BUTLER SCORES 42; BULLS RALLY FROM 19 DOWN
Butler leads furious comeback, scores 7 of his 42 in overtime
The way Taj Gibson sees it, the worrying just ceases at some point. It has to. Year after year, whisper after whisper, a player can get caught up in the rumor mill only for so long.
You can let it eat you up or you can become numb to it.
That’s where Gibson stands these days, and it appears his teammates are emulating his approach.
“Being in trade rumors means other teams want you, too, so it’s like half- and- half,’’ Gibson said. “It’s part of our business. I’m just numb to it because I get good feedback from my agent all the time. So I’m never really worried about what’s going on.
“Play the right way. We make a good living for what we do. So there’s always a positive about that.’’
That attitude seems to be contagious, as the Bulls continue to “play the right way.’’
After a furious comeback to overcome a 19- point deficit against the Raptors, the Bulls sent the game to overtime, then took over
They beat the Raptors 123- 118 at the United Center for their third consecutive victory and fifth in their last seven to climb back over the .500 mark with a 19- 18 record.
Even more impressive, the Bulls have beaten the perceived secondbest team in the Eastern Conference 10 consecutive times.
They can thank Jimmy Butler. Again.
Butler scored seven of his 42 points in overtime, including a ridiculous three- pointer with 17.3 seconds left and Raptors guard Kyle Lowry in his face.
Butler is averaging 38 points the last three games, victories over the Hornets, Cavaliers and Raptors. MVP candidate, anyone? “Obviously, you can put Jimmy up with the superstars in this league and put him in that category,’’ coach Fred Hoiberg said. “There’s no doubt about that. Just put the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter. He made unbelievable plays. He just did everything for us.’’
Besides scoring 32 points after the first half, Butler finished with 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Not bad for a guy who supposedly was being shopped this week, according to a national story. A source close to the situation, however, said phone calls were coming in for Butler, not going out.
“My job’s not to worry about what the media’s writing, what’s go- ing on in the outside world,’’ Butler said. “My job is to come in here and work, help this team win games. I tell everybody, just like they tell me, we’re all we’ve got in here. Good, bad, indifferent, we can always lean on each other. So with all the hibbity hoobla that’s going around, just keep being you and keep working.’’
That’s all his teammates can ask of him.
“You can control what you can control,’’ Dwyane Wade said. “You can’t control somebody waking up one day and wanting to stir something up in Chicago and writing an article.’’
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