Even though the Chicago Bulls were facing an inferior opponent in the Memphis Grizzlies when the teams played on January 1^st, I was concerned that Chicago might not play so well following their successful west-coast road trip. However, not only did the Bulls jump on the Grizzlies early, they continued to impose their will for the entire game, resulting in a 104-64 victory. This was by far the their best performance of the season and here are a few keys as to why the Bulls were so dominant against the Grizzlies.

Defense and rebounding:

The Bulls were up by as much as 46 points at one juncture and a lot of that was because of the solid defense they played. Chicago limited Memphis to just 27 percent shooting in the first half and 31 percent for the game. Chicago was also more aggressive on the boards, posting a 55-40 advantage. This would mark the second straight contest in which the Bulls out-rebounded their opponent by a double-digit margin.

Carlos Boozer:

Boozer had another solid outing, scoring 17 points along with 11 rebounds, including 11 points during a second-quarter run that gave the Bulls a 54-28 lead and put the game out of reach early. What I liked about Boozer’s game was he scored a lot of his points around the basket, rather than hoisting up rainbow jumpers from 15 feet out. Even more to the point, Boozer was 7-of-10 from the field and did his damage in just 24 minutes of action. Being that I’m critical of his game when he is not playing well, it is only fair that I give him credit when he does live up to expectations.

Ronnie Brewer:

Ronnie Brewer did a great job starting for Rip Hamilton, who had to sit out because of a groin injury. His stat line was 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. I realize that it’s early in the season to offer too much praise, but Brewer’s game has improved a lot from last season. He has always been able to finish around the rim, but now he is showing that he can be a reliable mid-range shooter as well.

Before Chicago acquired Rip Hamilton, a lot of people felt Brewer had the potential to be the starting two-guard if the Bulls decided to stand pat. I didn’t agree with that assessment because his game seemed somewhat limited coming into the season. However, he is raising a lot of eyebrows and he could be a huge difference-maker if he continues to play at this level.

James Tillman is a resident of the Chicago-land area who has been a Bulls’ fan since the 1987-1988 season. James is currently a fan blogger on Yahoo Sports and sports contributor for Sports Rantz magazine. For interesting discussions about the NBA, NFL and MLB, follow him on Twitter @jtillman9693.

Sources:

Comcast Sports Net Channel 37

“Home Is Where Rout Is”, Neil Hayes, Chicago Sun-Times

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The Chicago Bulls could do no wrong Sunday in their season debut at the United Center, crushing the Memphis Grizzlies in a lopsided, 104-64 affair to open the New Year with a bang and send a simple message to visitors: This is our house, baby.

While there are plenty of positives from which to choose, the story of the night was the Bulls’ suffocating defense. It was, in a word, brutal: The Grizzlies managed just 12 first quarter points, and shortly before the end of the third quarter, were shooting 23 percent from the field with twice as many turnovers (12) as assists (6). Yikes.

On the other end of the floor, the Bulls were led by Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer.

Boozer played like a man possessed: He double-doubled before halftime and finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. He showed some of the explosiveness he’s recently lacked, and even made some decent defensive plays. He’s now averaging 15.4 points and 9.8 rebounds per 36, which is close to what the Bulls want, need and expect from their $70 million man.

Brewer, however, gets player of the game accolades. Starting for the sidelined Rip Hamilton (sore groin), Ronnie had 17 points (the most he’s ever had with the Bulls) with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Brewer was, well, vintage Brewer: Always around the ball making something good happen.

Overall, the Bulls’ offense was good but never great, which may sound strange for a 40-point win. They overcame a slow start shooting by sharing the ball (24 assists), using the fast break (33 points) and dominating the paint (+20). The Bulls have now averaged 108.7 ppg the past three games, and are averaging 101 ppg on the season, good for sixth best in the league (bet you didn’t expect that).

Not only did the Bulls get the win, they got it while getting a chance to rest their starters. Only two starters – Luol Deng and Brewer – played more than 30 minutes, as the Bench Mob closed out the game.

A win is a win, who cares if the Grizzlies were missing a couple of players, but this was a win at home, and a rather convincing one at that. The Bulls were a league-best 36-5 at home last season, and absolutely must win home games during this short NBA season.

Winning your home opener by 40 is a good way to get started.

Notes: The Bulls are 4-0 in home openers during the Derrick Rose era….. The +/-’s from last night’s game were utterly ridiculous. Brewer was +48, no other starter was less than +35….. Brewer is 4-for-4 on three’s this year; he made just six all of last season on 22 percent shooting….. Deng has held Rudy Gay, a career 18 ppg scorer, to 14 points on 3-of-22 shooting the last two times he played against the Bulls….. The win moved the Bulls to 4-1 for the franchise’s best start since 1996-97, when…well, you know….. The Bulls last played on New Year’s Day in 2005; Eddy Curry had 22 points in a 105-90 win over the Orlando Magic….. The Miami Heat may be 5-0, but the teams they’ve so far played are a combined 4-10.

