PHILADELPHIA (AP) The Chicago Bulls have failed at winning one game without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Somehow, as they head back home, the top team in the East has to win three without the pair to avoid an ugly ending.

Spencer Hawes scored 22 points and Jrue Holiday had 20 to help the surprising Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls 89-82 on Sunday and take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series.

Game 5 is Tuesday in Chicago.

The top-seeded Bulls played without Rose (torn ACL) and Noah (sprained ankle). Rose is out for the season and Noah is day to day for the rest of the series.

In NBA postseason history, the eighth seed has won a first-round series against the No. 1 seed four times, including last season when Memphis eliminated San Antonio. Golden State (2007), New York (1999) and Denver (1994) also pulled off the rare feat.

”We have to find a way,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. ”We’re fighting, but we can do better. We can do a lot better.”

The top-seeded Bulls suddenly fear elimination from a Sixers team one win away from joining the short list of eighth-seeded teams to win a series.

”I’m not worried about it,” Thibodeau said. ”I’m just worried about the next game. We do have more than enough to win with.”

Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who have won the last three games after losing Game 1.

The Sixers won three straight playoff games for the first time since Allen Iverson fueled their run to the 2001 NBA finals.

Holiday was sensational down the stretch after a rocky first 3 1/2 quarters. He missed his first five 3-point attempts until he nailed one to make it 77-73. He hit another the next time down for a seven-point lead to the delight of a roaring sellout crowd.

They were easily his biggest shots on a 7-of-23 night.

”We have to play like it’s Game 7,” Holiday said. ”We want to win in Chicago.”

The undermanned Bulls kept at it and refused to use playing without their two biggest impact players as an excuse. C.J. Watson, who scored 17 points, hit a step-back jumper to make it a two-point game.

In a whistle-happy contest, Holiday went to the line with 51 seconds left and made both for an 84-80 lead.

Suddenly – and shockingly – the Sixers are a win away from taking a playoff series for the first time since 2003.

Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls. Taj Gibson chipped in 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Without a full roster, the Bulls barked at the refs, talked trash on the court and used every self-motivational tactic they knew to gain an edge on the Sixers.

Noah, injured in Game 3, took charge on the bench as head cheerleader. Wearing a protective walking boot, he clapped, cheered and offered instruction in the timeout huddle. Noah was needed more on the court than as a de facto assistant coach.

Boozer actively did his best to keep the Bulls in the game. He played through foul trouble to score 18 points through three quarters (matching his combined total for the first two games) and he fought for some of the tough rebounds Noah would grab.

It wasn’t enough.

The Sixers made 22 of 31 free throws to Chicago’s 11-for-14 effort. The Sixers only averaged 18.2 free-throw attempts this season.

”Bottom line, we’ve got to play better defense without fouling,” Boozer said. ”You can’t cry about the referees. It’s the playoffs. If we could hold them to 17, 18 points in the fourth quarter, maybe we win that game.”

Iguodala played through right Achilles’ tendinitis to make so many impact plays for the Sixers. He halted a Bulls run in the third with a 3 for a 57-56 lead. Bad leg and all, he still soared for a thunderous dunk on the break in the first half for an eight-point lead. One of the worst fourth-quarter foul shooters in the NBA, Iguodala even made both with 26.6 seconds left.

”I think the adrenaline carried me through the game,” Iguodala said. ”It’s hard to get on your toes, that’s the hardest thing.”

Game 4 lacked the electric atmosphere early that accompanies a postseason game because the Broad Street Run was routed in front of the sports complex. The Wells Fargo Center was barely half full by tip and the announced crowd of 20,142 needed time to warm up.

By the time Holiday hit his 3s, the arena was going wild.

His sharp shooting in clutch time came at the right time after a slow start.

Holiday and Turner continue to befuddle coach Doug Collins with their inconsistency. The under-25 starting backcourt followed a solid Game 3 with a combined 3 for 22 for eight points in the first half. Lou Williams, perhaps the league’s top reserve, failed to bail them out with a 2-for-10 effort in the game. Their struggles were a key reason the depleted Bulls kept the score tight even without their two stars.

The Sixers crashed the boards early without Noah in the lineup and had 15 second-chance points in the half to grab a 10-point lead.

Hawes hit the go-ahead 20-footer late in the fourth for the Game 3 winner and he continued his hot hand into Sunday. He had made seven of his first eight shots, including a 3-pointer right before the second quarter buzzer to send the Sixers into halftime with 44-42 lead.

