The Chicago Bulls defeated the Atlanta Hawks 114-81 on Tuesday night to take the number 1 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Derrick Rose, whom many consider to be the strongest MVP contender this year, led his team with 30 points, 10 assists, and 4 rebounds. Fans chanted "MVP! MVP!" as he drained one three-pointer after another. Rose went 6-for-8 from the 3-point range for the night.
"Right when we got the lead we were just telling each other it's not going to happen again," said Rose, referring to the Bull's 83-80 loss to the Hawks on March 2nd. "After that game, we all felt bad. It hurts. We don't want that feeling anymore."
The Bulls could not have had a better shooting night. Shooting at 73.8 percent during the first half (31-of-42 shots), the Bulls finished the game at 54.4 percent shooting. The Bulls outscored the Hawks 41-22 in the second period, giving them a season-high 72 points (versus the Hawks' 43) going into halftime.
"We have a lot of confidence," said Luol Deng, who contributed 27 points. "When our mindset is right on defense, we seem to work harder on offense. When we're not as focused on defense, it kind of leads to our offense. We just go through the motions. So it always starts with defense... We're trying to do great things in the playoffs."
With a 51-19 season record, the Bulls are now 1/2 game ahead of the Boston Celtics for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference and 3 games ahead of the Miami Heat. The Bulls currently have the second best season record in the NBA, behind the San Antonio Spurs (57-13).
(Sources: Associated Press, NBA.com, ESPN.com)
Hollywood Collectibles offers an amazing selection of Chicago Bulls memorabilia, including signed photos, autographed jerseys, collectible magazines, and more. Visit Hollywood Collectibles today to own your very basketball memorabilia!
Released On: 6/22/2011
Views: 8320
Released On: 6/22/2011
Views: 8185
Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington says that he will skip the 2011 NFL season so that he can recover from injuries. And since he will have no playing obligations, Pennington has signed up to serve as an analyst for Fox Sports.
Released On: 6/21/2011
Views: 7646
Rafael Nadal, the defending champion of Wimbledon, won the first match of this year's Wimbledon on Monday by defeating American player Michael Russell 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
Released On: 6/21/2011
Views: 4803
Released On: 6/21/2011
Views: 5918
Released On: 6/16/2011
Views: 5343
Released On: 6/16/2011
Views: 6285
Released On: 6/16/2011
Views: 5762
Released On: 6/16/2011
Views: 5584
Released On: 6/16/2011
Views: 5962
Released On: 6/16/2011
Views: 6585
Released On: 6/16/2011
Views: 6049
Released On: 6/15/2011
Views: 6649
Released On: 6/15/2011
Views: 6204