Let's kill another Heat fan!

Okay. This guy owes me a new laptop. When I read this article, I spat my morning coffee all over the it.

Which means it deserves a soul-destroying break-down.

While I feel that Celtics fans are amongst the highest echelon of douchiness, they are true fans and devoted to their team - thus the Garden is one of the hardest places to play on the road.  But Bulls fans are just plain sad. They only cheer when their team is winning and only support their team when there is someone named Rose or Jordan on the team.  Not to mention the absolute arrogance in comparing this season to MJ's years and thinking that they would just roll right over the Heat.  No having the slightest bit of respect for the fact that the Heat a really good team and bound to put up a fight - not just roll over in acceptance of defeat.  That being said...there are so many other reasons to be embarrassed.

"Bulls fans...only support their team when there is someone named Rose or Jordan on it." Instant lack of any sort of knowledge. The United Center in Chicago has been sold out 500+ consecutive home games. That includes the years of finishing well out of the Playoff places, lottery picks and all of Scott Skiles teams.

"Not having the slightest bit of respect for the fact that the Heat are a really good team..." Any Heat fan who knows a real Bulls fan would not be able to say this. I for one have always argued that this series would go to 6 or most likely 7 games and I could not comfortably pick a winner. These two teams are so equally great defensively it comes down to whether Rose and the Bulls' depth was enough to beat Miami's top-heavy rotation.

Take the team for example.  Noah is a raging idiot on the court.  Running around making faces, acting as though he is having a fight with a girlfriend.  Not to mention that he is a sad and pouting little girl when the team is behind on the sidelines and needs other players to cheer him up and prevent him from crying on national television.  And he is a one trick pony...take away his rebound-tip ins and he is rendered worthless.  He only knows how to play well in games that they are ahead.  When they start loosing, he looses heart.

95% of NBA experts, pundits and announcers have long praised Noah's energy and enthusiasm. His pride in defense fuels his team-mates own performances. He certainly is a love-or-hate personality and I can fully understand why he can be so infuriating. But to call him a one-trick pony is absurd. He's a Center. A defensive specialist. Of course his offense is limited and no Bulls fan can argue otherwise. His jump shot is butt ugly and his post play isn't top class. But all he needs to do is get 10-14 points on tip ins and layups to be useful for this Bulls team.

Carlos Boozer...the star free agent acquisition.  The guy disappears in any game where he has to try and help the team overcome a deficit.  Not to meantion that he is always screaming.  He makes one basket and he start yelling "Yeah, come on, let's go..." it could be 1 foul shot in the first 30 seconds of the game and he starts running around like a crazed idiot.

So this is the only paragraph of this entire bile-filled rant that I can agree with. I hate Boozer when he goes for a layup. All I hear is "yaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr" and then a miss. I would much rather he went up and scored before celebrating. That would be acceptable. I'm beginning to think the signing of Boozer was a big mistake given how shocking he has been at trying to contain Chris Bosh in this series.

 Taj Gibson: wow! Idiot of epic caliber. This guy makes one dunk, albeit a really good one, I will give him credit, but now he runs around as if he made the David Tyree catch in the Super Bowl.  Let's not forget, this wasn't a game winning shot, but yet he carries himself for the next 3 days as if he tied the game with seconds left or he has just been overpowering Magic Johnson-type athletes for years and no one noticed.  Now in the last game, he was like a guy that scored a really clutch TD in a high school game but is now 35 and is still telling the story over and over again and has a picture of the play that he shows  everyone every single chance he gets.  Last night, this guy scores one 4 foot jumper, with the Bulls STILL behind, not a go-ahead shot or even a game tying shot...then he runs done the court as if he just won the championship single-handedly, screaming and flapping his arms.  He always has a look on his face like he is looking for the guy that just slapped his girlfriend.  He is a bench player, that's it...yet he thinks he is the next coming of Patrick Ewing.  SO SAD!!!

Sour grapes right here. Taj Gibson put this writer's hero Dwyane Wade on the mother of all posters. The guy is a bench player who knows he just pulled off the dunk of his career. Give him his moment to celebrate. He knew what it meant to the home crowd to dunk over Wade, hated in Chicago. "He was like a guy.....still telling the story over and over again." Last I checked, Taj Gibson didn't personally put the video on every major sports highlights website/program in the US. He didn't make is own name trend on twitter for 3 days.