NOTES: Boxer Bernard Hopkins, former NBA great Dolph Schayes, former Sixers great Julius Erving and actor Bill Murray attended the game. … Philadelphia last won a playoff series when it beat New Orleans in 2003. … The Sixers hold a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series for the first time since the 1984 East semifinals. … 76ers CEO Adam Aron said there was nothing the team could do about the start time.

The Philadelphia 76ers are not in a pretty series with the Chicago Bulls right now. Aside from the second half of Game 2 on May 1, Sixers fans like myself didn’t see Philadelphia play efficient basketball in Chicago. But we hoped the Sixers would take that second half and build on it when they returned to the Wells Fargo Center for Game 3 on May 4 – yet it took about 40 minutes for that to happen.

The Sixers and Bulls each played ugly, low scoring basketball for much of the night, although Chicago looked most likely to survive after Philadelphia was ice cold to start the second half. However, the Bulls got even icier in the fourth and the Sixers finally took advantage, using a closing 26-7 run to steal a 79-74 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

Both teams struggled in equal measure in the first half, with Philadelphia eeking out a 40-39 halftime lead. Yet unlike in Game 2, it was the Bulls who came out on a roll in the third quarter – at least by comparison. While the Sixers skidded out of the gate, the Bulls started cruising to a 14 point lead early in the fourth. What’s more, not even losing Joakin Noah to a sprained left ankle was stopping them at the moment.

However, it took a while in Game 2 for Chicago to collapse without Derrick Rose. Fortunately for Philadelphia, it didn’t take as long in Game 3 for its opponent to fall apart without Noah. On a night where both teams could barely score at times, the Sixers finally pulled out this ugly win by playing beautifully in the final minutes.

The Bulls might have lost even more decisively if they didn’t keep getting offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. But it wasn’t like they were doing much with them anyway. Not having Noah cost the Bulls their inside advantage, while Rose’s absence leaves them without an outside shooter to close the Sixers out.

Philadelphia has been lacking a real closer all season, yet it still had Spencer Hawes fill the gap with 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter – including the shot that put it ahead for good. In addition, the Sixers kept forcing their way to the line and made all but one free throw attempt in the fourth, while the Bulls only got there four times and didn’t get a point.

There have only been two stretches in this series where the Sixers have looked rock solid and dominant. Yet those two stretches have made the difference so far, as the third quarter in Game 2 and the fourth in Game 3 – as well as Chicago’s injuries in Games 1 and 3 – have single-handedly given Philadelphia the inside track towards an upset.

Can the Sixers keep playing ugly for long periods of time and then use one perfect run to win? They couldn’t get away with it against a fully healthy Bulls team – yet the more stars Chicago loses, the more Philadelphia’s margin for error increases. As such, now it’s the Bulls who are looking truly ugly and are suddenly losing their margin for error.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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The Philadelphia 76ers added intrigue to their series with the Chicago Bulls by blowing the top seed out in Game 2 on May 1. However, Sixers fans like myself still have to take into account that it was the Bulls‘ first game since Derrick Rose‘s season-ending injury. That is a handy excuse for why Chicago lost Game 2 and why it might not win the championship, yet it isn’t a handy excuse for losing this series.

As such, it is easy to expect/fear that the Game 2 victory was a fluke and just the wake-up call that the Bulls needed. Therefore, the best way to prove that Philadelphia is a real threat in this series is to take Game 3 at home on May 4 and keep Chicago from waking up.

While Rose’s injury made a difference, the Sixers’ efficient shooting and second-half dominance played its part as well in Game 2. Yet expecting Philadelphia to take control like that in Game 3 might be unrealistic. Given that the Sixers were blown out in Game 1 until Rose got injured and then blew the Bulls out in Game 2, can they win with something in between?

To actually survive this series, Philadelphia needs to prove itself for more than just a half of basketball. It also can’t count on Chicago sleepwalking without Rose forever, since being even at 1-1 and losing home court advantage may have sent too strong of a message. But while the Bulls will still struggle without him, they can afford to be only a little iffy and win, although the Sixers don’t have that margin for error.

Philadelphia needed to start out utterly perfect in the second half to start choking the life out of a stunned Chicago squad. However, perfect halves are bound to be in shorter supply as the series goes on. The Sixers may need to win ugly in a tight game or two, even though winning that way has eluded them for much of the season.

