Thursday, January 25, 2007 Sayson: Going sleepy with the Hawks By Homer Sayson Secondovertime
CHICAGO - With all the might I could muster, I tried to keep my eyes open, blinking them repeatedly like a busted flashlight. I also did some stretching, yawning and, with great unwillingness, I even drank a cup of steaming coffee.
Despite my best efforts, I went 0-for-4 and my head still kept nodding as though I had sleep apnea.
Going to an NBA game isn't always fun. Basketball, or any sport for that matter, doesn't guarantee either a good game or an exciting finish. But boring rose to a different level when I watched a 13-26 team from Atlanta invade the United Center last night.
Bulls 94, Hawks 86.
The final tally, with both teams output totalling 180 points suggested a quite productive contest. The first quarter, which ended at 27-20, surrendered little hint that this one would go down "ugly," as said bluntly and unrepentantly by ex-Bull Stacey King, now an NBA analyst for Comcast TV.
I mean no disrespect, but the Hawks are a terrible team. And they managed to drag the Bulls down to their level for three quarters. The match was uneventful, bland with no highlights, and it's continuity was stalled too often by the 50 fouls both teams committed.
Neither team shot well from the field. The Bulls hit just 36 of 76 shots while the Hawks misfired 43 of their 77 attempts. The two teams combined for 3-of-17 at the 3-point line and they had 16 turnovers each.
The Bulls and the Hawks were dreadful from the free throw line. Chicago made only 19-of-29 while Atlanta went 20-of-29. Shaq, a career 52.8 percent free throw shooter, would have been proud.
The Bulls had six guys scoring double figures in points. But trust me, these are not the Phoenix Suns. Luol Deng led with 18 points, while forward PJ Brown, making the most of extended playing time, finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Joe Johnson, a 6-foot-8 gem of a pure shooter powered the Hawks with 29 points. But he needed 27 field goals to get there. Marvin Williams, a college standout from North Carolina, had 22 while Josh Smith added 19.
Going to the United Center last night didn't really turn out that bad for me though.
SUNS WIN 14 STRAIGHT. My seat at the press box has a TV monitor, so I turned it on the NBA channel, where I watched the Suns abuse the Wizards 127-105 at the Verizon Center in Washington.
It was a duel between two MVP candidates. And it was evident who won.
Steve Nash led the Suns with 27 points and 14 assists. The reigning MVP made 11 of 13 field goals. Gilbert Arenas, who bragged that he will drop at least 50, finished with a lousy 31. He missed 14 of 25 shots and clanked 6-of-9 treys.
Their win streak now at 14, the Suns improved to 33-8, while the Wizards fell to 24-17.
EX-HAWK. I met ex-All-Star Steve Smith, a 14-year pro at the media dining room. Now 37, the 6-foot-8, 221-pound forward looks like he could still drill a 3, or run with the young lions. But he has retired, now working as a Hawks TV analyst.
We spoke briefly, and he was a great guy.
But the highlight of my night was seeing Shannon, a member of the Luvabulls cheering team, who was voted as among those who will go to this year's All-Star game. I saw her just outside the Bulls locker room on my way out to the cold media parking lot.
Shannon, a blondish 23-year old, is a post graduate student of De Paul University. She wore a black ensemble with knee high boots, and her legs were as long as the Colorado River.
View Shannon's profile at Bulls.com and watch your heart rate soar. (homsay@hotmail.com)