Now as for the team as a whole: here is an apt description.  Slap, push, pull, grab FOUL as much as possible and just see how far it goes or hope the ref doesn't see and just hope you get away with it.  It was absolutely sad. 

This describes Miami just as much as it does Chicago. The only way any team has been able to stop a fast-moving Derrick Rose has been to turn into Edward Scissorhands when he goes past, chopping and hacking at his arms and wrists. James is the worst offender for fouling without getting the call against him. It has been 59 games since James fouled 4 times. It has been more than 70 since his last 5-foul game. That is how much he gets away with.

There was point that Asik was pulling on Wade's shorts, you could se them stretched, and no call because it was away from the play.  Wade drives the lane and he gets "blocked" by Asik...no call.  No contact? For God's sake...there was blood drawn. 

Wade was bleeding, correct. Asik had to leave the game because he was bleeding too.

The entire Bull's team fouls on every single play and just pushes further and further until they finally get called.  

 So the entire Bulls team fouls every play? That's an interesting theory. If true then our team would have fouled out of every game so far as the Heat's free-throw advantage has been huge in a couple of the games of this series. Yet the Bulls have not fouled out. They may get away with a few more fouls than they should. This is the Playoffs at the end of the day, you cannot give easy points away at this late stage of the season, especially against either Miami's or Chicago's top-notch defenses.

You call it hustle or energy, everyone else would just call it cheap.  Not to mention, they put up brick after brick and just hope that Boozer or Noah will be there to tip it in by throwing elbows or pushing the opposing defense trying to get a rebound.

 Again, 95% would call it hustle and energy. Our defensive strengths are very similar to those of Miami: namely being able to stay in front of opponents using speed, and closing out on shooters quickly. Both teams are near identical in this.

Finally, Derrick Rose.  I will not for one second say he sucks or has no talent.  He is amazing...but a one trick pony.  He drives to the basket and usually makes some amazing shots, but he has a low percentage of makes. 

If this person here had watched at least 10 Bulls' games this season, then he would know the reason for Rose's poor Field-Goal %. He simply has no help. The defense of each team he faces loads all their best on him, forcing him to take many low-percentage shots per game. The number of plays where he passes to a team-mate to make a shot only to get the ball back where he doesn't want it is very high. This is a problem this Bulls team has been able to get around in the Regular Season as defenses were not as intense on shutting Rose down. In the Playoffs, this weakness has been exposed and humiliated by Miami. They have shown up the Bulls as having very few reliable scorers.

The second Rose even looks down the lane or thinks about driving the lane, the refs take a deep inhale in anticipation of blowing their whistle for a foul.  The sheer moment he even smells like a layup is coming, you can hear a whistle starting, before even the first dribble. 

 Unlike Lebron James, who never ever gets the call. Never shoots a free throw, never looks at the referees when he misses with a "where's my foul" face on? Never. Neither does Wade who, when he is not scoring, spends his time either lying on the floor or shouting at the referees.

He won't make the shot, starts walking to the foul line anticipating the 2 free throws coming.  Doesn't even have to make the shot, maybe he isn't even trying sometimes.  All things being equal, when he IS on a roll, I have sen few players better, but his reputation as an MVP is also derived from his ability to get the refs involved on his side.

 Every single pro sports player tries to manipulate referees. The ones who are successful tend to be successful because they know what they are doing. Rose does look for contact as he rightly should. Wade pump fakes, gets his man into the air and steps into him as he lands on Wade's shoulders. This is clearly trying to win a foul but it is perfectly legal and accepted.

There's the breakdown. Check back over the weekend where I will either be breaking down a Bulls comeback or their elimination!

Mike Brown: New LA Lakers Head Coach?

Mike Brown is but a signature away from sitting in the single hottest seat in world sport. If the reports are correct, the former Cleveland Cavaliers coach will be Phil Jackson's successor in Tinseltown.

Mike Brown: Future Lakers coach?

