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Open Game Thread #20: Bulls at Indiana Pacers

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Second game in as many nights for the Bulls, but the Pacers also played last night, getting pantsed by the Cavs in Cleveland. Jeff Foster and David Harrison didn't play, although I don't know their status for tonight. And as we know, Jermaine O'Neal is always game-to-game.

It's also the first game at Conseco Fieldhouse since that whole Jamaal Tinsley thing, and that could be an interesting sideshow, and at best (for us) a distraction for the Pacers.

Blogging with the Enemy: Indy Cornrows

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I hope the Pacers fans don't boo Tinsley
Considering the dude almost got killed and all.  Of course, it probably won't matter, since they barely draw any fans to begin with.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 4:47 PM CST   0 recs

each game looms bigger now
if the Bulls are really going to turn the season around then this sure looks like the type of game they need to be able to win

they shouldn't use the back to back or road excuse because good teams still win those type of games (Bulls should still consider themselves a contender in the East regardless of their early season record)

hopefully they can continue to put some Ws together

by NY Chicago Fan on Dec 12, 2007 4:48 PM CST   0 recs

No more excuses!
This season has been full of them.  No more:
  • "road game" crap
  • "back-to-back" crap
  • "fragile psych" crap
  • "not running the floor" crap
  • "shooting confidence" crap
  • "no real leader" crap
  • "effort/energy" crap
Even injuries need to cease being an excuse.  A good team wins this game and stacks wins in a favorable week.

Either this team is good enough, or it's not.  Let's find out.

Wrecked 'em? Damn near killed 'em!

by mdmnd9294 on Dec 12, 2007 5:34 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

PS: Go Bulls!
Wrecked 'em? Damn near killed 'em!

by mdmnd9294 on Dec 12, 2007 5:37 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

It will
be interesting to see if they come out playing as hard as they did last night. I hope they do.

Let's do this!

Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 12, 2007 5:03 PM CST   0 recs

Does Tyrus get benched...
...because he's too exhausted after last night's 20-minute performance? = O
Let us prepare for glory! --Michael Redd

by tyger1147 on Dec 12, 2007 5:13 PM CST   0 recs

holy guacamole!
98(!) PACE.

That's a lot of running for a team that really doesn't have players known for... running.

Officially a hater on Ballhype!

by hscs on Dec 12, 2007 5:27 PM CST   0 recs

oh look
kirk got into the lane and dished.
Nocioni-Khryapa in '08

by bullshooter on Dec 12, 2007 6:17 PM CST   0 recs

i'm still fuming at myself
can't believe i didnt remember (or check to look) that the game was on the superstation last night...i probably looked like an idiot listening to the bulls game on the radio watching the pistons...ugh

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 6:21 PM CST   0 recs

Don't worry...
I did the same thing a while back.  After the game I turned the radio off, turned the tv on.  Flipped two stations and there it was.  sigh  

by cranscape on Dec 12, 2007 7:24 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

BG on Dunleavy?
And the Pacers aren't pssting him up.  BG is holding his own so far, but seems like this was a situation tailor-made for Thabo.
Nocioni-Khryapa in '08

by bullshooter on Dec 12, 2007 6:21 PM CST   0 recs

bulls starting to sound good
Joe Smith is playing really well of late...his consistancy is that of noch's  good games 60% of the time...amazing 20%, and a putrid 20%....

I would take Free Money at those rates

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 6:28 PM CST   0 recs

I think Joe Smith must just smile
for different reasons than the rest of us.  He's been putting up some pretty good numbers reletive to amount of effort he seems to expend to get them.  
Ita est, ergo ita sit.

by alec on Dec 12, 2007 6:48 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

is the arena really as empty
as the radio guys are making it out to be

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 6:35 PM CST   0 recs

It is
It looks like the Bobcats' arena did last week.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 6:40 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

So simple
If the Bulls hit the shots they usually hit, they're as good as any team in basketball. That's the only reason they struggled this season.

