CHICAGO – All week answering questions about how important it is to have oft-injured MVP point guard Derrick Rose and starting shooting guard Richard Hamilton in the lineup, Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau replied with many permutations of the same theme.
By Nam Y. Huh, AP
C.J. Watson (7) celebrates his game-tying three-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation with Luol Deng (9).
"We feel good about the guys who are filling in and getting the job done. That's been a strength all year," he said.
The 2010-11 NBA Coach of the Year knows of what he speaks.
Thibodeau used his reserves often in the final minutes of regulation and almost exclusively in overtime Thursday night against the Miami Heat, and the Bulls won 96-86.
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On a night when Rose was less than his best in his first game back since spraining an ankle in Sunday's overtime loss against the New York Knicks and sitting out Tuesday's victory against the Knicks, Thibodeau went with reserve guard C.J. Watson down the stretch.
Watson was unbelievable, sending the game into overtime with a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left. He finished with 16 points, nine assists and three rebounds and was a plus-38, meaning when he was on the court, the Bulls outscored the Heat by 38 points.
"I was just trying to fill in for D-Rose," said Watson, who has done that all season, averaging 12 points and 4.4 assists in 21 starts in the 23 games Rose has missed this season.
But it just wasn't Watson. It was forward-guard Kyle Korver, who had 17 points, including five huge points at the end of regulation and a three-pointer from the Illinois-Wisconsin border with 1:02 left in overtime, making it 96-86.
But it just wasn't Watson and Korver. It was forward Taj Gibson, whose reserve layup with Heat forward LeBron James defending late in the fourth quarter and spin move for a basket in overtime were impressive and necessary in Chicago's win. He had 11 points and five rebounds.
But it just wasn't Watson, Korver and Gibson. It was center Omer Asik, too. He didn't score a point. But he had eight rebounds and two blocks, including a blocked shot on Heat guard Dwyane Wade and three rebounds in overtime. Don't forget, Asik didn't play much against Miami in last year's Eastern Conference finals and missed all but one minute, 57 seconds of the final two games in the series because of a fracture left fibula.
Five Bulls scored in double figures, not one more than 20. Forward Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 11 rebounds but didn't play one second in overtime.
Chicago's bench outscored Miami's 47-7, and Miami forward Chris Bosh (20), James (30) and Wade (21) had 71 of 86 points. The Heat are struggling right now. Struggling to win, struggling to find rotations and lineups that work. Their problems are deeper than James' missed free throw with 11.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter that potentially could have given Miami an 85-81 lead.
Miami is 13-10 since the All-Star break and has lost six of its last 11 games. "It's not perfect," Wade said. "But that's sports. That's this game. I've been here nine years, and no team has ever been perfect. We've all gone through lows, and we just have to correct it."
This Bulls victory accomplishes at least two things. They now have a four-game lead over the Heat in the Eastern Conference standings, all but assuring the Bulls will be the No. 1 seed in the East. Even though Chicago had home-court advantage last season and lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, it's still important.
Also, this is in Miami's head for the time being: The deep Bulls can win without Rose even close to his best and without a majority of their starters on the floor.
In overtime, Thibodeau started four reserves and one starter (Luol Deng), sitting Rose, Hamilton, Boozer and center Joakim Noah.
The Bulls outscored the Heat 12-2 in overtime and did not allow the Heat to make a field goal. Miami was 0-for-5 shooting in the final five minutes.
But Thibodeau didn't need vindication for having faith in his players, starters or reserves. He knows what he has.
"They gives us great flexibility," Thibodeau said of his reserves. "You can start them, you can bring them off the bench. … We have a deep team. The thing about our team, too, we have great character."
That character starts with Rose, who was 1-for-13 with two points and eight assists in 25 minutes. It was the lowest-scoring game of his three-plus year career. He didn't care.
"I'm just happy we got the win," he said. "Tonight, my shots weren't falling, but my teammates had my back.
"We just know each other, and we love playing with each other. That's the reason we're having so much success this year. … The bench came in and played almost a perfect game."
Korver understands how difficult a season it has been for Rose, who has battled toe, back, groin and ankle injuries this year and has played in just 36 of Chicago's 59 games this season.
"Derrick's attitude and how he handles losses — he takes the blame every time," Korver said. "He's there for us. He's encouraging us. It's been a hard year for him. You're 23 years old, you're MVP last year, you come in and get four, five different injuries. It's a crazy season with all these games. It says a lot about him and his character. … He's a really humble guy. He's all about winning. … He's a good guy."
Hamilton sees something special, not only in Rose but in the Bulls. He was part of something similar when he was with the Detroit Pistons and they were regular participants in the Eastern Conference finals, winning the championship in 2004. The Pistons had talented players, even some All-Stars, but no Hall of Famers.
"You win championships being a team," Hamilton said. "Everybody has each other's backs, everybody's cheering for each other and everybody's putting everything aside for one goal, and that's to win."
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