Bulls Big In Overtime!!

The Chicago Bulls have pulled out another stunning overtime victory, this time against the Houston Rockets. After coming off of two pretty important losses to the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, the Bulls needed to get back on track and get a victory at home. The Bulls played bad basketball against the 2 top teams in the East and needed to redeem themselves. Those games, although early in the season, are important because 9 times out of 10 you will see these very team in the playoffs. We saw the failure on Wednesday night when Dwight Howard and the Magic came to Chicago and executed their game plan. This came with Joakim Noah not collecting a single rebound when he is averaging 12.2 rpg, second in the league. Friday night came and you would think the Bulls would have came out with more energy after a big loss at home against a team they have to be able to compete with. Instead they came out flat and did not look like the same defensive team we saw on the Circus Trip. Boston beat the Bulls with simple pick and roll basketball that involved a lot of layups, and wide open shots. Derrick Rose was not attacking the basket enough, and when he doesn't attack, the offense doesn't have the same flow. With Boozer only playing his second game of the season, going through him in that particular game was not the answer, so they continued to struggle and go on to lose the contest. Saturday night arrives, Bulls are at home coming off of two disappointing losses, it's time to end this losing streak. Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer played a great game tonight, and I think the chemistry between all the guys is starting to gel. Boozer seemed to find a flow early in the game by getting to the free throw line and being aggressive. Boozer who scored 25pts, and 9 rebounds did find himself in early foul trouble but was able to show discipline and stay in the game. Joakim Noah has had a tough two games going against some of the leagues best big men in D. Howard, Shaq, and KG. Noah had another big defensive responsibility tonight having to keep an eye on Luis Scola and veteran Brad Miller, and did a fairly good job while grabbing 13 rebounds with 4 blocks. Foul trouble found it's way to the Bulls big man with him fouling out with 1:04 left in OT. But the story of the night has to be D. Rose putting up 30 pts, 11ast, 7reb, 5stl, and 1 block, first time since Scottie Pippen did it in 1994, a Bulls player had at least 30 pts and 10 ast in a game. With under 10 seconds left in the game Rose is the guy to save the day by hitting a 3 point buzzer beater to tie it up 109-109 and send it into overtime. Rose continued his brilliant play through OT and the rest of the team was definitely on board as the Bulls pulled out a 118-116 much needed victory. Next game is against the Oklahoma City Thunder which is another tough team in the West. Once the Bulls get into the flow of their offense, and the bench becomes more solidified, this is going to be a serious contender in the Eastern playoff picture. Listen into the show for more Bulls talk today December 5, from 10-12 on www.sportstownchicago.com

It's Been A While

Sorry for being away for so long, but we're back baby! What has happened since the last time we've talked? Well a lot and there is no way to cover it all in one blog, so let's have a quick recap. The Chicago Bears are hot right now with a leading NFC North record of 8-3 and they are starting to put it together on both sides of the ball. The defense is sound, making plays around the ball with Julius Peppers making his way into Defensive Player of the Year conversations, not by stats but by making his presence felt all over the field. Jay Cutler just recently won Offensive player of the week after his stunning 4 TD game against Michael Vick and the Eagles. The Blackhawks have continued their winning ways by carrying on a record of 14-10-2. Doesn't sound like a very good Championship team, but trust me in this long 82 game season, the Hawks look a lot better then most thought just because of how different the team looks. The Hawks are coming off a high scoring 7-5 win over St. Louis and look to move forward Friday night against Vancouver. The Chicago Bulls have blown the minds of many with the way they have played recently. At this point in the season the Bulls would normally be trying to find ways to pick themselves up after a long 14 day 7 game annual "Circus Trip". But this year it's completely different. The Chi-Bulls went a remarkable 4-3 on this trip which the first time they've had a winning record on this trip since MJ was here in 1998, so for any Bulls fan this is big. Derrick Rose who averaged a show stopping 30.5 ppg led the team in just about all 7 games to a close margin win or defeat, no blowout games like we've seen in the past. In all honesty, the Bulls could have easily gone 5-2 on this road trip had Rose played in the game which resulted in a 2 point loss to the Denver Nuggets, not saying nothing, but I'm just saying. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the first game back home was against the SE Division leading Orlando Magic, who looks just awesome right now. With Boozer making his season debut in this matchup, the Magic were just too much for the Bulls to handle. Tom Thibodeau and his defensive stance has made the Bulls 10 times better on that end of the floor, but after last night, you can tell this is still a team in the learning process. Baseball is in the offseason, but means absolutely nothing because apparently, the Baltimore Orioles have made an offer to the Southsiders Paul "Pauly" Konerko, and "Alexi Ramirez has opted out of his deal. On the Northside, the Cubbies have looked to the future and began the rebuilding process by hiring former interim head coach Mike Quade. Oh, Northwestern and Illinois played a conference game on the infamous Wrigley Field, and to celebrate after such a good success, Todd Ricketts, Cubs Owner, played a little football himself with his staff. Let's just say, we should be glad the savvy left hander was good with business.