacers team to just 31 points. The game had “blowout” written all over it.
But obviously, the Pacers weren’t done. Reggie Miller lit into his team at halftime, questioning their pride and their desire. “Then, he told us, ‘Have no fear, for Reggie is here’,” Pacers guard Fred Jones recounted. “He led us all the way.”
The Bulls tried everything to hold off the surging Pacers, and seemed to have found the answer in the form of low-post scoring from Eddy Curry. Curry scored 24 for the game, and in the second half alone scored 20 points on 8-11 shooting. However, he fouled out late in the fourth when the game was still very close.
Bulls coach Scott Skiles addressed the media after the game. He was visibly upset. “This loss really hurts,” he said. “I mean, every loss hurts, but to lose in the way we did, and taking into account the magnitude of the game, this is the worst I’ve ever felt about a loss.”

GAME NOTES:
Skiles will have to somehow follow the “Midnight Rule” he gives his players: after a game, celebrate a win or be angry or frustrated after a loss, but only until midnight. After that, get your mind focused on the next game. Without a doubt, the Bulls can’t wait to get to that next game, get back in this series, and get their pride back.

GAME STATS

CHICAGO
Curry: 24 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 10-17 FGs
Harrington: 0 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 0-0 FGs
Deng: 16 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 7-13 FGs
Wade: 20 pts, 1 reb, 6 ast, 7-16 FGs
Hinrich: 23 pts, 1 reb, 7 ast, 9-18 FGs
A. Davis: 7 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 3-4 FGs
Nocioni: 2 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 0-0 FGs
E. Griffin: 8 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 4-4 FGs
Pargo: 0 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0-0 FGs
Piatkowski: 0 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 0-2 FGs
TOTALS: 40-74 FGs (54.1%), 13-13 FTs, 23 REB (3 OFF), 22 AST, 17 FL

INDIANA
Foster: 18 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 8-9 FGs
O'Neal: 19 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 8-15 FGs
Jackson: 18 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 8-16 FGs
Miller: 35 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 16-23 FGs
Tinsley: 4 pts, 0 reb, 15 ast, 0-7 FGs
Croshere: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-0 FGs
Bender: 0 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0-2 FGs
Jones: 4 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 2-6 FGs
D. Davis: 2 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Johnson: 2 pts, 0 reb, 2 ast, 0-0 FGs
TOTALS: 43-79 FGs (54.4%), 14-17 FTs, 36 REB (11 REB), 27 AST, 12 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulls 28 23 28 21---100
Pacers 13 18 31 40---102
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Three-point goals: Chicago 7-16 (Hinrich 5-10, Deng 2-5, Piatkowski 0-1), Indiana 2-9 (Miller 2-5, Jackson 0-2, Tinsley 0-2). Turnovers: Chicago 16, Indiana 19.

PACERS LEAD SERIES 1-0

[bullsfan009]

Everyone- I'm going to be out of town for the next couple of days, but I should have another update Monday or Tuesday.

SEE YA

[COOLmac©]

LOL at the game notes......
the Tmac sig i have change for now.....no need to embarass my star player that much..its just up for 3 days i guess...

SEE YOU MONDAY!

[bullsfan009]

Hey everyone I'm back.
My return was delayed a day, so I haven't played the next game yet. Expect for it tomorrow.

Until then, See ya-

[COOLmac©]

me too......i'm out a couple of days...because of work........damn so much work...anyways i'll be waiting for your playoffs results

[bullsfan009]

OK, finally, my next game! Thanks for your patience, everybody, and COOLmac, don't stress out to bad with your job:

i'm out a couple of days...because of work........damn so much work...

ROUND 1, GAME 2: Pacers @ Bulls

CHI 105, IND 97
Back in Business- This Time It’s the Bulls Who Pull Off Big Comeback

