ICYMI: Bulls Pounce on Knicks, 111-80; Six Bulls in Double Figures.

The Bulls looked good early on. They led by 11 after the first quarter. 20 at half-time. The game was essentially, no contest in the second half, as Chicago had a 31 point lead to start the 4th quarter on Saturday night at the United Center.

The New York Knicks were the foil. And, to echo the words of Walt "Clyde" Frazier, the long-time TV analyst of the team, they did a lot of "bumbling and stumbling."  It wasn't so much that the Bulls were so great. They played a Knicks team who reached a franchise low in futility with their 60th loss of the season.

Plenty of Bulls saw playing time. Little used Cameron Bairstow, the backup center, saw some action in the late stages of the 4th quarter.

The Knicks looked out-classed from the get-go. They cut their deficit to 7 points in the 2nd period and the Bulls went on a 19-7 run to salt away the game.

Chicago shot 51% from the floor as contrasted to the Knicks which only connected on 38% of its attempts.  The Bulls out-rebounded the Knicks 51-35. Chicago outscored New York 50-22 in the paint.

Still, the Knicks know this season is about growing pains. "The biggest mindset is not to give up," Cole Aldrich said.

The Bulls are solidifying their third position in the East and trail the Cavs by just two games.

"We have more than enough right now", Mike Dunleavy, starting forward noted for the Bulls. "When Derrick (Rose) gets back it's a bonus. We're pulling for him."

Six Bulls scored in double figures. Mirotic had 24 points in a scorching month of March. He has averaged 20.8 points and has become a home court fan favorite. Jimmy Butler had 18 points, 5 steals, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Taj Gibson notched 14 points and 9 boards. Gasol with 19 points and 12 rebounds had his 48th league leading double/double.

Rose was near the huddle dressed in street clothes. If he can get on the court, score points, and become the floor general, then the Bulls might really have something.

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Mirotic & Gasol Lead Bulls Past Hornets, 98-86.

Nikola Mirotic has come on like gangbusters. He scored 28 points, 14 in the fourth quarter to help the  Chicago Bulls clinch a playoff spot in  the Eastern Conference. Pau Gasol had 27 points and 12 rebounds, a typical game for him.  The Bulls moved into a tie with Toronto for the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference.

Jimmy Butler returned to action and tallied 19 points in just under 40 minutes of play. He also bagged 9 boards. Butler last played on March 1st and missed 11 games. He was a little rusty and shot 6-20 from the floor, but he's been out for almost a month. This week both Taj Gibson and Butler have returned to the active roster which can only bolster the team's playoff hopes. Derrick Rose is likely at least a week away from trying to come back from his latest knee injury.

Chicago has had injuries to Mike Dunleavy, Derrick Rose, Butler, Gibson, Noah, and Kirk Hinrick this season. Reserves such as Mirotic, Tony Snell, and Aaron Brooks have played key roles in keeping the Bulls afloat.

Chicago pulled ahead of the Hornets in the second half on the way to a 98-86 win. Charlotte's Kemba Walker had 29 points for the Hornets, who only shot 35 percent from the field. The Bulls had a decent shooting night, hitting 45% from the floor.

Joakim Noah, who has played well of late for Chicago, was held out of the game due to general soreness.

Gasol moved to center and Taj Gibson started at forward.

Chicago faces Toronto on the road on Wednesday in a battle for playoff seeding.

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Mirotic & Noah Lead Bulls in Win Over Raptors, 108-92

Nikola Mirotic is for real. The 6' 10" F is having a great month of March.

He scored 29 points to lead Chicago to a win over the Toronto Raptors, 108-92.  Mirotic, the NBA rookie from Real Madrid, is averaging 20.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in March and he tied his career high, which he set earlier this month vs. the LA Clippers.

Joakim Noah also had quite a game. He was two points shy of a triple-double, in scoring 8, making a career-high 14 assists, and hauling in 10 rebounds.  When Noah is playing at this level, he is capable of carrying the team.  The Bulls also got a solid game from F Mike Dunleavy who scored 21 points. He appears to be finding his rhythm which is a good sign for the Bulls.