If they can prevail like that, or in any other way in Game 3, it will help prove that the Bulls can’t just wake up at a moment’s notice. Everyone assumed that the Sixers were so inferior, even with Rose gone, that the Bulls could flip the switch and get through before getting knocked off by a better team. But a Game 3 upset and a 2-1 Philadelphia series lead will make that much harder to believe.

If the Bulls bounce back, then Game 2 was most likely a fluke and there’s a good chance things will revert back to normal for both teams. But if the Sixers still have more in them and can take advantage of their new found fortune, then perhaps Game 2 was less of a fluke and will look more like a harbinger for things to come.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are no longer just a mere stepping stone for the Chicago Bulls on their way to tougher battles in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
They’re a major hurdle now.

Losing reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose had an immediate impact on the top-seeded Bulls in this first-round series. After dominating the Sixers in the opener, they were routed 109-92 in Game 2 Tuesday night.

Now the best-of-seven series shifts to Philadelphia on Friday night. The underdog Sixers are confident about their chances.

They should be, considering how Chicago played without Rose.

“I told our guys, `We have a great opportunity. Let’s take advantage of this’,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said.

The Bulls were 18-9 without Rose in the regular season, but it’s a different situation now. The superstar guard tore a knee ligament in the final minutes of Game 1 and will miss the rest of the playoffs.

He may not miss much if the Bulls don’t figure things out quickly.

“Derrick is not here. This is a different team,” Bulls forward Luol Deng said. “Go back and watch how we won those games (without Rose). It’s not one guy who has to go out of character. We’re a team and we’ll get it done together.”

The Bulls went 50-16 on their way to the best record in the conference because they have more than just Rose. There’s Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, Richard Hamilton and C.J. Watson, too.

“I think everybody has the right intentions on this team,” Noah said. “That’s why we’re the No. 1 seed. We’ve dealt with a lot of adversity. There’s really no excuses at this point.

“We’ve got to fight, though.”

The Sixers stumbled into the playoffs after an excellent start. They led the Atlantic Division at the midpoint of the season before tailing off. The Bulls, meanwhile, steamrolled through the Central Division and earned the No. 1 seed for the second year in a row.

A playoff rematch against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat seemed inevitable in the conference finals. The Heat beat the Bulls in five games in the East Finals last year.

But without Rose, the Bulls can’t look that far ahead.

“It’s just one game. The series ain’t over. If anything, it’s just beginning,” Bulls guard John Lucas III said. “This is win or go home. It’s gut-check time. So we’re going to go out there and play. We’re going to get ready. We’re going to come out with a lot of energy like we do all the time. This time we’re not going to lose it; we’re going to grind it out. It’s going to be different now.

“Everybody’s saying this and that. All we’ve got is ourselves. We’re a unit. We’re a family. What we want to happen will happen. We just have to stay together.”

The Sixers became the first No. 8 seed in the East to win on the road since 2003, and the 17-point margin was the second-highest in that span. Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner were outstanding in Game 2, Lou Williams provided a spark off the bench and Andre Iguodala played his usual strong defense.

“For the first time in a long time, our defense dictated our offense,” Iguodala said. “We rebounded the ball. Evan and myself pushed it out on the break and we finished pretty well.”

Back home after playing seven consecutive games on the road, the Sixers had Wednesday off. They’ll hit the practice floor Thursday before taking the court at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time in 17 days Friday.

A fan base that was more focused on the Flyers’ run in the NHL playoffs, the Phillies’ slow start and the Eagles’ draft is turning some of its attention to the Sixers. They’re excited about the possibility of pulling off a first-round upset, an idea that seemed remote just a week ago.

“You’ve got to raise your level of play. Raise your intensity,” said Turner, who was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in Game 1. “Just being able to win on the road. That’s really important. Beating them on the rebounding battle showed that we can do it.

“It sets the standard for how we need to play in order to win.”

The Chicago Bulls will open their NBA playoff run Saturday regardless of their opponent, with starting time yet to be determined, the league said Thursday.

The Bulls will face either New York or Philadelphia in the first round, with the first two games at the United Center. If both teams win or lose Thursday night, the 76ers will play the Bulls. If the Sixers win at Detroit and the Knicks lose at Charlotte, the Bulls would draw the Knicks.

Being the eighth seed and playing the top-seeded Bulls appeared to be a more desirable scenario for Philadelphia than facing the second-seeded Heat.

