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NBA mandates metal detectors for playoffs

ESPN Chicago reports:

In the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden, the Chicago Bulls will use metal detectors to screen all patrons entering the United Center before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

The NBA issued the mandate for the conference semifinals and all subsequent playoff games.

Not all arenas in the league regularly use metal detectors. At the United Center, patrons are visually inspected. Metal detectors are only employed in a full inspection when, according to the venue’s website, it is determined that “the potential is high for inappropriate or illegal items to be brought into the building.”

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau wins 2010-11 NBA Coach of Year

The National Basketball Association today announced that Chicago Bulls Head Coach Tom Thibodeau has been named the 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year. Thibodeau is the fourth head coach in franchise history to win the award, joining Johnny Red Kerr (1967), Dick Motta (1971) and Phil Jackson (1996).

“This is a well deserved honor for Tom. He is a terrific teacher, motivator, tactician and communicator. His work ethic, passion for the game and for our players is appreciated,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “We are thrilled that he is part of the Bulls organization and want to congratulate him on being named the NBA’s Coach of the Year.”

In his first season with the Bulls, and his first year as a head coach in the NBA, Thibodeau guided Chicago to the best record in the NBA with a mark of 62-20 (.756). Chicago posted the top home record in the league (36-5), and recorded its first winning road record since 1998, as it went 26-15 away from the United Center. Thibodeau’s 62 wins ties the NBA record for most wins by a first-year head coach in NBA history (Paul Westphal in 1993, Phoenix), and surpasses Phil Jackson’s team record for most wins by a Bulls first-year head coach (55 victories in 1991).

Chicago’s 62 wins ranks fourth in team annals for wins in a season, and it marks a 21-game improvement from the team’s 41-41 campaign in 2009-10 (the third-best single-season turnaround in franchise history). On the year, the Bulls went 16-4 (.800) following a loss, and were one of two teams in the NBA (Boston Celtics) that did not lose more than two games in a row.

The Bulls also recorded the best record in the NBA after the All-Star break with a mark of 24-4 (.857), highlighted by a record of 21-2 to close out the regular season. On the season, the Bulls ranked first in opponent field goal percentage (.430), first in opponent three-point field goal percentage (.326), first in opponent rebounds per game (38.4), first in rebound margin (plus-5.7), second in point differential (plus-7.3), second in opponent points per game (91.3), second in opponent assists per game (19.0), second in the NBA in rebounds per game (44.2) and fifth in blocks per game (5.71).

Selected by the NBA media, Thibodeau’s honor marks the seventh time in NBA history that a first-year head coach has been named NBA Coach of the Year: Harry Gallatin (St. Louis, 1963), Johnny Red Kerr (Chicago, 1967), Mike Schuler (Portland, 1987), Larry Bird (Indiana, 1998), Doc Rivers (Orlando, 2000) and Rick Carlisle (Detroit, 2002).

Read fan reaction and share your own opinion in this forum topic.

Kirk Hinrich doubtful for Hawks-Bulls series

A magnetic resonance imaging test (MRI) taken today revealed that Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich suffered a significant strain to his right hamstring with 3:07 remaining in last night’s series-clinching game six win over Orlando, according to head athletic trainer Wally Blase.

Hinrich is listed as doubtful for the Eastern Conference Semifinals series vs. Chicago, which begins on Monday.

Carlos Boozer skips practice with toe injury; uncertain for Game 1

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:

Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer skipped Friday’s practice at the Berto Center with the turf toe in his right big toe that he suffered in Tuesday’s clinching victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Coach Tom Thibodeau said Boozer’s toe has improved but didn’t know if he’d be available for Game 1 of the Bulls-Hawks series 7 p.m. Monday at the United Center.

“It’s hard to say, but I’m thinking that he will be able to,” Thibodeau said. “He had some discomfort, but it’s gotten better each day. Hopefully, tomorrow it will be better. He’s day-to-day. He didn’t practice, so we’ll check him again tomorrow.”

Danny Granger says Joakim Noah played dirty

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports:

Danny Granger had to be restrained from going after Bulls center Joakim Noah as the teams exchanged handshakes on the court at the end of the Bulls’ series-ending 116-89 win.

Granger accused Noah of playing dirty throughout the game, taking cheap shots at Pacers, including forward Josh McRoberts, who was ejected in the third quarter.

Granger was in the hallway outside the locker room using expletives to describe Noah’s play.

“Everybody saw what Josh did and he got ejected,” Granger said. “Nobody caught what happened first. It’s always the second man. (Noah) was playing dirty the whole game. My teammates got caught with it and nothing happened.”

McRoberts was ejected in the final seconds of the third quarter for throwing an elbow at Noah. The former Carmel High School standout said he was retaliating for an “elbow to his throat” from the Bulls center.

Bulls set to play winner of Magic-Hawks series

Herb Gould of the Chicago Sun-Times reports:

The Bulls will open their second-round series Monday against the winner of the Orlando Magic-Atlanta Hawks series, which is headed to Game 6 on Thursday in Atlanta after the Magic’s 101-76 victory at home Tuesday. The Hawks lead the series 3-2.

‘‘I’m speechless right now,’’ Rose, who played only 30 minutes because of foul trouble, not his ankle, said after winning an NBA playoff series for the first time. ‘‘I really can’t believe it. It’s a great accomplishment. We’re going to try to keep this thing going.’’

