Andrew's Chicago Bulls Dynasty - November 2006

[funk99]

April 12th, 2006
New Jersey (89) at Chicago (96)
Bulls take fourth straight behind fourth quarter explosion

um i think u got the teams mixed up but sprewell dam. foot injury

[---]

wow i read alot of ur 2004 dynasty earlier, i dont think i could ever write so much stuff. I tend to get bored and just play a few games ahead, then i never catch up and give up. But yea it was a really good read, great writing and im looking forward to see if u do something like this for 07

[Marquis]

You totally smashed up Hawks in the 4th quarter and Piatkowski, wow great shooting!
Also good to see Darius Songaila doing pretty well in Atlanta

[Andrew]

April 12th, 2006
New Jersey (89) at Chicago (96)
Bulls take fourth straight behind fourth quarter explosion

um i think u got the teams mixed up but sprewell dam. foot injury

So I did; the perils of copy and paste. I'll fix it up.

April 14th, 2006
Milwaukee (88) at Chicago (109)
Bulls survive third quarter scare, take fifth straight
[ Boxscore ]

The Chicago Bulls know a thing or two about erasing large deficits on the road, having pulled out a stunning victory over the Hawks in Atlanta two nights ago, knowledge that perhaps saved them from suffering the same fate on their home floor. The Bucks outscored the Bulls 33-19 in a third quarter run that cut a 24 point lead down to six before the Bulls recovered and eventually triumphed 109-88 behind a strong fourth quarter.

Milwaukee struggled out of the gate as the Bulls' swarming defense led to fastbreak points. Chicago held a 28-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 20-0 run. Michael Redd scored 11 points in the second quarter to ignite his team, but Chicago still outscored Milwaukee 29-25 for what seemed to be a comfortable lead at the half. "We were completely unprepared for the run they made in the third," said Bulls' guard Kirk Hinrich, who finished with 11 points. "They came out with nothing to lose and just ran all over us."

Through the early minutes of the fourth quarter the Bucks threatened the Bulls' lead but Elden Campbell scored 8 fourth quarter points while Ben Gordon overcame another bad shooting night to find his teammates for easy buckets. The Bucks were unable to answer the final push and fell behind by 21 points in the closing minutes of the game.

Luol Deng led all scorers with 24 points and also grabbed 6 rebounds. Gordon contributed 16 points and 13 assists while Hinrich tallied 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Michael Redd and rookie Andrew Bogut top scored for the Bucks with 20 points apiece, Bogut also added 11 rebounds while Redd dished out six assists.

Notes: Latrell Sprewell remains day to day with a foot injury. He dressed for the game but did not play...with the victory the Bulls remain in sixth place in the East...Chicago swept the season series with Milwaukee 4-0...both teams combined to shoot 5/33 from downtown...Gordon's block was his third of the season...Elden Campbell and Eric Piatkowski both started their first game of the season.


Gordon's block

April 16th, 2006
Chicago (112) at Miami (118)
Heat hold off fourth quarter charge
[ Boxscore ]

Chicago's five game winning streak may have been snapped but they weren't about to go down without a fight. Trailing 51-36 at the half and then by as many as 22 during the third quarter, the Bulls mounted a furious comeback that eventually tied the game with 2:02 remaining in the fourth but ultimately fell short as Dwyane Wade's clutch baskets preserved a Miami victory.

Wade sat most of the first half having picked up two fouls in the first minute of the game. He played most of the second half finishing with 30 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Shaquille O'Neal met little resistance from the Bulls' bigs in the paint as he made eight of his ten field goal attempts to score 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Andres Nocioni led the Bulls with 27 points.

The loss places Chicago in seventh place in the East, where they would face Miami in the first round of the Playoffs. With the victory the Heat have won the season series 2-1.

April 17th, 2006
Chicago (113) at Orlando (91)
Bulls eye Playoffs, win season series against Orlando
[ Boxscore ]

The Chicago Bulls appear eager to finish their regular season and get the 2006 NBA Playoffs underway. A night after a disappointing loss to the Heat in Miami the Bulls cruised to victory over the Orlando Magic who never posed a threat in the second half.

