Results tagged “basketball”

  

Bulls Edge Cavs

Last night, the Bulls dug themselves a big hole early on by rallied in the second half to bounce the Bucks 83-81. The Bulls' offensive struggles of the past few games carried over into last night as they shot 27 percent, mustering an unsightly 29 points in the entire first half and found themselves down by 14 at the break. The Milwaukee lead grew to as much as 18 over halfway through the third, but then Chicago finally got things going, sparked by Jannero Pargo coming off the bench, kicking off a 12-0 run to close to gap to four by the end of the third; the team wound up scoring 45 points over the game's final 18 minutes. Luol Deng had the best performance for the struggling Bulls with 24 points and 20 rebounds; Joakim Noah had only four points but pulled down 12 rebounds and Derrick Rose, who started but played fewer minutes, scored 16. The Bulls get a night off and then head to Cleveland to take on LeBron and the Cavs tomorrow night (7 p.m., TNT).

During Tuesday's morning shoot around, the Bulls sent power forward home Tyrus Thomas home with "flu-like symptoms." Thomas missed the Bulls dramatic comeback win against the Milwaukee Bucks last night, with rookie Taj Gibson starting in his place.

Ah, Bill Simmons aka ESPN's The Sports Guy. To know him is to either love him or hate him. To those that love him, his constant pop-culture riffs and irreverent takes on today's athletes make him seem like one of us: a fan. To those that would rather see him deleted from ESPN's archives, he's a Boston sports homer whose schtick has long since worn thin. Us? We love the guy. While his writing occasionally comes across as just a tad too jokey (sometimes undermining some good points), we can dismiss his homerism - at least he's honest and upfront about it - he's producing an entertaining podcast, he's doesn't suffer for a lack of passion, and he definitely knows sports, particularly basketball.

  

Heat Burn Bulls

  

'Hawks Edge Habs

    

Bulls Bounce Spurs In Opener

   

There are no box scores to link to today as none of Chicago's teams were in action last night. However, there's plenty of sports news to go around.

       

Is this the year the Bulls finally reclaim their place among the NBA's elite? For the past few seasons, the Bulls have been full of potential but inconsistent on fulfilling that promise on the court. One of these years, they'll finally make that jump. When we last saw the Bulls playing meaningful games, it was in an epic seven-game series (plus seven OT periods) with the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the playoffs. Taking the defending NBA champs and second-seeded Celts the full distance gave Bulls fans a lot to look forward to for this season. But is the optimism justified just yet?

    

The Bulls wrapped up a successful preseason - one they played for a good part without start Derrick Rose - by whooping the Washington Wizards 93-70. Tyrus Thomas led the team with 19 points and grabbed six rebounds while Joakim Noah also had a good game with 13 points and 16 rebounds and Brad Miller chipped in 18 off the bench. The Bulls got off to an ice cold start, missing 16 of their first 18 shots, but Thomas paced the Bulls in the second, scoring 12 points, and the Bulls started the second half with a 17-0 run to jump out to a huge lead. The Bulls finished the preseason 6-2 and are now off until their season opener against San Antonio on Thursday (7 pm, TNT). Benjy will be up Monday with our season preview.

The Chicago Bulls have had a hot start to the preseason but they were downed last night by the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic by a 101-98 final. John Salmons led all scorers, putting up 19 points in the losing effort; Kirk Hinrich added 18 and Brad Miller tacked on 15 off the bench. With almost a minute-and-a-half left to play, the Bulls were up by three over the Magic - who remain undefeated in the preseason - but Orlando rattled off a 7-0 run to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish, hitting key free throws to keep the Bulls at bay. With a 5-2 preseason record, the Bulls have one preseason game left - this Friday at home against the Wizards (7 p.m., CSN) - before opening their 2009-2010 regular season on October 29.

The Chicago Bulls continued their hot preseason, completing a home-and-home sweep of the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 94-90 victory Friday night at the United Center. Tyrus Thomas, playing for the first time in four games, led all scorers with 22 points. Taj Gibson added 14 for the Bulls. Despite leading most of the game, the Bulls saw the T-Wolves notch the game at 87-87 with less than a minute to go. But the Bulls hit some key free throws in the waning seconds to push ahead for the win. Said Thomas of his return, "It was good to just come out and play, have some fun and to get the win." Things didn't go so well for the T-Wolves' Kevin Love, who's out for a while after breaking a bone in his non-shooting hand. The Bulls only have a pair of preseason games left; the first is next Monday at home against Orlando (7 p.m., CSN).

