Bulls-Celtics Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 11 2012 5:52PM

The Chicago Bulls have had no trouble thoroughly overpowering inferior opponents with Derrick Rose hampered by a sore back.

Considering the way things went in Boston a month ago, the Bulls will likely need their leading scorer and reigning league MVP on the court for Sunday's matchup with the Celtics to push their winning streak to six.

Rose is uncertain if he'll play in the finale of Chicago's nine-game, 15-day road trip after sitting out Friday's 95-64 win over Charlotte.

"I really don't know," Rose said before Saturday's practice. "When I wake up, I usually can tell. I'll probably know by the time I wake up."

Although Friday was the first time Rose was sidelined because of back pain, he had played limited minutes in the Bulls' previous two games, combining for 10 points and six assists in easy wins over New Jersey and New Orleans.

Despite getting nominal production from its leader, Chicago (23-6) hasn't missed a beat.

With Friday's easy victory, the Bulls became the first team ever to win four consecutive road games by at least 20 points. These games have been decided early, with Chicago outscoring its last four opponents by an average of 14.5 first-quarter points.

"Our depth is our greatest strength right now," said Joakim Noah, who had 17 points and 14 rebounds against the Bobcats. "Obviously we know that we need everybody healthy (come playoffs). This is definitely not a sprint, it's a marathon."

Although the Bulls, owners of the league's best record, are mindful of their long-term goal, they would certainly like to have Rose in uniform against a Boston team smarting from a pair of disappointing losses.

Chicago won the first meeting 88-79 on Jan. 13 in Boston thanks to Rose's big fourth quarter. With the Bulls up one with 10 minutes remaining, Rose, playing with a sprained left big toe, scored Chicago's next seven points and the Celtics never got closer than five.

Although Rose carried Chicago down the stretch, he wasn't the only Bull to frustrate the Celtics, as Luol Deng finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

Deng has been one of several Bulls to step up while Rose has been hurting, averaging 15.3 points in the last four games after missing the previous seven with a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Defense has also been key in Chicago's last four games, with the team allowing an average of 77.0 points and 37.8 percent shooting.

While the Bulls are playing superbly despite their star being slowed, the Celtics (14-12) are suddenly in a little funk.

After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers by one point in overtime Thursday, Boston looked lifeless a night later against lowly Toronto, never leading in an 86-74 loss. The Celtics, who had won nine of ten before Thursday's defeat, dropped back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game skid Jan. 6-16.

"We just didn't show the mental toughness," Paul Pierce said. "We feel like we're getting so close to being the team we want to be and to take a couple of steps back is definitely frustrating. These are games we're supposed to win."

Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo all struggled against the Raptors, combining for 23 points on 9-of-29 shooting.

The Celtics fell to 1-10 when scoring 88 points or fewer, which doesn't bode well against a Chicago team that allows an average of 86.9 points.

Rondo's triple-double carries Celtics over Bulls

Posted Feb 12 2012 7:43PM

BOSTON (AP) Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.

"The way he played tonight, we're a pretty tough team to stop," the Celtics' captain said Sunday after Rondo recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in a 95-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls, who were without star guard Derrick Rose.

Running the Celtics' offense smoothly without having to worry about covering the reigning MVP Rose, Rondo helped Boston rebound from a miserable loss in Toronto on Friday.

"I just think he wanted to win," Boston coach Doc Rivers said when asked if Rondo may have been extra motivated. "I thought we played at a better pace today."

Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 12 rebounds, reserve JaJuan Johnson had 12 points and Ray Allen 11 for the Celtics, who snapped a two-game skid. Rondo had season highs in both points and assists.

The win came after what Rivers called an "awful" showing in an 86-74 loss at Toronto. Rivers was very frustrated after that game and spoke about how it was "un-Celtic."

"I knew they'd come out like that, coming off their last two games," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They were very aggressive. I thought they got some very easy baskets early, which gave them confidence."

C.J. Watson, who started in Rose's spot, scored 22 points for the Bulls, whose win streak ended at five in the finale of a 6-3 road trip. Carlos Boozer also scored 22 and pulled down seven rebounds, while Joakim Noah had 16 points and nine boards.

"We got out-competed," Noah said.

Rose missed his second straight game with what Thibodeau called "stiffness" in his back and is expected to see a specialist Monday after the team returns to Chicago. He originally suffered the injury earlier in the week and was limited in Wednesday's win at New Orleans before missing Friday's victory over Charlotte.

"I don't know where it came from," Rose said of the injury after the game.

Rondo seemed to roam free on offense for most of the game, driving the lane for easy baskets, taking open jumpers and setting up teammates. He had 28 points, nine assists and six rebounds entering the final quarter.

"Our energy wasn't there," said Rose. "We didn't pick up our energy to the full court."

But that may not have stopped Rondo on Sunday.

"Oh, man, he played great," Johnson said. "I don't think anyone expects anything less from him. The way he played today, he's a great player - obviously. Best point guard in the league, and he played great."

Rondo declined to speak to the media after his stellar effort.

The Bulls trailed by 14 with just over 5 minutes to play, but they turned up the pressure defensively and made a late run, pulling to 91-88 on Luol Deng's two free throws with 1:23 to go.

After a turnover by Pierce, Watson was short on a 3-point attempt and Rondo grabbed the rebound with 21.5 seconds to go. He was fouled and hit both free throws.

Watson missed the second of two free throws and Rondo grabbed his 10th rebound with 9.8 seconds on the clock.