Sources: Boozer leads Bulls past Grizzlies 104-64, Associated Press/Yahoo! Sports; Memphis Grizzlies at Chicago Bulls recap & box score, ESPN.com; Bulls win 40-point laugher in home opener, Chicago Tribune;

Other Articles By This Contributor:

Chalk One Up for Chicago Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau (December 31)

Bulls, Heat Will Meet in Eastern Conference Finals: Fan Forecast (December 23)

Top 10 Moments of Chicago Bulls’ 2010-11 Season (December 22)

YCN featured sports contributor Steve Merritt is – for better or worse – a lifelong Chicago Bulls, Bears and Cubs fan. He’s followed the Bulls since 1969, when he tuned in after bedtime on a cheap dime store radio tucked under his pillow.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 1, 2012

CHICAGO — Carlos Boozer isn’t interested in winning over his critics. He’s interested in something else.

“To win,” he said.

The Chicago Bulls figure to do plenty of that, particularly if he keeps playing like this.

Boozer scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Bulls coasted in their home opener, pounding the Memphis Grizzlies 104-64 on Sunday night.

Derrick Rose finished with 16 points even though shots weren’t falling for him in the early going. Ronnie Brewer scored 17 with Richard Hamilton a late scratch because of a groin injury.

The game was so lopsided that fans started calling for backup Brian Scalabrine in the third quarter, with the outcome clearly in hand. It was, easily, the most dominant performance of the young season for a team with soaring expectations.

With their eyes on a championship, Bulls took three of four out West, beating Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener and capping the trip with a victory over the Clippers. This time, they dismantled the Grizzlies.

“It’s a major step back,” Memphis’ Rudy Gay said. “This is the NBA. The game definitely shouldn’t have gotten out of hand like that. We’re all professional athletes. We need to come up with a better showing than that.”

Boozer led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds as Chicago built a 54-28 halftime lead, scoring down low and hitting mid-range jumpers as if they were breakaway layups. He had 11 points during a 13-3 second-quarter run that bumped Chicago’s lead to 48-27. Not a bad home debut for a guy who heard his share of boos there last season, particularly down the stretch.

“I’m not even worried about it, honestly,” said Boozer, who missed the first month a year ago because of a broken right hand after signing with Chicago and was limited by a turf toe injury in the postseason. “I don’t know which story you guys are trying to write, but I’m going to tell you this – we’re just worried about getting better every day.”

At 4-1, the Bulls are off to their best start since the 1996-97 team won its first 12, and they won this one easily even though Luol Deng (11 points) had a quiet night and the ball wasn’t falling for Rose early on.

He missed his first five shots and was 4 of 10, but he was aggressive from the start and helped set up his teammates. That’s why coach Tom Thibodeau his statistics didn’t really reflect his performance.

“He gives you whatever the team needs,” Thibodeau said. “He got us off to a really good start — defense, pushing the ball up the floor. When you push the ball like that, it gets everyone moving.”

The only downer for Chicago was Hamilton getting scratched from the lineup and C.J. Watson leaving with a sprained left elbow injury in the fourth quarter after a scramble for a loose ball with Josh Selby near midcourt. He had his arm in a sling afterward and was scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

Hamilton, who tweaked his groin against the Clippers, is day to day.

Those injuries aside, it was a good night for the Bulls. They outrebounded the Grizzlies 55-40, outshot them 46.4 percent to 31 percent and outscored them 33-13 on the break.

It was simply a brutal night for Memphis, which got just five points from Gay. Zach Randolph bruised his right knee and scored only two points in 11 minutes.

Josh Davis and Sam Young were the only Grizzlies to score in double figures, with 10 points apiece. Jeremy Pargo, who grew up near Rose on Chicago’s South Side, hit only 2 of 13 shots and finished with four points filling in for Mike Conley, who missed his second game with a sprained left ankle.

“It was embarrassing and humiliating,” coach Lionel Hollins said.

Notes

• Conley participated in the morning shootaround and did some pregame work. He said the ankle is improving, but he remains day to day. “I’m going to try to get some more rest for it and get it stronger with a couple of extra days of rehab before I get back on the court.”
• Pargo, who is two years older than Rose, deflected questions about their matchup before the game, saying, “I’m excited to play with my teammates and do our best to get a win.”

CHICAGO (AP)—Carlos Boozer scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Chicago Bulls easily won their home opener, pounding the Memphis Grizzlies 104-64 on Sunday night.

Derrick Rose finished with 16 points after a slow start. Ronnie Brewer scored 17 with Richard Hamilton a late scratch because of a groin injury. But with Boozer dominating, the Bulls simply put this one away early.