This came as a huge "what on earth" moment to myself and many other NBA followers. Mike Brown was the coach who failed to deliver a title with a Cleveland team that, at the time, looked for all the money like it should have won at least one. Mike Brown led James' team into the Playoffs several times, however his record is hardly awe-inspiring. 3 first-round defeats. 1 exit in the Conference Finals to an Orlando Magic team that managed two 10-point wins over the Cavs. The Cavaliers made it to the Finals once, where they were swept aside 4-0 by the San Antonio Spurs. Lebron James was the central player of that team and although the pieces around him were not the best, they were good enough to win at least one Championship. Brown was also the man who did all he could to keep James with his hometown Cavaliers as long as he could by signed legendary center Shaquille O'Neal.

Brown is a surprising turn for the Lakers. Famed for being a defensive mastermind, he will face a tough crowd in Los Angeles where they are more accustomed to watching a flashy, offensively minded team.

His tactics in Cleveland came under criticism. His offensive strategy appeared to be 'give the ball to James' and not much else. With a player as skilled as Lebron, this worked 80% of the time, the problems came when James faced defensive specialists in Boston and Orlando. Brown also seemed to do nothing in timeouts, at times he would be standing ten yards away while his assistants gave the pep talk, made adjustments and issued the plays. For a man needing to follow arguably the best coach the NBA has ever witnessed, his style is not conducive to long-term success. His ego management skills were questionable in Cleveland where many argued that James was the real coach. How will he cope in the mega-fishbowl of Los Angeles, with Kobe Bryant, reality-tv star come NBA player Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum's temper and Pau Gasol's... Gasol-ness?

It would be far from shocking to watch the Laker offense turn into a Kobe-led isolation festival. If that happens, The Mike Brown era will not last long in Tinseltown.

East Finals Game 1: Bulls beat Heat 103-82

Experts? Really, are they still allowed to call them that?

A good 90% of the NBA 'experts' picked the Miami Heat to win this series. Memo, not if the Heat play like this again. They play like this again then this series is only going to have 3 more games.

The Heat are now 0-4 against Chicago this season. I don't see Chicago playing quite as well as Sunday night but they won't need to as this wasn't even close. Miami had just 28 shots in the second half to Chicago's 43. That's a huge plus unseen in the Playoffs. The Bulls were regarded as the better rebounding team though last night was out of this world. Chicago out-rebounded Miami 45-33, 19-6 on the offensive end that resulted in all those extra shots for the Bulls.

Make no mistake, this series is by no way over, but this game fully exposed and humiliated the Heat's weaknesses: Rebounding, size and offensive plays.

Miami came out of the blocks at the start with 2 dunks off Bulls turnovers. It looked like it could be a long night with 9 first-half turnovers for Chicago. Miami led 24-20 after 1 quarter, Bosh with 17 of that 24 on a stellar night for the .5 of the Miami two-and-a-half men. Into the 2nd the Bulls stepped up defensively holding Miami again to 24 points to the Bulls 28 as Gibson hit a run with 7 of 9 Bulls points including a flat-out "get outta my" dunk over Dwyane Wade that electrified an already frenzied crowd. The half ended tied at 48 as the Bulls struggled some to stop the Heat getting points easily.

Wade will be having nightmares
for a little while...

Into the 3rd quarter with the Bulls up 58-57 and this is when things got out of hand. Lebron James had only 2 points in the third quarter as he couldn't hit a thing all night long. The Bulls bench unit completely outplayed their Heat counterparts as Watson, Korver, Brewer and Asik all had standout performances. Watson came in and did a great job hustling after the loose ball, highlighted by a chase-down on a loose ball with 3 seconds left on the shot-clock, CJ turns around, step-back 3 from deep to beat the buzzer. Korver didn't get too hot on his shooting missing a couple wide open before making a three after the game was not a contest, Thibodeau gave him 16 minutes as he did a decent job on Wade in the first half. The Bulls used Korver as the pick with Rose to get Korver more wide open shots against the Heat's terrible defense on the roll. Ronnie Brewer came in and tipped plenty of passes and made one great steal that resulted in 2 Free Throws and a possession after that had Brewer run off the baseline for a dunk. The Heat need to remember that the baseline exists as Brewer was free to move along it all evening.

Omer Asik had a fantastic night. I've yet to see a big man defend the rim and alter so many shots without fouling the shooter. He rebounds at both ends and never has shots blocked as he goes up strong two-handed for the dunk. Taj Gibson as mentioned above was charged up for this game, and his performance was rounded off by a see-to-believe putback dunk over two Heat defenders with hardly any time left in the game.

