Chicago Bulls-Return to Glory: NBA 2k13 Association

clonetrooper264

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Bulls bully way past Cavs

The Bulls came out with a statement game after dropping their previous game to the Spurs. Behind Rudy Gay's 34 points, the Bulls dominated the Cavs all night long aggressively attacking the basket and forcing the Cavs to commit 21 fouls leading to an astounding 40 free throws for the Bulls. Kyrie Irving had 24 points and 11 assists for the Cavs. He and Bulls star Derrick Rose still have yet to play each other.

"This is the kind of game we know we're capable of playing every night," said Gay, who led the Bulls free throw parade with 9 attempts, making 8. "We're a good team, we just need to make sure we're keyed in defensively and making the other team play our tempo."

"Defense was the key," said Tom Thibodeau. "You just need to look at the stats: 5 blocks, 7 steals, only 10 team fouls...we kept turnovers low, we did the little things that win games. Offensively, we were able to get where we wanted. We're capable of playing like this all the time I think."

The Bulls will take on the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
 

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Roy's game winner stuns Bulls

It was Bulls' coach Tom Thibodeau's kind of game: gritty, defensive, and ugly. The Bulls did everything according to plan, kept the score low, held the Wolves to under 40% shooting, limited the Wolves' second chance points, but they were unable to put it all together offensively, committing 21 turnovers and shooting just 42% overall and 26% from 3. Still, at the end of the game, the Bulls had a chance to force overtime with the game tied at 79. However, Brandon Roy, who had not hit a single shot on the night, shot a 25 foot 3 pointer that swished through as the buzzer sounded to stun the Bulls. Roy had just 4 points in the game. The Wolves were led by Nikola Pekovic's 28 points. Kevin Love added 20 points and 13 boards. Rudy Gay led the Bulls with 23 points, but took 26 shots to get those points.

"It was just a tough night for us," said James Harden, who had 11 points and 3 assists. "Nothing was falling for us offensively, but we were forcing them into just as many tough shots. To lose at the end like that when you know you could've prevented it is tough."

"Brandon's a heck of a player," said Kirk Hinrich. "Even after those surgeries you can tell that this season he's still just as dangerous as he was before. That showed tonight...he's still capable of hitting those clutch shots. Not much we could do...he just hit a great shot."

The Bulls will look to bounce back against Memphis on Saturday.
 

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Rudy Gay shines in return to Memphis

It was a homecoming for Rudy Gay as he played against his former team for the first time since being traded to the Bulls. Grizzlies fans in attendance were given a trip down memory lane as Gay scored shot after shot against his former teammates in a 21 point blowout win. He finished with 33 points and 6 assists. On the other hand, Luol Deng was held to just 8 points on 4-12 shooting. James Harden broke out of a shooting slump of sorts with 28 points and added 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

"It was great seeing all the guys again," said Gay, whose return to the FedEx Forum was filled with mixed feelings from fans. "At least between me and them, there's no problem. A trade was made and it wasn't me demanding out or anything. I think that fact helps a lot. No problems with me and the organization or anything."

"Well Chicago is definitely where I spent some of the best years of my career," said Deng. "I'll always treasure my moments there. They're a great team, a great group of guys. Thibs is an amazing coach...they've got a good thing going there. They don't even have Derrick right now, so they're even better than they're playing right now.
 

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Gay leads Bulls to rout of Pacers

The battle for the Central Division title continued as the Bulls hosted their biggest rival in the division in the Pacers. It was a tale of two halves for Rudy Gay. Gay started slow, shooting just 3 for 8 in the first half, but heated up in the second half, finishing with 26 points on 12-22 shooting. Kirk Hinrich helped shoulder the load in the first half shooting a perfect 4-4 from 3 and he finished the game hot as well as he ended up with 22 points. James Harden rounded out the three 20 point efforts from the Bulls with 24 points. The Pacers were led by Gerald Green's 20 points off the bench and DJ Augustin's 16 points and 11 assists. The Bulls were able to hold Pacer stars Danny Granger and Paul George to a combined 11-34 shooting night. The Bulls also received a big spark off the bench from reserve point guard Marquis Teague. Teague had 16 points and 6 assists off the bench and looked full of confidence all night, attacking the basket and making plays for himself and others.