"We just looked a little sluggish, came out a little slow," Watson said.

The Bulls had closed the score to 72-68 early in the final quarter before Allen and Pierce nailed 3s during a 10-3 run that helped Boston take charge. Rondo had assists on both 3-pointers, driving the lane to collapse the defense before kicking the ball outside.

Rondo had fast-break alley-oop lobs for dunks on consecutive possessions to Johnson and Chris Wilcox that made it 86-72 midway through the fourth.

The Celtics had opened a 59-50 third-quarter edge on Rondo's free throw before the Bulls scored eight of the next 10 points, closing the gap to three. But Boston improved its advantage to 72-66 after three on Rondo's two free throws with 3.3 seconds left.

Boston held Chicago to 34 percent shooting in the first half and led 48-43 at intermission. The Bulls stayed close behind 11 offensive rebounds.

Part of the reason for Boston's quick start may have been the poor showing in Toronto. It was just the third time in club history that the Celtics scored below 75 points and the first in 11 years.

NOTES: Boston was without F Brandon Bass and F/C Jermaine O'Neal. Rivers said Bass' knee "swelled up" after Friday's game and that "he'll be out probably 10 days to two weeks." Rivers said O'Neal had knee and shoulder injuries. ... During his pregame press briefing, Rivers said his former assistant Thibodeau is somewhat like Patriots coach Bill Belichick because "he works so hard and he expects everybody to work as hard as him, which is impossible." Rivers recalled a story about how Thibodeau had two teams chasing him before helping persuade him to take the Chicago job. "He actually had two jobs and I grabbed him by the shoulder and said, `Are you kidding me? You have a chance to coach Derrick Rose and you're thinking about another job?' Are you nuts? I actually said, `If it's a penny to go there or $10 million to go to the other place, take the penny. In the long run you'll be able to coach."'

Notebook: Celtics 95, Bulls 91

Posted Sunday February 12, 2012 8:17PM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Rajon Rondo erupted for his second triple-double of the season and hit four crucial free throws in the game's final minute, enabling the Boston Celtics to hold off the Chicago Bulls for a 95-91 victory. The 25-year-old point guard tied a career-high with 32 points, to go along 10 rebounds and 15 assists. Chicago struggled to contain the versatile guard without Derrick Rose, who missed his second straight game with a sore back. Without Rose, Chicago had their five-game winning streak snapped, and finished their road trip with a 6-3 record. C.J. Watson and Carlos Boozer both finished with a team-high 22 points for the Bulls. Kevin Garnett had his seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds as Boston ended its two-game slide.

QUOTABLE: "I thought we played at a better pace today. You could see it: we were trying to run today and that's how we have to play. If we didn't turn the ball over we would've had far more points."
-Doc Rivers

THE STAT: The Celtics made a concerted effort to get out in transition against a tough Bulls defense, and their hard work paid off. Led by Rondo, Boston posted a season-best 33 fast break points.

TURNING POINT: A pair of thunderous alley-oops dunks by Chris Wilcox and JaJuan Johnson capped a 14-4 run that pushed the Celtics' lead to 14 halfway through the fourth quarter. Despite a late charge, the Bulls were unable to overcome the deficit.

QUOTABLE II: "Rondo's a great player. Even if you are defending him well, he still has the ability to make great plays and that team is very experienced and I think they're playing at a very high level."
-- Tom Thibodeau

HOT: Joakim Noah -- The center started out strong, scoring 10 of his 16 points in the first quarter, without missing a shot from the field or the free throw line over the opening 12 minutes.

NOT: Chicago's Bench -- On a night where the team needed a boost as they played without the league's reigning MVP, Chicago's second unit managed a mere 16 points collectively, while shooting a putrid 26.1 percent from the field (6-of-23).

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Wilcox -- With Brandon Bass and Jermaine O'Neal sidelined, the 6-10 center for the start and played a season-high 26 minutes. Wilcox did not disappoint as he nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. The efficient Wilcox (5-of-6 on field goal attempts) should continue to see an opportunity to post big numbers with Boston's frontcourt undermanned in the coming days.

QUOTABLE III: "I think that our energy just wasn't very good. I mean we fought at the end but overall we got to play better. Our togetherness wasn't great and they shot at a high percentage throughout the game. They ran the floor better than us. I think overall they just wanted it more."
-- Noah

ROOKIE WATCH: Johnson -- The last of Boston's rookies to earn a shot in Rivers' rotation overcame a slow start (three first-half turnovers) to notch career highs in points (12), rebounds (four), and steals (2). His athleticism and energy off the bench were pivotal in assisting the C's in stretching out their lead in the second half.

NOTABLE: Rivers announced before the game that Bass would miss the next 10-14 days with a sore knee. O'Neal is still day-to-day with a sore knee and shoulder. He also missed Friday's game against Toronto. Rose told reporters before the game he would be seeing a back specialist on Monday back in Chicago.. Rondo attempted a season-high 13 free throws. Chicago had 20 second-chance points, but just seven of them came in the second half, as Boston limited the Bulls to four offensive rebounds over the final 24 minutes. The Bulls never led during the contest. Both teams will meet again Thursday night in Chicago.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Tuesday vs. Sacramento, Thursday vs. Chicago, Saturday vs. New Jersey. For the Celtics, Wednesday vs. Detroit, Thursday @ Chicago, Sunday @ Detroit.

• Bulls: --
• Celtics: Bass, O'Neal

• Bulls: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #30 John Goble, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:33