Minimum 8-Peat: Five Game Wrap (Games 48-52)

The Bulls pushed their record to 36-16 overall with a 3-2 road trip while Disney on Ice occupied the United Center. They currently sit atop the Central Division just 2.5 games behind Boston for the top seed in the Eastern Conference (if the playoffs started today they would be the three seed matched up against the New York Knicks). Side note: what’s more impressive, the Bulls being undefeated in the Central or the T’Wolves going winless thus far in the Northwest?



The second loss suffered on the trip might have been the game where the team missed Joakim Noah most since he has been recovering from thumb surgery. LaMarcus Aldridge dropped a career-high 42 points in the 109-103 victory over Chicago. Plenty of lob passes, alley-oops and just regular low-post scoring.
Carlos Boozer was brought here to score points and lend a hand on the boards, which he is doing at an almost all-star snub level. It’s hard to blame him for the 40-point performance from the former Bull (remember when they drafted Aldridge and traded him Tyrus Thomas… sigh). It’s clear, though, this team wouldn’t get anywhere in the playoffs against teams with significant post scorers without Noah. I stand corrected when I said I would have dealt Noah in a deal to bring Carmelo Anthony to the Windy City.
The most impressive win on the five-game swing was most likely the game that sent Jerry Sloan into retirement (no word on if that’s actually true yet…) Derrick Rose continues to impress and he did so in the first of back-to-back games against elite players at his position (Deron Williams and Chris Paul). Rose led all scorers with 29 points; he also had seven assists and three rebounds.
His name has been in the discussion for MVP for the majority of the season. The fear for many Bulls fans is whether he will be worn out come playoff time or maybe even see a drop off in play come next season. Chicago Blackhawks’ defenseman Duncan Keith, who won last year’s defensive MVP award, has not been the same player he was last year. After being one of the main cogs in Team Canada’s Olympic gold medal as well as bringing the Stanley Cup home for the first time in a half century. It may be comparing apples and oranges, but logging a ton of minutes may not have as much of an effect on the current season as it does on the following one.
He’s averaging less than a minute more this season compared to last, but he has much more of a target on his back in 2010-11. As great as it would be to see him win some individual hardware, the trophy they play for in June is more important and the Bulls don’t have a shot with an exhausted Rose. That being said he averaged a shade less than 27 points in the last five games and missed just three of the 31 free throws he attempted making him the MVP of the trip.
Looking ahead, Chicago has a tough stretch of games coming up. They host an energetic Charlotte team tonight. It’s hard to believe the Bobcats are on the outside of the playoff picture (2.5 games behind 8th seeded Pacers) considering what they did against both conference champions this past week. After beating Boston in a nail biter a week ago, they handed the Lakers their worst loss of the season in a 30-point blowout. MJ’s Cats have Chicago’s number this year beating them twice already.
Two nationally televised games against top-caliber teams also stare Chicago in the face in the next five games. The Spurs and Heat will each be in the UC over the next couple weeks. The All-Star game and a trip to Toronto are sandwiched between the two high profile contests. The Miami game should be a tough test considering it will be the second of a back-to-back. Also, LeBron James did not play in the first meeting, a Bulls victory. Joakim Noah hopes to be back in time for that game. A visit to the Bradley Center and former coach, Scott Skiles, is the fifth game