Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

Feast your eyes on this gem by Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo! Sports. By the way, he describes Wednesday’s Game 2 between the Bulls and the Miami Heat, you’d think the series was over, LeBron James is Michael Jordan, and Pat Riley got his revenge on the Bulls for the 1990s.

Wait, what? This is a seven game series, correct? And it is tied 1-1, right? In fact, the Bulls are off to a much better start than they were against Atlanta, in which they lost Game 1 in Chicago, but went on to win the series in six games.

Woj went on to spend a good chunk of his article praising LeBron James for his performance in Game 2, and rightfully so. James killed the Bulls, especially in the latter half of the fourth quarter, when the Bulls could hit nothing, and he couldn’t miss. It was a clutch as we have ever seen him in the postseason.

But Michael Jordan he is not, as Woj went on to mention No. 23 several times. One solid performance in the clutch when you’ve been around as long as LeBron James has doesn’t earn you a comparison to the greatest basketball player the world has ever seen.

Sure, the way he performed late was similar to Jordan. But for a guy who has never had that MJ killer instinct, it’s just stepping up at the right time. Not to take anything away from James or his play in Game 2, but any Jordan comparisons went out the window when he decided to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

But that’s not even my real bone to pick with Woj’s, who I’ve always admired as a columnist, article. The real issue here is the idea of Pat Riley getting ‘revenge’ on the Bulls, not only for the way Jordan killed his teams in the 90s, but the fact that Riley was forced to share NBA Executive of the Year with Bulls general manager, Gar Forman.

First of all, winning one game to even a best-of-seven series doesn’t classify any sort of revenge for or on the Bulls. Second, how exactly is Riley so much more deserving of Exec of the Year than Gar?

Sure, Riley brought together three of the top, and the two best, free agents from this summer, but how much did he actually do in bringing in his Big Three, aside from maybe crunching some numbers? We know Wade did the recruiting, and it’s pretty easy to decide to live in Miami over Cleveland if you just look at the setting itself, and not at the ‘sports town’ aspect of it. Beyond the Big Three, who do the Heat have? Mike Bibby, who left his prime in Sacramento years ago?

Gar Forman, along with John Paxson, worked diligently to put a quality team together. Say what you want about him missing out on top tier free agents, most of their minds were made up before the free agent period even began. Aside from throwing too much money at Carlos Boozer, Gar put together a team of role players and character guys to create a defensive monster. Let’s not forget the hiring of the NBA’s Coach of the Year, Tom Thiobdeau, who led this group to 62 wins, far more than anyone expected.

Are the Bulls a better team than the Heat? Overall, from top to bottom, yes. Will they beat the Heat in these Eastern Conference finals? That remains to be seen. What we can chalk Woj’s column, and the opinion of much of the mainstream media (looking at you ESPN) is the fact that they’re simply caught up in the moment of each individual game. The media loves to get excited.

After Game 1, the Heat were doomed and the Bulls were going to go on to sweep them. After Game 2, apparently LeBron becomes Jordan and Riley gets the last laugh. Why can’t we all just sit back and enjoy the series that has been destined to go seven games since it started?

Flickr Photo via Keith Allison

If you’ve read any headlines since the Miami Heat knocked off the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, then you know virtually no one else stands a chance in this postseason. Not the Dallas Mavericks, who swept the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, and surely not the Oklahoma City Thunder or Memphis Grizzlies.

Of course, the Bulls were just a stepping stone for the Heat, as well, given their troubles in getting past the Atlanta Hawks in six games. After all, the Heat beat the Celtics in five, and have been proclaimed unbeatable.

Well, there is a reason they play the games. Yes, it was impressive to see LeBron James and Dwayne Wade lighting it up together against the Celtics, but who did they really beat? A banged up, old Boston team, which had a point guard playing with one arm, in Rajon Rondo, and a frontcourt that included an aging Kevin Garnett and a should-have-retired-years-ago Shaquille O’Neal, who made less of an impact on this series than Brian Scalabrine did for the Bulls.

