Chicago, Indiana and Miami were fighting for the seventh and eighth seeds. Reserve guard J.J. Barea, averaging 10.9 points, also remained in Dallas as Coach Rick Carlisle opted to use his younger players in the regular-season finale. That had to help them. Tip off after 7:30.
Forwards Quincy Acy (left ankle soreness), guard Sean Kilpatrick (left hamstring tightness) and guard Joe Harris (sprained left shoulder) were inactive while center Brook Lopez, forward Trevor Booker and guard Jeremy Lin are healthy but were being "rested". Boston closed out the regular season with a 112-94 win over the Bucks at TD Garden, but that result really didn't matter because the Cavs (51-31) had conceded the No. 1 seed to Boston. Both of those teams play at home. There were only six road wins, 60-plus total losses comprising an 11-game losing streak and a 16-game losing streak. Did the Bulls pay them off?
The point I'm attempting to make here is that the rationales behind keeping Hoiberg are nearly non-existent at this point from every perspective except for the front office.
As pleased as the Bulls were with the fact they made the playoffs, Wade delivered another dose of reality when asked if he thought the Bulls had had a successful season now that they qualified for the NBA's big dance. That first half of their case may already be irrelevant when considering the rest of the association is likely already aware that Hoiberg has no clue when it comes to commanding a professional basketball roster.
So it's come to this for the Chicago Bulls.
Russian Federation vetoes, China abstains action against Syria chemical attack
Moscow has stood by Assad, saying the poison gas belonged to rebels, an explanation Washington dismisses as beyond credible. Tillerson is considering the request, he said, "and we expect that Washington will have a constructive reaction".
The NBA playoffs tip off Saturday. They are light years away from the playoffs, so there's no utility to the rest; according to Nets Daily, another loss wouldn't help their chances of getting another second-round pick, so they're not tanking; it's not part of a back-to-back road game, so they're not anxious about increased risk of injury. "The way I like to look at it", Lopez said, "I think we grew so much in that small time". He's the first to recognize that they're a much better defensive team than an offensive team, something that he's understood since training camp, all the while hoping that the offensive play will eventually catch up. Sitting players on a bad team that was eliminated before the season started is a joke. He'll have to match up with Jimmy Butler tonight. The Bulls went on a 14-0 run and had a 27-13 lead to end the opening quarter. For as good as Butler's been, Chicago hasn't surrounded him with the talent that fits his skill set. Payne was considered the centerpiece of the trade deadline deal with Oklahoma City. And Kevin Seraphin continued his recent surge with 17 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Miami made an very bad start to the campaign and were 11-30 at the halfway mark, but the Heat became the first team to rally from more than 12 games below.500 and avoid a losing record.
Nets SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson recorded a double-double in each of the last two games. Initially, I had doubts as to whether RHJ at the four position would work.
"The mood is good", Hoiberg told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Since this is the year of the triple double, let's take it back to 2007 and watch Jason Kidd pick up a triple double.
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