Erik Spoelstra was out-coached by Thibodeau as Spoelstra inexplicably went small against a Bulls team which has big players who are just as quick as a small, shown when Noah and Gibson blocked Wade and James' jump-shots respectively as they put on a masterclass in staying in front of the attacker.

Game 2 will be crucial in this still-young series as if Chicago can fend off an inevitable James/Wade fight-back and take a 2-0 lead to Miami then they will fully be in control and putting the pressure on the Heat. If the Bulls go in 2-0 up the Heat need to win that third game, as teams 3-0 down have never won the 7-game series (0-99 in history). The Heat will have the pressure of an unforgiving home crowd that could prove more of a burden if things get nasty in Game 3.

The roller-coaster has only just started.

Bulls eliminate Atlanta to set up Miami battle

Sunday night, possibly one of the most anticipated series in recent times will tip off. The #1 seeded Chicago Bulls take on the #2 seeded Miami Heat for the right to play in the 2011 NBA Finals.

Oh boy.

7pm Eastern, 1am here in the United Kingdom, the two teams at polar opposites in play style will commence what promises to be a battle royal.

Chicago may have swept the season series 3-0, but this Miami team has evolved so much since that last win in March, playing at a very high level in this post-season. They ousted a solid Philadelphia team in 5 games, and then beat an old but still dangerous Boston Celtics in 5. Chicago has had the opposite in Playoff performances so far. They knocked out an Indiana side that really tested the Bulls (5 games) and then again with the Hawks giving them a few issues in a 6 game series. While Chicago has had it's share of bad games in rounds 1 and 2, their performances in Game 5 of the Indiana Pacers series, and Games 3 and 6 of the Atlanta Hawks series underlined their real identities.

The Heat have 3 (or 2.5?) superstars in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, 2 of which are destined for the Hall of Fame. They rely on these 3 to score in tons to carry them through. LeBron is one of the league's top scorers and Wade can match him. Bosh has ups and downs from game-to-game but is still worthy of a double-team at times. Beyond these three superstars, they have Mike Bibby running "Point Guard", a name that means little as LeBron and Wade carry the ball more than Bibby does. They also have Center Udonis Haslem returning from a long lay-off, but trying to integrate someone into a Playoff-ready squad is very difficult.

Chicago rely on substance as opposed to the Heat's style. They get a massive contribution from their self-proclaimed 'Bench Mob' of CJ Watson, Kyle Korver, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik. The bench were pivotal in Game 5 of the Atlanta series, with Thibodeau riding Gibson and Asik over Noah and Boozer for the 4th Quarter. Watson is growing into a capable replacement Point Guard for when Rose rests. All he has to do, and is doing, is control the offense enough that the Bulls can maintain their lead while their leader is off the floor. Korver is a streaky shooter, though leaving him wide open is a recipe for disaster. Chicago need him to get hot during the Conference Finals. Gibson, a fantastic defender and an inside presence on offense, some fans have called for him to be starting over Boozer. They have gone quiet recently. Gibson and Asik together form an almost impenetrable wall around the basket. Asik was truly inspiring against Atlanta, putting on a masterclass in double-team defense.

Let's look at the battles of this series.

Derrick Rose vs Mike Bibby:
Mike Bibby will probably never want to hear Rose's name again after this series. Though every player who has to (try to) defend Rose must feel the same, he is impossible to stay in front of. Verdict: Rose (1-0)


Dwyane Wade vs Keith Bogans:
An important battle here. Bogans proved his defensive class against Atlanta's top scorer; Joe Johnson. Johnson hit 34pts in a Game 1 win, but Bogans held him to 34 points combined in Games 3, 4 and 5. Wade is probably one of the top defensive guards in the league, and his offense is probably just as good. If Chicago want to win this series, Bogans will have to score those few 3-pt shots he gets each game, to force the Heat to at least defend him. If he goes cold, his defender will instantly go and put another body between Rose and the basket. Verdict: Wade (1-1)

