The Unstopa-Bulls: A Chicago Bulls Association Dynasty

[K.So]

LAKERS DEEAT BULLS 111-110, END 40-GAME WINNING STREAK


Not even a triple team could stop Bryant from hitting the game-winner.

CHICAGO - The Bulls were due for a loss, but when was the question. Well, we got our answer. Not 5 games in. Not 10. Not 15. Nope. We got the Bulls' first loss an incredible 40 GAMES IN. Let that sink in. 40 games of wins.

With 19.8 seconds left on the clock, and the Lakers down 109-110, everyone knew who the ball was going to: Kobe Bryant. The Lakers ran a slick down screen play along the baseline, and Kobe cut from the top of the key down to the left baseline, received the ball from Steve Nash, and calmly lay it in for the 28th game winner of his illustrious career, two more than the second-place finisher, Michael Jordan. Kobe shined in the win, scoring 22 points, including 8 in the final period, to combine with 5 rebounds, 6 assists and stellar 10-18 shooting. Steve Nash was a healthy contributor also, scoring 19 and dishing out 14 assists, in the fourth straight season he has averaged a double-double. Though contributions from the bench were better for the Lakers, with 32 points, it was the starters who guided the Lakers to victory, as Steve Nash leade a well oiled machine, as the Lakers shot over 50% and only committed 8 turnovers, against a stingy Bulls defense.

On the Bulls' side, Derrick Rose was struggling all night. Though he finished with 11/5/7, he finished 5-14 from the field, including missing the potential game winning fadeaway from the free throw line extended, and committed a costly 6 turnovers. For the first game this season, Terrence Williams, Bulls signee was the marquee contributor, as he chipped in 31/3/4, including several clutch shots down the stretch, as he scored 9 in the fourth quarter:

"I'm thankful for the Bulls to give me another chance, when no other team did. I came into a low-risk, high-reward situation, and I feel that I made the most of it tonight. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the 'W', but all good things must end. It happened in the most painful way tonight, though."

Zach Randolph finally broke out for his first monster game, that we grew accustomed to seeing in Memphis, as he put together a 21-point, 17-rebound masterpiece.

"Sucks we couldn't get the win tonight, but we can learn from this. We're not an invincible team, and It's better we learn that now that later on in the playoffs, or in a series."

Joakim Noah did a tremendous job guarding Dwight Howard, holding him to only 12/10...small for his standards, and allowing no FT attempts for Howard, the first time this season that that has happened for Howard.

Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Los Angeles (26-15)	23	31	28	29	111
Chicago (40-1)	26	24	28	32	110

Los Angeles Lakers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Derrick Rose	36	5-14	1-2	0-2	5	7	2	0	6	11
Andre Iguodala	36	6-11	2-3	0-2	2	4	1	2	1	14
Terrence Williams	29	12-22	2-3	5-6	3	4	0	0	0	31
Zach Randolph	32	9-14	0-0	3-3	17	1	0	1	1	21
Joakim Noah	25	1-1	0-0	3-4	8	2	0	0	1	5
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Nate Robinson	15	1-10	1-4	0-0	1	1	1	0	1	3
Richard Hamilton	9	1-3	1-2	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	3
Jimmy Butler	10	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	2
Taj Gibson	27	4-12	0-0	3-3	9	2	0	0	0	11
Greg Oden	12	2-3	0-0	2-2	7	1	0	0	0	6
Kirk Hinrich	13	1-5	1-1	0-0	1	2	1	0	0	3
Nazr Mohammed	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		49-96	4-15	9-10	42	36	6	6	8	111

