Blech, not much of a game in terms of aesthetic (though it was quick: not many FTs on either side). Even the best reason to watch, Derrick Rose, had a rough game overall, and finished with 2 injuries: first twisting an ankle, and later injuring his wrist on a fall. After both incidents he winced and forced a time out yet stayed in the game, but initial media reports make it seem like the wrist injury could indeed be something that could keep him out of future games.

While the Bulls could be a bit concerned with not being able to manhandle the Pacers on the boards (especially in the first half, where they were able to survive and climb back from an early blitz by having a 10-2 offensive rebound advantage), overall the defense was outstanding. Even considering that the Pacers aren't a great offensive team and were missing their best player, they looked even worse than that, finishing with only 73 points and a few of those even coming off lucky breaks: I think they had at least 3 baskets off of airballs.

Offensively, the Bulls didn't attack the basket as much as one would hope, and Rose didn't fully take advantage of the massive size advantage he had over both Collison and Ford. A lot of jump shots, and the points seemingly ebbed and flowed with how Carlos Boozer shot them, starting out real hot, cooling off, and then hitting enough at the end of the game (and where Rose, of course, chipped in as well) to keep the Pacers at a reasonable distance. It's a pretty easy call to say that any time the Bulls hold an opponent to under 75 points in a game, they'll do pretty well.

(final note: It takes a lot more than this to have me concerned over Joakim Noah, but I'm at least concerned about possibly being concerned: only 5 rebounds in 33 minutes, and sat out most of the 4th quarter. )