CHICAGO- The Bulls evened up their best-of-5 first round series with the Indiana Pacers last night, 1-to-1. And, this time they were the team to stage a dramatic comeback to pull out the victory.
In game 1, the Pacers won despite being down 24 points in the second quarter, devastating the Bulls and their fans. But this time, the Pacers found themselves up 15 points in the second, thanks to a red-hot shooting start and a multitude of Chicago turnovers. The Bulls turned it over 10 times :shock: in the first quarter alone, their high for any quarter this season. They trailed by just 8 points after the first period only because they were crashing the boards HARD- they held a 16-5 rebounding advantage at that point.
After Indiana once again came out smoking in the second quarter, went up 15 points, and were threatening to put the game out of reach, the Bulls decided that enough was enough. Reserves Antonio Davis and Andres Nocioni were stellar in the period. Both players were throwing people around down low, and wreaking all kinds of havoc in the lane. Davis was 4-6, and Nocioni went 3-3 from the field. At halftime, the Bulls had 50 points to Indiana’s 55, and more already more total rebounds (31) than their entire total from Game 1 (23). It was obvious that this game was going to be different.
In the 3rd quarter, the Bulls simply dominated the Pacers. They outscored them 33-16, had 9 assists versus just 1 turnover, and rode a flaming hot Luol Deng (5-6 in the quarter, 2-2 from downtown) to a 12-point lead going into the 4th quarter.
Bulls coach Scott Skiles was very pleased: “I loved our effort in the third. I thought we really needed an effort like that to get our confidence and spirits up, and also to get the crowd more into the game. We had home court advantage in this series, but we really hadn’t been using it until then.”
The fourth quarter was a sloppily played one, as Indiana was scrambling to get back in the game, but couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm. Kirk Hinrich stepped it up in the quarter for the Bulls, with 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in the final period. Indiana only managed to shave 4 points off the Bulls’ lead, and so it was a nice 8-point victory for Chicago.

GAME NOTES:
The Pacers were led by big performances from their 3 best players: Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Jackson, and Reggie Miller. O’Neal finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, Jackson had a game-high 30 points to go along with his 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals, and Miller contributed 26 points and 5 boards.

The Bulls had a more balanced attack, with 6 players scoring at least 8 points. Eddy Curry played strong inside with 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Luol Deng shot very well, going 8-14 from the field en route to 19 points. Dwyane Wade struggled a bit shooting, but still finished with 19 points and 4 assists.

The point guard matchup between Kirk Hinrich of the Bulls and Jamaal Tinsley of the Pacers was very interesting, at least statistically. Both had 12 assists, and both had 8 turnovers in the game . Hinrich scored more, though he took more shots than Tinsley- he had 18 points on 7-16 shooting, and Tinsley had 8 points on 4-9 FGs.

GAME STATS

CHICAGO
Curry: 16 pts, 16 reb, 3 ast, 6-13 FGs
Harrington: 8 pts, 13 reb, 2 ast, 4-11 FGs
Deng: 19 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 8-14 FGs
Wade: 19 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast, 7-18 FGs
Hinrich: 18 pts, 3 reb, 12 ast, 7-16 FGs
A. Davis: 8 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 4-6 FGs
Nocioni: 6 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3-3 FGs
E. Griffin: 5 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 2-4 FGs
A. Griffin: 0 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0-0 FGs
Pargo: 4 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 2-5 FGs
Piatkowski: 2 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1-3 FGs
TOTALS: 44-93 FGs (47.3%), 11-12 FTs, 52 REB (16 OFF), 28 AST, 4 FL

INDIANA
Foster: 4 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2-6 FGs
O'Neal: 17 pts, 11 reb, 0 ast, 8-18 FGs
Jackson: 30 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 14-25 FGs
Miller: 26 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 12-26 FGs
Tinsley: 8 pts, 0 reb, 12 ast, 4-9 FGs
Croshere: 6 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 3-4 FGs
Bender: 4 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 2-3 FGs
Jones: 0 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 0-3 FGs
D. Davis: 2 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 1-4 FGs
Johnson: 0 pts, 0 reb, 4 ast, 0-0 FGs
TOTALS: 46-98 FGs (46.9%), 2-4 FTs, 38 REB (13 OFF), 25 AST, 13 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulls 21 29 33 22---105
Pacers 29 26 16 26---97
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point goals: Chicago 6-16 (Deng 3-4, Hinrich 2-7, E. Griffin 1-1, Wade 0-2, A. Griffin 0-1, Piatkowski 0-1), Indiana 3-11 (Miller 2-7, Jackson 1-3, Tinsley 0-1). Turnovers: Chicago 20, Indiana 14.

The series is 1-1, and we’re going to Indiana now. Since the Pacers stole home court advantage in Game 1, the Bulls are going to have to win at least one game in Indiana if they are to win the series.