Mike Sweetney returned to the lineup after missing 10 games with a sprained knee and made his presence felt scoring 10 points on a perfect 5/5 from the field while snaring four rebounds. Ben Gordon scored 31 points in just 27 minutes while adding 3 rebound and 3 assists while Kirk Hinrich scored 16 points and dished out 8 assists. Second year sensation Dwight Howard led the Magic with 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a losing effort.

The play of the night belong to Latrell Sprewell however. With the Bulls up 88-67 and 1.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Spree raced up court and fired up a prayer from halfcourt that found nothing but net. Spree finished with 11 points and showed no effects of the strained foot that forced him to miss two games last week.

Chicago remains in seventh place in the East, one game behind Detroit. Should the Bulls and Pistons finish the season tied, Chicago owns the tiebreaker having won the season series with Detroit 3-1.

Notes: The Bulls committed 6 turnovers and 7 fouls while the Magic turned the ball over 27 times and where whistled for 19 fouls...Chicago held a slight advantage 16-13 on the offensive glass but Detroit had the edge in total rebounds 40-38...with the win, Chicago takes the season series with Orlando 3-1.


Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough on the Instant Replay, so I've had to use the shot chart to represent Spree's halfcourt three

April 19th, 2006
Toronto (97) at Chicago (107)
Bulls finish regular season in style
[ Boxscore ]

The Bulls' long journey to the 2006 NBA Playoffs is finally over as they completed their regular season with a 107-97 victory over the Toronto Raptors in front of their hometown fans in the United Center. Ben Gordon top scored with 23 points as Chicago finished the season 48-34, which will place them at sixth in the East. Detroit's loss to the Wizards left them tied with Chicago, who won the tiebreaker by virtue of their 3-1 record against the Pistons this season. The Bulls will now face New Jersey in the first round. Toronto's fate was decided earlier today when Boston fell to Miami. The Raptors enter the Playoffs as the eighth seed and will square off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

Toronto remained close through the first two and a half quarters with Chicago pulling away towards the end of the third. The Bulls built a 16 point lead heading into the fourth quarter and pulled their starters early. The Raptors pounced on the opportunity in the fourth quarter and narrowed the deficit to three before Tyson Chandler and Chris Duhon returned to add some stability to the lineup on the floor and widen the gap to a more comfortable margin during the final minutes. The Bulls sealed the game from the free throw line, ending the season on a high note and winning the season series with the Raptors 3-1.

Chris Bosh led the Raptors with 20 points and had 6 rebounds and a game high 4 blocks. Jalen Rose and Morris Peterson chipped in 16 points apiece. Kirk Hinrich had 13 points and 6 assists for the Bulls while Latrell Sprewell was their most productive scorer off the bench totalling 14 points on an impressive 6/8 from the field including 2/3 from downtown.

April Recap/Final Season Stats & Standings
Record: 48-34
Regular Season Stats

Bass, Bogut top rookies in April

NEW YORK, NY -- The NBA announced today that Brandon Bass of the New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks' Andrew Bogut have been named as the Rookies of the Month for April. Bass averaged 15.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 1.5 bpg as the Hornets went 6-5. Bogut, selected as Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the fifth time, averaged 18.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3 apg, 2 bpg and 1.2 spg as the Bucks went 3-7.

2005/2006 Rookie of the Month Winners

November: Chris Paul (NOK), Andrew Bogut (MIL)
December: Martell Webster (POR), Andrew Bogut (MIL)
January: Chris Paul (NOK), Marvin Williams (ATL)
February: Chris Paul (NOK), Andrew Bogut (MIL)
March: Chris Paul (NOK),Andrew Bogut (MIL)
April: Brandon Bass (NOK), Andrew Bogut (MIL)

KG best out West, King James reigns in the East

NEW YORK, NY -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for the third time this season while Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves has been named the Western Conference Player of the Month for the first time this season. James averaged 25.1 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6.4 apg, 1.1 bpg and 1.6 spg during the month of April during which time the Central Division champion Cavaliers went 8-3. Garnett posted averages of 21.5 ppg, 16 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.8 bpg and 2.1 spg as the Timberwolves went 4-6 during the month.

