High scoring offense and solid defense lead Bulls to win over Knicks

On ESPN the first game was between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The Knicks just looked like they couldn't score. Melo looked like he got shut down by the Bulls defense. The Bulls last year struggled to score. Tonight they had no problem scoring or playing defense. The Chicago Bulls defeated the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden 104-80. Here are the stats for the Bulls and the Knicks




Top 5 Chicago Bulls Scorers

Taj Gibson- 22 points, 8 rebounds, 10/12 FG
Pau Gasol- 21 points, 11 rebounds, 7/11 FG, 7/8 FT
Derrick Rose- 13 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 3/7 FG, 7/8 FT, 0/3 3PTFG
Aaron Brooks- 13 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 4/5 FG, 4/4 FT
Kirk Hinrich- 12 points, 4/10 FG, 3/7 3PTFG


Top 5 New York Knicks Scorers

Carmelo Anthony- 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5/13 FG, 3/4 FT
Amare Stoudemire- 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5/9 FG,
Jason Smith- 8 points, 4/9 FG
Tim Hardaway Jr- 7 points, 2/10 FG, 1/6 3PTFG
Samuel Dalembert- 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 2/5 FG


Chicago Bulls Thoughts

1. Derrick Rose only took 7 shots, but he has some great help to where he doesn't have to shoot 20 shots a game. 
2. Pau Gasol achieving a double-double with his Chicago Bulls season debut. I feel that Gasol is the perfect fit next to Joakim Noah.  Now the Bulls have a three headed monster with Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson.  
3. If the Bulls can play like this most of the time, and Derrick Rose remains healthy,  I can see the Bulls winning the title. 
4. Rookie Doug McDermott scored 12 points, 5 rebounds, shot 5 of 9 from the field, 2 of 5 from three point land, in his season debut.   McDermott was shooting incredible out there, which is why he gets the name Dougie McBuckets.  McDermott will take some scoring pressure off of D-Rose.
5. Aaron Brooks proved that he is a solid backup.  I personally hated when he got traded from Houston and thrown to the wood chipper in Phoenix.  Brooks can score.   It's nice to see the Bulls address some scoring needs this off-season
6. Shutting down Melo to 14 points.  Great defense

New York Knicks

1. The Knicks just looked bad, but I consider it because they were playing the Chicago Bulls.  The Knicks do need to find ways to beat tough opponents.  
2. Carmelo Anthony only scored 14 points in 28 minutes. I think Melo should have played more minutes.  Melo will get better and learn the triangle offense. 
3. Samuel Dalembert was solid and had 3 blocks.
4. I liked Amare tonight shooting 5 of 9.  I just wished Amare could have stayed healthy more.  He will be gone unless he signs cheap which I feel isn't going to happen.

So what are your thoughts on this game?  What did you like about it? What did you dislike about it?  Send me your comments. Thank you for reading Pro Basketball Hoops Land. The place where you can read articles, send comments and purchase pro basketball merchandise. 

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