Carlos Boozer vs Chris Bosh:
The two CBs, Boozer and Bosh, are by far the two most criticized players this season. Bosh was lamented for invisible nights, leading to talk of him not really being part of the "Big 3" in Florida. Bosh shot 1-18 against the Bulls earlier this year, the worst performance seen in 38 years. Boozer had been hitting his form after missing the first 15 games of the season with injury, before he sprained his ankle twice. He has not hit the same heights since. Then, a turf toe injury at the end of the Pacers series further limited his effectiveness leading to him being booed off court in the first game (a loss) of the Hawks series. His 23pt-10reb explosion in Game 6 effectively eliminated the Hawks while providing Bulls fans with the hope that he has returned to much-needed form.
Verdict: Draw (1.5-1.5)


Joakim Noah vs Joel Anthony:
Joakim Noah will get the better of Anthony in this match-up. Noah is the Bulls engine unit in defense, running around double-teaming before recovering and collecting the rebounds. His ability to tap offensive rebounds back out to Rose is very important. Verdict: Noah (2.5-1.5)


Bulls bench vs Heat bench:
The Bulls' bench is one of the better scoring bench units around. That's not to mention the fact that as a group, the Bulls bench is the best defensive unit in the NBA. Omer Asik's length is enough to stop any player, Gibson  is a mix of Power Forward and Center, easily long enough to play at Center, he will likely be used to counter Bosh if Boozer starts to struggle. Korver as I said above, will be crucial as when he is connecting on his shots, he spreads the court more for Rose and Deng. The Heat bench is sparse. Worryingly so. Udonis Haslem returned against Boston but looked hopelessly lost in picking up a foul and a technical all series. If the Heat's starting 5 get into a hole like they tend to do, they could be in real trouble. Verdict: Bulls (3.5-1.5)


Luol Deng vs LeBron James:
LeBron is by far the better offensive player, perhaps deserving of an MVP award this year himself. But Deng's length has bothered James for years. When Deng is on the floor, James shoots 17% compared to 40% with Deng off the floor. James has the tools to beat the Bulls by himself. Deng had a case for making the NBA Defensive 2nd-team if not the first-team. His persistence and ability to keep himself between his man and the basket, as well as not giving away fouls in the process, is unparalleled. He has often been labelled the "X-Factor" and "glue" of this Bulls team and it is pretty true. He is the Bulls' second scoring option behind the MVP and when he gets his 20 point average, it takes a massive load off of Rose's young shoulders. Verdict: Lebron's offense beats Deng's defense; James. (3.5-2.5)


Tom Thibodeau vs Erik Spoelstra:
Two relatively inexperienced head-coaches. Thibodeau was the mastermind behind the Boston defense that won the 2008 NBA Title. He has came to Chicago in his first year as a head coach and turned them into the top defensive team in the NBA. Spoelstra always had an incredibly hard job to do in managing Wade and James' egos. He has achieved harmony it would seem as the Heat have appeared a team in recent weeks. His weakness is his team's reliance on Isolation 'plays' for Lebron and Wade that turn the rest of the team into spectators. If the Heat run too much of this stagnant offense, the Bulls' smothering defense will sink it's teeth.
Verdict: Thibodeau (4.5-2.5)


Result: Bulls 4.5 - 2.5 Heat.


Series Prediction: So impossibly hard to predict as this series will be decided by a vast number of battles and intangibles. Though as a Bulls fan, I have to pick my team, though it could easily go the way of Miami. Bulls win 4-3

For swept Lakers, where next?

With the Dallas Mavericks' 4-0 sweep of the LA Lakers, a dynasty came to a close. Phil Jackson, head coach and winner of a record 11 NBA Titles, stood down (apparently) permanently as coach.

Phil Jackson:
 More Championship Rings than fingers

So long Phil.

So now this blog asks, what do the Lakers do next? They have to find a new coach first who can decide on the next steps that will benefit this ball club going forward. Trouble is, the way this year's Playoffs ended for the Lakers makes going forward an incredibly complex task.

LA weren't just swept by Dallas, they were swept convincingly. Many analysts, experts and pundits, myself included, had the Lakers in as at least Conference finalists if not NBA finalists. Dallas exposed this Laker team as a team well beyond it's use by date. The explosion of three-point shooting was not all down to the Mavs' shooters having a good night, a good 75% of the 20 threes they scored we wide open. The Mavericks showed the rest of the watching millions how little the Lakers wanted this 2nd three-peat.