"Marquis has been coming along really nicely this season," said Tom Thibodeau. "He's been using his minutes well and he's shown that he can play well in those minutes. This is just a glimpse of what he can be for us in the future."

"I was just feeling it tonight," said Hinrich of his retro performance, bringing Bulls fans back to the mid-2000s where he averaged as many as 16.6 points per game. "Nothing really has changed between then and now except a few injuries. It's possible I could go out next game and get another 20 points if we need it. If this team needs me to score to win that's what I'll do."

The Bulls' Central Division battle will continue against the Bucks tomorrow.
 

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Gay, Harden combine for 64, lead Bulls to victory over Bucks

The Bulls took control over the Central Division Wednesday with a win over the Bucks. The Bulls struggled offensively shooting the ball for most of the game, finishing with just 4 made 3s and 14% shooting from the arc overall. However, behind the early efforts on the offensive glass by Joakim Noah, who had a 14 point, 15 rebound double double, and Taj Gibson and stifling defense on Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis, the Bulls were able to jump out to an early lead in the first half. The third quarter proved to be a reversal of luck, however, as Ellis led the Bucks on a furious run, scoring 16 points in the 3rd himself. The Bulls on the other hand, struggled to make shots, shooting just 34% in the quarter. In the 4th, the Bucks, still riding the hot hand of Ellis, who finished with 42 points, but took 36 shots, took the lead for a brief moment. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau went with a gutsy move of putting his bench in the game with the game still uncertain, but it proved to be worthwhile as the bench unit was able to get consecutive stops to put the Bulls in the lead, setting up a situation where the starters could put them up for good. Harden and Gay took over the 4th, scoring every basket for the Bulls down the stretch.

"I trust our bench to get the job done," said Thibodeau regarding the move to bench his starters in the 4th. "Our starters were struggling to put up points and get stops on the other end. I'm not sure if it was fatigue or lack of effort, but I knew our bench could go out there and contribute so I went with them. They came through with some stops and that let our starters close out the game like we wanted."
 

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Hinrich, Harden, Gay combine for 77 in rout over Jazz

The Bulls were firing on all cylinders against the Jazz, bouncing back in a big way from their grind it out win over Milwaukee in their last game. The backcourt combo of Hinrich, Harden, and Gay combined for 77 points of the Bulls' 145 as the Bulls ran away with the game.

"Kirk's always had the ability to score," said Michael Redd of Hinrich's performance. "When he looks to be aggressive he can put up good numbers. Usually he doesn't have to do that, but this game he saw openings and took advantage of them."
 

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I played a game yesterday, forgot to put up a recap of it. Don't feel like doing one now.

Basically I beat the Warriors, shut down Curry, Rudy Gay went off with 5/5 from 3 and 10/12 shooting overall, Harden had 29, Hinrich/Noah with 12. I scored a lot of points and won by 35. Whee. :elephant:
 

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First flurry of trades made (after mine obviously)

Grizzlies trade: Jerryd Bayless, Wayne Ellington
Celtics trade: Leandro Barbosa, Chris Wilcox

Celtics trade: Courtney Lee
Spurs trade: Danny Gree, '13 2nd round pick

Grizzlies trade: Marreese Speights, Hamed Haddadi
Pacers trade: Ian Mahinmi

Mavericks trade: Dahntay Jones, Eddy Curry
Timberwolves trade: Luke Ridnour

Rockets trade: Patrick Patterson, Daequan Cook
Mavericks trade: Vince Carter, Jared Cunningham

Bucks trade: Larry Sanders, Mike Dunleavey
Mavericks trade: Shawn Marion, '14 2nd round pick
 

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Harden's 31 leads Bulls past Knicks

It was another shootout for the Bulls as they visited Madison Square Garden. Led by Harden's 31 points and 27 points from Rudy Gay, the Bulls were able to fend of 21 apiece from Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert and 26 points off the bench from JR Smith. Joakim Noah added a near triple double with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.

"Defensively, we still have a ways to go," said Tom Thibodeau. "Our offense is doing great. James and Rudy are really carrying the load for us with Derrick out. When Derrick gets back, we're going to be dangerous."

Rumors have begun floating around that Rose might return from his torn ACL near the All Star break, just a month away.