2005/2006 Player of the Month Winners

November: LeBron James (CLE), Tracy McGrady (HOU)
December: Paul Pierce (BOS), Steve Nash (PHO)
January: Steve Francis (ORL), Yao Ming (HOU)
February: LeBron James (CLE), Tracy McGrady (HOU)
March: Paul Pierce (BOS), Tracy McGrady (HOU)
April: LeBron James (CLE), Kevin Garnett (MIN)

Final 2005/2006 Season Standings


Pacific


Northwest


Southwest


Atlantic


Central


Southeast



Final 2005/2006 League Leaders

Points


Rebounds


Assists


Steals


Blocks


Minutes


Field Goals


Three Pointers


Free Throws


2006 NBA Playoffs

[Andreas Dahl]

Great stuff Andrew

Good luck against New Jersey. It'll be hard, but I think you can do it.
Miami/Detroit will be real tough to beat in the quarter finals though... Looking forward to it.

[Jugs]

Portland in the finals .

If the team plays like they did against the Nets in the 6th from last game, you should take out the series 4-2 . If that makes any sense.

Good luck and Randolph for mvp.

[funk99]

good stuff mate but nets in the playoffs is gunna be real hard. i lost to them in my dynasty. kidd and jefferson are unstoppable. watch out for jefferson's offensive rebounds

[Mark.]

Congrats of finishing the season Andrew, Nets will be tough, bout you've laready proved you can beat them

[Andrew]

Thanks everyone. I'll be playing at least one game today so I should have another update later tonight.

[Andrew]

Chicago (105) at New Jersey (94)
Bulls steal homecourt advantage

If Chicago is at all fazed by being the sixth seed, they showed no signs of it tonight.

After trading baskets with the Nets through the first six minutes of the game, the Bulls jumped out to an 11 point lead as Ben Gordon scored nine of his team high 26 points. New Jersey would not come closer than eight points the rest of the way as Jason Kidd played only 20 minutes due to foul trouble, scoring 15 points. Veteran Cliff Robinson scored a game high 28 points including 24 in the second half, where his 14 fourth quarter points sparked a late run that ultimately fell short.

Shawn Kemp returned to the lineup after missing the final six games of the regular season with a strained shoulder, scoring 18 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. Kirk Hinrich had a fine all around game with 21 points (nine coming in the fourth quarter), 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Vince Carter scored 17 for the Nets and Richard Jefferson added 15 points as well as 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Game 2 will be played in the Continental Airlines Arena in two nights time before the series moves to the United Center in Chicago.

Bulls lead series 1-0

[Mark.]

Nice win, pitty you cant save the boxscores during the playoffs, have you considered taking screens of the player stats at the end of the game?

Im predicting you to win this series 4-1, I think you will maybe lose the next one, but you will be wanting to get through the series quickly so will be pushing hard for the wins.

Good luck for game 2

[funk99]

bulls lead the nets 1-0 whoa wonderful mate. just a bit confused that jefferson didnt play well hehe

[Andrew]

have you considered taking screens of the player stats at the end of the game?

I did, but there wasn't really much else in the way of noteworthy stats in that game. I was thinking perhaps I'd save that for later in the Playoffs (if I get there, of course ), but we'll see.

[Mark.]

Ah yeap fair enough, it is a hassel resizing and cropping etc, especially if you just want to get the update up quickly.

[---]

hey Andrew, while its on topic, can you save boxscores in the playoffs in 07? and if not why is that?

[Anthony15]

Good win, hopefully you'll sweep the Nets.

[Andrew]

hey Andrew, while its on topic, can you save boxscores in the playoffs in 07? and if not why is that?

I didn't see the option in there so unless it's been added as an afterthought we won't be able to save boxscores in the Playoffs. Not being a member of the production team I couldn't say why.

[dada]

Excellent win. Good to see you somewhat limited both Jefferson and Carters offensive output considering either of them could have broke off 30+ at home. Was really waiting on the playoffs to start in here and I really hope you will finish it. I find it amazing you have even reached this far and also dedicated enough to still be playing this after all these months..

[Andrew]

I'd really like to finish it before I get NBA Live 07. If worst comes to worst, I might sim/intervene some games to get through it quicker.

[Andrew]

Chicago (116) at New Jersey (106)
Bulls win furious fourth quarter dogfight, go up 2-0

Richard Jefferson and the Nets looked comfortable through the first three quarters but Ben Gordon and the Bulls were not about to concede defeat so readily. Chicago outscored New Jersey 37-25 in the fourth quarter for a ten point victory and a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series.

