Bulls improve to 3-1 under Boylan

Jim Boylan is now 3-1 with the Bulls as the interim coach. The Bulls have played competitively for all 4 games and only lost the one game in overtime. While they still aren't an elite team, they are finally playing like a team. 

During the 3rd quarter in Wednesdays game against the Charlotte Bobcats, the Bulls were down by 12 points. But they found a way to come back and win 109-97. At the beginning of the 4th quarter, they went on an 11-0 run. And they played tough and with good energy in the late part of the game. That is something that hasn't been a part of their game for most of the season.

Joakim Noah came out and played well. He had 17 points and 6 rebounds. But he also had some key defensive plays with steals and getting to the ball when necessary. He also had a presence in the low post with strong finishes and boards. Noah showed another side of his game by giving some key assists. This was definitely a welcome change from the way he had been playing for most of the year. Compared to the timid, poor handed player from earlier in the season, he looked like a promising rookie.

Boylan has also stuck to his guns of keeping Ben Gordon as the sixth man and he has flourished. He had another 20+ point game with some very key shots to help the Bulls stay in it early. It looks like a great decision by Boylan and it has helped the team by providing a fresh scorer off the bench at any time. Plus in the starting lineup change, the Bulls start with Joe Smith and Chris Duhon. I am not sure about the Duhon decision yet, but I believe that starting Smith is a good call. He provides a veteran presence to help start the game off right.

The last 4 games have been exciting with the Bulls actually looking better. The coaching shake up might have helped push them in a new direction. I am not saying that all of their problems are fixed and that they don't need changes to become an elite team, but they are improved. They have played 4 games where they have scored 100 points or more and have had a fire in them not seen for the entire year. John Paxson was hammered in the local Chicago media for the poor timing of his decision and whether or not it was going to do any good. But as of right now, the Bulls are playing better. We'll see how it turns out with 16 more games in January.