The win puts he Bulls a half game better than Toronto in the quest for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.  The Bulls and Raptors meet each other again shortly.

This game was also notable with the return of key reserve F Taj Gibson.  Gibson, who missed 10 games due to a left ankle sprain, returned to the court to an ovation with 4:03 left in the first quarter. He showed his ankle was good when he dunked on a nice pass from Pau Gasol.  Gibson scored 6 points in 10+ minutes.

Gasol was one of five Bulls in double figures with 11 points and 9 boards.

Toronto played without Kyle Lowry, the all-star guard who was nursing a sore back. DeMar DeRozan had 27 points for the Raptors.

Chicago shot 53% from the field and connected on 15-17 free-throw attempts. Chicago played like it wanted this game. The team looked focused and passed the ball well, generating 32 assists.

Slowly, it seems, the Bulls are heading toward a full playing squad. Jimmy Butler is expected to re-join the team on Saturday.  Derrick Rose could be a few weeks away from returning.

One thing is for sure, the Bulls have depth and the bench has been tested. Perhaps this bodes well for Chicago in the remaining regular season games.

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Mirotic, Dunleavy Lead Bulls Over Pacers

The Chicago Bulls stopped a two game slide Wednesday night when two Bulls found the range.  Mike Dunleavy scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half and emerging reserve F Nikola Mirotic scored 20 of 25 points in the second half.

That was enough to propel the Bulls to a 103-86 win at the United Center. When the Bulls score points, they can be tough to beat. Last evening, the Indiana Pacers were a bit out of sync on the offense and that helped the Bulls' cause. When Dunleavy finds the range, Chicago plays better.  He finished with 5 treys.  Pau Gasol had 19 points and 12 rebounds, another double-double. Tony Snell scored 14 points and Aaron Brooks added 13 to "pace" the win.

The Bulls out-rebounded Indiana 52-38.  The team hit 41.5% from the field, which isn't great, but it was enough.

Joakim Noah played another strong game at center.  He scored 6 points, agitated the Pacers, hauled in 13 boards, and had 7 assists. Mirotic also added 9 rebounds.

Coach Tom Thibodeau mentioned that some key players might be returning soon. Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler have been practicing with the team. "They're getting closer, they're going through practice, full contact and everything," said Thibs. "Hopefully it will be soon."

That is good news for the Bulls. Chicago is now 41-28 for the season.

Meanwhile Mirotic is playing well in his first season.

"He's a weapon off the bench," said Pacers coach Frank Vogel.

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Bulls Know Crunch Time is Coming

It was good to see Jimmy Butler in a practice uniform. He is getting closer to returning to the court. But no date has been set.

He knows it is crunch time and wishes he were playing tonight when the Bulls host the Indiana Pacers.  "I want to be back out there, but I don't want to rush things," Butler said. "I'm not in basketball shape yet." This is the time of the season when every possession counts. "It's a learning curve. Each possession is important," said Butler." You have to get ready for the playoffs."

Coach Tom Thibodeau thought his team has done a good job of holding the fort until the injured return.

"We've been 4-6, and in every game," the Bulls coach said. "We should have won every game."

In some games, the shooting has failed the Bulls. Excessive turnovers and lack of rebounding have hurt the team too.

Oh and Derrick Rose has also been out, the player that makes the offense tick.  Rose is improving and on schedule said the Bulls coach.   He is moving toward testing his knee out on the court.  Or at least, that is the hope.

Taj Gibson (injured ankle) could return to the lineup in the next few games.  Each game is becoming more critical and one hopes the team can play more healthy bodies in there.

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Taj Gibson to Return to Bulls Soon

If you are a Chicago Bulls fan, you need to take the good news with the bits of bad news.  And, Chicago does need some good news. Taj Gibson, the versatile forward is practicing with the team and is hopeful to return to action soon, according to media reports out of Chicago.

Joakim Noah has a 32 minute restriction placed on his playing time and this will impact the team. However, if Gibson is healthy enough to play, the impact won't be as great.

