The first half was a sleepy daze. The Bulls came out lethargic and disinterested, but luckily Indiana did the same. Generally the Bulls only take the first half off against crappy teams like the Bucks and Bobcats, but the usual intensity was just not there.
Derrick was 1/9 from the field with just 2 points in the first half after his eruption just a day before against Philly for 35. Boozer and Deng also only hit one shot. Frankly, it was unbelievable the score was so close at half.
On another note, Paul George is a VERY solid NBA player. He's got decent size and strength, plays aggressive d, and can actually get to the rack a bit. Indiana has a great core with him, Granger, and Hibbert. Honestly, they're probably the 3rd best team in the East. They'll give the Bulls or Miami a headache in the playoffs.
Back to the game...The 2nd half was a completely different story. Thibs must have gone nuts in the locker room, and suddenly, the Bulls played like the best defensive team in the NBA; forcing turnovers, running the break, and knocking down lots of open shots. D. Rose exploded, and Deng hit a few bomb three's. Once the newly minted fair weather fans started getting REALLY into the game, the Bulls kept up the intensity and went from trailing to up 20.
Finally, let's give it up to JL3, who actually kept us in the game. He gets a lot of hate for having such unreal confidence, but the guy can really score.
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