So the Lakers had no intensity, no desire to at least extend their season to a 5th Game back home. They didn't give themselves a chance. This Laker team could have won both Games 1 and 3, blowing leads in the 4th quarter of both. LA were in Game 4 in the first quarter again, but a run by the Mavs simply broke the will and heads went down. The Lakers had the look of a team that said "we're done, we know we're done, let's go home." Even Phil Jackson looked resigned to his fate after the Mavericks finished the half 63-42 ahead.

Midway through the 3rd Quarter, Ron Artest broke out for a steal and a fast-break, but got caught between finishing with a dunk or a layup. Maybe his legs were finished after a long season (starting all 82 games), or maybe he simply, like the rest of the Lakers, just couldn't get things right. That basket would have cut the Maverick's lead to 17 at a time when the Lakers had the momentum. That miss resulted in the Mavericks knocking in 2 free-throws and yet another 3 to make it a 23-pt lead that effectively ended this as a contest. The teams filtered their bench units back in as they filled out the box score.

LA obviously couldn't get their bench in quick enough. Lamar Odom and Dirk Nowitzki were having words during a Mavs free-throw attempt, and Odom let his frustration get control as he body checked Dirk well above the three-point arc. An ejection was the instant decision and Odom didn't even look at all bothered that his season was finished. The game threatened to turn into a farce as Andrew Bynum assaulted J.J Barea on a layup, delivering a hard elbow into the Mavs' Point Guard's ribcage. Barea luckily had a soft-ish landing, Bynum was ejected and left the court in similar fashion to Odom a minute beforehand. The Mavericks' bench deserve praise here as they did not come out of their area to get what would be almost justified revenge.

So with the season over for the now ex-champions, will they blow the team up and bring in a whole new squad of players? Who can they or will they trade? Looking at this Laker roster, there are very few players who can be traded for even an equal player, never mind an improvement.

Could the Lakers trade up to 4 of Kobe Bryant's (Center) team-mates?

• Pau Gasol. Pau should not be traded. I know I know, he played terribly these Playoffs. But remember back in November he was in the MVP conversation? Yes, he really was. He lost form, but that will return. Whatever drama is going on privately, will sort itself out over the summer. Even if you wanted to trade Gasol who do you take as a Center/Forward right now? Dwight Howard comes up soon, but the Magic will be wanting major assets for his release and a Kobe-Howard tandem could be volatile to say the least.

• Ron Artest. If LA put out a "for sale" sign on Artest, who is seriously going to step up and say that they want him as part of their team. In my eyes, he showed his true colours in the Pacers-Pistons brawl, and no team should want a player like him in the locker room.

• Lamar Odom. Sixth Man of the Year, can the Lakers afford to lose not just a big scorer off the bench and defensive presence, but one of the 7-footers that helped make LA nigh on impossible to defend during the Championship years? Again, who can you get to replace him, and who would want to take on his large contract?

• Andrew Bynum. This off-season could be make or break for Bynum and his career as a Laker. A valuable piece when fit, but possibly a huge trading chip given his relatively young age and undoubted ability. I do not condone his attack on Barea, and the league would do well to suspend him some of next season, but he is not in the same mold as Artest. Bynum has a big future. This summer is when the Lakers must decide if they will invest more in Bynum or blow it all up.

-----------------------

The big trade everyone is talking about is Dwight Howard taking off for California. How feasible is this trade and how likely would it be to work out successfully for LA in the long run? Firstly, the Lakers would have to give up a lot in any trade for Dwight. There are many many combinations that can be made to sound workable for either side.

The Howard Trade deserves it's own breakdown. Check back soon!

Pacers live another game, thanks to referees?

So the Pacers win 89-94. But were the Bulls ever going to win this one?

It never seemed likely, even with Chicago clambering from an 18-point hole to be down by just 1 with 15 seconds to go. Indiana closed it out with free-throws to avoid elimination. At least until Tuesday evening back at the United Center where smart money says the Bulls finally put to bed what is by far the most competitive 1st-vs-8th match-up in recent times. The Bulls are 38-5 at home, and 16-4 on games immediately after losses.

Boozer had another tough night, (Image rights: NBA)

It was another typically slow start from Chicago which is becoming a worrying trend. Indiana came out with the energy expected of a team playing for hometown pride. The Bulls didn't do themselves any favors as they labored to just 33 first-half points on only 33% shooting. The Pacers had shut down Luol Deng and sent Carlos Boozer to the bench in early foul trouble.