[bullsfan009]

ROUND 1, GAME 3

CHI 101, IND 98
Taking Back Home Court- Bulls Get Big Win in Indiana, 1 Win Away From Advancing to Round 2


CHICAGO- Deng from the corner! Kaboom! Luol Deng from the 3-point elbow- Swish! In the last minute and a half of Game 3 of the Bulls-Pacers series, Bulls rookie Luol Deng was the hero. In a tight game featuring lead changes almost every possession down the floor, Deng nailed 2 gigantic three-pointers to turn Chicago’s 1-point deficit into a 5-point advantage with about 30 seconds left in the game.
“Those threes were backbreakers for us,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “Deng knows how to just wait in his spot, let somebody get him open, and then calmly drain that 3-ball. It’s something we need to adjust to if we’re going to win this series.”
Deng scored 18 points in the game, and was one of 4 Bulls players to score in double figures. However, it was Dwyane Wade who carried them for most of the game. He posted big numbers along the way: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Unfortunately, he also turned the ball over 7 times. As a team, the Bulls had 16 more turnovers after committing a horrific 20 turnovers in Game 2.
“Turnovers continue to be a problem for us,” Bulls coach Scott Skiles stated. “Look at our numbers tonight- we got off 17 less shots than the Pacers, mostly because of our 16 turnovers. If we didn’t shoot 54% from the field like we did, we would have been toast.”
The Bulls were also manhandled on the glass, giving up 17 offensive rebounds, and 42 overall. They only managed to grab 31 for the game, and 6 on the offensive end.
As Skiles stated, fortunately for the Bulls they had a rare 54% shooting night, making just 2 fewer shots than the Pacers despite those 17 less attempts. Wade shot 13-21 from the field (62%), and Kirk Hinrich was especially hot, earning a 67% shooting percentage by making 8 of his 12 attempts.
The Pacers were led by 20-point scoring performances from Stephen Jackson and Reggie Miller. Jackson also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. No Indiana player was able to find a good rhythm tonight, though, and they couldn’t find one as an overall team, either. As they say, “You win as a team, you lose as a team.”
The Bulls have taken the lead in the series, 2-to-1, and can clinch the series in the next ballgame. “Ain’t gonna happen,” Pacers reserve Austin Croshere boldly claimed. We’ll see…

GAME NOTES

Coming out of college, Deng was never noted as a three-point shooter, although he did possess the range. This season, though, he led the Bulls in 3PT% shooting, and has continued to shoot the longball well in the postseason. He’s currently 8-for-16. That’s a scorching-hot 50%, which is a great regular field goal percentage.

GAME STATS

CHICAGO
Curry: 12 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 6-12 FGs
Harrington: 9 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 4-7 FGs
Deng: 18 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 7-13 FGs
Wade: 28 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 13-21 FGs
Hinrich: 18 pts, 1 reb, 9 ast, 8-12 FGs
A. Davis: 5 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 2-3 FGs
Nocioni: 2 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 0-2 FGs
E. Griffin: 4 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2-5 FGs
A. Griffin: 0 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 0-1 FGs
Pargo: 5 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Piatkowski: 0 pts, 0 reb, 2 ast, 0-2 FGs
TOTALS: 43-79 FGs (54.4% ), 11-13 FTs, 31 REB (6 OFF), 25 AST, 7 FL

INDIANA
Foster: 8 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 4-8 FGs
O'Neal: 18 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast, 8-15 FGs
Jackson: 20 pts, 15 reb, 1 ast, 10-23 FGs
Miller: 20 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 9-18 FGs
Tinsley: 11 pts, 2 reb, 12 ast, 4-10 FGs
Croshere: 4 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2-5 FGs
Bender: 4 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 2-5 FGs
Jones: 8 pts, 5 reb, 0 ast, 4-9 FGs
D. Davis: 5 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 2-2 FGs
Johnson: 0 pts, 0 reb, 2 ast, 0-1 FGs
TOTALS: 45-96 FGs (46.9%), 5-6 FTs, 42 REB (17 OFF), 20 AST, 12 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulls 22 21 27 31---101
Pacers 20 29 22 27---98
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point goals: Chicago 4-10 (Deng 3-7, Pargo 1-1, Hinrich 0-1, Nocioni 0-1), Indiana 3-10 (Miller 2-5, Tinsley 1-1, Jackson 0-4). Turnovers: Chicago 16, Indiana 9.