Hopefully this trend of hitting open shots continues for the rest of the season

by Option27 on Dec 12, 2007 6:35 PM CST   0 recs

come on guys
starting to lose it

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 6:50 PM CST   0 recs

Duhon and Noc with 5 turnovers
letting the Pacers back in the game.

by philosoball on Dec 12, 2007 6:50 PM CST   0 recs

FIGHT!
Thomas just threw a punch . . . not that I blame him, but that's an automatic suspension.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 6:57 PM CST   0 recs

It was more of an...
open hand push toward the face.  But yeah, he is gone.

by cranscape on Dec 12, 2007 7:25 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Tyrus
Why?! Be a man!

by Option27 on Dec 12, 2007 6:58 PM CST   0 recs

why don't we get FT's
wasn't it a shooting foul w/ tyrus?

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:01 PM CST   0 recs

get noch outta there
this is his 20% putrid

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:06 PM CST   0 recs

Gray is in?!?!?
Skiles is panicking.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 7:07 PM CST   0 recs

Amd as I type that . . .
Jermaine O'Neal blows right by him for a layup and a foul.  He had to be laughing his ass off when he saw Gray guarding him.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 7:08 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

aaron great

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:08 PM CST   0 recs

gray - p'neil
i expect many more hard fought battles ;-)

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:09 PM CST   0 recs

that wasn't a punch ...
that was an open palm push to the face! i mean troy "i just got called for traveling and a technical" murphy's big nose got in the way of any damage tyrus  possibly could've done. suspension? please, tyrus shouldn't have even been ejected!

by Orange Juice on Dec 12, 2007 7:10 PM CST   0 recs

Agreed
Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 12, 2007 7:15 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

He has been
playing better. I hope he has turned the corner.
Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 12, 2007 7:19 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Do we know his fate?
To me the ejection is enough.  We won't know until later about anything more, right?  It really was a girly, open hand push to the face area.  That can't be more than an ejection.

by cranscape on Dec 12, 2007 7:28 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

They lost
their drive, energy whatever you want to call it and with TT out for the game someone needs to step up and get this team going.
Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 12, 2007 7:18 PM CST   0 recs

indiana is not going to shoot
56%....law of large numbers...

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:24 PM CST   0 recs

gawdddd
this is pathetic

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:30 PM CST   0 recs

daniels has to wkae up
and realize he's marquis daniels...

smae with kareem rush

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:32 PM CST   0 recs

fire skiles now
him and tyrus deserve each other

by fireskiles on Dec 12, 2007 7:33 PM CST   0 recs

Crazy stuff on espn.com
Trying to somewhat follow the game w/ autorefresh on the box score.  It keeps going back in time.

by snley on Dec 12, 2007 7:40 PM CST   0 recs

79-68 pacers
bull's settling into a multi-quarter incompetence on O...

by fireskiles on Dec 12, 2007 7:41 PM CST   0 recs

Indiana
can't stay this hot.

I still like our chances

by Option27 on Dec 12, 2007 7:42 PM CST   0 recs

defense has gotta stay on assignment
and fire skiles bots need to be removed from this site

by lampnasty on Dec 12, 2007 7:44 PM CST   0 recs

get noch outta there
give noah some development or veektor or nichols but noch is playing like a piece of chapu

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:49 PM CST   0 recs

These Pacers announcers are atrocious
Jeeze louize. They're like nails on a chalkboard
"My jumper's so smooth it will seduce your girlfriend." -1958ChiTown

by NittanyBull on Dec 12, 2007 7:49 PM CST   0 recs

r u listening to the radio guy
"boom baby"   and they're hitting em so often   ugh

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:54 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Did anyone see that post move by Gray?
WOOO!!!
"My jumper's so smooth it will seduce your girlfriend." -1958ChiTown

by NittanyBull on Dec 12, 2007 7:52 PM CST   0 recs

jeebus christ

by milesgmsu on Dec 12, 2007 7:53 PM CST   0 recs

from up 16 to down 16
wow

by fireskiles on Dec 12, 2007 7:57 PM CST   0 recs

Too much dribbling by...
... Noah let the blowout last night go to his head, now he wants to dribble around the court.

by Sports2 on Dec 12, 2007 7:57 PM CST   0 recs

Indiana just shot lights out
In the third quarter. It's amazing the Bulls didn't get blown out.

by RogersPark Kris on Dec 12, 2007 8:00 PM CST   0 recs

Thabo will be Marquis Daniels one day
if we're exceptionally lucky

by Sports2 on Dec 12, 2007 8:00 PM CST   0 recs

Kareem Rush
just made Kirk look pretty bad on a couple trips down the court.