The second half started no better for Chicago as the Pacers stretched the lead to 13 on an A.J Price three (2-4 on the night) that fired the split, raucous crowd to the belief that the hard fighting Pacers could finally get a win their play has deserved. Roy Hibbert came back from his Game 3 wilderness to post his best game of the series with 16pts and 10 rebounds. Jeff Foster had a clutch of huge offensive rebounds late (7 Off.) that effectively clinched the game for the Pacers as they went on to convert on 2nd-chance opportunities. Indiana did a good job all game of making the most of their limited rebounding talent, coming up with the majority of the important rebounds.

Derrick Rose was quiet as Indiana coach Frank Vogel stuck with the 2-man trap/double team strategy he began to employ in Game 3. Rose found himself too often trapped at the half-line and without an outlet pass, the Bulls had a staggering 14 Turnovers (9 in the first half) that gave up enough points that decided the game. This, along with the Bulls inability to break out and score easy points on fast-breaks ultimately lost the game when Chicago went down as much as 18 two minutes into the final period.

Rose did turn his ankle early in the first half and went to the locker room for a few minutes before re-emerging. Post-game he claimed the ankle was fine, just sprained, before he hobbled out of the press conference with a look of pain on his face sure to cause worry among Bulls fans and players alike. "They go as Derrick Rose goes" said Danny Granger before the playoffs began. How true this was as Rose shot his playoff-worst 6-22 and Chicago went out with a horrific 37.8% (31-82).

Despite being in a hole dug almost to China, Chicago somehow flipped that defensive switch to dominate the 4th quarter yet again. With 3:45 to go, Pacers still held a 16pt lead until Kyle Korver hit yet another big three to breathe life into a Bulls rally. Roy Hibbert sank two crucial free-throws before Chicago really got into their stride with an 8-0 run taking them within 7pts with 1:17 left to complete a tough sweep. Boozer and Rose had a pair of big buckets to cut the advantage to 3 as Indiana couldn't buy a score on an 11-2 run. Mike Dunleavy split two free-throws before a Noah 3-point-play cut the lead to one.

That would be as close as the Bulls got as Deng fouled quick with 14.1s and Granger made both foul shots. Bulls' coach Tom Thibodaeu asked for a play for a Rose 3, but the Pacers made a decent job in forcing Noah to break the play in turn forcing Carlos Boozer to hoist up his first 3-point attempt in 4 years for the tie (Boozer last made 3 was back in 2003). Noah afterward accepted a "mental mistake" in not calling a timeout when he got locked up in the corner on that final play.

Several thousand Bulls fans made
the 3-hr drive to Indiana (Image: NBA)

The Pacers have won the right to a 5th game, but have they spent all they have on earning it, for that's how it felt with their huge effort to win the 4th game. Chicago can rest easy knowing they have the chance to wrap it up at home, in front of 23,000 Bulls fans ready to see the backs of an intense series.

---------------------------------------------------

Referees often come under a harsh criticism in the playoffs, tonight was no different. In this series, the Bulls have averaged 31 free-throw attempts per game to Indiana's 20, a difference of 11. Frank Vogel has made his views well known; He feels the Pacers have been treated harshly by the referees as they "protect their star" in Derrick Rose.

Perhaps the league reacted, perhaps these referees were personally moved by his pleas. No matter the reason, a miraculous 20 free-throw swing took place on Saturday afternoon as this time Indiana took 34 foul shots to the Bulls 24. I'm sorry, but after the Tim Donaghy scandal, I simply cannot look at this as just a group of referees 'calling a game differently.' Call me bitter, but Rose is the prime example.

Game 1 he was 19-21 on free-throws. Game 2, 12-13 and Game 3 13-15. So how can it be that the Indiana defense has gone under such an incredible improvement that Rose only got 4 free-throws on Saturday, two of those on a "Clear Path" foul on a rare fast-break. Impressive improvement or incredibly sympathetic refereeing? Call it what you will.

What happens when LeBron fan-boys write articles...

So, Yahoo has this idea that letting the fans of sports write articles for their Associated Content section. Good idea, get the fans to produce some content that can cover anything about every sport.

The downside?

