Game Thread #48: Bulls at Denver Nuggets

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 8, 2006 6:47 PM CST in News

Well, this one is on ESPN2 (likely blacked out in Chicago, so more for us locals it's Red Kerr and Wayne the announcing super-soldier), and thus the whole country can see Bulls basketball in all its glory.

I'm still demoralized over the Utah game. THAT was the game to win, especially after their hot start.

Not sure if Duhon's playing tonight or not. I'm not ashamed to admit I missed the guy in Utah. With him hurt there's just too much Jannero Pargo on my television.

Leave your pre/in/postgame comments below...

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Lets get a win

Bulls have never really been good over in Denver even in the Golden Age of His Airness. Something to do with the high altitude. We could use a win after that nightmare in Utah. Lets go Bulls!

by Superman on Feb 8, 2006 7:37 PM CST reply actions

Nocioni!!!!!

got his wish.

He won't be participating in the 3-Point contest.

Nocioni

Kidd2323

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 8:12 PM CST reply actions

Road Rage

Okay...5:27 to play in the first quarter and Ben was just called for a "phantom" blocking call, the kind of foul that drives me nuts, the kind that ref needs to swallow his whistle on.

And the fouls mount.

Kidd2323

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 8:57 PM CST reply actions

I missed the 1st quarter

and see the Bulls have 33 points. Maybe I should skip the 2nd as well? :)

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 8, 2006 9:12 PM CST reply actions

by the way

the Bulls are NOT blacked out on ESPN2

Kidd2323

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 9:21 PM CST reply actions

Even though it's Legler

I still enjoy a break from the Bulls announcers every now and then.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 8, 2006 9:49 PM CST up reply actions

I didn't mind him

It was the first time I'd heard Timmy do a game, and I actually thought he was pretty good. I'm kinda indifferent on Tirico, and in general ESPN focuses too much on stars and hype. But Legler did a really good job of actually talking about what's happenning and analyzing it. He's definitely boring, but I think he could grow into a good announcer if they don't booyah him too much.

by Moses Taylor on Feb 9, 2006 11:35 AM CST up reply actions

I'm with you

I thought Legs was going to be bad, but he was actually very good, and I even learned a bit, something that never happens in a Bulls broadcast anymore.

I think Legler must feel the need to ham it up when paired with Anthony and Screamin' A, since during the game I was really surprised and impressed.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 9, 2006 1:09 PM CST up reply actions

Ben Gordon

is hot again today, but the Bulls are in their typical lull time right now and the player who needs to step up here is Hinrich.

Kidd2323

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 9:38 PM CST reply actions

Need Deng on the floor

He's doing a better job on Carmelo than Noc.

I'm getting that itchy '2nd Half Bulls letdown' feeling.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 8, 2006 9:49 PM CST reply actions

20 point lead...nice

on the road, in the altitude, with chandler taking odd jumpshots...priceless

Kidd2323

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 10:20 PM CST up reply actions

Hinrich freaks out when he gets in the paint

I saw him do this twice, Legler called it "great penetration". By next year he's got to figure out how to calm down in that area and maneuveur towards the basket to make an easy layup, draw a foul, or make the pass to whomever is open. That's a big difference between him and the elite PGs.

Maybe a good analogy is in football where the elite quarterbacks are the ones who don't get rattled when the pressure is coming and stay in the pocket to make the pass that punishes the rush.

One of the big problems I have with the curls is that when he does that he turns his back away from 3/4 of the court. He can't see to make a pass and makes himself to a double team or a sneaky defender.

The move has no utility whatsoever!

Aside from that: Gordon and Chandler have been on fire this road trip!

by CRG on Feb 8, 2006 10:22 PM CST reply actions

Hinrich looks up...

and the driving reverse, as an afterthought, is good!

But this game is not gonna be good for our griping about the drive curls, cuz they guards are certainly gonna feel shellshocked after The Camby Experience.

