Joakim Noah fires up Bulls, dad in win over Heat Center provides spark with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists; Jimmy Butler stifles LeBron James By K.C. Johnson Chicago Tribune reporter A smiling, emotional Yannick Noah logged almost as much screen time as his son, Joakim, during Sunday afternoons national telecast. Thats saying something when the younger Noah stuffed the box score with 20 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and five blocks and filled the Bulls 95-88 overtime victory against the Heat with the intensity and intangibles that continue to define him. It doesnt take much to deduce that passion is part of the Noah DNA. I cant wait to celebrate this win with him, Joakim said. I dont get to see him a lot. My father has always been there for me my whole life. To be able to share these moments with him, Ill cherish this forever. I know hes a nervous wreck during games. I always tell him to drink a brewski and just chill. Its hard to chill during such a pulsating, gritty, team-oriented effort that also featured 22 points from D.J. Augustin, Jimmy Butlers adhesive defense on LeBron James and a 27-6 edge in second-chance points. But a sobering reality remains: Despite the Bulls having won seven of the last eight home regular-season matchups, the Heat are the ones who keep drinking champagne in June. We want what theyve got. Thats the truth, Noah said. We have to go through those guys to get to where we want to go. That likely wont happen this season without Derrick Rose, but championship habits still can be honed now. Just watch Butler play all but 10 seconds, limit James to 8-for-23 shooting and no free-throw attempts and strip him twice in the final minutes, including on the final possession of regulation. Another example: Kirk Hinrich with the rarely-seen lefty runner over Chris Bosh to tie the game with 20.1 seconds left in regulation. And then there were offensive rebounds by Taj Gibson for an Augustin 3-pointer, Butler to set up his own jumper and Noah for a putback as the Bulls opened overtime with a 9-0 run. He was talking trash to them the whole (game), Gibson said of Noah, who switched to defend James occasionally. He was letting them know he was going after every rebound and score every time he gets it. I could see it on their faces. He was frustrating them. Hes playing MVP-style basketball. Execution ultimately means more than emotion. But Noah is bringing it in both categories. Hes an emotional guy, coach Tom Thibodeau said. You could say, Rah, rah, thats good. But its more the effort-type plays that I think fire everyone up. You see a guy dive for a loose ball or help, recover, block a shot, chase it down, dive out of bounds. Its those actions that unite and inspire a team. Even James took notice. Hes one of the best guys we have in our league, especially with his motor, he said. Hes constantly, constantly moving. Hes a great player. And one who continues to bring up Rose, even when not asked. I cant wait until the little homie comes back. Because we know we have another level when that boy comes back, Noah said. Were a hungry group. Were going for one thing and thats a championship. One day, I want to party in Chicago and I want to see what that feels like. Yannick would drink to that.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:51:34 +0000
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