Fan boys.

Take this article, written on the 2011 NBA MVP Race. Well written it seems, but actually read into this article and you'll find lies and misinformation left right and centre.

Impact

"Rose supporters further will make the claim all you have to do to know Rose should be the MVP is watch the games, as if those who don't agree with their view just aren't watching those games. They say that if you watch the games, it's clear Rose has had a much bigger impact on the Bulls winning than LeBron has on the Heat winning. Frankly, I can't see it from watching those games (and I have watched), so apparently I'm blind."

Let's start with this little gem of a paragraph. Clearly this man truly is blind. He claims that Derrick Rose has less impact on the Chicago Bulls' winning games than James does on the Heat. Wrong. When Rose goes out of the game, yes, the Bulls do play at a good level. This is down to the Bulls' bench that is one of, if not the best, scoring benches in the league. However, if Rose were to be unavailable for a game through injury, things would be different. The Bulls have no 3rd Point Guard and C.J Watson, the backup, is a solid 2nd unit substitute. But he would not be able to lead this Bulls team as the starting guard. Rose is Chicago's go to guy in late-game situations (scored last 8 vs Bucks on Sat. night) and when the other players are cold, Rose takes up the scoring responsibilities. Derrick has nobody else to defer to when he can't score. Boozer is good but limited from range, Deng is good but an often streaky shooter.

Compare all of that to the writer's preferred MVP choice, LeBron James of the Miami Heat.

Compare that to when LeBron is out of the game. Miami have a certain Dwyane Wade you may have heard of over the last few years. Wade is equal to LeBron scoring-wise this year, although James is better all-round, Dwyane is still one of the league's top 10, maybe even top 5 players this season and of the last 3 years. When James goes off the floor or is injured, the Heat can simply defer scoring responsibilities to Wade who is on 25.7 points-per-game (James 26.5ppg). 1 point per game less than LeBron. So when James is unavailable or not playing well, Miami has another player who is basically just as adept at scoring the ball. Look at the options surrounding Derrick Rose on the Bulls' roster. Carlos Boozer is on 17.7ppg and Luol Deng is on 17.6ppg. Neither a bad average, but a good 6 or 7 points below Rose at 25.0ppg. Even Miami's Chris Bosh is averaging almost 19 points per game (18.7). So James will have less impact when he is off the floor.

This is a worthless comparison anyway, as Rose has only missed one game all season (a loss in Denver).

Can I go on? Yes. Here he is talking about James' stat line vs Rose's.

"LeBron's stats dwarf Rose's in so many categories it's not even funny, and simply because LeBron is ranked #13 in assists rather than in the Top 10 is hardly reason to vote Rose over LeBron."

While stats make up a big part of who is in and who is out of the MVP Race, they are far from the be-all and end-all of the award. LeBron is a more prolific scorer, but by just 2 points per game. So small it is irrelevant.
Next!

Although I used PER as a main focus of my previous article, there are a number of other statistical analytics that give a clear picture why LeBron is more deserving of the award, and there's one statistic Bulls fans just can't get around; his FG percentage.

Rose or LeBron? Tough choices in
this year's MVP Race

So, he moves on to Rose's fairly average Field Goal percentage. Fair enough, it is nowhere compared to James', but remember, Wade draws two defenders to him as he is so good. Bosh demands the same double team. That leaves James wide open on some plays. Plus, LeBron does not have to do the majority of Miami scoring every night, unlike Rose. This is one reason for his lower shots-made%. Rose must take shots he doesn't like when his team-mates are struggling. While LeBron has Wade to make shots he doesn't like or isn't good at. They compliment each other. Heat fans argue that Wade is taking points away from James, but James is still scoring the same as last season. True. But again, this is because Wade draws two defenders as does Bosh. James gets more open shots and therefore easy points than he did last year in Cleveland.

So yes, James is a better all-round player. But until he has single handedly carried a team to the top of the Eastern Conference and into Championship contention, he is not the MVP. Chicago may be top through their defensive excellence. But can you think of how many games they would have lost if it were not for D-Roses ownership of the late game? I can tell you right now, if it weren't for Rose, Chicago would be on a 3-game losing streak today instead of one, and would be scrapping around the 5th-6th-7th places in the East.

Sorry LeBron fans, but this one is not going your way.