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Steve Nash	40	7-12	0-03	5-5	2	14	2	0	3	19
Kobe Bryant	36	10-18	2-4	0-0	5	6	1	0	0	22
Antawn Jamison	32	8-13	2-3	0-0	6	5	0	1	2	18
Pau Gasol	29	3-7	0-0	2-2	5	2	0	1	0	8
Dwight Howard	35	6-13	0-0	0-0	10	3	1	2	2	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jordan Hill	12	5-7	0-0	0-0	3	2	1	1	0	10
Metta World Peace	14	3-7	0-2	2-2	3	0	1	0	0	8
Steve Blake	9	3-5	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	6
Jodie Meeks	13	2-8	0-3	0-0	1	0	0	1	1	4
Robert Sacre	5	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	2
Earl Clark	10	0-2	0-0	0-0	3	1	0	0	0	0
Darius Johnson-Odom	11	1-2	0-0	0-1	2	1	0	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		43-96	8-15	16-22	55	25	5	3	11	110

[K.So]

ALL-STAR SQUADS ANNOUNCED

2012-13 NBA All-Star Game Rosters
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau		Head Coach: Kevin McHale
Pos	Starters	Pos	Starters
G	Deron Williams	G	Russell Westbrook
G	Derrick Rose	G	Kobe Bryant
F	LeBron James	F	Kevin Durant
F	Carmelo Anthony	F	Tim Duncan
C	Kevin Garnett	C	Dwight Howard
Pos	Reserves	Pos	Reserves
G	Kyle Lowry	G	Jeremy Lin
G	Monta Ellis	G	James Harden
F	Andre Iguodala	F	Michael Beasley
F	Josh Smith	F	Kevin Love
C	Roy Hibbert	C	DeMarcus Cousins
G	Jrue Holiday	C	Al Jefferson
G	Rajon Rondo	G	Stephen Curry

[K.So]

February 28th, 2012

John had had several close calls with the authorities, but he wouldn't let that stop him for the nth time.


"You got it Francisco?" he asked his Dominican henchman.


"Si, sir." he replied. That seemed to be what he said most of the time.


“Alright. Kenny will be here shortly.” he said as he chuckled and grinned.

---

"...welcome folks to tonight's Thursday presentation of the NBA on TNT. I'm Mike Breen, and as always, am joined by Hall-of-Famer Reggie Miller. Tonight, we see an interconference battle between the 53-3 Chicago Bulls, and the Oklahoma City Thunder..."


Ah. Nothing beat NBA on TNT on a Thursday night.


"Well, It's 7:12 PM in Oklahoma City, so let's head to the court for the tip...Joakim Noah against Serge Ibaka..."


7:12. Kenny was going to be late. He forgot. He had a dinner with John and a couple other Bulls employees.


He darted out of his lounge sofa, took his black blazer off of it, and slipped it on top of his sweater and tie.


As he drove his Lambo down the highway, Kenny couldn’t help but reflect on the Bulls’ season, as he was tuned to ESPNChicago radio.


"...here's Martin on the drive...contested by Noah...BLOCKED BY JOAKIM!"


Defense. Something the Bulls cherished, and the team had been built that way. Rose. Iggy. T-Will. ZBo. Jo.


"Gibson corrals the rebound...outlet to Rose...Bulls' have got numbers, 2-on-1...Rose with Iggy...alley-oop to Iguodala...and IGUODALA SLAMS IT DOWN HARD...!"


Athleticism. The team was full of guys who could run, guys who could make their money in transition if it was the only way to score.


Kenny pulled up to John's house. He turned off the idling engine, and shut off the radio, right as he heard the "Oh!" from the announcers. He probably missed a huge play. That same sound resonated from inside John's house. Kenny was late.


And it was only 7:32.


2 minutes past 7:30 scheduled time. No wonder the Bulls were so good. The front office staff were such perfectionists; even something like this they were.


Kenny walked up the smooth gravel pathway, flanked by perfectly cut shards of grass.


As the door opened, to greet him was John's servant, Francisco.


"Hola, senor." Francisco said.


"Hola." Kenny replied, as he hung his coat on the coat rack. He counted. There were 23 coats on the rack. He wasn't last after all.


