10 Copyright (c) 2013 Yahoo!, Inc. All rights reserved. en-us 126 15 http://sports.yahoo.com http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/b/ysp_logo_rss.gif Latest news and information about the Chicago Bulls. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/chi http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13ca385nk/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/three-things-pacers-must-even-heat-game-2-225507528.html While the Miami Heat might not have played their best game yet in these 2013 playoffs, the Indiana Pacers know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they didn't play their best game in Wednesday's Eastern Conference finals opener, either — and they still came up just one remarkable play by LeBron James (and one arguably unwise decision by Pacers coach Frank Vogel) from scoring an upset overtime win that stripped home-court advantage away from the No. 1 overall seed. They were right there, and they think — they know — they can get there again. Still, they've got some stuff to clean up in Friday night's Game 2 if they want to close the deal and send the series back to Indiana tied up with a chance to take a commanding lead at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Here are three areas where the Pacers must improve to come away with a win: 1. Slow the march to the front of the rim. In our series preview , I noted that the Pacers had done an excellent job during the regular season of keeping the Heat from feasting on shots from their favorite, and the most valuable, spots on the floor — the restricted area (the semicircle directly in front of the basket) and the 3-point arc, especially the shorter corners. That's the centerpiece of the philosophy that made the Pacers the league's best defensive team this year — play tight D outside, don't give shooters space to rise and fire, stay true to your one-on-one assignments and close out like demons when you have to step away, offer help without over-helping and force drivers/pick-and-roll ball-handlers to have to pull up from midrange rather than meet 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert at the basket. It figured to be a critical element in the Pacers' attempt to overcome the Heat, and Indiana didn't do the best possible job of it in Game 1. Fri, 24 May 2013 15:55:07 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,f2ee7c0a-157b-3a7a-a95f-87476c24ecab-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13n8qu0je/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/chicago-bulls-trainer-fred-tedeschi-won-nba-athletic-173000667.html Chicago Bulls head athletic trainer Fred Tedeschi has won the 2012-13 Joe O’Toole NBA Athletic Trainer of the Year Award. The honor was revealed by the team’s website on Friday . Fred Tedeschi is the trainer for a team that cleared former Bulls center Omer Asik to play in the 2011 NBA playoffs with a broken leg. Tedeschi is on the staff of a team that presided over the mishandling of Luol Deng’s infamous absence in the 2013 playoffs, when the Bulls announced Deng’s severe reaction to a spinal tap procedure ( one that Deng himself had to personally disclose on Twitter, after the Bulls denied a procedure took place) as “flu-like symptoms.” Deng also played through the last two months of the season with a fractured thumb , when he was cleared as game-workable, alongside torn ligaments in the same hand. Fred was also on the staff when center Joakim Noah – who has a history of falling prey to plantar fasciitis due to overuse – averaged 40 minutes a game for the first three months of the season. The Bulls staff also has an Internet connection, which would reveal that Noah runs more during those particular minutes than any other player in the NBA . Fri, 24 May 2013 10:30:00 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,95a2a769-8e4d-349b-88ef-49bd7d118ea2-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12gv8n2r3/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/jackson-russell-over-jordan-160044700--nba.html Phil Jackson told Time magazine this week that if he were starting a team, his first pick would be Bill Russell. Fri, 24 May 2013 09:00:44 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,0bd773da-a707-36b9-96a7-dae4eb12a66c-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12q074uno/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/nba-mock-draft-bulls-thinking-big With the lottery over and the draft order set, Bulls Insider Aggrey Sam presents a mock draft, with pick-by-pick breakdowns, including who he thinks the Bulls will take with the 20th pick. Thu, 23 May 2013 16:04:22 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c470d7fc-edc7-30fe-ac54-1aaacb48ad0e-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12mlhm3ld/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls/bulls-standouts-miss-all-nba-teams Joakim Noah received the most votes of any Bulls player, but it wasn't enough to land Chicago on an All-NBA team. Thu, 23 May 2013 10:56:46 