ekansekans's blog: "df"

(Sports Network) - Even after losing perhaps his two best players due to injury Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau has been steadfast in saying his club still has enough to win. On Tuesday his charges finally proved it and now the Bulls will try to force a deciding Game 7 in their Eastern Conference quarterfinals set against the upstart Philadelphia 76ers in the City of Brotherly Love. With its back against the wall in Game 5 Chicago dominated defensively in a 77-69 win in the Windy City. The Bulls, playing without star point guard Derrick Rose and starting center Joakim Noah, limited Philadelphia to just 32.1 percent shooting. Luol Deng made four three-pointers and led Chicago with 24 points while Carlos Boozer added 19 points and 13 rebounds. The 76ers had won three straight in the series since a Game 1 loss, which saw Rose go down for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. They still lead the series 3-2 and can become just the fifth No. 8 seed in NBA history to knock off a No. 1 seed with a win in Game 6 on Thursday in Philadelphia. The Bulls, meanwhile, will be looking for force a Game 7 back home. "We need everybody," said Thibodeau. "You never know where its going to come from. ... We have to concentrate on whats next and be ready to go." Jrue Holiday scored a team-high 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting in the Game 5 loss for the 76ers. The second quarter proved particularly challenging for the Sixers . They trailed 17-16 after one, but managed just 10 points in the second on 4-of-23 shooting. The Bulls held a 35-26 lead at the half and never trailed in the third quarter. "The second quarter was a disaster for us offensively," remarked Philadelphia coach Doug Collins. Philadelphia could win its first playoff series since 2003 and join the 1994 Nuggets (over Seattle), 1999 Knicks (over Miami also in a lockout shortened season), 2007 Warriors (over Dallas) and last years Grizzlies (over the Spurs) in the rare one-eight upset club if they top the Bulls tonight. Noah suffered a badly sprained left ankle in Game 3 and was listed a game-time decision on Tuesday. The big man will also be a game-time decision for Game 6 but he certainly doesnt look healthy enough to play. Meanwhile, Bulls super-sub Taj Gibson, who has rendered one of the Sixers best bench players, Thaddeus Young, ineffective in this series with his length and defensive acumen, was forced to leave Game 5 with a right ankle injury but has vowed to play on Thursday. Collins made the surprising decision to give his team the option of watching the disastrous first half game film from Tuesdays setback and it came away understanding they get bogged down in the half-court and need to pick up the pace and play more transition basketball. "We tried to make it as positive as possible because tape can be very, very negative," Collins said. "I want our guys to be incredibly positive about what we have to do. I dont want them to have negative feelings at all. But I wanted them to see how they could be better." These two rivals have met in postseason twice before, in the East semifinals in back-to-back years (1990 and 91) during the Michael Jordan-era with Chicago taking both sets 4-1. Game 7, if necessary, is set for Saturday back in Chicago. Authentic Colin Kaepernick Jersey . Coach Mike Smith went for the win, sticking with his starters all the way, but the Falcons lost the game and two key defensive players to injuries. Josh Freeman threw a touchdown pass to Mike Williams and Doug Martin ran for 142 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown run, in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22-17 victory over Atlanta on Sunday. Kaepernick Elite Jersey . Hosted by James Duthie, the two-hour program sets the table for the new campaign with Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger and analysts Ray Ferraro, Aaron Ward and Mike Johnson. http://elevatedcolor.com/new.html . The ride along four small hills took the pack 222.5 kilometres (138 miles) from Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde, seen as a transitional stage before Saturdays time trial. Wiggins, Cavendish and the Sky team made it look easy with an almost textbook sprint setup. INCHEON, South Korea -- Suzann Pettersen won the HanaBank Championship on Sunday for her ninth LPGA Tour title, beating Catriona Matthew with a 5-foot birdie putt on the third hole of playoff after blowing a big lead. Seven strokes ahead of Matthew at the start of the round, Pettersen shot a 2-over 74 to finish at 11-under 205 on Sky 72 Golf Clubs Ocean Course. The 43-year-old Matthew finished with a 67. They played the par-5 18th three times in the playoff, halving the first two extra holes with pars. "I felt like I had it all in my hand both the first time around, second time around, and the third around," said Pettersen, the Norwegian who also won the 2007 event. "Its getting closer. Im getting closer to the hole. ... And the third time around I just made a solid stroke, and it dropped." Pettersen took a five-stroke lead over South Koreas So Yeon Ryu into the final round after opening with a course-record 63 and shooting a 68 on Saturday. Matthew, from Scotland, had a two-stroke lead after Pettersens double bogey on the par-3 12th. Pettersen rallied with a birdie on the par-4 14th and Matthew dropped a stroke on the par-4 16th to leave them tied at 11 under. "My game felt great and I had a great warm-up this morning, but did not get off to a good start," Pettersen said. "I made a few birdies on the back nine, but overall I felt like I played pretty good. But it was just not a scoring day. I tried not to look what was going on around me as that can stress you out." She also had a double bogey on the par-3 third and bogeyed the par-3 eighth. "After I bogeyed eight, I looked at my caddie, I said, If I am going to bogey, I might as well just fire right at the pin. Theres no point playing safe," Pettersen said. "He said, Why dont you just play as aggressive as you haave all week.dddddddddddd What are you trying to do? So I might have gone out trying to be a little bit protective, which obviously does not fit my game at all." She earned $270,000 to move into ninth place on the career list with $9,035,662, passing Beth Daniel and Laura Davies. "As a girl growing up, I never thought Id be in that league," Pettersen said. "It is quite touching that I have achieved that much. I am only 31 and my big goal is the Olympics in four years. It is good to get a head start in Korea. It is always good to get in the winners circle." Defending champion Yani Tseng was third at 10 under after a 69. The top-ranked Taiwanese player won three of the first five events of the season. Se Ri Pak was the top South Korean player in the countrys lone LPGA Tour event, closing with a 70 finish fourth at 9 under. American teenager Lexi Thompson and Germanys Sandra Gal followed at 8 under. Thompson shot a 70, and Gal had a 71. Ryu shot a 73 to tie for seventh at 7 under. South Koreas Mi Hyun Kim shot a 78 to tie for 61st at 8 over in the final round of her career. The eight-time tour winner announced her retirement this month and received a sponsor exemption into the field. "Even until the last putt dropped, it didnt really hit me that this was my last round," Kim said. "But after turning in my last scorecard and seeing the other players coming up to me and crying with me and for me and just seeing all you guys in the press conference, it is hitting me now." Michelle Wie closed with a 70 to tie for 30th at even par. Cheyenne Woods shot a 75 to finish 60th in the 68-player field at 7 over. Woods is Tiger Woods niece. The tour will remain in Asia the next two weeks. The LPGA Taiwan Championship is next week, followed by the Mizuno Classic in Japan. ' ' '