BULLS LEAD SERIES 2-1

[bullsfan009]

ROUND 1, GAME 4

IND 97, CHI 94
Pacers Force Game 5- Clutch Reggie Miller and Tough Jeff Foster Beat Bulls


INDIANA- The face of the Indiana Pacers franchise for the last 19 years has been Reggie Miller, and deservedly so. Last night, he added another chapter to his legacy by coming up huge in the fourth quarter of a win-or-go-home elimination game for the Pacers. He nailed shot after shot, seemingly oblivious of the excellent defender (Bulls guard Dwyane Wade) who was guarding him. In all, he hit 6 of his 9 attempts when it mattered most, and finished with a team-high 27 points in the game.
The Bulls were trying to put away the Pacers in Conseco Fieldhouse, leading the series 2 games to 1. They found a hot hand in Eddy Curry, who rebounded from his 12-point performance in Game 3 to score a game-high 28 points, grab 12 rebounds, and block 4 shots. And all of that came in basically 3 quarters! Curry fouled out of the game 30 seconds in to the fourth quarter, which was a huge blow to the Bulls.
He was whistled for two questionable fouls right away to start the final period, and coach Scott Skiles was upset . “I couldn’t understand what the refs were looking at on some of those calls on Eddy. I asked them, ‘Are we watching the same game?' Those calls really hurt our team.”
The Bulls needed someone to step up in Curry’s absence, but nobody else did much the whole night. Kirk Hinrich was held to 13 points on miserable 6-20 shooting, and Luol Deng wasn’t much better- 8 points, 4-12 shooting. Dwyane Wade was well rounded with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, but wasn’t aggressive enough offensively, and had no answer for Reggie Miller defensively.
Overall, this was a tight, close, intense game the whole way. No team led by double-digits at any point, and both squads played very physical defense at times. Pacers center Jeff Foster had a huge game, grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds, blocking 3 shots, and also recording 3 steals. Aside from Curry, the Bulls didn’t get much production from their big men. The power forward spot was a rotating door between Orthella Harrington, Eddie Griffin, and Antonio Davis. Harrington didn’t play much, battling foul trouble in the first half.
The biggest play in the game came with Indiana up by 1, and 45 seconds left in the game. Stephen Jackson got free behind the arc, and coolly buried a 3 pointer, giving the Pacers a 2-possession, 4 point lead that was too much for the Bulls to overcome.

GAME NOTES

After shooting the ball very well all series, Hinrich struggled mightily in Game 4. He was a combined 24-for-46 in the first 3 games, a great 52.2%, before shooting just 30% last night.

So now it comes down to a series-deciding Game 5. The Bulls, being the higher seed, have home court advantage and so the game will be played in the United Center. With everything on the line, expect both teams to go all-out. It should be a great game.

GAME STATS

CHICAGO
Curry: 28 pts, 12 reb, 2 ast, 13-19 FGs
Harrington: 4 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1-1 FGs
Deng: 8 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 4-12 FGs
Wade: 14 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 6-12 FGs
Hinrich: 13 pts, 2 reb, 5 ast, 6-20 FGs
A. Davis: 8 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3-6 FGs
Nocioni: 6 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast, 2-3 FGs
E. Griffin: 7 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 3-7 FGs
Pargo: 0 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 0-3 FGs
Piatkowski: 6 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 2-7 FGs
TOTALS: 40-90 FGs (44.4%), 10-10 FTs, 50 REB (11 OFF), 22 AST, 15 FL

INDIANA
Foster: 8 pts, 15 reb, 1 ast, 4-9 FGs
O'Neal: 17 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 8-20 FGs
Jackson: 23 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 9-21 FGs
Miller: 27 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 11-21 FGs
Tinsley: 8 pts, 2 reb, 12 ast, 2-13 FGs
Croshere: 2 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 1-1 FGs
Bender: 4 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 2-8 FGs
Jones: 8 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 4-5 FGs
D. Davis: 0 pts, 4 reb, 0 ast, 0-1 FGs
Johnson: 0 pts, 1 reb, 4 ast, 0-3 FGs
TOTALS: 41-102 FGs (40.2%), 11-14 FTs, 44 REB (12 OFF), 23 AST, 6 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
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Bulls 22 30 14 28---94
Pacers 21 25 20 31---97
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Three-point field goals: Chicago 4-16 (Piatkowski 2-4, E. Griffin 1-3, Hinrich 1-8, Pargo 0-1), Indiana 4-12 (Miller 2-4, Jackson 2-5, Foster 0-1, Tinsley 0-2). Turnovers: Chicago 15, Indiana 6.