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,2bc78312-2e64-327a-b03f-e9ec355d489f-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12o9gtqrb/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/did-york-knicks-miss-best-chance-win-nba-121800914.html COMMENTARY | With the great strides the New York Knicks made this year (relative to their previous dozen), the Knicks' season could hardly be called a failure. Yet, because of the way it ended, it can't be labeled a success, either. Thu, 23 May 2013 05:18:00 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,6e44b200-7021-3adc-a8e6-b3ba6cc188fb-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=135307da6/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/reinsdorf-honored-lifetime-achievement-award Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his hard work in the industry the last 32 seasons. Wed, 22 May 2013 22:16:06 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,3d731bd1-2eea-30e0-8696-ade122a3795c-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13fqn1kbv/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/lebron-james-saves-miami-game-1-nailing-game-042855174.html If only the Indiana Pacers employed a lengthy, defensive-minded center that could patrol the paint down the stretch of close games. Wait, what? Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel shockingly decided to remove all-world defender Roy Hibbert from his lineup in his team’s two most crucial possessions of the season on Wednesday night, and the Miami Heat took advantage while winning Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Two different times, down the stretch of overtime, Heat MVP LeBron James slashed to the rim for easy lay-ins, as Hibbert could only look on from the bench while Vogel went with reserve wing Sam Young to “counter” Miami’s small lineup. After Pacer All-Star Paul George tied the game following James’ first slash with three clutch free throws to hand the Pacers a one-point lead, LeBron James responded with the spin move and game-winning lay-up over … Sam Young. Wed, 22 May 2013 21:25:55 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,f9a8fdba-296f-33bd-8d5d-66a3949c1104-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13ice9mfr/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/dwyane-wade-planned-outfits-playoffs-ahead-time-231410640.html Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is well known for his garish sense of style, arriving at various high-profile games in everything from hot pink pants to Dwayne Wayne-ish flip-up glasses . Last week, Wade received criticism (read: lots of jokes on Twitter) for arriving to Game 4 of the Miami Heat's series against the Chicago Bulls in a suit with pants that went well above the high-water trend and towards something akin to capri pants . The look emphasized just how bold Wade is willing to be to make a fashion statement. Given that the Heat take the postseason very seriously , it's easy to wonder how Wade has the time to seek out these off-the-beaten-path looks in the midst of the most important portion of the basketball year. The answer, naturally, is that he and his stylist picked out all his outfits for the playoffs ahead of time. From a Business Insider transcript of an ESPN Radio interview with Calyann Barnett , said stylist (via TBJ ): Wed, 22 May 2013 16:10:10 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,d6ab8432-e391-3a8c-ae0d-f655d7ed0905-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=136c2je73/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/bulls-draft-pick-mirotic-named-mvp-acb-league Chicago Bulls 2011 draft pick Nikola Mirotic has been named MVP of Spain's ACB League for the 2012-13 regular season. Wed, 22 May 2013 13:51:55 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,e0a5c4e7-ad01-39ff-b1a8-937944ca15fe-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13icfjhgr/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/former-sun-richard-dumas-says-nancy-reagan-just-193507303.html In the spring of 1993, Richard Dumas appeared to be the sort of dynamic young talent prepped to finally put the Phoenix Suns over the top. The franchise was the NBA’s latest hot thing, basking in the popularity of the southwestern suburb boom, falling behind MVP Charles Barkley and appearing set to dethrone a weary Chicago Bulls club in the Finals. The Suns lost in six to the three-time champs, but with Michael Jordan retiring the next fall and a wide-open NBA landscape about to hit, Dumas figured to be the wing element needed to support Barkley on his way to a first NBA championship. Instead, as was the case throughout his childhood and college career, Dumas’ cocaine use got in the way of him contributing to the Suns. He’d miss the entire 1993-94 season, and be out of the NBA by 1996 as a result. In a must-read feature, the Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro recently caught up with the since-recovered Dumas in his hometown of Tulsa : His grades were fine. He never got in a fight. Dumas’ energy outlet was petty crime, busting windows and stealing candy from stores. His idle time turned him to