Successful Circus

The Bulls dropped to 3-3 for the Circus Trip after a Carmelo Anthony buzzer beater on Friday. The 98-97 loss can still be considered a success though because the Bulls had Rose out with a stiff neck and Gibson playing with an injured ankle. They dug a hole for themselves early in the game, but came back to take the lead in the 4th.

In last night's game, they also fell behind early and got stronger each quarter, eventually coming back to win 96-85. They held the Kings to just 9 points in the final quarter. As usual, Deng, Rose and Noah put up their usual numbers with good support from Korver and Brewer off the bench.

So that was the best Circus Trip since the Jordan era as the Bulls went 4-3. More importantly, all 7 games were winnable. They didn't get blown out in any of them. The Spurs and Lakers were close. And the Nuggets came down to a buzzer beater by Anthony. They basically lost to the 3 best teams and took care of business with the weaker ones. And they did all this without Boozer.

Circus Trip Update

Lakers
If you look at the final numbers, this game was a formula for a Bulls win. Rose led all players with 30 pts and 8 asts. Noah and Gibson each had double-doubles. Deng added 13, but the Bulls got almost nothing from the bench. They also defended Bryant well as usual. They just gave up too many 3's. After this 91-98 loss, the Bulls fell to .500 for the circus trip.

Suns
Poised for another loss... back-to-back games and a 21 pt 1st quarter deficit, the Bulls fought back to keep a winning record on the road trip. This wasn't just a great game by Rose (35 pts, 12 rebs), Noah (17 pts, 15 rebs) and Deng (26 pts, 10 rebs), but Korver had his best game as a Bull with 24 pts off the bench.

Black Friday

I didn't post anything this year for Black Friday because I didn't really see anything that was out of the ordinary in pricing. It was just a good time to stock up on some basics because they were on sale everywhere...
- 8 GB Flash Drive for $10
- 16 GB Flash Drive for $20
- 1 TB 3.5" HDD for $50
- 2 TB 3.5" HDD for $100
- 500 GB 2.5" HDD for $50
- 1 TB 2.5" HDD for $100
- 28" LCD TV for $250

Apple had their usual sale of $101 off of selected systems and $41 off of some iPods/iPads. The only item worth buying was the Macbook air. The iMac is mid-cycle and the Macbook Pro is overdue for an update. The iPod touch was also just updated along with the Nano ($21 off).

No Pity

When I was watching the Pacquiao vs. Margarito fight, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the Mexican. All he did each round was go out there and get hit by hard combos. On the rare occasions where he landed, Pacquiao just hit him back 5x more. Margarito was too big to take down, so he just got punished for all 12 rounds.

I just finished watching the HBO special 24/7 and feel differently now. I didn't know the backstory of Magarito before... banned from boxing for reinforcing his wraps. That's not the worst part either. He denies knowing about it. As Pacquaio said, "what is he stupid?" How could he not know what's going into the wraps when his trainer is right there. It was the Mosley fight where he was caught. Without the foreign objects, Mosley destroyed Margarito. Pacquaio's team was nice enough to give Margarito a chance at redemption, but in the special Margarito and his team could only bad mouth the champ and act over confidently.

So after watching that, I'm with the majority in thinking Margarito didn't deserve a shot. He's a cheating bum!

Subway Tales: Battle of Rohan

Whenever there's a train delay at the first stop of a train station during rush hour, it reminds me of the Battle of Rohan from Lord of the Rings. The passengers on the outside (orcs) are trying to storm into the castle while the people on the inside (Rohirrim) are trying to get out, creating a clash of hundreds in the middle. But the people on the outside aren't working as a team. They're battling for seats! Whoever gets in first will get one... the rest have to stand. The doors opening is equivalent to that guy that accidentally shot down the orc.

Triangle and Circus

The Bulls played a great game on Friday as they matched up well with the Dallas Mavericks. When they slipped against the Spurs, I thought they were going to go on a losing streak with the rest of their Western road trip. They always have trouble against any team with Jason Kidd. I guess the difference now is they have Derrick Rose! The game was close throughout, but the Bulls were losing at the start of the 4th. It wasn't a particularly good game because Deng was having a bad scoring night (just 8 pts). Rose put up 22 and the bench made up for Deng with Watson's 13 and Korver's 14. Noah and Gibson each had double-doubles. If anything won this game it was rebounds... 59 to the Mavs' 34. Gibson had 18 of the Bulls' 59 and Noah had 17!

