Hot-shooting Bulls dial up another win
NEW YORK -- Bulls interim coach Jim Boylan can't wait for the next phone call from his former boss Jud Heathcote.
During those weeks when the Bulls were the only team in the NBA shooting less than 40 percent from the field, the sarcastic ex-Michigan State coach would call and ask Boylan, "Who's your shooting coach?"
After the Bulls knocked off the New York Knicks 100-83 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon, Boylan promised to have his cell phone nearby with the ring volume on high.
"I hope he calls me now," Boylan joked after improving his record to 2-0.
The Bulls (11-17) put on a rare display of marksmanship, hitting 7 of their first 10 shots from 3-point range and shooting 50 percent from the field overall.
Mt. Vernon, N.Y., native Ben Gordon found his New York groove, hitting 11 of 15 shots for 25 points. In the locker room, Gordon basically gave Boylan all the credit for the team's improving accuracy. Scott Skiles was dismissed as head coach one week ago today and officially replaced by Boylan last Thursday.
"Any time there's change, it's not necessarily bad all the time," Gordon said. "Sometimes you need change to kind of get things stirred up and get to playing well again. I think Jim's approach is he has guys a little bit more relaxed than before, not so uptight, and it seems like it's transferring out there onto the court.
"As far as X and O's, everything is still the same for us. I just think the mood is a lot more relaxed. And we realize that if we go out there and give our best every night, that's all we can do."
Gordon was asked if Skiles contributed to a tense atmosphere. Picked by many to challenge for the Eastern Conference title, the Bulls got off to a 2-10 start this season and struggled to recover.
"He wasn't making things tense, but I just think Skiles and Jim have two different personalities," Gordon continued. "You guys all know Skiles is known as like a disciplinarian or whatever you want to call him … strict or whatever.
"Jim is just a little more laid back, but he still demands the same things. They just have two different personalities, that's really it."
Center Ben Wallace agreed the atmosphere surrounding the Bulls (11-17) has changed in recent days.
"Yeah, I think everybody is just going out and playing loose and having fun," he said. "Anytime you go out there and play hard, have a little fun, good things happen for you."
Of course, the Bulls need to keep in mind that they've beaten Milwaukee (11-18) and New York (8-21), which aren't exactly fighting for the high playoff seeds. A much tougher challenge awaits today when the Bulls host the Orlando Magic (21-11) in a New Year's Eve matinee.
Boylan, who grew up across the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J., talked about how he tried to increase the Bulls' fastbreak opportunities to help ease pressure on the half-court offense. The Bulls held a meager 14-10 advantage in fastbreak points against the Knicks, but probably succeeded in playing at a more rapid pace.
"I thought we played together as a team, which is one of the things we've struggled with this year," Boylan said. "One of the points of emphasis that we wanted to get back to was kind of playing our brand of basketball. The ball moved around well for us and created a lot of good opportunities."
The Bulls never trailed after the first quarter. Gordon's jumper with less than a second remaining in the third quarter put the Bulls up 73-57, and it was just a matter of how loud the Garden fans would chant "Fire Isiah!" in the waning moments, a reference to Knicks coach Isiah Thomas.