Trans. May 9 9:55 ET (May 9 9:55 ET ) Take away the incredible 142 points scored in the Chicago Bulls’ triple overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 of their opening round series, and you have a severely lacking Bulls offense. With those numbers out of the equation, Chicago is averaging just 88.9 points per game during these playoffs, worked up mostly against a Nets team that has major issues defensively. Kirk Hinrich, signed last summer to hold down the fort while Derrick Rose recovers from ACL surgery, has been out since that Game 4 with a calf injury. Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli, onetime end-of-the-bench guys, have had to play the hero. Daequan Cook is getting significant minutes in the second round. Chicago needs offensive help, badly.
And through it all, a shooting guard who used to routinely average over 19 points per game sits on the bench. Richard Hamilton has played just over ten minutes during this year’s postseason, and this is coming off of a regular season that saw the 2004 NBA champion start 45 out of the 50 contests he played with Chicago. After a disastrous run in the first game of Chicago’s postseason run (Hamilton turned the ball over, missed two shots, and a miscommunication with teammate Nate Robinson led to another turnover for Nate), Hamilton has been handed “Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision”-status in seven of the team’s eight subsequent games.
After an uplifting Game 1 win, momentum is back on Miami's side after a 115-78 win in Game 2. LeBron James scored 19 for Miami while Marco Belinelli had 13 for the Bulls in the loss.
Belinelli has been fined $15,000 by the NBA for making an obscene gesture in the fourth quarter of a 99-93 victory at Brooklyn in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.
The Scoop:Belinelli made the gesture as he made his way back down the court after connecting on a 3-pointer that gave Chicago a 91-81 lead with 4:52 left in Saturday night's game.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Chicago Bulls guard Marco Belinelli has been fined $15,000 by the NBA for making an obscene gesture in the fourth quarter of a 99-93 victory at Brooklyn in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.
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