Ankle no problem for Rose
The Bulls set a franchise record for most 3-point baskets in a playoff game Tuesday. They knocked down 14-of-31 attempts from long range in the blowout victory over Indiana.
The instigator was Keith Bogans, who drained 5-of-7 shots from behind the arc. The first one came 11 seconds into the game. His second midway through the first quarter put them up 20-11. The Bulls almost always win when Bogans scores at least 6 points.
“It always helps when the first one goes down,” Bogans said. “My shot just felt good today. Shots haven’t fallen for us the whole series, but tonight they fell.”
Derrick Rose and Luol Deng both added 3 baskets from 3-point range. Oddly enough, Kyle Korver had been red hot from long range, going 8-for-10 in the series. He was just 2-for-7 on Tuesday.
Fond farewell:After a rough series, most Indiana players made a point of walking toward the Bulls bench when Game 5 ended to offer plenty of hugs and congratulations.#147;It#146;s all basketball,#148; Taj Gibson said. #147;I know a lot of those guys personally. Nobody wants to go home. Nobody wants to end their season on a bad note, so every single possession is going to be hard-fought.#148;#147;Those guys played their heart out the whole series,#148; Keith Bogans added. #147;I take my hat off to them. They gave us a fight every game. This was the only game we were able to pull away from them.#148;Indiana forward Josh McRoberts was ejected late in the third quarter for a flagrant foul against Joakim Noah. During a rebound, McRoberts hit Noah like a blocking sled a couple times.The NBA announced Game 1 of the second round against Orlando or Atlanta will be Monday at the United Center.Boozer injures toe:Carlos Boozer suffered a turf toe injury on his right foot during Tuesday#146;s win over Indiana. X-rays were negative and he#146;ll be evaluated while the Bulls await the winner of the Orlando-Atlanta series.For the third straight game, Boozer picked up 2 fouls in the first quarter and took a seat on the bench early. He played just 16 minutes overall, 6 in the second half, finishing with 2 points and 5 rebounds. Boozer averaged 10 points and 10.2 rebounds in the series.