"He's been looking pretty good from what I've seen," said Taj Gibson. "He'll come back when he's ready. Our job right now is to let him do his thing and go out and win games. We'd love to get him back sooner rather than later, but we gotta do our part until then."
 

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Bulls trounce Pistons behind stifling defense

The Bulls have been giving up more points than usual the past few games, but got back to their defensive ways against the Detroit Pistons. The Bulls locked up the Pistons offense, which has been surprisingly effective this season, especially from the 3 point line where they shoot 40% on the season. The Bulls were able to completely take away their 3 point game, holding them scoreless from beyond the arc. On the offensive side however, the Bulls continued their high scoring ways. Gay and Harden combined for 42 points, both playing under 30 minutes in the game. In fact, no Bulls player played more than 28 minutes in the blowout win.

"It was good to see our guys come out and play the defense we expect," said Tom Thibodeau. "We're a defense first team, and that's where we've always prided ourselves on."

"It all starts with the defense," said Kirk Hinrich. "When we're locking in defensively, we can force turnovers that lead to easy baskets for us. We've been winning off of offensive firepower lately, but it's easier to win when we shut down the other team."
 

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Rudy's 28 leads Bulls past Nuggets

The Bulls got all they could handle from the Nuggets Wednesday at the United Center. Wilson Chandler and Kenneth Faried surprised the Bulls with their energy and hustle and combined for 58 points, mostly off of cuts and hustle points. However, the Bulls were able to ride Rudy Gay's offense to another victory as he took control of the game late in the 4th to put the game out of reach. It was a game where the Bulls bench struggled to contribute like they normally do with all of the bench posting just marginal +/- stats.

"We're fortunate that we have a guy like Rudy who can come in and just dominate games," said Tom Thibodeau. "Normally that would be Derrick, but now we have two, three guys that can take over a game whenever they want. It's a great luxury to have."
 

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One month until the trade deadline, will the Bulls make any moves?

The Bulls were active in trade talks early in the season when they made moves to acquire forward Rudy Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies and guard James Harden from the Houston Rockets. These two players have proved to be well worth the investment for the Bulls as they have provided a dynamic scoring punch with Derrick Rose still recovering from last season's ACL injury. But are they done? Rumors have been swirling that the Bulls may not be done wheeling and dealing. The Dallas Mavericks have been very active in trades the past month, trading a whole fourth of their roster away for expiring deals. The Bulls may look to cash in on a value player in exchange for an expiring contract. Interestingly, the New York Knicks have also been noted to be open for trades for any player. The Knicks have not had much luck this season so far and supposedly star forward Carmelo Anthony is unsettled. The Bulls have been recorded as wanting more depth on the interior, but have gotten enough solid play out of Kenyon Martin and Nazr Mohammed to not consider it a priority.

As it stands, the Bulls do not have much room to operate, having taken on Rudy Gay's large contract and signing veterans Michael Redd, Kenyon Martin, and Troy Murphy to one year deals. However, do not underestimate the Bulls' ability to make a surprise splash before the deadline. It wouldn't make sense for the Bulls to go after the stars of the Knicks or Mavericks, having now three stars of their own to compete with Miami's big three, as well as the dynamic threats of Oklahoma City, but anything is possible. It wouldn't shock anyone to see the Bulls pull a trick out of their sleeve to bolster their roster before the All Star break.
 

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Breaking: Bulls acquire Melo from Knicks

The Bulls shocked the league by trading for Carmelo Anthony, acquiring an even more dynamic scorer to their already potent offensive group. The Bulls sent away their leading scorer Rudy Gay and reserve guard Marco Belinelli in exchange for Melo.

"We're obviously ecstatic to add Melo to our team," said Bulls GM Gar Forman. "A player of his caliber doesn't come around very often, we're lucky to have him."

"Rudy was playing very very well for us," continued Forman. "He's arguably had a better season than Melo, and probably the best season of his career up to this point. However, we felt that with Melo, we'd be putting ourselves in the best position to win a championship and ultimately, that's what it's all about."

Anthony will be in uniform for the Bulls next game against the Mavericks. He will continue to wear #7.
 

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Murphy suffers back strain

Bulls forward Troy Murphy suffered a lower back strain in practice, reported the Chicago Tribune. The injury is not considered serious and Murphy will be available to play against Dallas on Thursday. However, he may be subjected to a minutes restriction in order to prevent further injury.
 

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