“We feel confident every time we play against them,” 76ers guard Jrue Holiday told the Tribune’s Vaughn McClure, referring to the Bulls. “Even though they have a good team, we match up really well against them. Even going back to last year, I think we had the upper hand or tied it up with them in the regular season.”

Said 76ers coach Doug Collins of the Bulls: “Their size is a real strength of their team. Plus their big guys are mobile. It’s a little bit different with Miami, if you look at their team right now, they have Chris Bosh. But their concern is how well their big guys are going to play. With Chicago, you have the four bigs. And they have a great bench.

“Against Chicago, they’re going to get into you physically. You better be able to move that ball to get good shots, and you better rebound.”

Other Saturday games will feature the Miami Heat against either the Knicks or the 76ers, the Indiana Pacers hosting the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder at home against either Dallas or Denver.

On Sunday, Boston will play Atlanta in the day’s only Eastern Conference game. Other games will feature the Los Angeles Lakers hosting either Dallas or Denver, while San Antonio hosts Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers face Memphis.

By Jason Walker

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Apr 26, 2012 – Derrick Rose, in his second game back on the court after his extended injury absence, had seven assists, including three late to a red-hot Kyle Korver, to lead the Chicago Bulls over the Indiana Pacers 92-87 Wednesday night.

The Bulls had the best record in the East (48-16) and aimed to keep pace with the San Antonio Spurs leaguewide. San Antonio was also 48-16 entering Wednesday, but loses a tiebreaker to Chicago.

Danny Granger was out for the Pacers and in his place was Lance Stephenson, who was making his first start of his career. Stephenson filled in nicely for Granger, leading Indiana in scoring and hitting on 10-15 shots for the team-high 22 points.

But Stephenson was also tasked with chasing around Korver, who rang up a team-high of his own, with 20 points. Korver consistently hung Stephenson up on screens and Rose calmly found him three times in the fourth quarter, an 11-point effort that helped dilute Stephenson’s own 12-point quarter and keep the Pacers at arms length before closing out the game.

The easy synergy in the Bulls lineup, as shown by a quick 32-24 first-quarter start, 27 assists for the game, the crisp screen setting to set Korver free and Rose’s perfect anticipation and delivery of the ball, was in spite of the fact that, while the Bulls had their preferred starting lineup and rotation in tact, it was only the 15th game all season that lineup had been able to play together.

Carlos Boozer (16 points, seven rebounds, 23 minutes) helped that start with 10 first-quarter points, as the fadeaway was working early and often, making all but one of his eight field goals with his signature jump shot.

While the Bulls are interested in assimilating Rose back into the flow, Tom Thibodeau nicely limited Rose to a little more than 26 minutes, playing him eight minutes in his half-starting shifts and then five to neatly close out the halves.

Meanwhile, the heartbeat of the Bulls inside game, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, playing a healthy 33 and 34 minutes respectively and took care of the glass, securing 22 rebounds between them. Despite Indiana being one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league, the Bulls held them to only rebounding seven of their 45 misses on the night, a .156 pace that is almost half of their usual take-in for a game.

At Indy Cornrows, Nathan S. explains how Indiana couldn’t keep up with the Bulls:

When the game turned into a festival of jump shots (with Darren Collison scorching the nets early), it was only a matter of time before the Pacers went ice cold, as they dropped in only two points in the first six minutes, while Chicago pushed the lead to 15 points. The starters returned to salvage what they could of a disastrous second quarter offensively, but the team’s inability to get stops on a Chicago team that was just plain hitting shots meant the lead held strong in double figures.

Meanwhile, at Blog-A-Bull, your friendly BullsBlogger notes that the game may have revealed a fourth-quarter trend for Chicago’s playoff rotation:

And, it’s of note that Korver again was the closing lineup SG with Derrick Rose while Rip Hamilton sat on the bench. Hamilton got similarly open looks, but missed a lot of them. And he was caught sleeping on defense a few times, something that’s often not considered when discussing his acclimation with the team. Maybe it really is Korver’s job to lose as the Bulls head into the postseason.

For all of Wednesday’s NBA box scores, check out SI.com’s NBA scoreboard.

Read More: Kyle Korver (G – CHI), Carlos Boozer (F – CHI), Danny Granger (F – IND), Luol Deng (F – CHI), Joakim Noah (C – CHI), Derrick Rose (G – CHI), Darren Collison (G – IND), Tom Thibodeau (A – BOS), Lance Stephenson (G – IND), Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers, Apr 25, 2012 7:00 PM EDT

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Chicago, already assured of the top seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs, used Derrick Rose and other key players in their 92-87 victory over playoff-bound Indiana.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said injuries throughout the season had left his preferred starting unit of Rose, Richard Hamilton, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah needing more playing time together.

