The Chicago Bulls beat the Orlando Magic 99-90, despite Dwight Howard's 40 point night. The Bulls won with Derrick Rose and Luol Deng making great contributions. Deng led the team in scoring with 26 points, Rose scored 22. The Bulls won the game without injured center Joakin Noah. When Noah comes back in a few weeks, look out, the Bulls will be scary good.
As it is, this is perhaps the strongest team, yet assembled since the glory years of MJ, Pippen, and Horace Grant.
You could add the years since MJ, Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. Whatever, Phil Jackson was the coach, who pulled the right strings. This year's team is legit. They win despite losing key players to injury. Kurt Thomas has been a revelation coming off the bench. Despite his age, one of the older players in the league, Thomas is getting it done. The other night, he dropped 22 points and had mutliple boards. Terrific night for him. Kyle Korver has supplied points in the clutch.
Carlos Boozer has played like an alll-star. He deserves to be picked as a reserve. He playes tough minutes, scores big and brings in rebounds. He is a consummate pro. He adds a lot of toughness to the lineup.
Luol Deng has been great all year. He must lead the team in minutes played. He goes all out, scores, plays great defense, and gets rebounds, if needed.
The Bulls are a fun team to watch. They play hard. They play tough. And, this year, they are winning.