This game was so lopsided that fans started calling for backup Brian Scalabrine in the third quarter, with the outcome clearly in hand. It was, easily, the most dominant performance of the young season for a team with soaring expectations.

With their eyes on a championship, Bulls took three of four out West, beating Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the opener and capping the trip with a victory over the Clippers.

Boozer led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds as Chicago built a 54-28 halftime lead, scoring down low and hitting mid-range jumpers as if they were breakaway layups. He had 11 points during a 13-3 second-quarter run that bumped Chicago’s lead to 48-27.

At 4-1, the Bulls are off to their best start since the 1996-97 team won its first 12, and they won this one easily even though Rose shot just 4 of 10 and Luol Deng finished with 11 points.

The only downer for Chicago was Hamilton getting scratched from the lineup and C.J. Watson leaving with a left elbow injury in the fourth quarter after a scramble for a loose ball with Josh Selby near midcourt.

They out-rebounded the Grizzlies 55-40 and outshot them 46.4 percent to 31 percent.

It was simply a brutal night for Memphis, which got just five points from Rudy Gay. Zach Randolph bruised his right knee and scored only two points in 11 minutes.

Josh Davis and Sam Young were the only Grizzlies to score in double figures, with 10 points apiece. Jeremy Pargo, who grew up near Rose, hit just 2 of 13 shots and finished with four points filling in for Mike Conley.

Notes: Conley participated in the morning shootaround and did some pregame work. He said the ankle is improving, but he remains day to day. “I’m going to try to get some more rest for it and get it stronger with a couple of extra days of rehab before I get back on the court.” … Pargo, who is two years older than Rose, deflected questions about their matchup before the game, saying, “I’m excited to play with my teammates and do our best to get a win.” … The Bulls honored the late Maggie Daley with a moment of silence and video tribute before the game. The wife of former mayor Richard M. Daley, she died in November after a lengthy fight with breast cancer.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Derrick Rose’s aggressive play has helped the Chicago Bulls to their best
start since their most recent championship season. He might not have much
trouble keeping that energy going in the next game.

The reigning league MVP should receive an enthusiastic reception as the
Bulls take on the Memphis Grizzlies in their home opener Sunday night.

Rose got off to an uneven start to this lockout-shortened campaign as he
scored 22 points in a thrilling win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas
Day, then struggled during a loss at Golden State the next evening with 13
points on 4-of-17 shooting.

The point guard bounced back to hit 53.6 percent of his shots in the final
two games of a season-opening road trip and had his best performance of the
season while spoiling the new-look Los Angeles Clippers’ home opener Friday.

Rose had 29 points, 16 assists – one shy of tying his career high – and
eight rebounds during a 114-101 victory. The effort help the Bulls finish off
their trip with back-to-back victories and improve to 3-1 for the first time
since 1997-98.

“The last two games he’s been very, very aggressive and our team has played
with a lot of force offensively,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Rose will try to continue those efforts while helping his team win a fourth
consecutive home opener and post a third straight victory over the Grizzlies
(1-2), which would mark the longest streak in the series since the Bulls claimed
the first seven meetings. Chicago swept Memphis last season for the first time
since 2004-05.

“We have a lot of confidence, but we still need to go out there and play
hard. It’s not going to be easy game. They’re a hard-working team,” Rose said.

Rose recorded his only career triple-double during a 96-84 win in Memphis on
Jan. 17, and scored a team-best 24 points during a 99-96 win at the United
Center on March 25.

Luol Deng was also instrumental in those victories, averaging 25.5 points on
61.3 percent shooting. He enters this contest scoring 18.5 points per game, just
off his career best-average of 18.8 from 2006-07.

Deng and the Bulls will face a Grizzlies team coming off its first win of
the season, a 113-93 rout of Houston on Friday. Zach Randolph led the way with
23 points on 11-of-14 shooting but impressed coach Lionel Hollins just as much
with his defense.

“That’s what I’m trying to focus on, just better D, helping my guys out and
being in the right position,” Randolph said. “Defense wins games. I know I can
score with the best of them, and rebound with the best of them. (Working) on
defense there’s going to be a trickle-down effect.”

Marc Gasol added 20 points for Memphis, which had averaged 88.5 points over
its first two games. The Grizzlies had six players in double figures, including
Chicago native Jeremy Pargo. The rookie, brother of former Bulls guard Jannero
Pargo, had 14 points while starting in place of Mike Conley, who is dealing with
a sprained ankle.

Memphis might need Pargo’s help to end its losing streak to Chicago. The
Grizzlies averaged 90.0 points over the two matchups in 2010-11, their
second-lowest mark against any opponent last season ahead of only the 86.0 per
game against Orlando.