Bulls Dominate Magic In a Record Breaking Win

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As expected, Chicago had to go into battle without their Floor General, the leagues reigning MVP. The result? A blowout victory and two new records locked in.
The franchise record of fewest points allowed in a regular season game last set by MJ and company in 1997 was rewritten and Tom Thibodeau became the
fastest coach to reach 100 wins (130 Games). The Bulls were the better team from the beginning to the end. Holding Orlando to a staggering 35.3% from the field including 20% from behind the arc. This was the most impressive defensive outing of the season and quite possibly the best of the Thibodeau era.

Carlos Stepped Up 

With Rose out, the Bulls needed a strong performance from what many consider to be their second option. Boozer provided just that, grabbing 13 boards and scoring 24 points. He isn't exactly what management thought he would be when they gave him his contract but has really improved from the previous year. Last season, he played his best while playing alongside Kurt Thomas and struggled when Noah came back from injury. The fact that defenses had to honor Kurt's mid-range game gave Carlos more room to work. This season Joakim has developed much more confidence in the "tornado", and they are beginning to hit each other for nice looks. The big's passing game we all envisioned is starting to take form.The improvement should continue as Carlos and Joakim continue to build chemistry.

 Here's Johnny! 

Lucas came off the bench on fire. He lit up Orlando's defense scoring 9 points in less than a minute and 20 on the night. He is not very efficient on offense when his shots not falling because he tends to dribble down the shot clock and throw up a jumper or pass off to his teammates without a good look or enough time to work. Against the Magic it was, providing some much needed firepower from the Bulls injury riddled back court. Can you really think of a better 3rd string point guard? In all honesty I wasn't a huge fan of bringing Lucas back this year, based upon what we saw last season. But he has made me into a believer, he knows Chicago's system very well, and has been responsible for some huge wins during Rose's absence.

 Final Thoughts 

You cant help but love this teams heart, they continue to fight no matter what. This was a game that the Bulls going into without Rose were underdogs, they not only came out on top but blew Orlando out of their own building, much of it due to the impressive defensive performance. They held their opponent under 70 for the 7th time this season. The last team to do this was the 03-04 Pistons who went on to win the Championship that year. For the rest of March they face Toronto twice, Denver, Atlanta and Detroit. It's important for them to finish this month out strong because the beginning April is pretty brutal. If Chicago continues to play at the level they are now that should be no problem.