Not to discount the Heat, though. Obviously they’re a top tier team, given that potent backcourt. James and Wade are both all-NBA talents, which certainly showed against the C’s. Sure, they lack depth and a strong frontcourt, but they are still as deadly and explosive as any team remaining in these playoffs.

But to completely dismiss this series as over, as some have already done (looking at you Skip Bayless) could be considered nothing short of absurd. Yes, the Heat have great players, but the Bulls have proven this season that they have the all-around talent to keep up with anyone in the league.

At this point, dismissing the Bulls is irresponsible. They actually match up against the Heat much better than one might realize, even if many have already tossed the Bulls aside as an easy opponent for Miami.

In fact, the Bulls hold an advantage over the Heat, which could end up shaping this series. That advantage lies in the both the frontcourt of the Bulls, and their depth.

There is certainly no shortage of talent down low for the Bulls. After a few tough games in the playoffs, Carlos Boozer found his stride in Thursday’s Game 6 against the Hawks, along with the fact that he plays next to one of the most intense, and a top notch guy on the boards, in Joakim Noah.

Beyond those two, the hat still goes deeper. Taj Gibson has shown that he can stick with anyone in the league and is proving to be a key cog in the Bulls machine. There’s also Omer Asik, who is a beast on the boards and a solid backup for Noah, as well as the veteran big man Kurt Thomas, who is fresh after seeing little time to this point in the postseason.

What do the Heat have down low? Chris Bosh. Now Bosh has had a good postseason, but he was also playing against a Celtics frontcourt that looked very sorry in their series in the past week or so. Joel Anthony certainly isn’t in a league with Boozer or Noah, meaning whichever one Bosh does match up with, will have an extremely favorable matchup in this series.

Of course, there’s still that outlandish advantage the Heat have in the backcourt. Yes, the Bulls have the league MVP in Derrick Rose, but Miami boasts two of the game’s best players in Wade and James. Wade will most likely guard Rose, but luckily for the Bulls, Rose can keep himself fresh on the defensive side of things, with Keith Bogans expected to match up with Wade with the Bulls on D. There’s also the matter of that Luol Deng guy, who is a pretty great defender, matching up against James.

Say what you want about the Bulls not blowing teams out in the playoffs or not looking overly impressive. The fact is, that this team is sound from top to bottom, and has as much depth and defensive skill as any team in the league. They’re not built to blow teams out, and whether they come out on the winning or losing side of this series, each game should prove to be a close one.

On paper, you see the names of Wade and James and assume the Heat have an outstanding advantage over the Bulls in this series. But Chicago is the better overall team, with a better frontcourt and more depth, meaning this is going to be an extremely close, and nerve-racking series for Bulls fans, no matter the result.

The Bulls have went through bad trades, bad drafts and a list of coaches longer than the brattiest little kid’s Christmas wish novels…they have developed from lists.

Finally, one last time, they have made some moves and decisions to prove Chicago has a winning mindset instead of simply only being an organization in the NBA.

[picappgallerysingle id="10416168"]

It starts with Derrick Rose, who is a top MVP candidate and is leading the Bulls to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 21-10 record as he is eighth in the NBA in scoring and assists with 24 points and eight assists per game.

The Bulls  have won 12 of their last 14 games and have done so in every aspect of the game from shooting, defense, managing turnovers and rebounding.

The above is a statement of gratitude to the Chicago Bulls front office for its will and completion of getting players and coaches the team needs to win.

Tyrus Thomas, John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich were all traded because they didn’t fit in the puzzle. Thomas had problems with authority and couldn’t put productive games back to back. Salmons played great at the end of the 2008-09 season when the Bulls traded for him at the deadline, but as last season went on he too became inconsistent and wasn’t reliable for anything except 12-to-15 shot attempts a game. Hinrich, one of my favorite Bulls, will be missed but he was overpaid and with Rose playing at the level he does, there was no longer a need for him on the team.

[picappgallerysingle id="10416171"]

The three of them were traded for expiring contracts which gave Chicago enough money to get the type of players they needed: an inside presence in Carlos Boozer, a shooter in Kyle Korver and perimeter defense in Ronnie Brewer and Keith Bogans.

