ALVAREZ6
04-25-2005, 11:33 AM
BULLS 103, WIZARDS 94
Back With a Vengeance, the Bulls Take Game 1
By LIZ ROBBINS
The rookie Ben Gordon scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and Andres Nocioni grabbed a Bulls playoff record with 18 rebounds.
Back With a Vengeance, the Bulls Take Game 1
By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: April 25, 2005
CHICAGO, April 24 - The music was blaring and fans were screaming at decibels unheard in seven years at the United Center, loud enough to awaken the old echoes, but not loud enough to drown out the new ones coming from Andres Nocioni's lungs.
Chicago's 25-year-old rookie forward from Argentina, Nocioni rebounded as if it were his birthright, punctuating all 18 of his rebounds with a yell as if to announce: The Bulls are back.
His rookie teammates Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon swallowed their butterflies and took up the cause. Young and undaunted, the 20-something Bulls stormed into a new era for the franchise, stunning the similarly inexperienced Washington Wizards for a 103-94 victory in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference playoff series.
The capacity crowd at the United Center - the first since 1998 during Michael Jordan's sixth and final championship season - serenaded Nocioni for his 25-point, 18-rebound effort, an N.B.A. playoff record for a rookie.
But they mispronounced his name, calling him "No-CHEE-o-ni," instead of "No-CEE-o-ni." No matter. His opponents and teammates knew exactly who he was.
"He was very aggressive, he took it to our small forwards, he got to the rim; they did what they do best," Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan said. "They get into you, they outwork you. I know they did tonight. And they are at home."
The Bulls began this season 0-9 and without much hope, but, much in the spirit they exhibited Sunday night, they played relentless defense to fuel a comeback and electrify their fans.
For the Wizards, who had thrived all year on offense and are in the playoffs for the first time since 1997, the combination was deadly. The Bulls were down by 5 points to start the fourth quarter until Tyson Chandler sparked the rally with a block on the wide-eyed Wizards center Kwame Brown. Chandler, who was in foul trouble most of the night, found the right moment with 10 minutes 6 seconds to play, even adding a little finger wag after the block.
The Wizards scored only 10 points after that. Duhon collected a steal and dunked on the fast break on the next play. Nocioni grabbed an offensive rebound, collected the foul and made the second of two free throws to tie the score.
Gordon had 12 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter. Despite coming off the bench, he has thrived at the end of games all season.
"We need to play aggressive, that is the intensity we need," Nocioni said. "We have the mind and the soul for it."
Last season, Nocioni played professionally in Spain, and his physical play was born in the Euroleague and in the Olympics.
"I don't know what got into him," the second-year guard Kirk Hinrich said. "Hopefully, Wednesday he'll do the same thing, eat the same thing. Eighteen rebounds - he was a warrior, and that's what we need."
The Bulls had lost two starters from their frontcourt, Eddy Curry and Luol Deng, to health problems. But on this night, the remaining players kept hustling to loose balls, attacking and intimidating the Wizards.
The Bulls may be young in years and in N.B.A. playoff experience, but they are not short on credentials. Gordon won an N.C.A.A. championship at Connecticut last year, the 6-foot Chris Duhon, who collected 10 rebounds, won at Duke in 2001, and Nocioni won a gold medal at the Olympics last year.
"You're never sure how they are going to come out," Bulls Coach Scott Skiles said of his rookies. "They played like it was a normal game."
Perhaps they played better than that.
Duhon baffled the Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas into shooting 3 for 19 from the field. Washington's leading scorer at 25 points a game, Arenas had just 9 on Sunday. Antawn Jamison was in early foul trouble and could muster just 14 points. He was ineffective on the boards, especially when Nocioni switched from small forward to power forward.
"I tried to get every rebound in the game," Nocioni said with a smile. "Sometimes the ball goes to your hands. It's luck."
He and Gordon powered the Bulls on both ends of the court in the first half. And the Bulls' league-best field-goal defense (42.2 percent) came as advertised. Only Larry Hughes found a way to keep the Wizards cruising on the perimeter, scoring 24 of his game-high 31 points in the first half, until Nocioni stopped him.
The Bulls led by only 53-52 at halftime, and that was because of Brown. When Michael Jordan was the Wizards' president for basketball operations, he chose Brown as the first high school player taken with the No. 1 pick. Maligned in Washington for being a dud, in the first half he scored 13 points off the bench.
Gordon was brilliant from start to finish. He scored 12 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter, locking into a rhythm early.
Consider that Gordon could not even drive a car when Jordan hit the last important shot in franchise history. But youth was served Sunday night, sending the Wizards home to contemplate their next move.