drugs and alcohol. He said he tried alcohol at age 5 and marijuana at age 9. He blames his increased drug use, including cocaine, on former first lady Nancy Reagan. Wed, 22 May 2013 12:35:07 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,989852fc-9548-3299-a9c0-883c293475c0-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12d32gnv5/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-mock-draft-version-3-091900086--nba.html Version 3 of our NBA Mock Draft is here. The Cavaliers snuck into the No. 1 spot, the Magic get No. 2 and the Wizards moved up to No. 3. Wed, 22 May 2013 02:19:00 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,68e2e3e5-45da-3c42-a119-6bf571e47f5c-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12o59akg5/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/early-bulls-free-agency-preview With seven players likely not to return to Chicago next season, the Bulls will again be active in free agency. But with little cash to spend, where might they look when it begins? Tue, 21 May 2013 20:51:06 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,cee78066-6a43-3912-b9f7-8d41b9ad05aa-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13998m9e8/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/clippers-part-ways-del-negro-after-three-seasons Vinny Del Negro did not have his contract renewed by the Clippers, ending a three-year run that was similar to the head coach's time in Chicago. Tue, 21 May 2013 20:20:12 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,5d2c2ccc-7224-3566-9ae2-7cde56668acc-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12vu3k05g/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls/cavaliers-awarded-first-pick-2013-nba-draft On the 10th anniversary of the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting LeBron James first overall, the ball bounced Dan Gilbert's way again as the Cavs were awarded the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Tue, 21 May 2013 19:48:20 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,bb904e1c-2afd-3c67-af8e-6414de1bc531-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12grrc07c/*http%3A//www.csnchicago.com/bulls-talk/retrospective-evolution-bulls-newcomers The Bulls' newcomers saw a transformation no one expected during the season, thanks to the camaraderie shared by the group of veterans playing for something bigger than themselves. Tue, 21 May 2013 17:27:37 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,791d99cf-408e-3322-857a-095cc9a10316-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12jmlfccr/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-roundup-del-negro-clippers-225029941--nba.html The Los Angeles Clippers dismissed coach Vinny Del Negro on Tuesday after the team's first-round exit in the playoffs, according to multiple reports. Tue, 21 May 2013 15:50:29 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,df8462e4-74b5-3531-a2e9-9e0a18afb392-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13d0d5aoc/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/reinsdorf-honored-receive-lifetime-achievement-award The Bulls and White Sox chairman will be presented with the 2013 Sports Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award on Wednesday night in New York. Tue, 21 May 2013 15:35:37 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,88f7039e-e9d1-3a8f-b48c-fe44ea2a44fb-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12msmnu0d/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/clippers-cut-ties-head-coach-del-negro-215641131.html (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Clippers have decided to part ways with head coach Vinny Del Negro, announcing on Tuesday they will not offer him a new contract to lead the National Basketball Association team. Del Negro compiled a 128-102 record with the Clippers in three seasons, guiding them to the playoffs in 2012 and 2013. The Clippers finished the 2012-13 season with a franchise-high of 56 wins, including a 17-game winning streak, and were fourth-seeded in the Western Conference playoffs before falling 4-2 to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. ... Tue, 21 May 2013 14:56:41 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,56465682-cf46-3700-8557-b46d49367943-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12ijamaqo/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/clippers-wont-offer-del-negro-205707006--nba.html LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Vinny Del Negro is out as coach of the Los Angeles Clippers after a season in which the team won its first division title but lost in the first round of the playoffs. Tue, 21 May 2013 14:43:25 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,d75a410a-aae8-38bc-8a54-1f8d1606ad8c-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12q8a6rti/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-clippers-cut-ties-head-coach-del-negro-214210233.html May 21 (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Clippers have decided to part ways with head coach Vinny Del Negro, announcing