Sure, the Bulls wanted to get one of the bigger names in the summer’s free agency circus but they didn’t land a LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire or Chris Bosh. Instead of giving up, they got an all-star caliber player in Boozer and continued to shop for role players to help the team to get out of the bottom of the playoff bracket.

The Chicago roster can not be spoken about without the mention of the two big men who put fear in opposing offenses.

Joakim Noah, who I was upset with the Bulls for drafting, has proved to the world he is a top center in the league. Noah is averaging a double-double for the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds a game and bothers every teams inside scorer with his great defense. I forgot to mention he is averaging two blocks a game.

During last year’s rookie season, Taj Gibson showed he could be a force on the court as he was a steal with the 26th pick in the 2009 draft. This season he is coming off the bench to score eight points and grab five rebounds  game. But when Boozer missed 15 games because of a broken hand and Noah first had surgery on his thumb, he put up starter numbers in starter minutes including four double-doubles and has season highs of 18 points and 18 rebounds. He also averages a block and a half a game.

Last season’s coach Vinny Del Negro didn’t do anything for the Bulls except upset fans and players on the team. He led the squad to another 41-41 record and an early departure from the playoffs. He might not have had a championship roster but he didn’t play his cards right to win games when he had the chance to.

[picappgallerysingle id="10362734"]

With that said, the Bulls hired Boston Celtics assistant coach and defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau to teach the Bulls how to play the game. Thankfully, it seems to be working out as Joakim Noah said he is learning more about the game than he ever has on the Bulls-Nets broadcast. Thibs has brought a defensive emphasis and cohesiveness to a team based around young players.

For the first time since the championship run with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson, the Bulls are towards the top of the conference and are being looked at as a contender. Chicago may not make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but they will make it past the first round and will give whichever team its playing a run for its money.

2010 has been successful for the Chicago Bulls and should be the gateway for a great 2011.

Check out this video of all the best dunks in 2010.

If I had to pick one, it would be Rose’s alley-opp dunk but James does have four or five dunks in this video that could all take the cake.

What Do You think?

Derrick Rose is playing at an MVP level, Carlos Boozer is at an all-star level and if he didn’t tear ligaments in his thumb Joakim Noah would be an all-star also.

With everything on the up and up in Chicago, it’s only going to look better as eight of the next ten games are against teams under .500.

[picappgallerysingle id="10416167"]

The best thing about this is, no one is talking about the Bulls because of all of the other drama happening in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics are dealing with the injury to Kevin Garnett’s right leg, which was first said to be his knee but ESPN has the injury listed as his calf on Garnett’s player card. Besides the injury to one of their big three, the Celtics have been playing good ball and are at the top of the conference. If they fall off the top of the ladder or remain, there is going to be hoopla around the organization the duration of Garnett’s absence.

Miami is a circus show and as long as the team is still in existence with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat roster, they will always have more shine than Chicago.

The Orlando Magic were stagnant with their roster so they made headlines with blockbuster deals which moved Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat while receiving Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. This deal puts them back in the elite race because they now have players who want to win instead of simply being paid.

[picappgallerysingle id="10308054"]

While all this is going on, the Bulls are staying off the radar and doing what they have to do to win games.

Mentioned before, Noah had surgery on his thumb and has missed six games which has resulted in only two loses for the Bulls. The team hasn’t technically filled the void, but they are putting in players who are producing where Noah did, defensively. Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik and James Johnson have stepped up their game and have made a difference coming off the bench.

Carlos Boozer had a couple of rough games after his return from his broken hand, but since then he has been unstoppable and has opened up the Bulls offense like never before. Chicago finally has an inside presence to draw double teams but also has great passing skills to find the open shooter.

Rose, Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans are shining as shooters because of Boozers job inside.

The only thing to worry about is becoming complaisant against lesser teams such as the New Jersey Nets (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Bobcats.

Fortunately, the Bulls have a roster full of character guys who thrive on proving the masses wrong.

The only two winning teams in the next ten games are the Celtics and the Heat. If the Bulls continue to play at their current level they could possibly win both of these games.

My early prediction is: Chicago takes nine out of the next ten games.

Leave your prediction…

How will the Bulls finish in the next ten games?

