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

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

Finally – a game Chicago Bulls fans can be pleased with, even if coach Tom Thibodeau isn’t.

Led by a spectacular effort from reigning MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls on Friday knocked off Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers, 114-101, to close out what this die-hard fan is calling a wildly successful four-game West Coast road trip to open the season.

As expected, the Clippers provided some great highlight reel material with impressive dunks by Griffin – what a move to open the game! – and DeAndre Jordan, but Rose stole the show, and in a pretty big way. He finished with 29 points, 16 assists and eight rebounds, and generally did exactly what a point guard is supposed to do – get everyone involved and make them better.

And involved they were. All five Bulls starters finished in double figures, and all five had at least five rebounds and one assist. Luol Deng turned in his usual 19-point, 8-rebound performance, Joakim Noah had 19 and eight, and Rip Hamilton, looking smoother every game, chipped in with 16 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists.

It was the second straight game the Bulls showed across the board improvement after looking rough and ragged in an opening season win over the Los Angeles Lakers and an ugly loss to the Golden State Warriors. Ball movement was crisp and clean (29 assists on 39 buckets), turnovers (12) were down, the Bulls dominated the boards (45-31), and the D, while allowing the Clippers to shoot .51 percent from the field, made another baby-step forward.

The successful road trip should help soothe fans who were growing anxious after the team’s subpar showings to open the season, and it puts the Bulls in a great position to turn a sluggish start into something more.

Last season, the Bulls lost three of their first four road games, then five of their first nine, en route to compiling a 9-8 overall mark. And then boom!, things really took off, the team won 14 of its next 16 games and never looked back. In other words, it took the team about 17 games to find its rhythm, and they played roughly .500 ball while doing so.

This season, the Bulls have already won three of their first four road games, and the upcoming schedule is not overly intimidating (although they do play seven of the first nine on the road). The way I see it, the Bulls could be, say, 12-5 or even 13-4 through its first 17 games. How huge would that be in a 66-game season?

Sure, there are plenty areas that still need improved – just ask Thibs, there always will be – but this fan will take a .750 winning percentage on any road trip, let alone a West Coast road trip to open the season.

Notes: Rose made Paul’s 15 points, 14 assists and four steals seem somewhat pedestrian….. Noah said Rose’s showing was “one of the best performances I’ve ever been a part of.”….. Speaking of Jo, it was good to see him hitting the offensive boards (5), getting put backs and drawing fouls (10 of 11 from the line)….. The Bench Mob had 21 points and 10 rebounds to just 11 points and five rebounds from their counterparts….. Ronnie Brewer is now 7-for-7 from the field with three threes the past two games….. Rose and Deng both played 42 minutes; don’t know how sustainability that is this early in such a compressed season….. Someone should tell Griffin that chest pounding after a dunk – when your team is down by 13 – just isn’t cool.

Sources: Chicago Bulls at LA Clippers box score, ESPN; Bulls pull away in 4th to beat Clippers 114-101, Associated Press/Yahoo! Sports; Bulls finish 3-1 trip with 114-101 win, Chicago Tribune.

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.

The Sacramento Kings lost their second straight game to fall to 1-2 on the season. The Chicago Bulls defeated Sacramento at home by the score of 108-98. The two losses have been disappointing after the team started strong with an opening game victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. The team has still played well and shown the potential that they have this season.

Sacramento was again led by shooting guard Marcus Thornton who led the team with 20 points. It’s become evident that if this team is going to win, Thornton is going to have to play well.

One of the biggest difficulties for Sacramento was the lack of depth on the frontcourt. Both starting big men, DeMarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes, fouled out in the game. Cousins had his third double-double in three games but only made four out of 16 shots in the game. Fans have to enjoy seeing Cousins rebound better so far but will still have to live with the up and down play of the young center.

Jimmer Fredette had his best game on the young season. Fredette finished with 14 points and three assists in the game. He made five out of 10 shots on the game and made two three point baskets. It will be exciting to see just how good Jimmer will get this season. Watching the first three games has made it evident that Jimmer will only get better and will be a major contributor before the season is over.

Troubling for fans has been the start of Tyreke Evans so far. Evans finished with 19 points but had just two rebounds and two assists in the game. He also made just five out of 12 free throw attempts. Evans will need to play much better than he has to start the season if Sacramento is going to be successful this year. As the point guard, he is the key to the offense and needs to become more of a leader this season.

The best thing about the start to the season for Sacramento fans has been the excitement surrounding the team. Fans are excited that the team is improved and about the new players on the team. Both home games have sold out so far and this is a big improvement over the crowds the team played in front of last season. Hopefully the team will begin to play more consistent and more victories will come with it.

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong fan of the Sacramento Kings. He started going to Kings games at age six and has attended hundreds of games since. Follow him on twitter @kyler11.

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

The Chicago Bulls finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference
last season in large part because of the defensive schemes installed by
first-year coach Tom Thibodeau.

For Thibodeau and the Bulls to live up to the high bars they set last
season, they’ll need to knock the rust off of that defense.

