wolf stansson

This isn't even close to the bulls best. Who said it was? Oh wait, you're one of the 2011 ECF amnesia victims, right?

When Miami has to really bring it, they can. The Bulls always bring it. Their best > ours. That's true even if we win the East.

Jesus. Dwyane earning that coffee tonight (because he's a closer).

Omer and Taj own your glass, Miami. THAT'S what gives us a chance in the ECF.

Whats up with Gordon Beckham and his nipple shirt? He's sitting at the end of the tv/radio row. How do you get those tickets? Because if it's about not being able to hit off speed stuff, I can go toe-to-toe with that guy.

I wish I could trust that lame horse, but I can't.

Has this quarter jogged the memories of all you guys who forgot about last year's playoffs? Not that this game matters, it doesn't, other than to let Rose shake off some rust, but the blitzkrieg scoring runs, the impenetrable perimeter D and Derrick being forced to play futile martyr in our one option offense? That's real.

I've looked at some Soccernet heat maps for Fulham games and depending on Jol's formation and the availability of his teammates, Clint has played games at every position in the front 6. Obviously he's not a holder, but he's at his best running at defenders with the ball in the withdrawn striker role. Which means he's essentially Van Der Vaart but a better defender. So Spurs might not be a natural fit. Arsenal makes the most sense, he'd slot in for Benayoun as an upgrade in skill, health, versatility and defensive effort. He'd see plenty of time up top as well with Van Persie's injury record and the fact that they'll get rid of at least a couple of dudes like Chamakh.

I think he'd go to Spurs if they were top 4. It's gotta probably be a London club, and he's too smart to trust the situation at Chelsea.

Altidore scored twice, Fabian Johnson once today. Kljestan assisted. Dempsey, Altidore and Gomez have combined for 59 goals this year. AKA, two fewer than Leonel Messi.

A lot of smoke around the Arsenal/Dempsey fire again. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2127927/Arsenal-close-Fulhams-Clint-Dempsey.html?ito=feeds-newsxml http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/9196516/Arsenal-manager-Arsene-Wenger-is-monitoring-Fulham-forward-Clint-Dempsey.html

Tim Ream gets to try to mark Dempsey this weekend. He's been playing holding midfielder recently, pretty well too.

Hamilton is as far from someone you can count on as it gets health-wise, not to mention that when he's played, he hasn't added anything significant and even more troubling, they have to run entirely different sets to get him open. In the Derrick Rose offense it's all high screen and roll. In the Derrick Rose tries to get Rip Hamilton involved offense, it's all low screens with Rip running the baseline. So to recap, Hamilton - needs screens to score and slows Derrick's natural rhythm. Deng - needs screens to score. Korver - needs screens to score. As for Lucas...who is he guarding in the scenario where he is in the game late to provide Derrick with an alternative option? Wade? Or do you want Derrick wasting energy guarding Wade so Lucas can guard Chalmers? If that happens, Spoelstra pulls Chalmers and they roll with LeBron at point forward, Wade, Bosh, Miller and Anthony. Aka, back to square one (and probably your vacation plans) Bulls. The way we have a chance to beat the Heat is if we destroy them on the boards, if Taj Gibson plays significant minutes with tons of energy, if Derrick plays like he did earlier this season in Miami in that narrow loss where he makes every ridiculous, acrobatic drive he attempts and if everyone else hits their jumpers. That's a whole lot of if's when all that has to happen for Miami to win is to deny Derrick Rose clear scoring opportunities late in the game.

Sure it would. We still have one player who can create his own offense. They still have the best perimeter defender in the game. They can still have LeBron play him one on one and have a big leave Noah to back him up on the block. It's the perfect Derrick-stopping defense and he has no one to pass out of it to.

No one is saying they're the '96 Bulls. I and others are saying that the two teams that met in last year's ECF are not different enough to reasonably expect a different outcome.

I like how you make "third best team" seem all facty. It's actually wildly optimistic considering our best player has an injury that no one knows the extent of and saps him of his greatest strengths and our second best player has one working hand. Seriously guys, do you think the Heat are worse than last year and the Bulls are better? I don't get it. Were only some of us watching the clinical approach to defending Rose that allowed to us to keep it close but shut him down when it mattered?

If Rose plays, we probably lose to the Heat. If we don't, we lose to the Thunder. Third best teams don't win 4 of 7 against their superiors. It's weird because this literally happened a year ago and everyone forgot? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/tom-thibodeau-weirdly-t-contract-extension-140246328.html BDL just blowed up Reinsdorf.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/clint-dempsey-can-make-martin-jols-day-by-staying-at-fulham-7606688.html Jol saying he's not sure Clint could start on a champion's league team, while true, is a terrible strategy for trying to get him to stay at Fulham. Tell him he can't do it and he'll try to prove you wrong.

A Cayman Islands banker was just named president of CONCACAF. A small part of me appreciates the brazenness of their corruption, but the other part of me wants the US to host a World Cup in my lifetime and have a North American federation that isn't a cess pool, but oh well. http://deadspin.com/5897692/cayman-islands-banker-inexplicably-elected-new-concacaf-boss

Sean Johnson, man. Gotta stop that one. Adu was really great, Corona has some young Deuce to his game with the atypical unpredictability and Boyd looks strong. He was Black McBride last night, down to getting cheap shotted in the nose and not letting it faze him.

All of those things pale in comparison to Orozco getting red like a minute into the game on the most pointless elbow of all-time against Nigeria.

08, with the Bradley, Holden, Kljestan, Edu midfield was much better, IMO.

Minnesota salvaged their post-Rubio watchability by not defending even a little bit. Westbrook's off-ball, slashing work looking great sharing the floor with D Fisher. Interesting.

Good article on the mutual love affair between Michael Bradley and Italian football: http://blogs.thescore.com/footyblog/2012/03/06/bandini-how-michael-bradley-became-chievos-captain-america/

Yeah. Clint is that man. Love him. Also, Jozy with his 10th which I believe is top 10 in the league despite not starting consistently. Last summer was a recent low point for US Soccer. Here we are 8 months later and I'm as optimistic as ever. Bradley, Dempsey took a next step while maintaining their American, underdog edge, Landon after looking tired last fall bouncing back giving me hope that he can morph into a Scholsian/Beckhamian veteran, the emergence of Shea, ze German contingent giving us much improved depth & the continued growth of MLS in a recession has been great to see.