Coach Tom Thibodeau knew this was a moment for his players.

‘‘It’s always good to advance,’’ he said. ‘‘It doesn’t mean a lot to me as coach.’’

Still, he seemed pleased that the Bulls had delivered a solid knockout punch in Game 5 after four tough encounters.

‘‘We knew we were capable of playing better,’’ Thibodeau said. ‘‘There were things we had to correct, but we were also up 3-1. In the playoffs, every win is hard to get. I liked our mentality today.’’

Rose, Bulls eliminate Pacers, 116-89 in Game 5

The AP reports:

Derrick Rose scored 25 points, Luol Deng added 24 and Chicago finally played like a top seed, knocking off the Indiana Pacers 116-89 in Game 5 to wrap up their first-round playoff series Tuesday night…

Rose seemed just fine after spraining his left ankle in Game 4. He had it taped and acknowledged he was a bit apprehensive at first, but he wound up hitting 8 of 17 shots. He dominated in the early going and came up big in the third after the Pacers pulled within four. He scored 10 points over the final six minutes after returning with four fouls, and Chicago ended the quarter on a 23-8 run to blow the game open.

The Bulls hit 14 of 31 3-pointers, including five by Keith Bogans (15 points) and three each by Deng and Rose. Deng also had seven assists and six rebounds.

Joakim Noah added 14 points and eight rebounds, and the Bulls won a playoff series for the first time since they swept Miami in the first round in 2007 and only the second time since the championship era. It was clearly their most impressive performance of the postseason even though Carlos Boozer scored just two points…

Danny Granger scored 20 for the Pacers and had some strong words afterward for Noah. He accused Noah of throwing elbows that ultimately led to a technical foul for A.J. Price after an altercation with Tyler Hansbrough and an ejection by Josh McRoberts later in the game.

Derrick Rose OK to play Game 5 vs Pacers despite ankle sprain

K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports:

Derrick Rose OK to play despite ankle sprain

Derrick Rose participated in the walkthrough portion of Tuesday’s morning shootaround and got individual shots up afterward, reiterating he planned to play on his sprained left ankle as the Chicago Bulls try to close out the Indiana Pacers in Game 5.

“It’s good,” Rose said. “I gotta get treatment and then I’m out there. (Monday), it was a little stiff. Today, I got more more motion in it.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau said of Rose: “He’s feeling better. We’ll see how he feels before the game.”

Pacers beat Bulls 89-84 to avoid elimination

The AP reports:

The Pacers sent the red and black-clad swarm back home disappointed. After fourth-quarter collapses in each of the first three games, Indiana avoided elimination by holding off a furious rally to beat the Bulls 89-84 in Game 4 of the first-round Eastern Conference series on Saturday afternoon.

The Pacers not only faced superstar guard Derrick Rose and the pressure of a 3-0 deficit in the series, they dealt with an unexpected roadblock—a hostile environment on its home floor at Conseco Fieldhouse. The crowd shocked Pacers center Jeff Foster, who has played for the Pacers for his entire 12-year NBA career…

Danny Granger led the Pacers with 24 points, including four free throws in the final 14.1 seconds while being booed. He said the team remembered its earlier failures in the series…

Chicago’s Carlos Boozer missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the game in the closing seconds. The Bulls were looking to set up Luol Deng for the final shot.

“I caught the ball at the elbow and I was supposed to set a backscreen for Luol,” Joakim Noah, who led the Bulls with 21 points and 14 rebounds, said…

Rose, who averaged 32.7 points in the first three games, finished with 15 points and 10 assists. He sprained his left ankle late in the first quarter and scored eight points on 3-for-16 shooting the rest of the way.

D-Rose leads Bulls past Pacers for 3-0 lead

The AP reports:

Derrick Rose was beaten up and shaken up by Indiana’s trapping defense, which was intent on shutting him down at all costs.

The Chicago Bulls guard struggled all game long and even lost his cool at times, but he still found a way to be the difference-maker. He scored 23 points, including the go-ahead layup with 17.8 seconds left, to help the Bulls beat the Pacers 88-84 on Thursday night and take a 3-0 lead in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series…

Danny Granger had a chance to give the Pacers the lead, but his 3-pointer was off, and Chicago’s Ronnie Brewer rebounded. Brewer was fouled, and he made two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to put the game out of reach…

Rose made up for his shooting difficulties by making 13 of 15 free throws. Chicago can close out the series on Saturday…

Luol Deng had 21 points and Korver added 12 for the Bulls.

Granger, who led the Pacers with 21 points, said the Pacers wanted something better than the contested 26-footer that bounced off the rim with 2.2 seconds remaining.

InsideHoops.com notes: It was a brick-fest (or a defensive struggle, if you prefer that), as the Bulls shot 38.9% while the Pacers hit 37.9%. But the Bulls hit an impressive 9-of-20 three-pointers, the Pacers a miserable 1-of-10. Rebounding was even, but the Bulls won the assist battle, 20-11… Pacers point guard Darren Collison was limited in his return from brief injury, scoring nine points on eight shot attempts and only creating two assists with four turnovers.

Live fan discussion of this game took place in this forum topic.