Bulls Defeat Knicks 104-99

Sometimes all it takes is hustle, physicality, and luck. The Bulls came into this game without two starters and a key bench player. The Knicks were out for revenge after being embarrassed by the 76ers. Then Chicago crashed the boards with relentless intensity and two young players stepped up when called upon: Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler.

Let's focus on Butler first. Coming into this game he averaged 8 minutes per game and just 2.6 points. Because of injuries to Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng the young was thrust into the fray and performed admirably, contributing 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Most importantly though is that the Bulls had enough confidence in his game to utilize him very similarly to Deng, the regular starter at the position.

Chicago relies upon Luol Deng to be the glue that holds the team together. He plays exceptional perimeter defense and can make shots from anywhere on the floor. Granted, Jimmy Butler's play was not all-star caliber, but as a rookie who has not seen the floor much this season, his play was encouraging. He was good moving without the ball off screens, and had a bit of success creating his own shots, but was most impressive on the defensive end. Butler played the majority of his second half minutes guarding Carmelo Anthony in iso situations (Melo's forte) and prevented him from scoring on most occasions. For what many consider to be the deepest team in the league, Butler's emergence could spell trouble for any team in a condensed season where everyone seems exhausted.

Taj Gibson played within himself on the offensive boards in this game. One of the best backup forwards in the league, Gibson added such ferocity off the bench that the Knicks will have nightmares of him hauling in rebounds in front of them. The Bulls had multiple second, third, and 4th shot opportunities, and Gibson was responsible for many of them with his eight offensive rebounds.

The Bulls' success on the glass came from their energy and physicality, and the Knicks' lack of both. Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler were incredibly outmatched and could not keep up. The Bulls did not do anything fancy. They were simply the stronger team down low and powered through the Knicks weak front line.