So the Bulls end the Texas triangle at 2-1 and are back to a good start for the circus trip.

Subway Tales: Twitchy Gamer

Most people are playing with their iPhones, Droids and portable gaming systems on long subway rides. With games requiring tilting the devices, there's a new level of stupidity on the subway. Now gamers are not just sitting still and pushing buttons. They're waving around in their seats. This one iPhone gamer across from me was trying to play a game, but stay in the confines of his seating space. So he was kind of twitching his shoulders. He was successful in staying within the seat, but everyone on the train thought he had some kind of problem. The train filled up except for the seat next to him... no one would take it! At the first stop, incoming passengers ran in and without thinking, some woman sat next to him. He played and twitched away. Although he didn't invade her space, the woman was looking at him funny because he looked like he was having a spasm! He then realized that it looked weird and gave up his seat to another woman. At least he was considerate!

Back to Reality

For a while, it looked like the Bulls were going to get 5 straight wins and 2 out of 3 from the Texas triangle. The first quarter was close as the 2 teams traded shots. The Bulls started to pull away in the second quarter as Rose continued his hot shooting from the previous game's 4th quarter. The Spurs had a mini run at the end, but the Bulls were able to get into the half with a 10 point lead. Then they just went dead in the 3rd quarter, only scoring 12. Rose had another big 4th quarter and finished with 33 pts. The starters did OK overall, but we could've used a bit more from the bench. The Bulls weren't supposed to beat the 8-1 Spurs anyway, but they just missed stealing one and going for a potential Texas sweep on Friday against Dallas.

Adidas, Rose & Howard

Circus in Town

How about that? A win to start the circus trip! The Rockets aren't really a feared Western team without Yao Ming in the lineup, but they were coming off a nice come-from-behind blowout against the Knicks the other night. The Bulls started slow as usual last night, but never let the game get out of hand. Rose, Deng and Noah did great and Korver & Brewer did their jobs off the bench. The Rockets played their best in the 3rd quarter when they held the Bulls to just 14 pts. Rose was on the bench most of the time with 4 fouls, so it looked like a potential collapse. But when he came back, he put of 17 of his 33 in the 4th quarter. Those points came mostly from the 3-point line, reminiscent of Jordan against the Blazers!

So the Bulls are looking good overall even without Carlos Boozer. Rose, Deng and Noah have been very consistent lately. I'd still like to see Korver start, but this team is looking like it can compete with Miami!

Office Diets

I was standing on line to get a coffee today and the person in front of me ordered a doughnut. She got into this whole conversation with the barista about how that was going to be her lunch because the office cafeteria was closed by the time she was done with all of her meetings. So it brought to attention how bad some of us eat in the office. Here are some examples:

Popcorn
Popcorn fills you up, so it's a popular diet food. But it's just ridiculous that people eat this as a meal. It's like eating air! And it's not like it's packed with nutrients or anything.

Shakes
This is another popular one that solves a few problems. It contains all the vitamins you need, depending on ingredients. It's popular in the office because it's more efficient. There's no need to take bites and put it down once in a while. You can just chug your whole lunch and be done with it! The problem... because it's liquid, it's going to break down faster. So you'll be hungry again way before you would've been if you had a sandwich.

Fast Food
NYC is in a health craze, but I still smell the strong scent of McDonald's fries fairly often. Fast foods has always been an appealing office cuisine because, well... it's fast. This is probably the worst habit to fall into because it's totally unhealthy. This usually develops among people who are already out of shape. So the fat will get fatter!

Sweets
Coffee shop snacks are another meal replacement that shouldn't be. While they fill you up for the moment, they're mostly breads and will digest too quickly. Like with the shake lunch, you'll be hungry again before 6pm.

TV Dinners
These are popular because of the speed of preparation, but also because people tend to buy the small ones. It's bad because it's not a true diet food. You're just eating less junk... starving yourself instead of replacing nutrients.

Weekend Sports Wrapup

NBA
It was a good weekend as the Bulls racked up 2 wins. They took care of business at home against the Washington Wizards in Hinrich's return. Even though he was on the other side, the former captain did receive much deserved cheers during a video tribute and intro. In the 103-94 win, Rose had 24 pts & 8 asts. Deng had 20pts, 9 rebs. Noah had 21 pts, 9 rebs. Again, everyone with minutes scored. The starters did their job and Korver & Brewer off the bench supplied some depth. The Bulls record now stands at 5-3... a very good start considering team history. This is probably the best record they had in years going into the circus trip.

