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| Nate Robinson and the Bulls stunned the Heat in Game 1 (Image from: Lyne Sladky/AP) |
The Chicago Bulls are feisty, ferocious and all heart. They beat the healthy and rested Heat even without Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich. Nate Robinson literally drew first blood with a bloody lip that needed stitches. That did not stop him from scoring 27 points to lead all scorers. Miami was ahead by 3 with 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter but the Bulls did not quit as they scored 10 straight to win by 7. Chicago snapped Miami's 12-game win streak and seized the home-court advantage. It was a total team effort by the Bulls as Noah, Belinelli, Butler and Gibson played crucial roles in orchestrating this win. The Bulls held the Heat to below 40% shooting and Miami only had James and Wade in double figures. An ailing Noah thoroughly outplayed a healthy Bosh. Miami cant allow guys like Robinson, Butler and Noah to play better than the Big 3 if they want to win the series.
#NatetheGreat #ironman
Nate Robinson made tough shots down the stretch and was clutch. He gave the Bulls the lead then followed that up with a layup after Dwyane Wade inexplicably launched a three which he badly missed. LeBron then airballed a mid-range jumper that ended any type of Heat rally. Robinson toyed with the defense of Allen and Chalmers. The battle between Marquette alumni was one-sided as Jimmy Butler played his best game as a Bull with 21 points and 14 rebounds in 48 minutes. Butler has played 3 straight games without rest and still managed to play better than Wade and Bosh combined. You can point out that Miami was probably rusty from not playing in a week BUT isn't that much better compared to Chicago who has a massive injury list? Miami was rested and healthy while the Bulls played 7 games and were missing 2 starters.
#whatagame #clutch #comeback #freebasketball
The Warriors were up by 16 in the 4th quarter and practically led the entire way. Steph Curry was hot and on his way to a 40+ game while Ginobili and Parker struggled shooting. Duncan was also nursing a stomach flu so he was not a 100% and was on the bench. Most of us thought the game was over right? Wrong! The Spurs made a comeback and even had a chance to win in the first OT but Manu hit the back board. We ended up with 2 overtime periods and more amazing basketball. Kent Bazemore, a rookie for the Warriors gave his team the lead with about 3 seconds to go. That was enough time for the Spurs to run a play for Ginobili who was wide open for a clutch 3 due to a defensive breakdown by the Dubs. Barnes and Jack doubled Parker which gave Manu a wide-open shot for the win. Manu calmly made the shot after missing his previous 7 shots. Onions.
#spicyhotcurry #fatigue
Steph Curry was scorching hot during the 3rd quarter as he torched the Spurs with 22 points including 14 straight at one point. That was his second 20+ points in a quarter during these playoffs. Curry finished with 44 points and added 11 assists while playing a whopping 58 minutes. He did not take even a second to rest and that probably cost the Warriors a chance to steal Game 1. Curry started missing a lot of his jumpers during San Antonio's comeback. The Warriors also did a lot of watching and standing as Curry opted to do isolation plays. In the OT periods, Curry scored a total of 6 points. Another made jumper could have ended in a Warriors' win but fatigue probably caught up with him. Coach Jackson needs to find a way to give Curry a break to have him perform at his optimum level. Let's not forget that Curry has surgically-repaired ankles too which should make the Warriors extra cautious with his health and rest.
#Stats #News
- Bulls pounded the glass 46-32 and were +8 in points in the paint
- Ray Allen was a game-worst -16
- Robinson and Butler outscored the Heat 3
- 2 of the 3 Miami losses since February have been vs Chicago
- The Warriors have lost 30 straight in San Antonio. Last win was in 1997
- The Warriors shot 14-24 FTS while the Spurs 24-28
- David Lee was active but did not play
Nate Robinson (Bulls) - 27 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists AND lots of swagger!
#Highlights of the Night
Back and Forth between Bazemore and Manu
Nate the Great for the Lead
#Tweets of the Night
Barkley: "If you know Nate he thinks he's better than Derrick Rose."
Coach Pop just said it all about Manu: "I went from trading him on the spot to wanting to cook breakfast for him tomorrow."
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