The Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls take the court tonight in Game 6 of their first round series with a swarm of questions buzzing about.
Will Bulls PG Kirk Hinrich miss his second straight game with a bruised left calf? Will Luol Deng and Taj Gibson be healthy after skipping yesterday’s practice due to illness?
Whose plantar faciitis will affect his production more, Joakim Noah’s or Joe Johnson’s? Will PG Deron Williams perform at an All-Star level or revert to his form in Games 2 and 3 wherein he shot a combined 6 for 23?
Will we see the return of Derrick Rose either tonight or in a possible Game 7 back in Brooklyn?
Only eight NBA teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit. After winning by 17 in Game 1, Brooklyn then lost a lackluster Game 2 at home, shooting 35% from the field and 19% from the arc. Games 3 and 4 in Chi-Town were extremely close, with the Nets coming out on the losing side in both hard-fought battles.
Game 4 was a true heartbreaker for Brooklyn. They held a 14-point lead with just a few minutes left in regulation and wound up losing 142-134 in triple overtime.
Bulls backup PG Nate Robinson was the hero for Chicago, scoring 34 points (the most ever for a Bulls reserve in a playoff game) and almost singlehandedly winning the game. 29 of his 34 points were scored in the fourth quarter and subsequent overtimes.
Brooklyn can be buoyed by their performance at home in Game 5 on Monday. They shot 50% from the field and outrebounded Chicago 44-33. C Brook Lopez finished with 28 points and 10 boards, and D-Will added 23 and 10 dimes in the 110-91 victory.
The Bulls didn’t play badly on Monday either. All five starters scored in double figures; their bench contributed 20 points; and they shot 49% as a team. Chicago simply wilted down the stretch, getting outscored by Brooklyn 33-18 in the fourth quarter.
With Hinrich almost certain to miss tonight’s action, Coach Thibodeau may mix up his lineups with Marco Belinelli at the 1-guard, athletic SF Jimmy Butler checking Deron Williams, and the electric Nate Robinson returning to his role as super-sub.
Tune in to YES or TNT at 8PM ET to see if the Nets can get their first W of the year in Chicago and take this series back to Brooklyn for Game 7.
The 51-26 New York Knicks come to the Second City tonight riding high. They’ve won 13 straight games, and Carmelo Anthony is playing the best basketball of his career heading into the playoffs.
