Chicago Bulls beat Cleveland Cavaliers 93-82 to seal top spot in Eastern Conference - NBA Recap
The Chicago Bulls secured top position for the Eastern Conference playoffs with an impressive 93-82 victory over the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena on Friday night. The victory extended Chicago's winning streak to six games.
Last season, the Bulls qualified for the playoffs on the very last day. However, this time around, they have managed to qualify for the play-off battle early, by displaying some great form throughout the season. Chicago’s fans, players and team management
were quiet pleased with the drastic improvement.
Bulls guard Derrick Rose said that all the credit went to coach Tom Thibodeau. Rose said, "Tibbs (Thibodeau), man, is the Coach of the Year to me. He's just been honest, holding everyone accountable every time we step on the court."
The Bulls are now four games ahead of the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. In addition to that, they have won 21 of their last 24 games, which is their best record in the East since the 1997-1998 season.
Power forward Carlos Boozer was brilliant on the night as he scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Chicago. Guard Ronnie Brewer came off the bench to have a productive game, as he contributed 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and
three steals in the victory.
One night after scoring a game-high 30 points, Rose could not perform at his best as he could only manage 11 points. However, the MVP candidate had a nice floor game with eight assists and a single rebound.
Centre Joakim Noah also finished with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who have won five consecutive road games by an average margin of 14.8 points. In addition to that, Noah pulled down eight rebounds and blocked six shots.
Forward Luol Deng chipped in with 10 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while guard-forward Kyle Korver also registered 10 points for Chicago, who head the Eastern Conference standings with 59 victories in the 2010-11 season.
Centre-forward J.J. Hickson led Cleveland with 22 points and 15 rebounds while Daniel Gibson added 14 points. Ramon Sessions posted 13 points while Alonzo Gee finished with 11 points for the Cavaliers, who have lost six of their last 10 games.
Match Analysis
Even though Cleveland are one of the National Basketball Association's (NBA)struggling franchises, the sizzling Bulls did not take them easily and played superbly well as a team.
After their 97-81 win against the Celtics, Bulls coach Thibodeau clearly mentioned that their game against the Cavaliers would be as important as any other game. He said, "I'm just thinking about the next one. You guys may think it is a cliché and maybe
it is a cliché, but it is what is important. The Cleveland game is just as important as this game. It is actually more important now because this one is gone.”
Thibodeau was right, as Cleveland played a very close game. Chicago got it going offensively early in the opening quarter and carried a 24-14 lead with three minutes to go in the quarter. However, the Cavaliers responded with a 12-5 run, reducing the deficit
to 29-26 after 12 minutes.
Forward Taj Gibson scored eight of his nine points in the second quarter as the Bulls extended their lead to 54-46 at half time.
Cleveland turned it on early in the third quarter and cut the deficit to 60-57. The Bulls scored 10 unanswered points in the next minute to take a 70-57 lead with four and a half minutes remaining in the third. Chicago managed to carry a 78-63 advantage
into the final stanza.
The Bulls maintained their double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter to clinch top position in the East. Chicago will now play the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the playoffs.
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