Blend of Bulls Casts Spell on Wizards
By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: April 28, 2005
CHICAGO, April 27 - The Chicago Bulls are turning into an entertainment act, one not quite polished but thrilling for its unpredictable ensemble. Call it the Blue Collar Group.
On this night, the recognizable faces from Game 1 - the rookies Andres Nocioni and Ben Gordon - watched the second-year guard Kirk Hinrich step into the spotlight in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 of his team-high 34 points Wednesday to lead the Bulls past the Washington Wizards, 113-103.
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The Wizards had slashed a 20-point deficit to 6 points when Hinrich, locked into a mesmerizing rhythm beyond the arc, hit a 3-pointer with 1 minute 13 seconds left. He then made two free throws to seal the victory and give Chicago a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series; Game 3 is in Washington on Saturday.
Gilbert Arenas's 39 points were wasted as the Wizards' defense collapsed in the second quarter against a bunch of Bulls reserves and buckled under the weight of the wispy Hinrich from Sioux City, Iowa, who was the perfect emblem for his team.
"I'm sure a fan watching the game can't believe how successful we are," Hinrich said, wearing an untucked blue button-down oxford shirt. "Sometimes we have the most awkward lineups in there and everybody goes out and plays hard, and somehow we come out on top."
Asked about the rhythm he found making all five of his 3-pointers and 12 of 15 shots - in 24 foul-plagued minutes - Hinrich shrugged in typical humility.
"I was feeling good," Hinrich said. "Every time I shot it, I felt like it was going to go in."
The Bulls recovered from an uncharacteristically poor first-quarter defensive effort and showed the offensive-minded Wizards that 10 players were better than three.
"We're not like that team," said Gordon, who scored 14 points. "They have three guys that are All-Star players. We have a bunch of guys probably not as good as those big three, but everybody contributes."
One game after scoring a team-high 30 points, Gordon took away one memorable highlight. With 47 seconds left in the third quarter and Chicago holding a 9-point lead, he split the Wizards' paper-thin defense and drove through an empty lane but bobbled the ball off his fingertips. Carried by his momentum, Gordon managed to tap the ball and guide it forward, watching it deflect high into the air and off the backboard, before dropping into the basket.
Dazzling, but a work in progress, Gordon showed just what these Bulls, vintage 2005, were all about. The young crew could not execute were it not for the veterans Antonio Davis, who scored 18 points, and Othella Harrington, who added 8.
Bulls Coach Scott Skiles yanked Hinrich and Gordon early, and in the second quarter, the reserves - Eric Piatkowski, Jannero Pargo and Adrian Griffin - combined for 17 points. They led the Bulls back from a 13-point deficit, but it was their gritty defense that propelled the comeback.
"For our entire bench, it's our birthday tonight," Piatkowski said, mocking the Wizards' Antawn Jamison, who said that the Bulls received a birthday gift in Game 1 when Nocioni scored 25 points.
In Game 2, the Wizards were the ones giving gifts, allowing the Bulls to shoot 70 percent in the second quarter.
"We got too far ahead of ourselves, we got a lead, their role players came in and we were not expecting them to make shots," Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan said of his team's second-quarter collapse.
But even when Washington tied the score, the Wizards could not control Hinrich, Davis and Harrington, who took an 11-2 run to the locker room for a 57-50 halftime lead.
History wafted through the United Center, but the young group led by Hinrich made its own, giving the Bulls their 100th playoff victory. It was the 21st time the Bulls had taken a 2-0 series lead, and they have never lost a series with such a start.
The Wizards seemed determined to return home with a split, judging by their feisty defensive effort. Converting steals into fast-break baskets, Larry Hughes and Jamison scored Washington's first two baskets. The Bulls, clearly rattled, converted only five field goals the entire first quarter and midway through the period, they were shooting only 1 for 10.
Arenas, meanwhile, scored 13 points in the first quarter. It would not last because of Hinrich and a cast of unknowns.
"Time and time again, the bench just comes up big," Hinrich said. "It says a lot about our character as players."
Wizards coach Eddie Jordan doesn't like what he sees after the Bulls' Kirk Hinrich made a three-pointer in the fourth quarter
^^ lmao
