Giving thanks after Bulls' Western swing
Not everyone is able to stay up late to catch the end of the Chicago Bulls' West Coast games.
So as a service to those who must wake up early, here's a list of reasons for Bulls fans to be thankful on the heels of a three-game Western swing (and if you missed it, the Bulls beat Portland 93-88 late Tuesday night):
The Butler-Plumlee rivalry:
This didn't become a thing until the 4:17 mark of the fourth quarter on Tuesday. Bulls guard Jimmy Butler set a screen on Portland center Mason Plumlee. Plumlee threw his shoulder into Butler, knocking him to the floor. Butler responded by using his legs to trip Plumlee, then jumped to his feet and got in the face of the Blazers' big man.
After video review, Plumlee was given a flagrant foul and Butler a technical. After the game, Butler was fuming about the impending fine he'll receive for the technical foul.
"He cost me $2,500," Butler told reporters in the locker room. "I'm not happy about that. I'm going to ask him to pay me back - and I'm not playing.
"I'm going to tell my agent to email him or something. I know it's MisterDukie@yahoo.com or something."
Of course, Plumee and his two brothers went to Duke. To be fair, the Bulls won the game, but Plumee unleashed a nice personal highlight, a coast-to-coast, two-handed dunk about 10 possessions after the dust-up.
Barring a trade, this rivalry will resume Feb. 27 when Portland visits the United Center. Or maybe everyone will have forgotten about it by then. However it turns out, go ahead and appreciate the replay today.
Rose still has one good eye:
And two healthy knees. Derrick Rose returned to the lineup in Portland after missing two games with a sprained left ankle. He had mixed results, finishing with 17 points and 6 assists. Rose missed some shots down the stretch, but helped to keep the Blazers' top scorer Damien Lillard in check.
This was Rose's first game in Portland since he tore meniscus cartilage in his right knee on Nov. 22, 2013, and missed the rest of that season. He missed last season's game in Oregon with a hamstring issue.
"I'm just happy I got off the court," Rose joked after the contest. "I felt all right. There were some plays where I had no lift on my shot as far as like driving the ball, but that's going to come the more I play and the stronger it gets."
Even though there was an eight-day gap because of Rose's sprained ankle, this probably counts as his best performance in consecutive games this season. Rose scored 23 points against Indiana on Nov. 16 before getting hurt in the fourth quarter.
Never forgetting defense:
The Fred Hoiberg era was supposed to be about a faster pace and scoring more points. That part has been a work in progress, but the Bulls are 9-4 thanks to a still-solid defense. Through Tuesday's action, the Bulls ranked second in the league in defensive field-goal percentage.
The Bulls squandered a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter against Portland, but a big reason they won was holding Lillard to 4-of-22 shooting.
"I thought (Rose) did a terrific job defensively," Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "Damian Lillard's one of the toughest guards in this league, and you have to stay attached to him at all times."
Butler rising, Gasol not fading:
Butler stepped up during the three-game Western swing, averaging 27.3 points. He went 6-for-6 at the foul line late in Tuesday's game, but was held without a field-goal in the fourth quarter.
When the Bulls badly needed a bucket down the stretch, Gasol delivered a couple times. He hit a fadeaway jumper as the shot clock expired with 4:58 left and scooted past Plumlee for a running bank that gave the visitors an 87-82 lead with 1:45 remaining. Those were the Bulls' only two field goals in the final 10 minutes.
Choices at small forward:
Mike Dunleavy is probably about a month away from returning from back surgery. In the meantime, neither Tony Snell nor Doug McDermott has seized the small forward spot.
Snell finished with 5 points against Portland and McDermott had 4. Snell had a rough stretch in the third quarter when he missed a dunk, then clanked three straight open 3-pointers. McDermott's offense has been better, but defense is keeping him off the floor in fourth quarters. One of them is bound to heat up, right?
Setting the bar high:
The Bulls set one of the iconic records in NBA history by winning 72 games during the 1995-96 season. That group deserves all the attention it will get this season as the 16-0 Golden State Warriors try to break every existing record for success.
The Warriors wrapped up the best start in league history on Tuesday. The next target is the 33-game win streak mark set by the 1971-72 Lakers.
Short circus trip:
The Bulls were able to make it home for at least part of Thanksgiving. They are planning to practice before flying to Indiana for the final stop on this year's circus trip.
They have to play every Western Conference team eventually, but at least they got the Warriors out of the way and collected a couple of road victories against decent opponents. Say thanks for something.
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