Bulls' strong ‘D' makes up for lack of killer instinct

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Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011
Posted 9:41 p.m.Updated 11:35 p.m.

By Aggrey Sam
CSNChicago.com

It was as if the Bulls (30-14) suddenly realized the ramifications of losing to their lowly guests and the visiting Cavaliers (8-35) looked in the mirror and saw themselves for who they really are.

Chicago looked to be in control at various junctures of the contest, but didnt truly put away Cleveland until a fourth-quarter spurt prompted the home team to put its collective foot in the gas to win, 92-79, Saturday evening, continuing the troubling habit of playing down to subpar competition thats plagued the team all season.

With power forward Carlos Boozer (24 points, 10 rebounds) back in the lineupafter missing three games with a sprained ankle, his touch appeared a bit rusty, but his mere presence and scoring ability was a clear difference-makerthe Bulls sprinted out to a 9-2 lead, prompting a Cleveland timeout.

I was a little rusty. I didnt have the lift I wanted to have, couldnt rebound the way I wanted to, but I pushed through it, said Boozer afterwards.

Its more of a soreness than a sharp pain, so I can deal with it, he continued. Even at 80 percent or whatever I am, it felt good enough to play, so Im happy I played.

Observed Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau: Probably what I expected. A week off without doing anything; still, 20 and 10 with a week off. He had one practice.

After making the necessary adjustments, the Cavaliers buckled down defensivelyan alternate viewpoint could be that a shooting-deficient Chicago squad didnt capitalize on opportunities on the offensive end of the floorand despite a spate of turnovers, the visitors, led by the shooting of guard Daniel Gibson (10 points, five assists), trimmed their early deficit to move within close contact of their hosts.

However, the Bulls maintained a slight lead through the end of the opening period, leading, 22-17, after a Luol Deng (who picked up two early fouls, as did starting center Kurt Thomas) 3-pointer at the conclusion of the first quarter.

Chicago turned it up a notch in the second period, as their second unitled by reserve sharpshooter Kyle Korvers (11 points, 3-for-6 3-pointers) marksmanship and backup point guard C.J. Watson's blend of scoring and playmakingextended their winning margin to double digits.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau filtered his regulars back into the contest and even with All-Star point guard Derrick Rose (24 points, eight assists, three blocked shots) having a quiet first half, strong showings by Deng (20 points, 12 rebounds, 4-for-5 3-pointers) and Boozer propelled the home team to a 48-38 advantage at the break.

It wasnt by design, said Thibodeau of Roses less impactful than usual first-half performance. We certainly cant pick and choose when were going to go. Weve got to be ready from the start of the game, weve got to be aggressiveeverybody has to be aggressivewe have to establish who were going to be.

A more aggressive Rose led Chicagos charge at the outset of the third quarter as the catalyst of the Bulls 8-0 run to start the period. The onslaught continued, as Boozer joined the party, but after Cleveland cut a 20-point deficit to merely a 15-point gap, Thibodeau called timeout to put a halt to the uprising.

The Cavs continued to make their push, however, and behind the outside shooting of veteran forward Antawn Jamison (31 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, 4-for-7 3-pointers), they were able to get within single digits.

Antawn got hot from the 3-point line, observed Boozer. It seemed like he was hitting everything he threw up there.
Carlos Boozer dunks for two of his 20 points against the Cavaliers. The Bulls forward also added 10 rebounds in his first game back since Jan. 15. Despite getting up for the dunk, Boozer admitted to feeling some rust and lacking explosion throughout the contest. (AP)
Following a Thibodeau technical foul, a late-period Bulls spurt gave the Bulls a 72-62 advantage through three quarters of play when a Jamison tip-in initially ruled after the buzzer was reviewed and changed.

Chicago had issues finishing around the rim and protecting the basketball, but perhaps more significant was the huge disparity at the free-throw line in Clevelands favor, as well as the visitors surprising ability to compete on the boards.

Coupled with Jamisons flashback night as a scorereven as his career winds down, the veterans offensive versatility and array of unorthodox shots still gives opposing defenders fitsand young big man J.J. Hicksons (13 points, 20 rebounds) strong interior effort, the Cavs edged even closer by the midway point of the final stanza.

I thought the big thing for us is how we played with the lead. We have to do a better job with that, said Thibodeau. That team, they played hard and then you give them hope, and all of a sudden youre fighting for your life and thats what happened.

A Rose three-point play on a drive to the basketthe Bulls first field goal of the quarterfollowed by a Korver 3-pointer, energized the United Center crowd and gave the home team some momentum heading into games stretch run. After a Cavs timeout, Boozer finished a three-point play of his own, giving Chicago a double-digit advantage, which was added to on the next possession, when Rose knocked down a pull-up jumper.

We made the right plays at the end of the game to win the game, but we shouldnt have been in a dogfight like that, said Boozer. We did a good enough job to win, but we know we can play a lot betterespecially when we have a team down by so many points, we cant let them get back in the game the way we did.

We had opportunities to close the door on that team and we didntwe cant be a team that plays three quarters or part of the game. We want to be a team that plays the entire game the right way, he continued. When you get a chance to put the game awaytwice, in the same gameyouve got to do it. The great teams do that.

The visitors fought the good fight toward the end, but with the game already blown open, their efforts were in vain. Once again, Roses late-game heroics prevented a disappointing loss to an inferior foe, a squad that has one win in its last 27 games.

First half, we got a big lead, we relaxed and we did the same thing in the second half. We got a big lead and we let up, said a clearly miffed Thibodeau. The Cavaliers keep playing; theyll play. Those guys are good.

Every team is good, he continued. You have to learn to play tough with a lead. We didnt do that. You usually get what you deserve in this league.

Aggrey Sam is CSNChicago.com's Bulls Insider. Follow him @CSNBullsInsider on Twitter for up-to-the-minute Bulls information and his take on the team, the NBA and much more.

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