Some other playoff-bound teams were opting to rest their stars on the penultimate night of the lockout-shortened regular season.

“We still need to find some rhythm with guys,” Thibodeau said. “They need some time together.”

Deng played 33 minutes and Rose, who has been sidelined for 26 games, played 26 minutes and said he welcomed the opportunity.

“I love playing games, getting my rhythm back,” Rose said. “I’m coming along, man. I’m very positive. My spirits are up.”

The Bulls lost to Miami in the Eastern Conference finals last season after posting the league’s best record.

Thibodeau, therefore, was low-key on the importance of holding the top seed in the East.

“It’s the next step along the way,” he said. “You try to put as many things in your favor as possible. It’s not the end-all. It doesn’t guarantee anything. But I think it also gives you your best chance.”

In New York, the Knicks held off the charging Los Angeles Clippers 99-93, denying the Clippers a chance to claim home court advantage over Memphis in the first round of the playoffs.

J.R. Smith came off the bench and scored 21 points with five assists for New York, who led 90-72 with eight minutes remaining but saw the Clippers storm back to slice the deficit to one point.

Carmelo Anthony scored 17 points and Steve Novak added 15 as half a dozen New York players scored in double figures.

But the Knicks still have work to do when the regular season concludes on Thursday.

Philadelphia’s 90-85 victory over Milwaukee meant the Knicks need a victory over hapless Charlotte on Thursday to secure seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando, led by J.J. Redick’s 31 points, downed Charlotte 102-95 on Wednesday to book the sixth seed in the East.

The Bobcats, meanwhile, fell to 7-58 and need to beat the Knicks on Thursday to avoid the worst record by winning percentage in league history.

Orlando close the regular season against Memphis on Thursday, and a Magic win would give the Clippers home court advantage in their opening round against the Grizzlies.

Denver’s 106-101 victory over Oklahoma City ensured the Nuggets will not be the eighth seeds in the West.

San Antonio, with the top seed in the West locked up, opted to rest stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

“It’s doesn’t make any sense to play them,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News, saying the chance that San Antonio’s playoff campaign could start as early as Saturday persuaded him to rest the trio.

San Antonio still managed to beat Phoenix 110-106.

Barring an unlikely scenario that would include, among other results, the disintegrating Orlando Magic losing to the historically woeful Charlotte Bobcats at home, the New York Knicks will decide over the next couple of days whether they play the Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls in a first round NBA playoff series.

The Knicks will determine the seeding based on their last two games against the Los Angeles Clippers and those same seven-win Bobcats. And, by the way, how is it possible to not trip into a few more victories than seven over a 66-game schedule?

The raging discussion in the New York metropolitan area currently concerns opponent preference. Would it be more advantageous for the Knicks to take on the Bulls or the Heat? The answer, of course, is neither, but delirious fans – you know, the ones who are eternally blinded by dreams and unfounded optimism – seem to be split fairly evenly. Those lining up with a Heat preference are persuaded by the sheer delight of upsetting the Dream Team. The fans who consider the Bulls somewhat more vulnerable are taking the rational route. There’s a sense both sides are beating their chests to generate motivation and positive thinking that might affect the outcome.

Certainly, the Bulls argument makes slightly more sense because their best player, Derrick Rose, has been hobbled for so long, and the second option scorer, Rip Hamilton, has missed more than half the season with injury. The Knicks managed to defeat the Bulls once, on that magical Sunday a few weeks ago, when Carmelo Anthony yanked them to victory. Chicago missed foul shots at the end of the game that day to leave the door open. Otherwise, with and without Rose, the Bulls just pound the Knicks on the boards, a flaw not easily corrected considering the latter has only one legitimate banger in Tyson Chandler. The Bulls are one of those teams that seem to win games through utter will, regardless of how well or badly they might be playing.

The Knicks do not match up well with the Heat at all. Despite how euphoric it would be to topple this hated giant, there is absolutely no evidence it can happen. In fact, a Heat series might leave the Knicks winless in the playoffs for the second year in a row. The Knicks have no one to cover LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade is, of course, among the best players in the league.