Unfortunately, Carlos Boozer tripped over a bag and broke his hand in the preseason. The offensively gifted power forward hasn’t played a game with the Bulls and the team is 7-4, not bad, considering Chicago’s $80 million dollar man is in streets clothes on the sideline.

Well, guess what, Boozer is scheduled to suite up for practice Nov. 30 and could be on the Bulls starting lineup as soon as Dec. 1.

What does Boozer playing mean to a team which is already shocking the league without a player who will get 20 points and 10 rebounds every game?

[picappgallerysingle id="8147863"]

It means the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics have to watch their back from falling from the two top spots in the Eastern Conference. Right now, the 7-4 Chicago Bulls are in third place, but with Boozer returning, the Bulls could very quickly gain the game and a half they’re back and build a lead of their own.

Dec. 1 has Chicago scheduled to play Orlando and then two days later, Dec. 3, the Bulls play the Celtics; isn’t this convenient and great NBA entertainment? Yes, yes it is.

This makes the Boozer deal even bigger, because the Bulls need the added depth and inside scoring to play with the bigger more physical Celtics and Dwight Howard. Not the Magic, just Howard.

Plus, the pro Rajon Rando/ anti Derrick Rose people will find out Rose  can match Rando’s dishing skills when he has someone to give the ball to.

After failing to sign one of the three players now in Miami, the Bulls were all but out of making progress from last season’s 41-41 regular season record and early dismissal from the playoffs as James and the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers whooped Chicago.

Although, he isn’t the best player in the league or even in the top 20, he adds to something the Bulls haven’t had in some time, a chance to be a dominant team. Since 1998 when the Bulls won their sixth and final championship, they haven’t been past the second round of the playoffs and they only got there once.

Friday’s win against the Dallas Mavericks made it the first time the Bulls went 2-1 in Texas, against the Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, since, you guessed it, 1998.

The Bulls are on their way to becoming realistic title contenders and a few of the things they could use, inside depth and scoring, are sitting on their bench. I can’t wait until Boozer is cleared to play, so we can see what the Bulls can really do.

Wednesday’s match-ups begin with the Chicago Bulls playing the second game of their “Circus Trip” as ESPN likes to call it. In the the road trip the Bulls will play seven west coast teams in 12 days including five of the seven top eight teams in the Western Conference. Wednesday finds the Bulls in San Antonio against the Spurs.

Tim Duncan and company are 8-1 which puts them in a three way tie for the best record in the league with the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns are going to see who can past 6-4 as they meet in a battle of the disappointments. Miami’s big three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade are not living up to the hype while the Suns, last year’s Western Conference Champions, are extremely inconsistent, mainly because they don’t have an inside presence. Oh, almost forgot, Robin Lopez, the Suns only valuable big man, is out with a knee injury.

What other games are Wednesday night?

[picappgallerysingle id="8952781"]

Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs…Bulls, I said before the Spurs would win, but after watching the Bulls play yesterday…I have faith

Phoenix Suns at Miami Heat…Heat, I’d love to say Suns so they could give Heat another loss, but the Suns have no inside presence at all, Bosh might have his best game of the season.

Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers…Raptors, they have looked good compared to the 76ers, who will be without Andre Iguodala.

Washington Wizards at Boston Celtics…Celtics, even if  Wall wasn’t sitting out with a foot injury, i’d still pick Boston because they are going to bone stomp Washington.

Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons…Lakers, they’re going to bone stomp them worse than Boston will Washington.

Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets…Hornets, they’re playing solid ball while the Mavericks have been inconsistant.

Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves…Clippers, Blake Griffin will beat them by himself.

Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder…Rockets, the Thunder still have a problem beating bigger teams.

New Jersey Nets at Utah Jazz…Jazz, this will be closer than expected but Deron Williams will make the difference for the victory.

New York Knicks at Sacramento Kings…Knicks, New York can shoot well against teams who play little defense, this is one of them.

Luol Deng led the way with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds, as all five starters scored in double-digits and had at least one steal and block. In general, the Bulls bone stomped the Warriors in every aspect of the game.

