After fending off a motivated Hornets team at the United Center Friday night and coming back from 18 points behind in the fourth-quarter to beat the Bucks in OT in Milwaukee Sunday, the Bulls suddenly find themselves on a roll. And according to general manager John Paxson, the frenzy for the streaking Bulls has hit a fever pitch in Chicago.
“Can you feel it?” Paxson said after the victory on Sunday. “I sure can. And I’m sure Chicago is rocking after this weekend.”
It wasn’t. But in Paxson’s defense, fans should be encouraged and excited about the positive turn the team has taken.
Friday night’s 104-93 victory over the New Orleans/Okalahoma City showcased a Bulls team determined not to lose the game in the final minutes. Ben Gordon began what would be a career weekend with 27 points to lead the Bulls. Luol Deng and Kirk Hirinch both had stellar games, posting 24 and 22 points respectively.
But the victory came at a price: the tears of Tyson Chandler. Chandler was visibly shaken after the loss to his former team and subsequently, cried like the baby he is.
“[Unintelligible sobs],” Chandler said after the game. “[Unintelligible sobs] mommy [unintelligible sobs] Mr. T and [unintelligible sobs] dirt sandwiches.”
Sunday’s 126-121 overtime win in Milwaukee marked a highlight in Gordon’s career, as he scored a career-high 48 points. After the game, Gordon credited himself for not letting anyone else his team touch the ball and “throw the game away.”
“I just knew that if I gave a [PJ] Brown or [Chris] Duhon the rock, they’d lose the game for us,” Gordon said. “So I took over game in my own hands. I just didn’t want it to wind up like one of our typical losses.”
With Sunday’s win, the Bulls now have a solid hold on the fifth seed in the East and with a few more games like the last three, the team could find themselves in the top three come playoff time. Yeah right.
Number of the weekend: 52
Points Bucks guard Michael Redd put up on Deng and Hinrich Sunday. He had 44 points by the third quarter. Nice ‘D’ fellas.