Both have tremendous defenses to corral the Knick explosions that have been a trademark during their current hot streak. So then, the answer is moot. We are left with hope for a representative showing against somebody, and some self-respect when it’s all over. It’s hollow, but it’s all we have.

Glenn Vallach has been a New York Knick fan since the days of Howie Komives and Walt Bellamy, when he regularly boarded the IRT Subway at 180th Street in the Bronx for a trip to the Garden to see his heroes. Since the last championship in 1973, he has alternately yearned and suffered, hoped and lamented…he’s waited long enough.

Sources:

• Yahoo! Sports New York Knicks page
• Yahoo! Sports Chicago Bulls page
• Yahoo! Sports Miami Heat page
• Yahoo! Sports LeBron James page
• The Associated Press, Pavlovic rallies Celtics to 78-66 win over Heat

Having clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference while sitting idle the last few days, the Chicago Bulls could use the next game to rest Derrick Rose and Luol Deng before the playoffs.

However, coach Tom Thibodeau hinted earlier this week that might not happen.

Looking to get their starters some rare minutes together, the Bulls plan to be at full strength Wednesday night when they visit the Indiana Pacers.

Chicago clinched the East’s best record for a second straight season Tuesday when Miami lost to Boston, giving the Bulls home-court advantage through the conference finals. They still have a chance to earn it through the NBA finals, currently tied with San Antonio for the league’s best record.

Chicago is coming off a 98-83 win over Dallas on Saturday.

Thibodeau hinted Monday that no matter where the Bulls (48-16) stood going into Wednesday, he planned on using all of his starters, at least for a bit. It helped that the Bulls have had a three-day break since their last game.

“I like where we are in terms of having the opportunity to rest guys. … We have no one in the top 25 in the league in minutes,” he said. “It’s good for us.”

Injuries to Rose, Deng and Richard Hamilton have limited their time with fellow starters Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah to 14 games together. Rose returned Saturday following a three-game absence due to a sore foot. He’s played in only four of Chicago’s last 20 games.

As Rose continues to work off the rust – he scored 11 points against Dallas and admitted to some confidence issues when driving the lane – Hamilton is finally playing the way the Bulls envisioned. He scored at least 19 points for the fourth time in seven games Saturday and has reached double figures in four of five.

Deng scored a game-high 22 versus the Mavericks in his second game back after missing two with a rib injury.

While the Bulls haven’t been at their best lately, going 6-5 this month, they look forward to fixing any remaining issues as the regular season winds down. Their finale is Thursday against Cleveland.

“Two more games, big games for us,” Deng said. “We’re still not there quite yet, but almost there.”

These teams have split two meetings this season – both in Chicago – after Indiana’s first-round playoff loss to the Bulls last April in a five-game series which included four games decided by five points or fewer.

“They put up a fight every time we play them,” Rose said last month. “I think it makes us better as a team.”

With the No. 3 seed in the East locked up, Indiana (42-23) rested three starters in a 103-97 win over Detroit on Monday. Paul George scored 27 points while Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and George Hill got the night off.

The Pacers have won 12 of 14. While they figure to rest some of their starters in their regular-season finale, they realize the importance of chemistry and momentum.

“I just think in terms of mental preparation, just want to kind of keep the train going,” David West said. “We’ve been playing some good ball. We’ve been sharing the load in terms of what we’re doing. I think it’s just a good idea to keep that rolling.”

Joakim Noah is a large part of why the Chicago Bulls are set to make noise in the Playoffs.

Originally published in SLAM 158

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

A few years ago, I spent a summer afternoon with Joakim Noah at his father’s apartment in New York City. Joakim had the day off, and since his father was away, Joakim had slept in. I arrived, and he eventually woke up, picked through some sushi that was in the fridge, then sat and had a frank and interesting conversation with me for SLAMonline. Then he got dressed and went out for the afternoon to enjoy New York City.

The interesting thing here is that because Joakim Noah is Joakim Noah, everything was on a different level than if he had been just a regular New York citizen. His father is a legendary tennis player turned Grammy-winning singer, his grandfather a professional Cameroonian soccer player, his grandmother a former French national basketball team captain, his mother a Swedish supermodel turned sculptor. So the apartment, for instance, was an airy loft on Central Park South, with huge windows that exposed huge green expanses of Central Park. Because his father, Yannick Noah, is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, the apartment featured photos of his dad hanging out with people like Nelson Mandela. And because he is Joakim Noah, someone who has lived openly and honestly on an international stage for most of his life, when I interviewed him, he spoke freely and thoughtfully answered every question I threw at him.

