Chicago's Thibodeau named coach of the year by the league

(Reuters) - Tom Thibodeau of the Chicago Bulls has been named NBA coach of the year after his first season in charge, the league said on Sunday.

Having spent three years working as assistant coach to Doc Rivers with the Boston Celtics, Thibodeau moved to Chicago where he guided the Bulls to a league-best record of 62-20.

Thibodeau becomes the fourth Chicago head coach to win the award, following Johnny "Red" Kerr (1967), Dick Motta (1971) and Phil Jackson (1996).

"This is a well deserved honor for Tom," Bulls general manager Gar Forman said in a statement. "He is a terrific teacher, motivator, tactician and communicator.

"His work ethic, passion for the game and for our players is appreciated. We are thrilled that he is part of the Bulls organization and want to congratulate him."

Thibodeau totaled 475 points, including 76 first-place votes, from a panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

His 62 wins during the regular season tied the NBA record for a first-year head coach set by Paul Westphal of the Phoenix Suns in 1993.

Read More

Bulls trample Celtics in home race

(Reuters) - The Chicago Bulls beat the Boston Celtics 97-81 on Thursday to open a four-game lead at the top of the Eastern Conference and move to within one victory of clinching home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.

Chicago (58-20), winners of 17 of their last 19 games, closed out the third quarter with an 11-4 run to pull away from the Celtics (54-24).

"This meant a lot because you're going against a team you could see in the playoffs," Bulls guard Derrick Rose told reporters after scoring a game-high 30 points.

"You don't want those teams to have confidence. We were aggressive. That's the way it's going to be. We're a tough team. We grind wins out."

The Bulls allowed the Celtics just four field goals in the fourth quarter and, with just four games remaining, Chicago look like genuine title contenders.

"I just thought they were far more physical, tougher, more prepared, which is on me," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I thought Thibs (Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau) did a better job.

"I thought (Carlos) Boozer did a better job, I thought Derrick Rose did a better job. I just thought overall they just competed far better than us tonight."

MVP candidate Rose added eight assists for the Bulls and Luol Deng scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half.

The Celtics were led by Paul Pierce with 15 points while Kevin Garnett scored 10 and Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen were limited to seven each.

Read More

Rose, Korver lead Bulls to rout of Kings

CHICAGO (AP) – Derrick Rose and Kyle Korver scored 18 points apiece as the Chicago Bulls routed the Sacramento Kings 132-92 on Monday night.

The win gave the Bulls (50-19) their first 50-win season since 1997-98 and allowed Chicago to remain tied with Boston atop the Eastern Conference. The Celtics beat the New York Knicks on Monday.

Carlos Boozer scored 16 points in his return to the Bulls' lineup after missing five games with a sprained left ankle. He joined a balanced Bulls attack that had eight players scoring in double figures in a game that was not close after the first period.

Marcus Thornton led the Kings with 25 points.

With the game well in hand, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was able to rest his top players. Rose played just 28 minutes, his lowest total of the season. He didn't play in the fourth quarter.

The Bulls shot 61.3 percent from the field. More aggressive from the outset, Chicago forced 22 Sacramento turnovers and held a 36-7 edge in fastbreak points. The Bulls' points total were a season high.

The Bulls have won 13 straight at the United Center, their longest home winning streak since 1997-98. At 31-4, the Bulls have the NBA's second-best home record behind San Antonio (32-3).

Chicago led by as many as 25 in the third period, reaching that advantage when Keith Bogans lobbed a pass toward the rim on a fastbreak and Rose flew in from the baseline and dunked it with both hands.

C.J. Watson's steal and alley-oop pass for Ronnie Brewer's dunk highlighted a 9-2 Bulls run, that pushed the lead to 13 early in the second quarter.

Chicago pushed the lead to 19 points on a pair of 3-pointers by Korver late in the first half and led 64-47 at the break.

The Bulls shot 66.7 percent in the first half. Thornton scored 18 points for the Kings in the half.

Sacramento, which entered the game averaging more turnovers (16.1) than all but two NBA teams, had 12 miscues in the first 18 minutes, leading to 19 Chicago points.

Boozer was aggressive early, taking four shots in the game's first four minutes. He had six points, two rebounds and three assists in the opening quarter.

The Bulls led 34-28 after one quarter. Bogans, who entered averaging 4.0 points, scored seven in the first 12 minutes, matching Rose for the team high.

Rose's double-pump, reverse dunk on a breakaway gave the Bulls a six-point first-quarter lead and ignited the crowd at United Center.

Thornton led the Kings with nine points in the opening period.

Notes: Chicago mascot "Benny the Bull" celebrated his birthday. He was joined by mascots flown in from other teams as party of a halftime party. ... The win might have helped the Bulls overcome the painful memory of Sacramento's last visit to Chicago. On Dec. 21, 2009, the Kings erased a 35-point third quarter deficit and beat Chicago 102-98. It was the NBA's biggest comeback in over 13 years. ... The 1997-98 Bulls won their 50th game on March 20, one day before this year's Bulls reached that mark. ... Thornton has scored 20 or more points in nine of Sacramento's last 12 games. ... This is the 14th time in franchise history that the Bulls have won 50 or more games. ... The Bulls improved to 38-2 when holding teams under 95 points or less this season

Read More

Rose, Deng power Bulls past Nets

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) – Derrick Rose scored 21 points and Britain's Luol Deng added 19 to spark the Chicago Bulls over New Jersey 84-73, putting the Bulls on top of the NBA's Eastern Conference.

The Bulls on Thursday stretched their win streak to six games, their longest triumphant run in six seasons, while the Nets saw a five-game win streak, their longest in five years, come to an end in what was their lowest-scoring game of the season.

"We've got a great team," Deng said. "We've got guys who come off the bench and do a good job of carrying us. We just have to keep on playing. We know we still have a long way to go."

Chicago improved to 49-18, breaking their tie with Boston for the top mark in the East in the fight for a home-court edge in the playoffs.

"We just want to take it step by step," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

"If we do the right things every day, the results will take care of themselves."

New Jersey fell to 22-44, six games behind Indiana for the last playoff spot in the East.

Kyle Korver added 12 points while rookie Omer Asik added 11 points and 16 rebounds for the Bulls, who led 43-36 at half-time and 60-50 after three quarters before the Nets pulled even three times in the fourth quarter, the last on two Korver free throws with 4:06 to play.

Deng and Rose answered with baskets and the Nets never pulled even again. Deng scored 10 points in the first half while Rose had eight of his in the third quarter and Korver scored seven of his in the fourth quarter.

The Nets as a team shot only 35 percent from the field (29-of-83) and connected on only 3-of-19 3-point attempts against the NBA's second-ranked defensive unit.

"That's what we've been doing the whole year, playing defense," Rose said. "If our offense isn't going, and that rarely happens, we rely on our defense.

"At first, they were getting everything they wanted. Then we just closed down the paint and rebounded the ball."

Brook Lopez led the Nets with 22 points while Sasha Vujacic and Kris Humphries each scored 13 points. Humphries added 16 rebounds while Deron Williams passed around 11 assists but shot only 1-of-12 for just five points.

"We could have played a lot better and shot a lot better, but they are a good defensive team," Williams said. "That's what they pride themselves on."

Read More