As the evening party progressed, dinner came around, and when Francisco’s Dominican holler was overheard by the party, everybody came flooding towards the dining room, for everyone knew of Francisco’s cooking, whether it be Japanese, French, Spanish, or whatever.


The appetizers were delicious. And as the meal was being cut by John, some type of succulent meat, Kenny heard an "OW!" coming from the kitchen, followed by:


"Kenny..." John winced through the pain, "could you help me cut the meat?"


Kenny made his way through the archway and into the kitchen.


"Sure."


"Alright..." he paused as he headed to the oak cupboard. "I need to squirt some of the animal's blood into it first."


"Blood? Are you sure?"


"Yes. Adds flavour, it may cause some trouble, but it'll be beneficial."


And as John squirted the "animal's blood" into the meat, Kenny began slicing it.


"Ah, yes." John sniffed the meat. "Just what I wanted..."


As the night, and the conversation slogged on, and turned to men's fashion, there was an unusual question, asked by none himself, Jerry Reinsdorf.


"Kenny, what are those nice shoes you wear, like in your casual shoes?"


"Oh!" Kenny was caught off guard by this strange question. "Those are Nike Free X...you should try them. Very comfy."


The rest of the dinner party went as you would expect, and as the night concluded, albeit, at 2am, Kenny was feeling refreshed. Perhaps that was justbecause he was hung-over and drunk.


TBC

*There's a bunch of foreshadowing in the dialogue that will tie into the next storyline piece - and something major will happen to Kenny.

[K.So]

NBA AWARDS PREDICTIONS

By Nick Friedell | Guest Writer | ESPNChicago.com

CHICAGO - With the NBA season-end only 30 games away, with All-Star Weekend just past us, I think it would be appropriate to evaluate the NBA season at the 3/5 mark, not the 3/4, like I've done in recent years. In today's column, as a Chicago Tribune guest writer today, I will shine some light on my predictions for the NBA year-end awards, and why I think my predictions are correct.

Chicago Tribune Predictions
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Most Valuable Player	Derrick Rose	G	Chicago Bulls
Rookie of the Year	Anthony Davis	F	New Orleans Hornets
Sixth Man of the Year	Taj Gibson	F	Chicago Bulls
Defensive Player of the Year	Dwight Howard	C	Los Angeles Lakers
Most Improved Player	Gustavo Ayon	F	New Orleans Hornets
Coach of the Year	Tom Thibodeau	COACH	Chicago Bulls
All-NBA 1st Team
All-NBA 1st Team	Derrick Rose	G	Chicago Bulls
	Chris Paul	G	Los Angeles Clippers
	LeBron James	F	Miami Heat
	Carmelo Anthony	F	New York Knicks
	Dwight Howard	C	Los Angeles Lakers
All-NBA 2nd Team
All-NBA 2nd Team	Dwyane Wade	G	Miami Heat
	Kobe Bryant	G	Los Angeles Lakers
	Kevin Durant	F	Oklahoma City Thunder
	Kevin Love	F	Minnesota Timberwolves
	Al Jefferson	C	Utah Jazz
All-NBA 3rd Team
All-NBA 3rd Team	Deron Williams	G	Brooklyn Nets
	Russell Westbrook	G	Oklahoma City Thunder
	Josh Smith	F	Atlanta Hawks
	Blake Griffin	F	Los Angeles Clippers
	Andrew Bynum	C	Philadelphia 76ers
All-Defensive 1st Team
All-Defensive 1st Team	Chris Paul	G	Los Angeles Clippers
	Tony Allen	G	Memphis Grizzlies
	LeBron James	F	Miami Heat
	Anthony Davis	F	New Orleans Hornets
	Dwight Howard	C	Los Angeles Lakers
All-Defensive 2nd Team
All-Defensive 2nd Team	Rajon Rondo	G	Boston Celtics
	Jeremy Lin	G	Houston Rockets
	Josh Smith	F	Atlanta Hawks
	Kevin Garnett	F/C	Boston Celtics
	Roy Hibbert	C	Indiana Pacers
All-Rookie 1st Team
All-Rookie 1st Team	Anthony Davis	F	New Orleans Hornets
	Damian Lillard	G	Portland Trailblazers
	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	F	Charlotte Bobcats
	Bradley Beal	G	Washington Wizards
	Dion Waiters	G	Cleveland Cavaliers
All-Rookie 2nd Team
All-Rookie 2nd Team	Jonas Valanciunas	C	Toronto Raptors
	Harrison Barnes	F	Golden State Warriors
	Thomas Robinson	F	Sacramento Kings
	Jeremy Lamb	G	Oklahoma City Thunder
	Victor Claver	F	Portland Trailblazers

