Chicago Bulls march on to the Eastern conference semi-finals as the Indian Pacers lose at the United Center
The Chicago Bulls finally recorded a win worthy of their 1st seed ranking, as they thrashed the Indiana Pacers116-89, to clinch the game-5 and the series.
Danny Granger shone for the Pacers with a 20 point performance. The night however belonged to the Bulls, who stomped their way into the second round of the playoffs.
Much of the pre-game debate surrounded the availability of an injury stricken Derrick Rose. Rose had his left ankle taped but he did start the game. The gamble paid
off as he had a big night, providing Chicago with the spark they required to close out the series. Rose’ 25 points were complemented by 24 from Loul Deng while 4 other Bulls’ players also reached the 10 point mark.
The Bulls raced ahead early on, leading by 14 points at one point in the first quarter, which they ended with a 36-25 advantage. The Bulls continued to march on and
never allowed the Pacers to nudge infront. In fact near the end of the game, the Pacers trailed by as many as 28 points.
Rose spearheaded the Bulls attack from the onset but got into foul trouble and had to be withdrawn. With Derrick out of the picture, Indiana got on a good run and
closed the gap down to four points in the 3rd quarter. Coach Tom Thibodeau then sent Rose back into the game and the MVP candidate repaid his faith with an instant impact.
Rose sent the sell-out crowd at the United Center into a frenzy as he set up Taj Gibson for a 2, blocked a shot and hit consecutive 3’s as Chicago pulled away, going
on a decisive 14-3 run that the Pacers never recovered from.
Thinks however got ugly late in the third when Joakim Noah got into a confrontation with Josh McRoberts. Noah was at his aggressive best throughout the game and got
under the skin of the Indiana players. His jousting with Josh McRoberts deep in the third drew an elbow from the Pacers forward. The officials spotted it and McRoberts was ejected as a result. A.J. Price was also hit with a technical.
It was plain sailing for the Bulls in the fourth quarter and they ultimately won the game with a 27 point margin. Winning in the manner they did, was important for
Chicago as they finally lived up to their billing as major championship contenders. Derrick Rose was very pleased with the win and attributed it to his team and coaching staff, "Speechless right now, I really can't believe it. It's a great accomplishment.
I'm happy for my teammates, happy for my coaching staff. They did a really great job."
Chicago Bulls have progressed to the Conference semi-finals, where they will play the winners of the Orlando Magic-Atlanta Hawks matchup, one that is expected to
go right down to the wire.
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