Forward Gibson gets 'knowledge' from James
At least one of the Bulls considers LeBron James a close friend. It might not be the first player you'd guess.
Rookie forward Taj Gibson met James in California and they hit it off. Following the March 19 game at the United Center, James headed to center court specifically to deliver a hug to Gibson.
"Me and LeBron, we talk all the time," Gibson said. "He's always giving me some knowledge. It's funny playing against him in the playoffs, because he's going right after it."
Gibson isn't quite certain how this all came about, other than James spends time in Los Angeles during the summers and works out at USC, which is where Gibson attended college. Being a basketball junkie, James must have known Gibson was one of the Trojans' better players.
"My college teammate called me and said, 'LeBron's here and he's asking where you're at,' " Gibson recalled. "I went up to the gym, LeBron was in there and he was like, 'What's up, man?' I went in there and talked to him. He was in there stretching.
"Ever since I came here, he's been real cool with me, always talked to me a lot during the games, telling me what to do. I haven't had a chance to hang out with him, but every time we're in the (same) building, we talk."
James isn't doing Gibson any favors during the playoffs, blocking 2 of the rookie's shots in Game 3. But Gibson said James is still friendly whenever the action stops. The same is true for Cavs forward Antawn Jamison, who usually matches up against Gibson.
"Even though we're battling every time, (Jamison) talks to me," Gibson said. "My mindset is kill, go after him. They're still giving me props and talking to me. Being in the NBA, everybody's like a brother. Everyone's real friendly."
Foot not faltering: Joakim Noah's foot problems seem like a distant memory now that he's playing well against the Cavs. He returned from a 10-game absence on March 20, just over a month ago.
"My foot feels pretty good. I feel really lucky, really blessed," he said. "Just a couple months ago - I was like, 'I don't know if I'll ever be able to run like that again for a while. So it feels good to be out there running those big guys. I thought I was going to be playing in more pain than I am now."
Wave of future: LeBron James on Bulls fans chanting, "MVP - MVP," when Derrick Rose shot free throws on Thursday.
"It's an all-league thing," James said. "Everyone is an MVP when they go to the line. It's like the wave now."
Bull horns: Guard Acie Law turned his ankle on Friday and didn't practice Saturday. He hasn't played yet in the series. - Shaquille O'Neal blamed thumb surgery for his limited scoring in this series. "I still have that thingama-jiggy thing on my hand. I'm still trying to adjust to that." - Traffic reminder: Avoid the Madison St. exit off I-94, because of the Greek Parade starting at 2 p.m.