1. MVP: Derrick Rose: I felt that this was the choice, because, even though LeBron's individual season has been much greater (26/9/5), the team success that Rose (22/4/7) and his Bulls' have been having far surpasses the Heat. The Bulls have 4 losses to the Heat's 19 thus far.

2. ROY: Anthony Davis: I was inclined to pick Damian Lillard (19/4/7) or even Bradley Beal (21/3/3), but Davis' impact goes two ways, something that the other two don't, or at least not at a statistical first glance. Davis was nearly the first rookie to make the All-Star Game since Blake Griffin and Tim Duncan, 16 years ago, but one vote seperated him from that feat. Nothing of the sort happened to the other two, and Davis is my pick.

3. SMOY: Taj Gibson: Maybe that's my Bulls' bias calling, though none of the Chicago readers reading this column today will be too upset! Gibson has taken a step forward, averaging 12 points and 7 rebounds per game, and though he is playing in a sixth man role, is averaging 54% shooting, and is Top 15 in blocks per game. His value defensively goes far beyond that, as he is giving up the seventh least points-per-possession, and it is evident, when Gibson is out there guarding Roy Hibbert, to Dwight Howard, to Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

4. DPOY: Dwight Howard. 'Nuff said.

5. MIP: Boy, has Gustavo Ayon been a surprise. This year's Jeremy Lin, to be precise. He has jumped from 5 points and 5 boards to 15 points and 9 boards this season. Who else has improved that much? No one.

[trekfan]

I'm pretty sure Kenny just got set up for something very nasty at that party ... "animal blood" and questions about shoes? Oh yeah, this looks like it's gonna got "Law and Order" on us pretty soon.

[K.So]

REPORT: BULLS GM KENNY WILLIAMS ON TWO CHARGES OF MANSLAUGHTER

March 15, 2012

CHICAGO - CNN has just received reports from the FBI, from the Chicago Police Department that Chicago Bulls GM, of the National Basketball Association, Kenny Williams has been charged with manslaughter on two counts. The victim is apparently a person close to the Chicago Bulls organization, and at this time, the autopsy, police, FBI and forensic crimes units will be utilised to assist in solving this case. The charges laid against Mr. Williams were: two counts of manslaughter, inhumane treatment, and resisting arrest. Williams and the Chicago Bulls organization would not comment on the matter.

The maximum sentence, if Williams is found guilty, could be up to 25 years in high-security federal prison. The consequences from the National Basketball Association, if Williams was found guilty, would be an indefinite ban from operating with the Chicago Bulls organization, within the NBA, or being in association with any members of the NBA's respective teams over business concerns.

Stay tuned to CNN.com and CNN on your television for more on this breaking story.