There's a guy who's never lived up to his billing except tonight.

by Sports2 on Dec 12, 2007 8:02 PM CST   0 recs

What the hell kind of defense was that
from Hinrich?

This game is getting very ugly

"My jumper's so smooth it will seduce your girlfriend." -1958ChiTown

by NittanyBull on Dec 12, 2007 8:02 PM CST   0 recs

My patience with this team is wearing thin.
We're getting blown out by a sh*tty f*cking Indiana team.

Play some defense. Jesus.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 8:08 PM CST   0 recs

9/12 from three
Someone man up Dunleavy. It's not that hard,he's a spot up jumper. Don't really have to worry about him driving the lane.

by RogersPark Kris on Dec 12, 2007 8:09 PM CST   0 recs

It's hard when Nocioni
doesn't play his man
"My jumper's so smooth it will seduce your girlfriend." -1958ChiTown

by NittanyBull on Dec 12, 2007 8:11 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Noce tends to leave home....
a LOT.
Is it spring training yet?

by Bluelou on Dec 12, 2007 8:12 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

It's over.
Bulls can't play any defense tonight.

by RogersPark Kris on Dec 12, 2007 8:11 PM CST   0 recs

They're playing no defense whatsoever
I think they need to spend $60 million on a former Defensive Player of the Yea . . . oh wait, never mind.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 8:11 PM CST   0 recs

Speaking of which.....
I just turned on the game in the 3rd...
Where's Ben Wallace?
Is it spring training yet?

by Bluelou on Dec 12, 2007 8:13 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

PF of the future
Noah, Thabo, Kirk, Duhon, Gordon on the court. Awful

by Sports2 on Dec 12, 2007 8:11 PM CST   0 recs

I am so tired of seeing the Bulls make some
scrub from the opposing team look like a perennial All-Star.

The fucking Mikki Moore phenomenon.

Tonight, they are succeeding in making not one, not two, not three, but four separate scrubs look like modern day MJ's.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 8:13 PM CST   0 recs

Griff....trotting down the court
lazy pass into the lane and it gets stolen...
Is it me or does a-drain look like he's in slow motion?

Geesh..

Is it spring training yet?

by Bluelou on Dec 12, 2007 8:16 PM CST   0 recs

It's not "early" anymore
We're 20 games into the season now.  By this point last year, the Bulls were already back at .500.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 8:18 PM CST   0 recs

The schedule isn't going to get much easier than
this week.

If the Bulls don't make a fucking move soon, they are going to be at serious risk of missing the playoffs.

Ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 8:18 PM CST   0 recs

Going to be?
Umm...last I looked they're noy even close to .500...
And the east is better thab last year.
 
Is it spring training yet?

by Bluelou on Dec 12, 2007 8:24 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

And on top of that
I can't eben smell tomight!   :-)
Is it spring training yet?

by Bluelou on Dec 12, 2007 8:25 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Sad as it is
They're not even far behind that 8th spot....Long season to go.

They'll be there but if they play like this, they wont be there long

by Option27 on Dec 12, 2007 8:57 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

so much for last night's big win...
...helping their point differential

by T Maple on Dec 12, 2007 8:19 PM CST   0 recs

How many times have the Bulls gotten
blown out this season?

This is tiresome.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 8:22 PM CST   0 recs

I thought perhaps Gordon was returning to
form after last night.

But no, he comes out tonight and puts up 33% shooting.