The Blackhawks kept their hot start to the season going by winning their third game in a row and remaining unbeaten at home with last night's 4-3 victory over Edmonton. Patrick Sharp opened up the game with a goal in the first minute of play to give the 'Hawks an early lead. Edmonton answered less than two minutes later but Jack Skille would score as well to give Chicago a 2-1 edge. Kris Versteeg added a goal in the second period to give the 'Hawks a 3-1 edge, but it would take a Cam Barker power play goal late in the third to give the 'Hawks enough room to escape with the win in regulation. The Blackhawks sent a barrage of shots - 38 total - towards Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who just last year helped the 'Hawks to the Western Conference finals. Said the Bulin Wall after the game, "It was weird to be on the other side. They actually have become a pretty good team." Pretty good is right; at 4-1-1 in the young season, the 'Hawks sit alone atop the division. The team is on the road tonight in Nashville (7 p.m., CSN).

It was pretty exciting, even if it was a preseason game, as the Bulls edged the Milwaukee Bucks 87-86 last night at the United Center. The Bulls only dressed ten players as a variety of injuries kept five Bulls sidelined. Joakim Noah led the team with 20 points and pulled down an impressive 16 rebounds while Taj Gibson added 15 points and Kirk Hinrich scored 13. Up by six with two minutes to play, the Bulls let the Bucks pull even, but Jannero Pargo hit the go-ahead free throw with 24 seconds left and the Bucks couldn't get anything to fall in the waning moments of the game. The Bulls continue their preseason tonight in Minnesota tonight to take on the Timberwolves (7 p.m., CSN+).

The Chicago Blackhawks gave fans their money's worth at last night's home opener, edging the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in a dramatic nine-round shoot-out win. The Blackhawks got on the board first thanks to a power play goal from Cam Barker. The Avalanche, however, bounced back in the second period with the next two goals to take a 2-1 edge. From there, the two teams exchanged goals as a total of five goals were scored in the second, ending with the teams tied at 3-3 (the 'Hawks got goals from Andrew Ladd and Duncan Keith). After a scoreless third period and overtime period, the teams moved to a shoot-out. The two teams extended the shoot-out to a ninth frame, the longest shoot-out in Blackhawks' history, when a goal by Andrew Ladd gave the 'Hawks a 4-3 shoot-out edge and a 4-3 win. Cristobal Huet stopped 16 of 19 shots he faced in regulation and overtime and came through with some key saves in the shoot-out, stopping 6 of 9 shots. The Blackhawks next welcome Calgary to town on Monday (7 p.m., VS).

  

We shared photos from the Bulls' practice session yesterday and today we've got a few more shots of the Bulls having fun in London ahead of today's match-up with the Utah Jazz. Bulls star Derrick Rose joined Jazz players Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko (and friends) at this weekend's Chelsea-Liverpool Premiership game. For those interested, the game tips off at 1:30 p.m. Chicago time; it's only being carried on NBA TV but you can follow the action online at NBA.com.

       

Like their hockey counter-parts, Chicago's NBA team is getting their season started with a a little European jaunt. Tomorrow night, the Bulls take on the Utah Jazz in a preseason game at London's O2 Arena. The team is already there and settling for the game tomorrow night, though both Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas could sit out, according to coach Vinny del Negro.

For the upcoming season, the Chicago Bulls have added a spanish-language radio broadcast as they try to reach out to the city's large Latino community. Twenty-one home games will be aired on La Tremenda WRTO 1200 AM, with Omar Ramos and Ozzie Guillen, Jr. calling the games. As in son of the hot headed, loud mouthed White Sox manager. If he runs his mouth anything like his dad, we're sure the broadcasts will be entertaining -- no matter the on-court play. Pretty sweet as we've been looking for an excuse to brush up on our Spanish. This isn't the first time Ramos and Guillen have teamed up: the pair have been calling the White Sox on Spanish radio for the past few seasons.

Yesterday, we mentioned our local papers honoring Michael Jordan on his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame (being televised this afternoon by ESPN, 5:30 p.m.) along with other greats John Stockton, David Robinson, Vivian Stringer, and Jerry Sloan. But, for Chicago, it's mostly about His Royal Airness. And ESPN has the perfect Friday distraction for you in the form of this collection of 23 videos celebrating his biggest moments [via GB].