Noah mostly grew up a few blocks—and a world—away from his dad’s place, with his mom over in Hell’s Kitchen. He saw the world, spending time in Europe, but New York was home; he even shouted out Hell’s Kitchen—“Hell’s Kitchen, stand up!”—after winning one of two National Championships at the University of Florida. Noah was drafted 9th overall by the Bulls in ’07, after bigs like Greg Oden, Brandan Wright and Yi Jianlian. After a few seasons of spinning their wheels, Derrick Rose and then Tom Thibodeau joined Jo in Chicago, and the Bulls have been near world-beaters since.

At press time, 64 games into this lockout-shortened season, the Chicago Bulls were sitting at an exemplary 48-16, the best record in the NBA. Since bringing in Thibs as coach two summers back, the Bulls have found their definition with defense. Thibs ran the defense for the title-winning team in Boston back in ’08, and he’s replicated the same help principles and laser focus on defending in Chicago. At press time, this season the Bulls were first in the NBA at points allowed per game, at 88.4, and second in lowest opponent’s field-goal percentage at 42.3.

Noah, all arms and angles, is emblematic of the Bulls’ shared acceptance of Thibodeau’s defensive mania. As Dennis Rodman told ESPN: “I love Noah. He runs around with his head cut off sometimes, but I love him. He’s more like me, but a little taller…He plays for the game.” And when Dennis Rodman says you run around like a chicken with your head cut off, you really must be hustling.

There’s something to be said for continuity in sports, particularly during this truncated season. Without the chance to get together and practice or install new wrinkles during the lockout, the best NBA teams this year have been teams that were, at the least, together a season ago—Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Miami, Chicago—who have been able to build on the themes they established in the past. Thibodeau preaches defense until he’s hoarse in the throat, and when it works, it’s terrific. That’s what the Bulls are constantly striving for, some vague perfection where they hedge correctly on a screen-roll and cause the ballhandler to pause long enough to allow the defense to catch up and then force a 24-second violation. As Noah told David Aldridge of NBA.com, “It’s very hard. That’s why winning is so sweet, because it’s hard. And it is repetitive and you’re always tired, and it’s always the next one, move on to the next one…it’s emotional.”

As far as mindset goes, Joakim’s was under review, at least for a while. It didn’t help that he wore a beige seersucker suit to the Draft and let his hair fly under his Draft hat while tossing up a peace sign, and he occasionally pops up on the Web vacationing in impossibly perfect locales. Noah comes armed with a goofiness that plays broad, which he seems to rely on in front of crowds or strangers. Sit him down, and that insouciance is tempered by a worldliness that has obviously informed him.

By now, we’ve accepted that Noah is polarizing and unifying, both of which work to the advantage of the Bulls. He’s not afraid to stand up to the Garnetts and Gasols of the NBA world or call out opponents. This might be annoying to opposing fans, but it connects Noah to Bulls fans, and also gives the Bulls an edge.

As Chicago chases another set of rings, Noah has solidly slipped into that man in the middle role for the Bulls. He’s never been an All-Star. He’s solid around the rim, but has yet to develop that killer mid-range jumper (he’s shooting 24 percent from 10-15 feet this season, and 42 percent from 16-23 feet), which will force defenders to come out on him and open up the floor for him. Still, Noah is on pace to average a double-double (or very close to one) for his third consecutive season. Noah is good enough to fight for boards with and contest shots against the best centers in the L, and when he’s on the floor, the Bulls have their best chance at winning.

Derrick Rose is the best player on the Chicago Bulls, but Joakim Noah is one of the most important. Is he more important than Luol Deng or Carlos Boozer or Rip Hamilton or any other player? No, but that’s because this is the way the Bulls have been structured. Every player is exactly as important and unimportant as any other player. Nobody on the Bulls plays harder, yet several Bulls play just as hard. In that way, Thibs, Noah and the Bulls have carved out this blue-collar identity that has endeared them to their fans and made them nearly invisible to casual fans. Playing impenetrable help defense may not make SportsCenter, but it sure helps the wins stack up.

The Bulls have found success by playing team basketball. Yes, they have an MVP running the point, but instead of a clear-cut No. 2 behind Derrick Rose, there is a collective, a community. In the same way that he is a participatory member of the community of the world, Joakim Noah is an essential member of his team in Chicago. And his team has grabbed the League by the horns.