Boxing
Manny Pacquiao added another belt and weight class to his collection as he took apart Margarito Saturday night. It was just another match that was overhyped. The commercials and sports programs played it up like it was going to be a tough match. Margarito was much bigger and taller. Pacman fans were worried that this could be the one he loses. But it was all hype. Margarito had no chance. Of the 12 rounds, I'd say he probably just won the 6th, which later Pacquiao admitted he was hurt in. The rest of the match was just like any other recent Pacman fight... a total beat down. People are still talking about Mayweather, who seems to be ducking. I think Pacquiao can safely retire without questioning of his skills... although he won't!

Blowout

The Bulls continued their assault on the west with a 30-point blowout of the Golden State Warriors. As with most Bulls wins, all starters were in double figures... Rose had his ast/pts double-double... Noah had his rebs/pts double-double. Korver off the bench also had 10. Deng had a big game as he led the way with 26. Deng has been extremely streaky, which is odd because he was Mr. Consistency a few years ago. Maybe he should go back to his 2 pt jumper game. His best year was the year he didn't attempt any 3's. The Warriors didn't put up much of a fight. The game was pretty much over in the 1st quarter. They're not particularly a good team, so it's nice to see the Bulls take care of business last night.

Golden

Supposedly the Yankees are looking to give Jeter a 3-year deal and just about every story out there is writing about Jeter's declining defense. Doesn't that make him much more valuable? If his defense is considered declining on a year he fields .989 at the toughest position, earning him a Gold Glove, then he truly is the best SS by far. He also lead the way with 6 errors... better than many outfielders. Some players get 6 errors per month! Remember, the Gold Glove is an award voted on by managers... not fans. So OK... Jeter's defense is declining. Maybe next year he only gets runner up to the Gold Glove? 8 errors? He's the perfect guy to have at SS when pitchers are trying to give up grounders!

I'd like to believe that the deal is already done and the Yankees are just laying low and letting the media have some fun. Jeter playing for any other team would have been like Jordan moving to the Knicks in the 90's. The Yankees want Jeter back and he want to play for NY, living out his childhood dream. It's a done deal, it went Jeter's way... we just don't know it yet.

Beating the West

Maybe the West truly is weaker now as the Bulls defeated the Denver Nuggets in a battle of the 2 lead scorers... Rose and Anthony. The weakened West shouldn't apply to the Nuggets though as they kept their stars and core. It's just weird that the Bulls last 2 victories were against tough Western teams and they've lost mostly to the East. They just played to the level of their competition again, but this time they won by 2 with a strong 4th quarter performance and good defense. Anthony won the scoring battle with 32, but the Bulls as a team won the game with all of their starters scoring in doubles... and everyone with minutes scored. Noah continues to average a double-double.

Nothing in a Bulls game is given, so it's important to watch every game and all the way through as a fan. Over the past few years, they've been a .500 team. So basically, they have a 50% of winning each game, whether it's against the best team or the worst. They've made 30-point turnarounds to win games and they've also gone through huge droughts to lose them.

This was also an important one because of Anthony's free agency next year.

Daylight Savings Commute Part 2

Following the same pattern as the morning commute, the evening trip seemed to be 1 hour ahead of real time. I usually travel around 6pm, but the crowd felt like it was 7pm... or later, meaning it was empty. I was able to get a seat and there were several empty ones for the whole trip. And it was on a train that's always packed. So this supports the idea that people never fell back this weekend. It's even harder to believe on the evening commute because surely most people used their computers during the day!

Daylight Savings Commute Part 1

We had a 49-hour weekend as it was time to "fall back," but judging from this morning's commute it seems like a lot of people forgot to do it. As I walked through the streets, the bus stops were more crowded than normal. The subways were packed like it would be normally 1 hour after my regular commute time. I saw some of the regulars in my car, but a lot of new faces. It wasn't just the customers either. Both trains and buses were off schedule.

I don't get how people can forget about it in this day and age. All you have to do is turn on your computer or phone and it's already done for you (with the exception of iPhone, which had a bug). It's hard for me to imagine that someone can go through an entire day without using their phone or computer, even if it's a Sunday.

Playing to the Level

Last night, the Bulls once again played to the level of their competition. They lost, but played like an Eastern power against the Celtics, one of the toughest teams. They fell into an early 16 point hole as usual, but came back in the 4th quarter to force overtime. They played well enough to win, but failed to execute in the clutch. They would get close, tie or small lead, but weren't able to knockout Boston. They just don't have enough scoring power to make a blowout run. While Korver had minutes in that game, I feel he needs more minutes in common with Rose.