In celebration of Michael Jordan's induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame tomorrow, both the Tribune and Sun-Times have created an extensive special Michael Jordan Tributes. Both feature a collection of articles, columns, photos, and videos that trace MJ's life from his childhood, to his standout college career, to his illustrious run in the NBA, his detours for the Olympics and minor league baseball, as well as life in the executive suite. So go ahead and waste your workday reminiscing about the best basketball player we're likely to ever see, as well as the one who brought six championships to town.

On Friday, Michael Jordan finally assumes his rightful place in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Leading up to his enshrinement, the Trib asks what we can only assume is a rhetorical question, "Is MJ the best ever?" Sure, we may be a teeny bit biased here in Chicago. But we still pick MJ over the likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson. So would former Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach, "I saw Oscar Robertson and Russell play. I coached against Wilt (in college). The idolatry Michael experienced would send anybody else off spinning. But he continued to produce."

Reports indicate that on Thursday, the NCAA will strip the University of Memphis of its wins from the 2007-08 following an investigation into violations by the program. Those violations include accusations that Bulls point guard Derrick Rose had somebody else take his SAT exam and that family of the Chicago hoops phenom received other illegal benefits such as free travel.

A professional sports team is leaving its city digs for a spot in the suburbs. No, don't worry, the Bears aren't going to start playing at Ryan Field. Chicago's WNBA team, the Chicago Sky, is packing up and leaving the UIC Pavilion, their current home, and relocating to the Allstate Arena in Rosemont starting with the 2010 season. Why? The team itself says it's all about growing. Sky President and CEO Margaret Stender said in a statement, “The Sky has developed from an expansion team into one of the WNBA’s most formidable teams with fabulous young talent and a very bright future. The Allstate Arena is a great choice for our team and our fans as we enter our next stage of growth. The central location and benefits of our new home will help our Sky family continue to expand."

The NBA released the league's schedule for the upcoming season on Tuesday, and the Bulls (see Bulls schedule) face a series of challenges right away that could help clarify whether or not they can grab a seat among the NBA's elite.

  

White Sox Roll Past Royals

Turns out that the rumors we'd heard over the past couple weeks were true. On the first day that NBA teams could make offers to free agents, the Detroit Pistons lured Ben Gordon away from the Bulls. Gordon reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth between $55 and $60 million. While the Bulls claimed to want to retain Gordon, and Gordon stated his desire to remain in Chicago, he sure didn't waste much time in signing elsewhere.

The White Sox hit Cleveland ace Cliff Lee early and often on their way to a rain-shortened 11-4 drubbing of the Indians. The Sox got off to a quick start, knocking in four runs in the first including a two-run homer from Paul Konerko. Rookie Gordon Beckham went yard in the third and Josh Fields added a solo shot in the fifth as the Sox scored in each of the first six innings except the second and chased Lee after knocking him around for seven runs in just over three innings pitched. As for the Sox, Clayton Richard gave up four runs, struck out six, and got the win. The rain - which forced the game to be called in the top of the seventh - also helped preserve the Sox bullpen as Richard threw all six innings for the Sox. The final game of the series gets underway in Cleveland tonight at 6:05 p.m. (WCIU).

Heading into Thursday night's NBA draft, the Bulls were looking for some help with their inside scoring and some depth in the backcourt. When the night was over, they had addressed the first need twice over while neglecting the other entirely.

A year ago, Derrick Rose was the center of the basketball world's attention as he was picked first overall in the NBA Draft. In his rookie season, he lived up to the hype, winning the rookie of the year award and ingratiating himself to fans in Chicago. Rose has had a bit of a rocky ride since the season ended, however. First there was the photo of him flashing a gang sign, and then the allegations he cheated on his SATs in order to get into the University of Memphis.

Last year, the Bulls were sitting pretty with the top overall pick in the draft. And while some thought they should pick power forward Michael Beasley, the Bulls seem to have made the right call with their selection of point guard Derrick Rose. Not only did he take home the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the league's top rookie, he also helped the Bulls return to the playoffs -- where they played an epic series against Boston. As such, the Bulls avoided the draft lottery this year, and don't make their first pick in the 2009 draft until midway through the first round, at the 16th spot. The Bulls -- on account of trading Thabo Sefelosha to Oklahoma City -- also have the 26th pick. So with newly promoted GM Gar Forman running his first draft, we're interested to see what the Bulls can do to improve the team.