( 24 - 36 )

( 14 - 46 )

Boylan

"Obviously something that we really needed, we got a win at home. We also made up a little ground on the teams ahead of us. It was a nice win from that aspect. We had some great individual performances. Luol's defense on Rudy Gay was especially good in the first half. He did not give him anything easy. I liked the way we played in the first half and I thought we came out in the third quarter unlike the game against Washington, with some energy. We talked about that at halftime and the guys responded. Memphis made a run at us; that always happens. Teams figure out a way to get something going and they did. They did not quit. They have some good young players. It was a good win for us and now it's on to the Cleveland game."

There seemed to be a dedication to defense:
"[Darko] Milicic around the basket is a big, long guy who has always given us fits. In his brief NBA career he has not had many stellar moments. But against us, he seems to give us fits. The guys refocused and it was good to see them respond. We had a lot of people in the huddle talking and active so we had some leadership from within which is good to see."

Was there anything different with Luol's offense except that he hit shots?
"I thought he was more aggressive. I don't think there is carry over from one side to the other. His defense was aggressive and that brought him over to the offensive side the same way. It was a direct reflection of the defensive energy Lu expended. Rudy Gay is a tough cover. He is athletic, can shoot the ball, and put it on the floor. It was a good game for Luol."

And a good all around game for Kirk?
"You always need good point guard play. Kirk provided that tonight. I was really happy because Kirk came out of the gate a little slow tonight. The good thing about Kirk is that if you take him out of the game, he does not get down. He finds some motivation sitting on the bench, watches the game for a couple of minutes and he came back in with some energy and purpose. He had some nice assists and then he got aggressive offensively and was looking for his shot. When he does that he puts a lot of pressure on the defense. Guys were teasing him in the locker room because he had four blocked shots. We didn't know if we would have to talk to the stat crew about that, but Kirk was in there bragging about his blocked shots."

Gooden

Was this the best the Bulls have played since you've been here?
"No, I think our best all around [play] was the first half of the Washington game but they came back and beat us. We're still in the playoff chase so we really needed this win tonight."

On Hinrich's four blocks:
"It's kind of bad when your point guard has more blocks than your center."

On the team's playoff chances:
"Yes, we have a great chance. I'm confident with the guys we have here we won't be out of it. These guys were a playoff team last year and with these guys I expect to be a playoff team this year. But whether it's Boston or Memphis, every game is important for us now."

Hinrich

On his four blocks:
"I guess everyone gets lucky sometimes. I guess they gave me four-for-one. But, I'll take it. We had a big lead at the half and we did a better job protecting it tonight."

"Tonight I was able to keep out of early foul trouble. I played more and I really felt fresh. We moved the ball better tonight. We're still learning to play with the new guys. They are good basketball players. I think we are starting to feel more comfortable with one another."

On Memphis' run:
"This is the NBA so you expect they're going to make a run. We did a better job tonight answering when they did make the run."

Deng

"It was big. We've been struggling a little bit. But the most important thing was that we played well tonight, we shot it well. We didn't want to happen what happened against Washington to happen again tonight. We're just trying to make the playoffs. We're still right there. I'm just trying to get my rhythm back because I've been out with my back and my Achilles. I've played a lot of games hurt this year. But I'm starting to feel a little bit better."

Iavaroni

“Obviously we're facing some adversity now. We just don't take a punch well yet. Going four minutes without a [score] in that first quarter really hurt us. We started out well but just couldn't sustain it. We have to learn how to respond to that kind of adversity.”

On their offense:
“Yes, we did pass up some shots. We settled for too many contested jump shots, especially in the first half. That is not something I believe in. The Bulls did a good job driving to the basket and getting to the rim. They played well and kept us off balance. We were a little tight and missing some guys but that's an excuse. What we need to learn is that when you pass up a shot, the next one is usually harder. We really miss Mike (Miller) and his leadership out there. He is a rock for us. We just need our other guys to stand up and become five leaders out there that will come with come with experience. Right now we've just had a great chance to see Javaris (Crittenton) showing his talent out there. That has helped.”

Lowry

Even though you were down big you made a run in the third quarter:
“We just had to fight. We wanted to at least try to make it look respectable. We did our best to get it down to 11 but then Chicago did a great job. They played well.”

On coming off the bench and shooting well:
“Tonight was a good night. I got some layups and got some free throws. My teammates set me up, everyone was running with me. They gave me the opportunity to get in the lane, draw contact and get to the line. All that doesn't matter, though, because we lost.”

On the disappointing season:
“It's disappointing but we just have to keep getting better as a team. We have to go out there every night and compete and try to make ourselves look respectable and try to get better as a team.”

Milicic

What was the problem with the offense in the first half?
“We were passing up good shots and at the shot clock we had to take some bad shots. They had a lot of offensive rebounds in that half.”

What was the difference in the third quarter?
“I was able to get some balls down low and was able to finish.”