Plenty Gooden for Bulls
The Bulls have been subjected to plenty of negative publicity in recent days. But coach Jim Boylan made it sound as though the team was being trailed by paparazzi everywhere it went.
"We're a basketball team," Boylan said. "This is not a soap opera. We're a little bit tired of all the distractions."
Of course, the Bulls' wounds were self-inflicted with both Chris Duhon and Tyrus Thomas receiving suspensions for missing either practice or shootaround.
"Guys were hurt the last couple days," Boylan added. "A lot of stuff going on, a lot of things swirling around our team. No one likes that. No one likes to see that kind of stuff in the paper."
If the Bulls want to turn the topic back to basketball and their chances of making the playoffs, they did the right thing Tuesday night, knocking off the Utah Jazz 108-96 at the United Center.
This game certainly ranks among the Bulls' best performances of the season, although Utah (42-23) has one of the league's largest gaps in home vs. road success. The Jazz is 28-3 in Salt Lake City but just 14-20 on the road.
"I think it definitely got to us," forward Luol Deng said of the off-court issues. "This is what we do. This is our job. Everything we read, nothing has been positive. It hurts you and you can't keep saying things. You've got to play. That's the only way."
The Bulls (26-38) enjoyed the return of a couple of missing pieces. Thabo Sefolosha made a nice contribution after missing the previous six games with a groin injury. The 6-foot-7 guard finished with 11 points and 3 assists in 14 minutes, hitting 4 of 5 shots from the field.
"I thought Thabo changed the game in the first half," Boylan said. "When he entered the game, our intensity picked up. He got a couple deflections, a couple steals, made some shots."
The other missing ingredient was power forward Drew Gooden, who was coming off two quiet performances against Boston and Detroit last weekend. Gooden was tossed out of the Celtics game in the second quarter and hit 2 of 10 shots against the Pistons.
He was on top of his game Tuesday, producing 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Gooden surprisingly got the best of Utah's all-star forward Carlos Boozer, who scored 10 points, 11.5 below his season average. Former Illinois star Deron Williams had 20 points and 10 assists for the Jazz.
The Bulls took control of this game in the first half. After falling behind 18-10, the home team launched a 32-9 run over the next 12 minutes and took a 15-point lead with 5:18 left in the first half.
The Jazz never made a serious run the rest of the way, as the Bulls' advantage peaked at 19 early in the fourth quarter.
"I think most teams definitely want to make the playoffs," guard Kirk Hinrich said. "So if we accept the challenge defensively and pull together, I think good things will happen for us."
The victory pulled the Bulls within a half-game of Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the East. The Bulls and New Jersey are tied for ninth place.
The Bulls could gain more ground tonight, since the Hawks have the task of trying to stop Houston's 19-game winning streak, while the Nets host Cleveland.