Trailing through most of the first half, the Bulls captured the lead with seconds left in the quarter before a long two by Jefferson snatched it back as time expired. The Bulls were noticeably lethargic to start the third quarter and the Nets pounced on the opportunity running the lead up to nine. Chicago recovered and were closing in when an errant pass led to a New Jersey fast break resulting in a three pointer giving the Nets a five point advantage. Gordon nailed a trey to end the third quarter as the teams prepared for a fourth quarter showdown.

The lead changed hands several times throughout the fourth quarter with the Bulls striking first, riding the momentum of Gordon's last second triple at the end of the third. It didn't take long for the Nets to respond however as they jumped ahead by four only to be followed by another Bulls' charge. Chicago took a 101-100 lead with three minutes left in the game and would not trail again, finishing with a 15-6 flourish for a final score of 116-106.

Jason Kidd was once again plagued by foul trouble, playing only 19 minutes scoring 10 points and adding 2 rebound and 3 assists. Jeff McInnis scored 12 points and handed out 7 assists manning the point during Kidd's absence. Vince Carter also found himself on the bench after picking up a couple of quick fouls, scoring only two points in just 17 minutes. Jefferson top scored for New Jersey with 28 points while veteran Cliff Robinson turned in 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Ben Gordon led all scorers with 29 points and added 4 rebounds and 5 assists, but missed the final two and a half minutes of the game after injuring his wrist. He is expected to play in Game 3. Kirk Hinrich made a solid contribution of 20 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists while getting a huge lift from their frontcourt as Tyson Chandler had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Andres Nocioni chipped in 13 points and 15 rebounds and Shawn Kemp scored 12 points and collected five rebounds.

The series now moves to Chicago for Game 3.


Gordon soars for the dunk over Krstic

Bulls lead series 2-0

King James crowned MVP

CLEVELAND, OH -- Third year superstar LeBron James has been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player, the league announced today. James averaged 24 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 6.5 apg, 2.1 spg and 1.1 bpg while leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to the top record in the Eastern Conference.

"It's a tremendous honour and I'm really humbled to be chosen as MVP," James said. "Right now our goals as a team are my top priority but it's a huge compliment. I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far this season."

Magic's Howard is NBA's Most Improved Player

ORLANDO, FL -- The NBA has announced the Orlando Magic's standout sophomore Dwight Howard as the Most Improved Player for 2005/2006. Howard averaged 18.9 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 2.5 apg and 2 bpg.

Howard said he was honoured to win the award but remains focused on helping the Magic return to the Playoffs. "That's number one for me," he told reporters. "I didn't feel ready to stop playing basketball in April. I want to be playing in June."

Kirilenko named league's best defender

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Andrei Kirilenko has been named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for 2005/2006 after averaging 11.1 rpg, 2.3 spg and 2 bpg while also scoring 18.5 ppg and dishing out 3.3 apg. Kirilenko also commited only 1.3 fouls per contest despite playing 37.6 minutes a night.

"I feel a lot of satisfaction in winning Defensive Player of the Year," the man known as AK-47 commented. He added "I enjoy being a big part of the offense but I have a lot of pride and satisfaction in the challenge of shutting an opponent down. I like to play this game at both ends of the court."

McCants named top rookie

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- The Minnesota Timberwolves' Rashad McCants has been named Rookie of the Year beating out Andrew Bogut and Chris Paul for the award after posting averages of 15.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.3 spg. McCants has the distinction of winning the award having not been named Rookie of the Month once during the 2005/2006 season.

It seems even McCants himself was surprised when he was named Rookie of the Year. "I thought Chris was the standout this year and Andrew had a great year as well but I'm very proud to be standing here holding this trophy today."

Suns' Thomas best off the bench

PHOENIX, AZ -- The Phoenix Suns' Kurt Thomas has won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award after posting a solid 8.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 1 bpg. Thomas won the award by five votes over second placed Tyson Chandler, who averaged 9.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 1.9 bpg for the Chicago Bulls this season.

"I'm just glad to be a part of something special here in Phoenix," said Thomas, but also noted that "It's a fantastic feeling anytime you win an award like this in our league."