SERIES IS TIED 2-2

[bullsfan009]

ROUND 1, GAME 5

IND 109, CHI 101
It’s All Over- Pacers Devastate Bulls on Home Floor & End Their Season


CHICAGO- The Chicago Bulls’ season is over. They fell last night at the United Center to the Indiana Pacers, losing their best-of-5 Round 1 playoff series 3 games to 2.
Chicago got off to a slow start in the game, falling behind by 8 points right away in the first quarter. Just as in Game 4, Eddy Curry got into early foul trouble, and had to sit after picking up his second personal foul just minutes after the opening tip. The Pacers took advantage, as center Jeff Foster, not known for his offense, put in 6 points in the period.
Dwyane Wade was very aggressive at the start, penetrating to the basket whenever he could. He scored 8 points in the first, but was shut down the rest of the game, scoring just 6 more points the rest of the way. Indiana, who also got 7 points from Reggie Miller, put an exclamation point on the first quarter when reserve Fred Jones hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer.
In the second quarter, the Bulls reserves came in and game the team a much-needed lift. Using a balanced offense and intense, unrelenting defense, Chicago pulled out to an 11-point advantage. But the Pacers stormed back. Dale Davis played ferociously in the paint, recording 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks . Many of these came against his brother, Antonio, the backup center of the Bulls. And, for the second consecutive quarter, a Pacer hit a desperation three at the buzzer to end the period. This time, it was Jonathan Bender’s 30-footer, and it put the Pacers up 53-52 at the half.
“That was a disheartening second quarter for us,” Bulls coach Scott Skiles commented afterwards. “We played so well, and then to lose the lead in the way that we did, and trail at the half, it was just very discouraging for our team.”
In the third the Bulls went back to a familiar offensive strategy: dump the ball into Eddy Curry, and let him try to dominate in the post. It worked. Curry scored 6 field goals down low, using his strength and quickness advantages over Jeff Foster to do what he wanted in the paint. Chicago rode Curry’s presence to the fourth quarter, which they entered with a 82-79 lead. It was now crunch-time: the whole season, down to a single quarter.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be for the Bulls. Indiana severely outplayed them, despite the urging cheers of the United Center faithful. The Pacers forced the Bulls into committing 6 turnovers in the quarter, and went on a critical 12-0 run to take a 14 point lead with just 1:30 left to play. Kirk Hinrich tried his best to get back, launching threes from everywhere, but most were off the mark. He went 4-14 in the final period, and his backcourt partner Dwyane Wade was 1-6.
Meanwhile, Pacers All-Star Jermaine O’Neal turned in his best performance of the series, contributing 24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks overall. He led the team offensively in the fourth quarter, making 6 of his 9 shots. It all spelled disaster for the Bulls, and a huge upset for the Indiana Pacers.
“Hats off to this Indiana team,” Wade stated. “They battled hard, never gave up, and played best when it mattered most. They deserved to win, and I wish them well for the rest of the playoffs.”

GAME STATS

CHICAGO
Curry: 20 pts, 17 reb, 1 ast, 8-16 FGs
Harrington: 6 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast, 3-8 FGs
Deng: 13 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast, 5-13 FGs
Wade: 14 pts, 2 reb, 7 ast, 5-14 FGs
Hinrich: 23 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 10-29 FGs
A. Davis: 6 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast, 2-4 FGs
Nocioni: 7 pts, 0 reb, 0 ast, 2-3 FGs
E. Griffin: 2 pts, 2 reb, 0 ast, 1-3 FGs
Pargo: 5 pts, 0 reb, 1 ast, 2-6 FGs
Piatkowski: 5 pts, 0 reb, 3 ast, 2-4 FGs
TOTALS: 40-100 FGs (40.0%), 13-14 FTs, 45 REB (11 OFF), 18 AST, 10 FL

