NBA

Let it never be said that the NBA--and, in particular, this Bulls team--is not full of surprises. Such was the case Wednesday night, as the barely-better Indiana Pacers came in to Chicago to play the barely-there Bulls.

Don't call it a comeback ... yet. The Bulls made a big statement to critics (this reporter included) about the shape of the team Wednesday night, with a 126-96 mauling of the Heat in Miami.

Ever since the NBA's reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki decided to go native, the Mavericks have been on a winning streak, going 6-0 in January.

Take that, Joakim Noah. The loudmouth waste of a Bulls' draft pick found out just what it means to be a rookie in the NBA this weekend. After an outburst at assistant coach Ron Adams during Friday's shoot-around, Noah was benched by his coach Friday night. His teammates voted to extend the vacation through Sunday's game.

For the 23,097 fans at the sold-out United Center Tuesday night, a close win by the Bulls would have sufficed. After all, the Heat are the defending champs and have one of the most prolific scoring duos in the NBA.

When Shaquille O'Neal entered the NBA as a 20-year-old in 1992, he was known for his boundless energy and strength. Now 35, years of pounding in the middle against some of the world's biggest men, who regularly employ the "Hack-a-Shaq" technique to force the mediocre free throw shooter to the line, has taken its toll. As a result, his clothing line's logo has been updated.

Despite watching his team ride stellar efforts from Luol Deng, Ben Gordon and Ben Wallace to a 96-91 game one victory over the Miami Heat at the United Center on Saturday, coach Scott Skiles was upset. Some might even say he was "Steven Segal- pissed" the way the vein in his forehead was beating.