NBA Playoffs: Chicago Bulls defeat Indiana Pacers 104-99
The Eastern Conference Champions, Chicago Bulls, defeated the Indiana Pacers, 104-99, in the opener of the best-of-seven conference quarterfinal series on April 16, 2011 at United Center.
Chicago, the Central Division champion, is now leading an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series by 1-0.
Derrick Rose, the MVP favourite, once again rocked the court and scored a playoff career-high 39 points in the victory. In addition to that, the dazzling Rose contributed six assists, six rebounds, and three blocks for the victors.
Luol Deng also played an effective game with 18 points and 10 rebounds while guard-forward Kyle Korver came off the bench with 13 points for the NBA-best, Chicago.
However, Korver hit a breath-taking 3-pointer with 48.4 seconds remaining in the final stanza to give the Bulls their first lead of the game.
The 30-year old, Korver, acknowledged the great support of his teammates in providing Rose with the shots. He said, "We have got to a better job to give (Rose) some support. We just cannot go (isolation) the whole game. I mean, he is going to wear down eventually,
and we want to play for a while. At the same time, he is so good, it's like 'Give him the ball, give him the ball,' you know"?
Carlos Boozer added 12 points and 6 rebounds for Chicago, which went 62-20 this season to clinch the league's overall best record.
Centre, Joakim Noah, had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who have won its final nine games of the season.
Danny Granger did all he could and scored a team-high 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the losing effort.
Tyler Hansbrough posted 22 points while Darren Collison finished with 17 points, nine assists, and six rebounds for Indiana, which clinched their first playoff berth since 2006.
Game Analysis
The Bulls walked onto the court with a home-court advantage but they could not get proper output, as the Pacers headed the first three quarters behind Collison, Granger, and Hansbrough.
However, Chicago out-scored Indiana 44-32 in the paint and 26-11 from the free-throw line to seal the first victory of the best-of-seven series.
The eighth-seeded Pacers went on a 10-4 early in the first quarter to take an initial lead. Indiana led by as many as six points mid through the opening stanza and managed to take a 27-23 lead into the second.
The Bulls fought hard in the second quarter to trim their deficit. Collison, on the other hand, scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, as the Pacers carried a 55-51 lead into the locker room.
Leading by 4 points at halftime, Indiana stretched their lead to 10-points, 65-55, early in the third quarter. The Pacers maintained their lead throughout the quarter and took a 79-71 advantage into the fourth.
Indiana continued to play offensively in the fourth quarter and widened its lead to 98-88 with 03:28 to go in the quarter.
From there onwards, the situation totally changed, as the Bulls got their shooting touch back and brought the crowd back into the game. Chicago went on a 16-1 run in the last three minutes of the game to seal victory.
Although the Pacers lost the game, the interim head coach for Indiana, Frank Vogel, was satisfied with the team effort. He said, "I'm very proud of our effort tonight. I have a great deal of belief in this team. We should have won this game. The last several
weeks we have been playing as well as anyone in the NBA. This will be a series".
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