While this is an acceptable loss, it hurts most when I think about the Knicks game the night before. Dropping a game against a weaker opponent just makes this a 2-game losing streak. In order to make the playoffs, the Bulls need to take care of business against the weaker teams and once in a while beat the elite ones. On a more positive note, it's hard to gauge the Bulls' potential until Boozer is back and healthy.

Failed

After getting off to a 2-1 start, the Bulls dropped an easy one against the Knicks last night. It wasn't Amare Stoudemire that beat them though. He had a pretty quiet night, but the scrubs like Gallinari and Douglas (who I've never heard of) both had career nights. Things were close in the 1st quarter, but the Bulls dropped to a 21 point deficit at the half. They kept making runs, but made mistakes as they were on the verge of taking control back. Every time they closed within single digits, they would make a stupid turnover or get fouled and miss free throws. Part of it is coaching as well. Thibodeau took out his starters towards the end, but the game was still in reach. Also, Korver in the 4th quarter was hitting circus 3-point shots. If he had been there with the starting group, this could have been a win.

I don't get why Kyle Korver isn't a starter or at least playing 50% of the game. The guy shoots over 50% from three. When the Bulls fall into a drought, they're better off with him jacking up 3's. So 2 trips down the court would translate to 3 points instead of a 10-point drought (5 trips... 0 points).

I generally don't like it when the Bulls play the Knicks at the beginning of the season since we're always a 2nd half team, but last night's game was winnable with Stoudemire as a role-player. The Knicks will only get better as they feel things out.

Giants on Top of the World

The Giants completed the World Series last night 4 games to 1 in a 3-1 pitcher's duel with the Rangers. Neither team was expected to make it in and the edge had to go to Texas after they defeated the Yankees, but SF showed its dominance. They beat Cliff Lee twice with their own ace, Lincecum. Veteran Edgar Renteria had the clutch hits and earned MVP honors. So there you have it... the league evolved. It's good for baseball to have a variety of good teams instead of just the Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies taking all the rings away.

So now begins the Cliff Lee competition. Question marks are afloat because his Rangers didn't win the World Series. They got trampled 4-1 and 2 of the losses are his. So there's a chance he might leave. In my opinion, his only real shot at joining the Yankees is CC, one of his best friends. Texas is probably a more comfortable environment for him, but can this team do it again or is one championship it's limit. The Yankees are committed to winning every year. When they lose, it's because they go overboard... like getting obsessed with beefing up batting instead of fixing the pen. There is also Lee's wife's comments about NY fans (which I happen to agree with). I may get into that in a future post. But Cliff himself played it off as an isolated few people. It's hard to tell what this guy's thinking. Does he have a real shot at joining or is he keeping relations good just for an offer... which would force Texas to up the offer?

By the Numbers

It's only 3 games into the season, but last night's win against Portland gave the Bulls a 2-1 start. That's really good considering this team usually goes 0-10 or 2-9. It also ended the Blazer's undefeated 3-0 streak. The win came as everyone played the roles they were paid to do. Deng scored a career high 40 pts as he was on fire the entire game. Rose had a pts/asts double-double. Noah had a pts/rebs double-double. All starters scored in double figures. So they played a nice complete all-around game as a team to beat a tough Western opponent. It's not possible for them to do this every night, but it's nice to have someone relieve Rose of scoring every once in a while. Deng isn't going to put up 40 pts every night, but it would be nice to get him averaging in the 20's... which he has been capable of. Korver also needs to get back up in the 20's. Rose will have his assists and Noah will have his rebs (league leading BTW). The Bulls just need 2 guys to score above 20 and everyone else pitch in.

On Thursday, they will face a rebuilt Knicks with Amare Stoudemire for their first time. Stoudemire has given them problems when he played for the Suns and the Bulls still don't have Boozer in the lineup, so it should be interesting. In the past, when the Knicks beat the Bulls on rare occasions, it has been in the beginning of the season.

What Should He Do?

I thought this was a good commercial for LeBron to do in answer to all of the criticism of him moving to Miami. It's great to see Nike supports its athletes. I'm still a Bulls fan, but I do appreciate what LeBron does on and off the court. And I'll be his fan no matter where he plays... unless he joins Kobe's Lakers!