[rongotai]

Your writing skills are brilliant lol

Those awards article are sweet, Good job on this

[---]

Tyson Chandler got robbed. Good luck for game 3

[Murker]

your a great writer and nice job on the win and pic

[Mark.]

Great win mate, I thought that would have been one that you could have lost, but its good to see you pull through

[Andrew]

New Jersey (93) at Chicago (105)
Bulls defend homecourt, eye sweep

Chicago will have a chance to close out their first round series with New Jersey in front of their home fans thanks to an impressive 105-93 victory in Game 3. The Bulls fed off the energy of a rabid United Center crowd from the opening tip, scoring the first six points of the game and never trailing after the seven minute mark of the first quarter. The Nets found themselves trailing by double digits early in the second half and never recovered, taking a 30-20 beating in the third and only managed to make a small dent in the Bulls' lead in the final minutes of the game with the game already decided.

"It's hard not to think about it but we don't want to think too far ahead," Kirk Hinrich said of a Bulls sweep. "We still have to win one more game and they aren't going to go down without a fight. We're ready for a war in the next one." Hinrich scored 18 points and collected 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the victory while Ben Gordon top scored with 25 points.

The Nets' Big Three once again found themselves in foul trouble as Vince Carter played 23 minutes scoring 11 points and grabbing 5 rebounds while Jason Kidd played 24 minutes and managed 10 points and 3 rebounds but failed to dish out a single assist. Richard Jefferson scored 13 points while collecting 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Lamond Murray led the Nets with 19 points and shot 5/7 from beyond the arc.

Bulls lead series 3-0

All-NBA Teams Announced

NEW YORK, NY -- The NBA has announced the All-NBA First and Second Teams, with league MVP LeBron James heading up the First Team as a unanimous selection. Joining James on the First Team are Shaquille O'Neal, Elton Brand, Joe Johnson and Steve Nash. Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Larry Hughes and Baron Davis made up the Second Team.

First Team

Shaquille O'Neal, MIA (24.9 ppg, 3.3 apg, 12.1 rpg, 2 bpg, 1 spg)
Elton Brand, LAC (24 ppg, 3.5 apg, 11.5 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.4 spg)
LeBron James, CLE (24 ppg, 6.5 apg, 8.9 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 2.1 spg)
Joe Johnson, ATL (22 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.1 rpg, 2 spg)
Steve Nash, PHO (24.1 ppg, 8.5 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.9 spg)

Second Team

Yao Ming, HOU (20.4 ppg, 4.5 apg, 9.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 1.2 spg)
Dirk Nowitzki, DAL (27.1 ppg, 3.2 apg, 9.7 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.4 spg)
Paul Pierce, BOS (26.7 ppg, 4.6 apg, 9.7 rpg, 1.9 spg)
Larry Hughes, CLE (21.1 ppg, 5.3 apg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 spg)
Baron Davis, GSW (21 ppg, 6.9 apg, 4.7 rpg, 2 spg)

All-Defensive Teams Announced

NEW YORK, NY -- Three time defensive player of the year Ben Wallace joins 2006 winner Andrei Kirilenko on the NBA's All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced today. Joining Kirilenko and Wallace are Chris Bosh, Larry Hughes and Steve Francis. The Second Team comprises of Shaquille O'Neal, Emeka Okafor, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson and Gilbert Arenas.

First Team

Ben Wallace, DET (11.5 ppg, 1.1 apg, 10.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 1.9 spg)
Chris Bosh, TOR (24.1 ppg, 1.6 apg, 11 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.6 spg)
Andrei Kirilenko, UTA (18.5 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2 bpg, 2.3 spg)
Larry Hughes, CLE (21.1 ppg, 5.3 apg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 spg)
Steve Francis, ORL (21.5 ppg, 7.2 apg, 5.5 rpg, 2.3 spg)

Second Team

Shaquille O'Neal, MIA (24.9 ppg, 3.3 apg, 12.1 rpg, 2 bpg, 1 spg)
Emeka Okafor, CHA (15 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 1.5 spg)
Richard Jefferson, NJ (19 ppg, 3.3 apg, 8.5 rpg, 2.3 spg)
Joe Johnson, ATL (22 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.1 rpg, 2 spg)
Gilbert Arenas, WAS (18.6 ppg, 6.2 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2 spg)

All-Rookie Teams Announced

NEW YORK, NY -- Standout first year point guard Chris Paul joins Rookie of the Year Rashad McCants and first overall pick Andrew Bogut on the NBA's All-Rookie First Team. A pair of Raptors join them on the First Team as Charlie Villaneuva and Jose Calderon also got the nod. Channing Frye, Martell Webster, Marvin Williams, Deron Williams and Brandon Bass make up the Second Team.