In other games around the NBA on Thursday, the Boston Celtics manhandled the Miami Heat once again. The final score was 112-107, but it only became close in the late minutes with a Heat run, but other than that, the Celtics owned the Heat from the time the ball was jumped. Boston’s Ray Allen scored 35 points including his gift to hit seven three-pointers , while Rajon Rondo dished out 16 assists as he continues to lead the league in assists per game with 14.9.

Boston’s record doesn’t matter, but the Heat who put together a superstar threesome in Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh fell to 5-4 to have all my co-workers, Facebook pals and other bloggers laughing at Miami.

[picappgallerysingle id="10120096"]

The good thing is, I picked the Celtics to win because I remembered how they dominated the Heat in the paint and there is no one on the Miami roster who can contain Rondo from setting up everyone on his team.

Also, the New Orleans Hornets are the only undefeated team in the NBA as the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets 118-112. Carmelo Anthony continues to dominate against any defensive player or team he wishes as he scored 32 points to led his team. Kobe Bryant also did his thing, scoring 34 points in the defeat.

Let’s see how my NBA picks worked out for Thursday and set some for Friday.

THURSDAY’S PICKS

Chicago Bulls beat Golden State Warriors 120-90…Right, the Bulls played almost a flawless game.

Boston Celtics beat Miami Heat 112-107…Right, the Heat have no answers for the Boston Celtics.

Denver Nuggets beat Los Angeles Lakers 118-112…Wrong, the Nuggets had been struggling while the Lakers were undefeated, but Melo showed he can tear up any defense.

[picappgallerysingle id="10126515"]

FRIDAY’S GAMES AND PICKS

Utah Jazz at Atlanta Hawks…Jazz, Deron Williams and Al Jefferson are becoming an unstoppable duo while the Hawks have fallen from their high level of play.

Houston Rockets at Indiana Pacers…Rockets, they have more skill.

Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic…Magic, the Raptors are awful while the Magic have been playing above average, not great but good.

Charlotte Bobcats at Washington Wizards…Wizards, John Wall is making a statement.

New York Knicks at Minnesota Timberwolves…Knicks, Amare Stoudemire should get the win by himself, but they do have to D up Kevin Love.

Philadelphia 76ers at  Dallas Mavericks…Mavericks, the 76ers put up points, but Mavericks put up more.

Sacramento Kings at Phoenix Suns…Suns, although they’re a team on the decline, the Phoenix back court is still extremely talented with Steve Nash and Jason Richardson.

Portland Trailblazers at Oklahoma City Thunder…Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge will have a field day offensively while Marcus Camby will control the glass.

Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Clippers…Pistons, game of two lackluster teams, but the Pistons are healthy while the Clippers are banged up with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and Randy Foye all suffering from injuries.

MAKE YOUR PICKS

1) COMMENT BOX

2) EMAIL:  BRANDON.LACHANCE@BULLSHOME.COM

Deng was zombie-like on the court producing minimal with body language asking “what should I do” ?

In the last three to four games he has been playing as if he wants to be part of this team by producing big numbers and coming to the court with some energy letting Bulls fans know he still knows how to play basketball. For a week, I thought he forgot.

[picappgallerysingle id="7392021"]

The main reason for the trade to Philadelphia would be to acquire Melo, and I’m still an advocate for this because he is better than Deng and Iguodala put together.

Other than getting Melo, Deng should probably stay with the Bulls instead of getting Iguodala. The reason I thought he should have been traded in the first place was because he wasn’t doing anything as he only scored 13 points, got two rebounds and turned the ball over four times in the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder Oct. 27.

Three days later, the Bulls found themselves down by 21-points to the Detroit Pistons and made a dramatic comeback to win by 10 points, 101-91. Deng was on the bench in the fourth quarter of the comeback because he was a miserable 2-for-10 from the field for nine points and two rebounds in 26 minutes.

Without Carlos Boozer, who broke his hand in the preseason, Deng is the Bulls second option after Derrick Rose. In these first couple of games, he disappeared and was the fourth or fifth option behind Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and sometimes Kyle Korver off of the bench.