Kidd2323

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 11:24 PM CST reply actions

Thank God

This would have been the worst loss of the year. Hopefully we can steal at least one of the final two games on the trip.

by Big D on Feb 8, 2006 11:28 PM CST reply actions

Block!

Carmelo drives, Luol defends, Tyson blocks shot, and wonder of all wonders, the refs swallow their whistles.

Clutch free throws by Nocioni.

Melo 3 pointer at buzzer is no good!!!

And the losing streak is over.

By the way, I just wanna say that since I discovered the world of commenting online on this wonderful site, it's given me opportunity to vent my plentiful frustrations.

But when we have what I can only assume were server problems during games, I am a blabbering mess. (I know, I have no life.)

That throw-up of a fourth quarter by the Bulls was exasperated by not being able to comment on it.

Kidd2323

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 11:33 PM CST reply actions

The block was sweet

but it was all set up by an awful awful jump ball call. What BS... At least they made up for it by not calling a shitty blocking foul on that block.

by dbt on Feb 8, 2006 11:50 PM CST reply actions

I was surprised...

I thought for sure Luol was gonna be called for a block on that play, and really, he probably deserved one there.

But maybe there is some justice after the jump ball call.

I love Grant Park in June!! Been there six times!!!

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 8, 2006 11:56 PM CST up reply actions

Great block

Man, I love when Tyson Chandler is playing well. He outplayed his projected mirror image (Camby) last night, thoroughly.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 9, 2006 1:10 PM CST up reply actions

Well

Camby still finished with 7 blocks. But you're right, Tyson owned the boards (at least in the first half) again.

by Moses Taylor on Feb 9, 2006 4:08 PM CST up reply actions

TV coverage

Did the ESPN crew have anything intelligent to say about the Bulls.

I did listen to the first several minutes of ESPN2's broadcast then I switched to radio. I prefer to listen to Neil Funk on the radio while I watch the game on TV. I've heard everything Red & Tom Dore have to offer far too often.

Unfortunately the time delay between the radio broadcast & the TV picture can vary between zero and 5 seconds. It would be nice if WMVP could have the engineer adjust the delay to keep the radio play by play in synch with the TV signal. It's probably not possible though, since the game is broadcast over air, via Dish & Direct TV Satelite and Comcast Cable and I doubt that they are all in synch.

Last night I noticed that ESPN2 was 4-5 seconds behind WGN on the telecast, but WMVP & WGN were virtually in synch.

REB

by OldeBull on Feb 9, 2006 11:41 AM CST reply actions

ESPN

It started out as 'all carmelo, all the time', but eventually when the Bulls had the big lead they spent most of the second half saying how impressed they were and predicting better play from them in the 2nd half of the year.

Then the Bulls collapsed and almost lost, serving as a reminder to everyone WHY they have the record they do.

by your friendly BullsBlogger on Feb 9, 2006 1:12 PM CST up reply actions

I don't get it

Why do they build huge leads only to piss them away game after game? They were lucky to get out of Denver with a win. Tonight should be interesting.

by sue369 on Feb 9, 2006 2:46 PM CST up reply actions

Woulda commented on this last night...

Denver, down 20 at the time, employed a kind of 3/4 court trap that is obsolete in the NBA these days and the Bulls guards shit their pants having not seen a trap since high school.

More than their defense, their offense disappeared with about a six minute display of bad shot selection and turnovers.

Kirk had the proverbial deer-in-headlights thing going on.

I love Grant Park in June!! Been there six times!!!

by james@lifeinthecell on Feb 9, 2006 3:48 PM CST up reply actions

ESPN+NBA=TOOLS

Yeah well its all trash. There really are no trades out there. I think if I had to pick and I hate to say this but I would rather trade Hinrich.
His ears bother me. You wana read something that will make you laugh and then wana jump out of a moving vehicle, read the Knicks blog. Its sick.The fact that they are not going ape shit over the rose trade. Whatever nevermind.

by joejoeEnglish94bulls4ever on Feb 9, 2006 2:51 PM CST reply actions