Bulls, Heat enjoying the television spotlight
A strong argument could be made that Bulls-Heat is the NBA’s hottest rivalry. Last season’s Eastern Conference finalists meet again Sunday afternoon in Miami for a nationally-televised contest.
A couple guys who started their pro careers playing for teams that didn’t get much national attention can appreciate being a part of something big.
“Anytime you’re the only game on, it’s a great time to play basketball,” Heat forward Chris Bosh told reporters in Miami. “Those are the games I remember as a kid before the playoffs started. We didn’t have cable, so those were the only games we could watch and then I watched them for seven years up in Toronto.
“They were always marquee matchups — the biggest names, the biggest teams, usually the teams that are competing for a championship. Those were the games that were great to watch.”
Bulls swingman Ronnie Brewer played on good teams in Utah with current teammates Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver. But Salt Lake City is one of the smallest markets in American pro sports.
“To me, it’s a respect thing. In Utah, we used to say we were always on a short lease on a low totem pole,” Brewer said. “Because we had late games, even though we won 50-plus games every year, we weren’t on TV much. We weren’t talked about a lot.
“Me, Booz and Kyle coming from there to here, you have a lot of prime-time games, a lot more media. Every big game that comes up becomes a rivalry, so we look forward to games like that.”
Gibson recovers quickly:Taj Gibson returned to the floor Friday against Milwaukee, producing 2 points, 2 blocks and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes.Gibson was diagnosed with a high sprain of his left ankle after landing on an opponent#146;s foot in Cleveland on Jan. 20. It sounded bad at the time, but he ended up missing just three games.#147;I#146;ve just been on top of it, icing a lot, taking care of business,#148; Gibson said. #147;No laziness around the house. Every five minutes, I#146;m icing it and on top of it. It paid off a lot. I#146;m just playing through a little bit of pain #8212; that#146;s no big deal.#148;Ex-Bull catching Heat:Former Bulls center Eddy Curry has seen some action for the Heat this season. In three brief appearances, he#146;s scored a total of 6 points. He didn#146;t play against another of his former teams, New York, on Friday.Curry, 29, averaged 19.5 points for the Knicks in 2006-07, but played in just 10 games combined from 2008-10, then didn#146;t play in the NBA at all last season.The former Thornwood High School star was drafted No. 4 overall by the Bulls in 2001, then traded to New York after four seasons in Chicago.Bulls release James:Before departing for Miami, the Bulls released guard Mike James. After joining the Bulls on Jan. 11, James paid dividends in the Jan. 21 win over Charlotte. With both Derrick Rose and John Lucas III shelved by injuries, James produced 9 points and 10 assists in just 16frac12; minutes.Now that Rose, Lucas and primary backup C.J. Watson are healthy again, James is expendable. It#146;s possible the Bulls will consider adding another frontcourt player with Luol Deng sidelined for the time being with a torn ligament in his left wrist, but no moves appear imminent.