The Bulls have been stretched like an un-inflated balloon. Jimmy Butler is still out with a hyper-extended left elbow and Derrick Rose may not see action until the end of the season. The question is, what kind of season will it be, with the Bulls losing 5 out of 6 games?

So far in this recent stretch, the Bulls victory in the waning moments vs. OKC at home was a highlight. In that game, E'twaun Moore made the big 3 point basket. Tony Snell had the hot hand. However, one can't expect these players to do their Derrick Rose impersonation night after night.

Starting forward Mike Dunleavy, who himself has missed weeks of the schedule with a bad ankle, is back but has not been a consistent scorer.  One game he scored 21 points. Lately, it's been in the single digits. The Bulls need offense and you can't look to Pau Gasol, who is averaging a double-double at 18.4 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game, to score every night.

Can someone lure MJ out of retirement?  He'd have to get League permission because he owns the Charlotte Hornets.

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David Blatt has to use Kevin Love in the 4th quarter

          In the 4th quarter and overtime of the Cleveland Cavaliers' 128-125 victory over the San Antonio Spurs this past week, Kevin Love was nowhere to be seen on the basketball court. He was just chilling on the bench not doing anything productive. If he had ordered a coke and a hot dog and headed for the showers, head coach David Blatt probably wouldn't have noticed, and he certainly wouldn't have cared.

     The reason for Love's benching is obviously due to the fact that he isn't a great defensive player and David Blatt wants defense at the end of games. On paper, Blatt's reasoning sounds logical and agreeable: Kevin Love doesn't play defense; defense wins basketball games; basketball games are won in the fourth quarter; therefore, Kevin Love sits in the 4th quarter.

      There is one important fact that gets ignored in this argument and that fact is that the Cleveland Cavaliers are paying Kevin Love $16.74M this season. When was the last time you heard of a player getting paid $16.74M while simultaneously not get used in the 4th quarter? I can't think of anybody. Kevin Love is one of the Cavaliers' money players and as a rule of thumb, you have to play your money players in crunch time because that's why they are getting paid that amount of money.

     Whether David Blatt likes it or not, the Cavaliers' front office is paying Kevin Love to help them win a championship, which going back to the last argument, implies he needs to be playing in the 4th quarter. If Blatt isn't going to be playing Kevin Love in the 4th quarter, then he might as well tell Kevin Love to pack his bags in free agency, because there is no way Kevin Love comes back to a team that doesn't utilize his services at the end of games.

     Last season, Kevin Love averaged 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game on the Timberwolves. I don't care if the Timberwolves were bad. Kevin Love put those numbers up against other NBA players, which means that Kevin Love is a damn good basketball player that can be utilized as a weapon during crunch time. There is no way anybody can convince me that the Cavaliers are better off with Kevin Love on the bench in the 4th quarter than they are with him on the floor. He can bring a terrific scoring threat and a tenacious rebounding presence to the floor that outweighs any deficiencies he has on defense.

     Sometimes coaches can over-think things and not using Love in the 4th quarter to gain a defensive edge appears to be an example of a coach over-thinking. Blatt is doing something that one can convince themselves to do only after doing too much thinking. On its face, it seems absurd to not use Kevin Love in the 4th quarter because it is in fact absurd. Kevin Love is one of the league's most talented big men and he needs to be utilized in the 4th quarter. If your scheme doesn't work well with his talents, maybe you need a new scheme because Kevin Love, last I checked, is one of the Top 25 basketball players on the planet.

     In conclusion, David Blatt needs to find a way to use Kevin Love in the 4th quarter of basketball games. I know that Love doesn't get benched in the 4th quarter all the time, but it happens enough that it's alarming. What's alarming is the thought of Kevin Love getting benched in the 4th quarter of a Game 7 in the playoffs, and what's even more alarming, is that it looks like that could very well happen.

     The Cavaliers have improved tremendously over the course of the season, but the one weakness they have is their inability to properly integrate Kevin Love into their fold. He's an elite player who is getting paid like an like an elite player. It's time the Cavaliers treat him like one and play to his strengths as opposed to using him as a "stretch four" who is incapable of being on the floor at the end of games.

     ---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

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