Should the Re-Tooled Bulls Give it All Up for Love?

Defensive ace Taj Gibson may have to step aside if the Bulls are serious about acquiring Kevin Love.

By Bennett Corcoran

Despite unloading Luol Deng early in the 2013-14 season and the absence of Derrick Rose for a second consecutive year, the Bulls compiled a 36-16 record after January 1st, one of the best marks in the league. 

Tom Thibodeau once again engineered one of the best defenses in the NBA, second in defensive efficiency only to Indiana. Anchored by Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah, Chicago powered into the playoffs as a gritty contender in a weak Eastern Conference, so feared that the Brooklyn Nets tanked out of the fifth seed to face the Raptors instead.

East Round 1 Preview: (4) Chicago Bulls vs. (5) Washington Wizards

Joakim Noah is one of the ugliest human beings to ever play basketball, but his game is sweet symphony.

By Jeremy Conlin (@jeremy_conlin)

By the Numbers

Chicago:
48-34 (27-14 Home; 21-20 Road)
PPG: 93.7 (30th); PPG Allowed: 91.8 (1st)
+1.9 Average Scoring Margin (13th)
Off Rating: 99.7 (28th); Def Rating: 97.8 (2nd)
+1.9 Net Efficiency Rating (12th)

Washington:
44-38 (22-19 Home, 22-19 Road)
PPG: 100.7 (16th); PPG Allowed: 99.4 (9th)
+1.3 Average Scoring Margin (15th)
Off Rating: 103.3 (18th); Def Rating: 102.4 (T-9th)
+0.9 Net Efficiency Rating (15th)

Season Series: Washington 2-1
Washington 102, Chicago 88 (January 13)
Washington 96, Chicago 93 (January 17)
Chicago 96, Washington 78 (April 5)

Midweek #HotSportsTakes: The Ultimate Goodbye

Thanks to the death of the Ultimate Warrior, we again include wrestling in our #HotSportsTakes.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Midweek #HotSportsTakes is a new weekly segment here on SuiteSports, where we will offer shallow and somewhat incendiary analysis on random hot-button sports topics of the day.


Let's get right to it.

Studs and Duds: Flipping Out

By Jeremy Conlin and Joe Parello

Studs and Duds is a weekly feature on Suite Sports. Who had a good week? Who had a bad week?

Studs

Filomena Tobias

This Florida woman, now famous for violently flipping off Chicago's Joakim Noah after he was ejected from game two of the Bulls' playoffs series against the Miami Heat, is all kinds of awesome. First of all, she captures the essence of a very particular kind of South Floridian: The Rich Trash.

Yeah, she has money, but you have no idea how she got it (Well, according to Deadspin she married four different rich dudes, and was accused of killing one of them). And, instead of being classy with her money, she throws it in everyone's face and just generally acts like she's better than you, despite the fact that she has done nothing in her life to earn said money. And just look at that guy she's with, he's clearly miserable and trying to convince himself that he's happy. Awesome.

Does she give some of that money to charity, or at least use it help out friends and family? Nope, looks like she spends it all on jewelry, pants that should only be worn by someone 20 years younger, pills and Heat tickets.

The craziest thing about this is the pride it gave my fellow native South Floridians. Instantly, memes were made showing her as a sign of Miami's attitude and toughness. Seriously, this is the way we want the rest of the country to view us. Like, for reals.

Man, I miss South Florida.

-JP