Bulls top Spurs, win third straight

So much for the posssibility of an 0-7 road trip, which I referenced as a possibility for the Chicago Bulls the last time I blogged about them.

At the time, the Bulls had just started their journey with losses to the lowly Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers. They have bounced back in very impressive fashion, winning 115-104 at Phoenix Friday, 104-97 at Houston Saturday and 98-93 at San Antonio last night. All three of their victims are currently at least four games above .500.

Should the Bulls actually make a move up the ladder in the Eastern Conference this year — presently they're tied for seventh with a 21-22 record — last night's victory could serve as a turning point. It was a neck-and-neck game until the final seconds. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro had one of his best finishes, actually holding onto some timeouts and getting the ball in the hands of his budding star, Derrick Rose, for every one of the late possessions. Rose missed some of the shots, but one of his bricks resulted in a Joakim Noah putback. You can see his confidence growing in those defining moments, and I expect him to start making more and more of those clutch attempts.

Now all the Bulls have to do is split with Oklahoma City and New Orleans the rest of this week to make it a winning trip, which would be a huge success. The Hornets will take on Chicago without Devin Brown, who started all but two games for them before being traded to the Bulls for Aaron Gray. I have a feeling that the Bulls won't miss Gray nearly as much as the Hornets will miss Brown.