on Tuesday they will not offer him a new contract to lead the National Basketball Association team. Del Negro compiled a 128-102 record with the Clippers in three seasons, guiding them to the playoffs in 2012 and 2013. The Clippers finished the 2012-13 season with a franchise-high of 56 wins, including a 17-game winning streak, and were fourth-seeded in the Western Conference playoffs before falling 4-2 to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. ... Tue, 21 May 2013 14:42:10 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,79a60546-cba2-3430-92fb-3f3d10662d53-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12mtdh9v6/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/news/report-clippers-dismiss-del-negro-194027543--nba.html The Los Angeles Clippers dismissed coach Vinny Del Negro Thursday following the team's first-round exit in the playoffs. Tue, 21 May 2013 14:38:11 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,923e5d02-7d2c-3686-924b-1fb34c3b3d74-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13a757ij6/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/ball-don-t-lie-2012-13-playoff-previews-203856379.html The minds behind Ball Don’t Lie are going to preview each of the parings in the third round, with Kelly Dwyer going against character for a more genial take, Dan Devine bringing his inimitable mixture of both order and bedlam, along with Eric Freeman’s legendary look inside the reputations of some of the series’ key fixtures. We continue with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers. Which team do you think will win the series, and in how many games? Vote here to let us know what you think. Tue, 21 May 2013 13:35:56 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,5e0688f9-6851-315b-b0f8-f92e87403b6e-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=12tbumjmu/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/jerry-reinsdorf-evolves-his-role-nba Jerry Reinsdorf has not always seen eye-to-eye with NBA commissioner David Stern, but the two have put their differences aside over the years to help the success of both the league and the Bulls. Mon, 20 May 2013 22:07:30 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,eece21e8-55bd-3f18-8658-62190e7b637a-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=13ql9fdmn/*http%3A//sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/former-phoenix-suns-owner-jerry-colangelo-punched-bulls-201903095.html While we hold out hope that the path charted by newly hired general manager Ryan McDonough will produce a winner sooner rather than later, there wasn't much to celebrate about the Phoenix Suns this season, we're sorry to say. In lottery-bound times like these, with the present a bummer and the future uncertain, it's understandable for fans (and the media who serve them) to harken back to more successful days gone by — like, for example, 1993, which was both the heyday of the Charles Barkley/Kevin Johnson/Paul Westphal crew and a nice, round 20 years ago, which makes for easy commemoratin'. With the members of that team reminiscing about how they came together and what they accomplished, it's only natural to check in with the man who signed the checks — Jerry Colangelo, who'd been with the Suns since its inception in 1967, put together a group that purchased the franchise in 1987 and, after years of fits and starts, built a winner in the desert. In a chat with Paola Boivin of azcentral.com , Colangelo recalled the Suns' path to the 1993 NBA finals against the Chicago Bulls, the franchise with which the Chicago Heights product had gotten his start in the NBA as a scout and marketing director and the juggernaut that had won back-to-back titles in the previous two seasons. In the midst of all that recollection, the former Suns owner (he sold to Robert Sarver in 2004) and current director of USA Basketball shared a surprising story from the Chicago Stadium stands: Mon, 20 May 2013 13:15:03 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c41cb4da-faa2-3eae-9722-fc034351ac3e-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=136rdoog5/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/bulls-draft-position-could-be-better-expected While the Bulls don't hold a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, a slew of underrated prospects could put Chicago in a good position to improve their roster at the 20th and 49th overall selections in June's draft. Sun, 19 May 2013 19:06:12 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,c77f83f0-d780-37cf-8c26-d15f6132a270-l:1 http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nba/SIG=1382crlb6/*http%3A//csnchicago.nbcsports.acquia-ps.com/bulls-talk/injuries-free-agency-bulls-mind-offseason-looms The Bulls will closely monitor the health of their 'star' players this offseason, but also will need to make decisions regarding their bench as the offseason looms. Sun, 19 May 2013 18:32:40 PDT nba urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,lego:19780928:top,article,8298e672-cf8c-3448-bef3-284a9c831d8b-l:1 Fri, 24 May 2013 15:55:07 PDT