INDIANA
Foster: 15 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 6-10 FGs
O'Neal: 24 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast, 11-24 FGs
Jackson: 18 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 9-22 FGs
Miller: 22 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast, 9-20 FGs
Tinsley: 9 pts, 0 reb, 10 ast, 4-10 FGs
Croshere: 2 pts, 1 reb, 0 ast, 1-3 FGs
Bender: 7 pts, 3 reb, 1 ast, 3-8 FGs
Jones: 5 pts, 3 reb, 0 ast, 2-2 FGs
D. Davis: 5 pts, 8 reb, 0 ast, 2-2 FGs
Johnson: 2 pts, 1 reb, 3 ast, 1-2 FGs
TOTALS: 48-103 FGs (46.6%), 8-12 FTs, 51 REB (15 OFF), 22 AST, 11 FL

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SCORING
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bulls 23 29 30 19---101
Pacers 28 25 26 30---109
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Three-point field goals: Chicago 8-20 (Deng 3-5, Hinrich 3-10, Piatkowski 1-2, Pargo 1-2, Wade 0-1), Indiana 5-9 (Miller 2-3, Jones 1-1, Bender 1-1, Tinsley 1-2, Jackson 0-1, Croshere 0-1). Turnovers: Chicago 12, Indiana 15.

PACERS WIN SERIES 3-2

[bullsfan009]

SEASON WRAP-UP


OK everyone. I was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs- it's all over (for this season ).

Overall, it was a fun ride, and a good learning experience in terms of posting a season (this was my first one). A few thoughts:

My mid-season trade for Dwyane Wade didn't work out like I hoped it would. My interior defense was left weak without Tyson Chandler, and I never really dominated games with Wade like I expected to.
I love Kirk Hinrich, but he didn't play well. I know for the future that I need a point guard who is less turnover-prone, and is a pass-first, shoot-second type of player. Or at least, one that is a drive-first type of player, instead of a shooter like Hinrich. That way, I'd have a higher FG%, maybe cut down on the turnovers, and rack up some more assists & easy baskets for my teammates.
As far as the way my posts have been, I'm planning on adding pictures in some way for my next season (yes I am planning on doing another! ). But I don't want them to dominate the summaries like many others that I've seen, instead, just to be a supplement to my thorough summaries.

[Diogo]

GREAT!!! Hope you begin this next season soon

[COOLmac©]

oh wow...that was a hell of a ride for the young bulls....and having wade ......can't wait for you to start a new season.....maybe a franchise now is not far behind...

[bullsfan009]

Thanks everyone.

I do want to make my next one a franchise, but I have to do a little Toolkit editing first, and also think about what team & players I want to have. I'll start it up in about a week, so just sit tight.


Thank you too all who read this season, I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to make it even better next time, and hopefully, contend for a championship!!!
PEACE

[alexboom]

For your next season, give a try to Alexsite's roster

[bullsfan009]

Alex-

Thanks for the Desmond Mason.

And, I downloaded your roster and looked at it in Toolkit, and it's WAAAAYYYYYY more up-to-date than mine. So YES, I'll use it! But I'm going to do some editing on it first, as I was already doing on my roster. Specifically:

I already updated the SCORE AREA for each player, and I'm gonna do that on yours
I have a different rating sytem than you. The one I'm using goes like this:

OVERALL 90+.....................Superstar Player
OVERALL 85+.....................Great Player
OVERALL 80+.....................Very Good Player
OVERALL 75+.....................Average Player
OVERALL 70+.....................Below-Average Player
OVERALL 65+.....................Bench-Warmer

So, I'm going to edit all the players, too.

If you want a copy of this when I'm done, I'll send it to you...

But as soon as I get all of this straightened out (shouldn't take long), then I'll be able to start my franchise

[bullsfan009]

SEASON SUMMARY

NBA Champions.......................Detroit Pistons

Playoff Leaders
PPG
O'Neal, MIA......27.4
Nash, PHO........26.6
Allen, SEA........26.0

RPG
B. Wallace, DET....15.6
K. Garnett, MIN....15.3
T. Duncan, SAN....14.8

APG
Knight, CHA.......13.5
Kidd, NJ.............13.5
Nash, PHO..........13.1

Bulls Playoff Leaders
PPG
Eddy Curry.........20.0
Dwyane Wade.....19.0
Kirk Hinrich.........19.0

RPG
Eddy Curry..............12.0
Orthella Harrington....7.2
Luol Deng................5.2

APG
Kirk Hinrich...........7.0
Dwyane Wade.......5.6
Eddy Curry...........2.0

playoff brackets

[COOLmac©]

LMAO at your design of your playoff bracket.

[bullsfan009]

thanks