After the Bulls scrambled to beat Cleveland on Saturday, a reporter began a question to Carlos Boozer by mentioning the Bulls’ record. He said it was 29-14.
“We’re 30-14,” Boozer replied in a good-natured way. “You have to update your statistics.”
Turns out that the box score the Bulls distributed after the game had the team’s ledger as 29-14.
Hey, it’s understandable. Who thought this team would have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference in late January?
And how impressive is that mark considering the injuries to two of the team’s best three players, Boozer and Joakim Noah?
But it’s not as if the Bulls were partying after handing Cleveland its 16th consecutive loss.
Coach Tom Thibodeau scanned the stat sheet and saw that J.J. Hickson had hauled in 11 offensive rebounds.
“Our rebounding was poor,” Thibodeau said. “Poor. We have to establish who we’re going to be.”
The Bulls’ 20-point lead shrunk to two with less than five minutes to play before the team roared back for the 92-79 victory.
“You gave (Cleveland) hope, and then all of a sudden you’re fighting for your life,” he said. “We have to do a lot better than that.”
“Lab” rats: Both Thibodeau and Boozer said they’re looking forward to next week, when the schedule eases up.
Monday will mark the Bulls’ seventh game in 11 days, but then they won’t have to suit up again until Friday, when they host Orlando.
“We’ve had a lot of games recently,” Boozer said. “It will be good to get back in the lab and keep going over what we need to get better at. We also have a chance to get healthier and keep getting some rehab.”
Boozer said his left ankle was at about 80 percent Saturday. He still managed to match his season averages of 20 points and 10 rebounds but admitted, “I was a little rusty. I didn’t have the lift I wanted and couldn’t rebound the way I wanted. I pushed through it, though.”
TV time: Despite that desire to see improvement, Thibodeau gave his players Sunday off.
He said before Saturday’s win that his decision on whether to practice Sunday would not be affected by the Bears’ 2 p.m. kickoff.
“We have to keep our priorities in order,” he said. “We’re certainly rooting for the Bears, but we have to take care of our own business.”
A foul call: Thibodeau got hit with his first technical foul as a head coach for protesting a call on Luol Deng, whose arms got locked into a defender’s on a screen.
Thibodeau said he did not get an explanation for why he received the ‘T.’
Said Boozer: “They were having a dispute about the pick and roll because we were having a double pin-down. And ‘Thibs’ was saying: Check the rule book. How do you get a tech for saying, ‘Check the Rule Book’?”
“I’ve heard a lot of coaches say a whole lot worse and not get a technical foul.”
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