Once dark horses, now many, including ESPN's stats guru, Hollinger, have picked them to win the Eastern Conference and potentially, the NBA Championship; this was a sentiment shared by Michael Jordan and the 1991 NBA Champion Chicago Bulls team that won the first NBA title for the franchise and reunited for the 20th anniversary of that accomplishment at the United Center over the weekend.
Jordan's prediction? These guys reminded him of the 1991 Chicago Bulls team, and he said that this Bulls team was ready to win NOW.
And lately, these Bulls have been unstoppable, winning 7 straight games and stampeding over the likes of New Orleans, Utah, Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami.
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| Without Boozer and Noah, DRose got great support from starters Taj Gibson, Kurt Thomas, and bench. |
Taj Gibson and the ageless "Big Sexy", Kurt Thomas, filled in capably; Gibson put up 9 points, 13 rebounds, and Thomas put up 8 points and led the Bulls with 15 rebounds.
Big contributions also came from Luol Deng, who chipped in 20 points, and the unlikely Keith Bogans, who had 17 points.
Derrick Rose had 23 points and 7 assists to lead the Bulls, who managed to overcome JaVale McGee's first career triple-double, 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 blocks, to the easy win, 98 - 79.
The win gives the Bulls sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference by 1/2 game over Boston, and would mean that the Chicago Bulls would enjoy home-court advantage through the Eastern Conference Finals.
What they do with it will be up to Derrick Rose and the Bulls' stellar defense, and how far both can carry them.