The Bulls look to bounce back from their first loss Thursday night when they
visit the Sacramento Kings.

After rallying for an 88-87 win in their season opener against the Los
Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, the Bulls (1-1) could not overcome an early
deficit Monday against Golden State. Chicago gave up 20 fast-break points and 42
points in the paint in the 99-91 defeat.

“We let them get easy looks,” reigning MVP Derrick Rose said. “In the first
quarter, we’ve got to find a way to stop people. Guys that we know can score the
ball, they’re getting too many easy looks.”

Rose also struggled on offense, going 4 for 17 from the field and finishing
with 13 points. But the Bulls’ primary focus is recommitting to their defensive
mindset from last season, when they led the league in opponents’ field goal
percentage (43.0) and ranked second in opponents’ scoring (91.3 points per game)
en route to 62 wins.

The Bulls’ first two opponents this season have shot 47.1 percent.

“We’re not going to get to where we want to get to playing defense like
that,” center Joakim Noah told the team’s official website after the Bulls
committed 20 turnovers and forced only 10 against the Warriors. “We have to
improve. It’s frustrating. Our defense was just bad.”

The Bulls will try to better execute their defensive plan against a young
Sacramento team coming off a poor offensive showing. After beating the Lakers
100-91 in their opener Monday, the Kings (1-1) were outscored 55-33 in the
second half of a 101-79 loss at Portland on Tuesday.

Sacramento’s starters went 17 for 49 (34.7 percent) from the field in the
game, and the Kings were 9 of 38 (23.7) in the second half.

“We had our moments in the first 16, 18, 20 minutes, then we fell apart,”
coach Paul Westphal said. “This was a step in our development that was painful.
We got taught by a more experienced team that is far above us now.”

The Kings could have similar struggles against the Bulls, who have won five
of the last six meetings including a 132-92 rout in the most recent matchup
March 21. Eight Chicago players scored at least 11 points in that game as the
Bulls shot 61.3 percent and recorded their highest point total since April 14,
2008.

Bulls forward Luol Deng scored 17 points while making 5 of 9 shots in that
game. He has averaged 20.2 points and shot 55.1 percent in his last five
contests against Sacramento.

Kings guard Marcus Thornton, coming off a 5-for-15 performance against the
Trail Blazers, has averaged 23.0 points and shot 58.5 percent in his last three
games against the Bulls, going 10 for 15 from 3-point range.

Since being traded to the Kings in February, Thornton has averaged 25.1
points and shot 50.3 percent in 11 Sacramento wins. He has been held to 18.8
points and shot 42.3 percent in 18 losses.

Chicago Bulls fans, mark your calendars, as there are some great nationally televised games coming up in January. Here’s a rundown of games you won’t want to miss.

January 6 at Orlando Magic: It’s the first meeting of the two teams since Dwight Howard “spurned” – thank goodness – the Bulls and the city of Chicago. The Bulls beat the Magic three times last season, but were also embarrassed in a 107-78 early season pounding. Where to watch: ESPN, ESPN3.

January 13 at Boston Celtics: The Bulls split four games with the Celtics last season, and will meet four times in 2012. Based on Boston’s aging core and slow start – they were 0-2 at this writing – the Bulls should have the upper hand this season. Where to watch: ESPN, ESPN3.

January 16 at Memphis Grizzlies: The Bulls took two games from Memphis last season, but that was before the Grizzlies took Oklahoma City to seven games in a second-round playoff series. That experience will give the Griz some much-needed confidence to start the season. Where to watch: ESPN, ESPN3.

January 25 vs. Indiana Pacers: If you didn’t already have a reason to sign up for NBA-TV, this game, and series, ought to be enough. Despite a quick exit from the playoffs, the Pacers played the Bulls tough last season, and will be one of the East’s most improved teams. Where to watch: NBA-TV.

January 29 at Miami Heat: Drumroll…..This is the matchup that everyone, Bulls and Heat fans alike, are looking forward to. The Bulls swept three games from the Heat last season by a cumulative nine points, and four contests this season should be just as close and exciting. Where to watch: ABC.

The Bulls will also play a nationally televised game against the Washington Wizards on January 30.

All told, the Bulls also will appear on national television 36 times this season: 10 times on ESPN, seven times on TNT, five times on ABC, four times on NBA-TV and 10 times on WGN-America. Chicago area fans can also tune in on ComcastSportNet-Chicago, WGN and WCIU-TV, which share local broadcast duties.

Notes: The Bulls-Lakers matchup on Christmas day was the third most-watched regular-season game ever on ABC, trailing only last year’s Heat-Lakers showdown and a 2004 meeting between Miami and LA…..Sam Smith had a great article on his blog yesterday, Bulls defenseless and offensive to watch vs. Warriors.

Sources: Bulls 2011-12 Schedule, ESPN; Bulls to bask in national-TV limelight, Chicago Tribune.

YCN featured sports contributor Steve Merritt is – for better or worse – a lifelong Chicago Bulls, Bears and Cubs fan. If you have a question about the Bulls, a story idea or just a general comment, let me know!

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