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by K.So

REPORT: BULLS GM KENNY WILLIAMS ON TWO CHARGES OF MANSLAUGHTER March 15, 2012 CHICAGO - CNN has just received reports from the FBI, from the Chicago Police Department that Chicago Bulls GM, of the National Basketball Association, Kenny Williams has been charged with manslaughter on two counts. The victim is apparently a person close to the Chicago Bulls organization, and at this time, the autopsy, police, FBI and forensic crimes units will be utilised to assist in solving this case. The charges laid against Mr. Williams were: two counts of manslaughter, inhumane treatment, and resisting arrest. Williams and the Chicago Bulls organization would not comment on the matter. The maximum sentence, if Williams is found guilty, could be up to 25 years in high-security federal prison. The consequences from the National Basketball Association, if Williams was found guilty, would be an indefinite ban from operating with the Chicago Bulls organization, within the NBA, or being in association with any members of the NBA's respective teams over business concerns. Stay tuned to CNN.com and CNN on your television for more on this breaking story.

And there goes the dynamite.

[K.So]

BULLS DEFEAT RAPTORS FOR 73rd W


This was one sign of many as the Bulls' fans savoured the historic moment for the second time in 17 years.

By Nick Friedell | ESPNChicago.com

CHICAGO - Well, it was about time, wasn't it? For the 73rd time in 79 games, the Chicago Bulls could call themselves victors, once again, setting a new record that their 1996 counterparts once held.

That team was lead by Michael Jordan.

It had began where it started, as the Bulls used a trademark team approach to get the victory over the Raptors 98-82. Four players scored in double digits, and every single player active on that day got over 10 minutes of playing time.

Nate Robinson and Derrick Rose both scored 20 points, ach Randolph and Quincy Miller both chipped in 10. And the Twitterverse was buzzing all night:

Congrats to the #Bulls for win #73 ... ready to meet in the #Finals?

-Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward)



Blessed for the oppurtunity to be part of history!!! #73andcounting

-Taj Gibson (@tajgibson22)



#73andcounting #75plus16 #Bulls

-Andre Iguodala (@mindofai9)


Congratulations to the @ChicagoBulls on their 73rd win!

-Barack Obama (@BarackObama)

Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
Oct 12, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Chicago (73-7)	33	26	25	15	98
Toronto (29-52)	20	20	26	16	82

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kyle Lowry	34	5-17	2-4	0-0	3	8	2	1	2	12
Landry Fields	35	4-7	1-1	2-2	5	9	0	0	5	11
Danilo Gallinari	37	5-14	2-6	4-4	4	0	0	1	3	16
Ed Davis	31	6-7	0-0	0-0	5	1	0	1	1	12
Jonas Valanciunas	37	3-5	1-2	0-0	9	3	0	1	5	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Terrence Ross	17	5-13	1-2	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	11
John Lucas	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	1	0
Alan Anderson	9	3-4	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	6
Jose Calderon	12	2-4	0-1	1-1	1	1	0	0	1	5
Aaron Gray	8	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	1	2
Vladimir Radmanovic	10	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	0
Amir Johnson	14	0-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	1	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		42-85	7-17	7-11	44	26	5	4	10	98

Toronto Raptors
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Derrick Rose	34	9-18	1-3	1-1	5	5	0	1	0	20
Andre Iguodala	25	4-11	0-2	0-0	0	3	0	1	0	8
Quincy Miller	21	5-7	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	1	10
Zach Randolph	29	5-10-	0-1	0-0	9	2	0	0	3	10
Joakim Noah	31	3-6	0-0	1-2	6	1	1	1	0	7
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Nate Robinson	19	8-11	4-7	0-0	1	4	1	0	1	20
Richard Hamilton	16	3-5	1-2	0-0	2	3	2	1	0	7
Jimmy Butler	7	2-2	1-1	1-2	3	0	0	0	0	6
Taj Gibson	26	1-8	0-0	2-2	9	2	0	0	2	4
Greg Oden	14	1-3	0-0	2-4	5	0	0	0	0	4
Kirk Hinrich	15	1-3	0-1	0-0	0	5	1	0	2	2
Nazr Mohammed	11	0-1	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		34-73	7-16	7-7	34	25	5	4	19	82

The historic boxscore.

Andrea Bargnani and Terrence Williams sat out this game.