First Team

Rashad McCants, MIN (15.1 ppg, 4.1 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 spg)
Andrew Bogut, MIL (14.7 ppg, 3.3 apg, 9.1 rpg, 1.5 bpg)
Chris Paul, NOK (17.2 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.7 spg)
Jose Calderon, TOR (12.1 ppg, 5.9 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 spg)
Charlie Villanueva, TOR (9.1 ppg, 2.4 apg, 8.4 rpg, 1.2 bpg)

Second Team

Channing Frye, NY (10.7 ppg, 2 apg, 6.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg)
Martell Webster, POR (16.2 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.8 rpg, 1.1 spg)
Marvin Williams, ATL (9.9 ppg, 2.1 apg, 5.6 rpg)
Deron Williams, UTA (12 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.4 rpg, 1.1 spg)
Brandon Bass, NOK (15.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 1 spg)

Popovich named Coach of the Year

SAN ANTONIO, TX -- Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich has been named Coach of the Year for 2005/2006. The Spurs had a league best 60-22 record during the regular season and currently lead the Los Angeles Clippers 3-1 in their best of seven first round series.

Popovich is now a two-time Coach of the Year having been awarded the honour in 2002/2003, David Robinson's final season and the year of San Antonio's second NBA championship.

New Jersey (87) at Chicago (103)
Bulls close series with 16 point victory

Break out the brooms - the sweep is complete.

Chicago finished their first round series with New Jersey in style much to the delight of their hometown fans, downing the Nets 103-87 and advancing to the next round where they will face the winner of the Miami/Detroit series. Ben Gordon scored 21 points and dished out 6 assists while Hinrich contributed 16 points, 2 rebounds and 8 assists in the win. Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 18 points while also grabbing six boards and handing out two assists in a losing effort.

The game began at a frantic pace as Jason Kidd scored the first two points on a long jumper. It didn't take long for the Bulls to respond and they soon led by double digits, holding a seemingly comfortable 13 point lead at the end of the first quarter. The Nets were not about to let their season end so soon however and stormed back in the second outscoring the Bulls 31-22 to trail by only four heading into the second half.

Their luck didn't last long. Chicago came out of the halftime break determined to bury their opponents and extended their lead to thirteen by the end of the period behind Gordon's eight third quarter points. The Nets seemed listless in the fourth, never challenging the lead during the final six minutes as the Bulls took their time and cruised to a sixteen point victory.

Jason Kidd once again found himself in foul trouble, scoring 7 points and handing out 3 assists in only 23 minutes. Vince Carter played 36 minutes despite racking up five fouls scoring 16 points and grabbing four rebounds. Cliff Robinson produced another solid game with 13 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Chicago's frontcourt shined as Shawn Kemp had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Andres Nocioni added 10 points and 10 rebounds and Tyson Chandler chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

"We're happy to be through to the next round," Kemp said after the game. "I've been telling the guys since we won (Game 3), we can't ease up, we need to take care of business, we can't give (the Nets) any breathing room." Kemp was a member of the 1994 Seattle Supersonics team that lost to the eighth seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round after leading the series 2-0.

Kidd called the series "frustrating" but gave credit to the Bulls. "They had our number," Kidd told reporters. "They came out determined to win from Game 1 and they did what they needed to do. I'm disappointed in how our season ended but we'll be back next year."

The BUlls may not have to wait long to find out who they will face in the next round as Game 4 of the Miami/Detroit series will be played tomorrow night. Miami currently leads the series 3-0.

Notes: Chicago committed only 10 fouls while New Jersey was whistled for 29...the Bulls held a 49-37 advantage on the boards, also winning the offensive rebound battle 18-14...the Nets attempted only 10 free throws making 7, while Chicago went to the line for 31 attempts connecting on 27...the Bulls had not reached the second round of the Playoffs since 1998, where they defeated the Nets 3-0 in the opening round and eventually won the championship.

Bulls win series 4-0