Back With a Vengeance, the Bulls Take Game 1
By LIZ ROBBINS
The rookie Ben Gordon scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and Andres Nocioni grabbed a Bulls playoff record with 18 rebounds.
Back With a Vengeance, the Bulls Take Game 1
By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: April 25, 2005
CHICAGO, April 24 - The music was blaring and fans were screaming at decibels unheard in seven years at the United Center, loud enough to awaken the old echoes, but not loud enough to drown out the new ones coming from Andres Nocioni's lungs.
Chicago's 25-year-old rookie forward from Argentina, Nocioni rebounded as if it were his birthright, punctuating all 18 of his rebounds with a yell as if to announce: The Bulls are back.
His rookie teammates Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon swallowed their butterflies and took up the cause. Young and undaunted, the 20-something Bulls stormed into a new era for the franchise, stunning the similarly inexperienced Washington Wizards for a 103-94 victory in Game 1 of this Eastern Conference playoff series.
The capacity crowd at the United Center - the first since 1998 during Michael Jordan's sixth and final championship season - serenaded Nocioni for his 25-point, 18-rebound effort, an N.B.A. playoff record for a rookie.
But they mispronounced his name, calling him "No-CHEE-o-ni," instead of "No-CEE-o-ni." No matter. His opponents and teammates knew exactly who he was.
"He was very aggressive, he took it to our small forwards, he got to the rim; they did what they do best," Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan said. "They get into you, they outwork you. I know they did tonight. And they are at home."
The Bulls began this season 0-9 and without much hope, but, much in the spirit they exhibited Sunday night, they played relentless defense to fuel a comeback and electrify their fans.
For the Wizards, who had thrived all year on offense and are in the playoffs for the first time since 1997, the combination was deadly. The Bulls were down by 5 points to start the fourth quarter until Tyson Chandler sparked the rally with a block on the wide-eyed Wizards center Kwame Brown. Chandler, who was in foul trouble most of the night, found the right moment with 10 minutes 6 seconds to play, even adding a little finger wag after the block.
The Wizards scored only 10 points after that. Duhon collected a steal and dunked on the fast break on the next play. Nocioni grabbed an offensive rebound, collected the foul and made the second of two free throws to tie the score.
Gordon had 12 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter. Despite coming off the bench, he has thrived at the end of games all season.
"We need to play aggressive, that is the intensity we need," Nocioni said. "We have the mind and the soul for it."
Last season, Nocioni played professionally in Spain, and his physical play was born in the Euroleague and in the Olympics.
"I don't know what got into him," the second-year guard Kirk Hinrich said. "Hopefully, Wednesday he'll do the same thing, eat the same thing. Eighteen rebounds - he was a warrior, and that's what we need."
The Bulls had lost two starters from their frontcourt, Eddy Curry and Luol Deng, to health problems. But on this night, the remaining players kept hustling to loose balls, attacking and intimidating the Wizards.
The Bulls may be young in years and in N.B.A. playoff experience, but they are not short on credentials. Gordon won an N.C.A.A. championship at Connecticut last year, the 6-foot Chris Duhon, who collected 10 rebounds, won at Duke in 2001, and Nocioni won a gold medal at the Olympics last year.
"You're never sure how they are going to come out," Bulls Coach Scott Skiles said of his rookies. "They played like it was a normal game."
Perhaps they played better than that.
Duhon baffled the Wizards All-Star Gilbert Arenas into shooting 3 for 19 from the field. Washington's leading scorer at 25 points a game, Arenas had just 9 on Sunday. Antawn Jamison was in early foul trouble and could muster just 14 points. He was ineffective on the boards, especially when Nocioni switched from small forward to power forward.
"I tried to get every rebound in the game," Nocioni said with a smile. "Sometimes the ball goes to your hands. It's luck."
He and Gordon powered the Bulls on both ends of the court in the first half. And the Bulls' league-best field-goal defense (42.2 percent) came as advertised. Only Larry Hughes found a way to keep the Wizards cruising on the perimeter, scoring 24 of his game-high 31 points in the first half, until Nocioni stopped him.
The Bulls led by only 53-52 at halftime, and that was because of Brown. When Michael Jordan was the Wizards' president for basketball operations, he chose Brown as the first high school player taken with the No. 1 pick. Maligned in Washington for being a dud, in the first half he scored 13 points off the bench.
Gordon was brilliant from start to finish. He scored 12 of his 18 first-half points in the second quarter, locking into a rhythm early.
Consider that Gordon could not even drive a car when Jordan hit the last important shot in franchise history. But youth was served Sunday night, sending the Wizards home to contemplate their next move.