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Bulls excel despite rough schedule
By Maria Macatangay
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 01 Apr 2012
CHICAGO -- No thanks to a labor strike that locked out the league and shortened this season to 66 games in 127 days, all NBA teams have had their share of woes, sometimes playing three games in three nights.
But no team has had a more difficult schedule than the Chicago Bulls, who started their first four games away from home, a California swing that saw them tangle with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors, the Sacramento Kings and the LA Clippers.
And in one especially brutal winter stretch, the Bulls played nine consecutive road games beginning in Miami on January 29 and ending in Boston in February 12.
The frenetic pace with which these games were being played, with lots of travel and little rest in between, have eventually taken a toll on the team's health.
MVP Derrick Rose has missed 19 games with ankle and groin injuries. His back-up, point guard C.J. Watson, has been sidelined for 17 games mostly due to a bum ankle while Luol Deng, the team's second-best player, has missed nine starts and is playing with broken ligaments in his left wrist that requires surgery.
But 12-year NBA veteran Rip Hamilton is the biggest Bulls casualty of them all. Brought in during the offseason to spruce up the shooting guard position, the 34-year old Hamilton has missed 37 games with groin, hamstring and shoulder issues.
Though it all, though, the resilient Bulls have not only thrived. They've excelled, which is a tribute to their bench depth and good coaching under Tom Thibodeau.
The Bulls currently own the best record in the NBA overall with a 42-11 won-lost slate. Road killers with a 21-6 record away from home, the Bulls are a formidable 21-5 at home.
More importantly, Chicago holds a 3 1/2 game edge over bitter rival Miami for Eastern Conference supremacy and homecourt advantage as both teams are poised to likely meet in the East Finals sometime in May.
The Bulls have 13 games left to fortify their lead while the Heat, playing catchup, have 16 games remaining in their schedule to close the gap. The race only gets tighter from here. (Maria Macatangay)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maria Macatangay.
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