That being said, we lost this game because of our embarrassing defensive effort.

40 points allowed in the third quarter.

Disgusting.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 8:23 PM CST   0 recs

If they can't beat the sorry-ass Knicks on Friday
then it might be time to fire Skiles.  This team should not lose to a team like the Knicks, and this would be the second time in a month they've lost to them.  That would indicate that there are serious problems that go far beyond players not shooting well.

by Big D on Dec 12, 2007 8:28 PM CST   0 recs

Hinrich should be mortified by his defense
tonight.

When the Comcast announcers are calling you out on TV, you know your effort is lacking.

I haven't been this infuriated in quite some time. I don't mind losing to good teams, but getting blown out by the sh*t Pacers is inexcusable.

Paid for seasons tickets for this dogcrap. God damn.

I don't know what can be done to shake the team out of its stupor, though.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 8:30 PM CST   0 recs

P.S. I understand shooting woes, but
someone please tell me how our defense has regressed so drastically since last season?

The hallmark of the damn team was defense. The franchise was built for defense. The franchise was marketed on defense. Defense wins championships. Now we don't play any!

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 8:35 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

We can't even beat Indiana
At this pace we are lookin' at 29-53 for the season. Something has to be done, this can't go on.

by tomcat on Dec 12, 2007 8:31 PM CST   0 recs

Uf
40 Point quarter?

With emphasis, Uf!

"Shoot 25 balls in one minute? It's impossible for me. It's not my game. I know that." -Andres Nocioni

by cubbybear on Dec 12, 2007 8:39 PM CST   0 recs

UGH!!! :-(
Please get this season turned around and play some great basketball.

by sue369 on Dec 12, 2007 8:44 PM CST   0 recs

Yes, we blew that game, but on the
other hand, we are still in the midst of a decent stretch of play and happened to run into a hot-shooting Pacers team, so I don't think the season is lost quite yet.

by philosoball on Dec 12, 2007 8:54 PM CST   0 recs

sorry philosoball but...
they were up 16 and they got blown out...there is no "on the other hand", with a loss like this .

by GoldenThreePeat on Dec 12, 2007 9:39 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

Wow am I lucky
I left at the start of the second quarter when the bootleg league pass stream crapped out.  I really thought the Bulls had turned the corner, they were handling the Pacers.  BG was hitting shots, Kirk was getting in the lane and dishing, Joe Smith was hitting...  WTF happened?  Did BG go 0 for his next 20?  Kirk has a good stat line, but only 28 minutes, foul trouble?  Lu and Noc not getting it done, Noc and Du turning it over?  Wallace only 25 minutes and 6 boards?  Disappointing.
Nocioni-Khryapa in '08

by bullshooter on Dec 12, 2007 9:27 PM CST   0 recs

Yes, Kirk had foul trouble as a result
of his typical needless fouls 50 feet from the basket. When he was on the court, his defense was atrocious.

Tyrus got ejected.

Gordon lost his jumpshooting touch and, in usual fashion, couldn't finish at the rim when he did drive.

Wallace was invisible.

Noc was terrible and launched too many early shots.

Lu shot 33%.

Etc.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 9:36 PM CST to parent up   0 recs

"the core" was supposed to improve
and make this team a contender.  They have not improved, they have gotten worse and unfortunately, I don't see how "the core" can change the rest of this season.

by GoldenThreePeat on Dec 12, 2007 9:31 PM CST   0 recs

I agree. That is the issue
right now.

The Core is not playing excellent (or even competent) basketball on a consistent basis.

Hinrich is the worst offender. Gordon has been ineffectual in most games. Luol has been the best of the three, but his play has hardly been stellar.

It's frustrating. Either they simply don't have the physical skills to dominate at this level or they are psychological weaklings who became distracted by contract negotiations/Kobe trade speculation/offseason personal developments/what to wear to prom.

If the latter, they need to re-focus immediately.

"We goin' to the 'ship!" - LSU IS IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

by 1958ChiTown on Dec 12, 2007 9:44 PM CST to parent up   0 recs