Man, what fun that Bulls game was. As many of you already know, I regard a Knicks loss nearly as high as I regard a Bulls win. For the Bulls to stomp all over the Knicks tonight was great. I'll tell you what, I like the Bulls chances as much as anyone's in the East. I think the Bulls that we were hoping for are rounding into fashion. With Nocioni back, they'll spread the defense, and have a better ability to avoid long droughts.

Seeing Thomas and Sefalosha progress is amazing. Thomas' gifts will make him a huge threat within 2 years, and if Sefalosha can hit the mid-range jumper the way he did tonight, he's ready to make a huge impact right now.

It's fucking fantastic, and then I consider how the Bulls get the Knicks first pick. Insane! This draft is fairly deep, and Paxson will have options galore; and this is a team that could very easily make the Eastern Conferance finals, if not the Finals.

One last thought: a lot of people were blasting Skiles for not having Thomas and Sefalosha in more frequently early in the season. But stop and think about it. Neither are conditioned for the grueling NBA season, and both are really hitting their stride at the perfect time: going into the playoffs. Both have relatively fresh legs, and just enough experience to give them confidence. Give the man some credit: once again, he has his team playing its best basketball heading into the playoffs.

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A Personal Relationship with Jesus?

Good post Matt. I agree with your thoughts on Thabo and Tyrus. They never seemed to hit the infamous "Rookie Wall". They will need Thabo and his D if the Bulls face the Nets in the first round. Teams with big guards have given the Bulls fits in the past. Thabo might be able to help neutralize VC.

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"Tubby? Oh yes, Tubby."

Not to mention that neither rookie could have possibly succeeded in the Bulls' system in the the first three or four months of the season. Not only are they playing at a higher, more intelligent level, they're committing far fewer mistakes per minute played. Most NBA teams don't practice the way Skiles' teams practice . . . and these rooks benefited/developed the most from Oct-January.

The second sentence is right on, but with regard to the Nets, I don't think Thabo is the answer. It's Jason Kidd that serves them a shitburger 4 times a year. And if they choke to New Jersey in the playoffs, it will likely be Kidd that fucks them up the ass again. Sorry for doubling down on the Ben Gordon talk, but he's a major liability in this (potential) match up.

Oh God, we might have to play the Nets. Another one-and-done year if that happens.

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