If that is how he was going to play, then yeah, he needed to be dealt.

Then came the Deng resurgence.

Nov. 1 he dropped 40 points off 14-of-19 shooting from the field against the Portland Trailblazers. Nov. 4 he helped Derrick Rose run fast breaks and added 17 points off of 3-of-4 shooting from the three-point line. The next day Chicago lost to Boston in overtime, but Deng scored 20 points, had six boards and a few assists on well placed passes to Noah in the paint.

Monday, the Bulls defeated the Nuggets behind an overall great team effort which was led by Deng’s 17 points. Thursday, the Bulls stomped the Golden State Warriors 120-90, who were led yet again by Deng who put up his first double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds and added six assists.

The Bulls have played seven games and Deng has been brilliant in three, solid in two and awful in two. If his game production was a win/loss record, it would look 5-2. Unless you’re Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James or Anthony, who play their A game 75 plus games a year, 5-2 should hold some merit.

Deng has stepped into his scoring role on the team helping the Bulls to a 4-3 record while Iguodala hasn’t been doing much for the 76ers as they look awful with a 2-6 record.

[picappgallerysingle id="8493861"]

Iggy has sat out the 76ers last two games with Achilles tendinitis in his right foot, so, the injury factor is already thrown in the mix of why the trade may not work. Even without injury, Deng is playing way better basketball as Iguodala has played with the “I don’t want to be here” mentality every one of his six games. The Bulls have a team full of strong character guys who don’t let little complications affect their basketball, it seems Iguodala is on a different page.

In his last game Nov. 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Iguodala only scored seven points and had four assists. His two efforts before the Cavalier game were 11 and 12 points with little to no effort on defense, helping his team score or grabbing rebounds.

He has had one good game, which was Oct. 29 in a 104-101 losing effort to the Atlanta Hawks when he had a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists, while also grabbing six boards.

With all the stats present, Deng is having a much better season offensively and defensively, which to be a Bull, players have to play both sides of the ball.

Deng’s play has transformed my first opinion of trading him to keeping him and let him remain the longest tenured Bulls player.

The Huffington Post reported Bulls center Joakim Noah made the rivalry even bigger with his comments about Celtics forward Kevin Garnett on the ESPN Radio program “The Waddle and Sily Show”.

Noah called Garnett mean and said he wasn’t nice to young players or European players.

I don’t really care what Garnett says but here is why this rivalry gets better.

[picappgallerysingle id="9143847"]

First of all, Noah continues to show his character and lets people such as Garnett and LeBron James, in last season’s playoffs, know he is a force and isn’t going to let them walk on him or the Bulls.

I don’t like the comparisons he constantly gets with former Bull Dennis Rodman who had all kinds of crazy antics such as multi-colored hair and saying whatever he wanted, but Noah has become the face of toughness the Bulls need just like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen needed Rodman.

In the 2009 playoffs the Bulls and the Celtics set NBA records with seven overtime periods in four overtime games. This summer Derrick Rose replaced Rajon Rondo as the starting point guard for Team USA in the FIBA World Basketball Tournament which led him to leaving the team. Nov. 1 the two teams went into overtime with all the makings of a great regular season game as Ray Allen and Kyle Korver exhanged three-point baskets, defenses made big stops and each rebound meant a win or loss, just like a Boston-Chicago game should.

Noah has thrown another branch into the endless burning bonfire known as the Bulls-Celtics series because Garnett and his teammates live for these type of comments. They’re going to try to knock every Bull on their ass while the Bulls are going to try backing up Noah by playing just as physical.

Paul Pierce will do his pump-fake then step into guys to get more fouls, Garnett will throw more elbows, Allen will attempt more three-pointers and Rondo will go even harder at Rose.

At the same time, Noah is going to yell and pump his chest after each rebound, Rose is going to attack Rondo with the same ruthlessness as Rondo is, Korver will come off the bench and answer Allen and the world will all be watching.

Maybe, Tom Thibodeau and Doc Rivers will start throwing chairs.

Even if it doesn’t happen, the Dec. 3 match up on ESPN should have the attention of every Bulls fan to see what will be the aftermath of Noah’s statements.