Lost in the fact that the Bulls season ended in disappointment was how much Ben Gordon improved as a basketball player over the season. He played in all 82 games for the Bulls and he averaged 33.0 minutes, 21.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He also improved his shooting a little bit as he hit 45.5% from the floor, 41.3% from 3-point range and 86.4% from the free throw line. Look for Gordon to be an even better player next season for the Bulls.

Gordon’s career numbers almost all improved due to his fine season. Gordon has now played in 244 games and he’s averaged 29.5 minutes, 17.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He improved his FG shooting to 43.1% and his FT % to 84.3%. His three point % dipped a tad to 41.8%, but that’s still excellent. Look for Gordon’s career numbers to continue to improve for the next few seasons as he’s now a starting player instead of a 6th man.

The Bulls played well in the first half of the game but the 2nd half was quite a different story. The Bulls were outscored 52-37 in the 2nd half last night and that doomed them in the end. The Bulls also were outrebounded 48-35 and that hurt them badly in the end. The Bulls also shot poorly as they only hit 37.3% from the floor and that didn’t help matters last night. P.J. Brown led the way for the Bulls with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Ben Gordon also had a decent game with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Luol Deng was also busy with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kirk Hinrich had an off game shooting (3 of 11) and he finished up with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 11 assists. Andres Nocioni was a little off in his 19 minutes on the floor as he only shot 2 for 7. He wound up with 10 points and 6 rebounds. The Bulls played the Pistons tough in this series, but the Bulls still fell 4 games to 2.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270517004

The Bulls gored the Pistons last night in Detroit. The Bulls shot over 70% in the first half of the game and finished hitting 57.3% from the floor. Ben Gordon came alive as he led the Bulls with 28 points as he hit 5 of 6 three pointers. Luol Deng also was very busy with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Kirk Hinrich did a great job of directing the offense with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 13 assists. P.J. Brown turned back the clock and scored 15 points, snatched 8 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. Tyrus Thomas was a fireball of energy off of the bench with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals in only 21 minutes on the court.  The Bulls are still down 3-2 to the Pistons as the series shifts back to Chicago.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270515008

The Bulls raced out to a 77-56 lead after three quarters and then they cruised to victory yesterday. The Bulls outrebounded the Pistons 51-33 and they held the Pistons to 37.3% shooting from the floor. The Bulls will need to play with the same passion they did yesterday to have any chance of making this series go longer. Luol Deng was outstanding yesterday with 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way for the Bulls. Ben Gordon didn’t shoot well (4 for 11) but he still wound up with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kirk Hinrich came alive and played his best game in the playoffs this season with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists. Ben Wallace played with fire as he scored 11 points, snapped up 17 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, stole the ball 2 times and blocked 2 shots. Rookie Tyrus Thomas was outstanding in his 14 minutes on the floor with 10 points and 7 rebounds. The Bulls are now down 3-1 to the Pistons in this series.Â

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270513004

The Bulls choked on Thursday Night. Their is no way to sugarcoat what went on in this basketball game. The Bulls rolled to a 44-28 halftime lead and things were looking rosy, but, the Pistons thumped the Bulls 53-30 in the 2nd half to beat the Bulls. The Bulls only shot 33.7% from the floor and that wasted the fact that the Bulls outrebounded the Pistons 60-43! Luol Deng led the way for the Bulls with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 2 assists. Ben Gordon had an awful shooting night (4 of 16) but he still finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Kirk Hinrich was very active with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. P.J. Brown was very solid with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Wallace finished with 5 points and 12 rebounds. The Bulls are now down 3-0 in this series to the Pistons.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/scoreboard?date=20070510