If it walks like a rivalry, barks like a rivalry and hits like one, it has to be officially called a rivalry.
So slap the label on it, like Wizards big man Nene did when he gave a karate chop to Joakim Noah on his drive down the lane — where he made no play on the ball and only to Noah’s skin — and call it what it is.
“Just exchanged pleasantries, everything’s good,” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, two hours after calling Nene’s words of hating the Bulls “just chatter." “Just two guys going after it pretty good. They’re fierce competitors, you’re gonna have that.”
The Bulls and Wizards do not like each other, and it’s become increasingly apparent these two teams could match up in the first round of the playoffs.
The Bulls played with fervor and some quiet swagger as the shorthanded team delivered a shot across the bow with a 97-92 win Tuesday at a rocking United Center.
“I really don’t know what to say right now, but I’m just happy we won and I’m happy I kept my composure,” said Noah of the called flagrant one foul on Nene, after he put together a vintage performance with 14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and two steals.
After the soap opera, there was drama, as Wizards guard Bradley Beal bricked a triple with 55 seconds left that could’ve brought the Wizards all the way back from a 10-point deficit. A couple possessions later, Pau Gasol grabbed an offensive rebound with 8.5 seconds left, getting fouled in the process.
The Wizards sure could’ve used a 6-foot-10 big man on the glass there, but Nene was unavailable at that point, and with the Bulls starting a stretch without Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, sympathy was in short order on the Bulls’ side.
Nene failed to follow the first rule of trash talk when addressing a heated opponent: Back up your talk with some production.
The only production Nene contributed was in the right hand side of the box score, a few columns away from “points," with six fouls, being serenaded by the United Center faithful with a sarcastic standing ovation on his way to the bench in the fourth — as the player who was hot happened to be wearing white.
Nikola Mirotic was cooking the way Nene’s barking and previous production against the Bulls dictated he should have. His shooting gave the Wizards big men trouble as they didn’t know whether to close out hard to prevent his jumper or give him space to take away the drive.
The rookie did both.
“Floor spacing is very important in this league,” Noah said. “I think as you watch the league and you’re watching the trend of the league, being able to space the floor is very, very valuable and Niko can do that very well so it’s good for him."
Mirotic started off the fourth like he did Sunday — with no conscience. First, Noah sprang him free for a wing triple on a set play. Then, running a pick and roll with Noah, he drove by the Wizards defense for a lefty layup.
“He’s improving, scores the ball in a lot of different ways. He’s mixing his game up,” Thibodeau said. “He’s doing a better job with his team responsibilities. We’ll have to count on that.”
It was a quick spurt of his 23-point, eight-rebound performance, one game after his eye-opening 29-point showing against the Clippers. Gasol again did his work effectively in 32 minutes, scoring 20 with 10 rebounds. Aaron Brooks pulled off his best performance in ages, with 22 points in eight assists, even if one has to excuse his 8-for-23 shooting night.
“It’s gotta be a collective effort. You don’t replace Derrick or Taj or Jimmy individually,” Thibodeau said. “We’re gonna need a lot of resiliency and a lot of fight.”
But Brooks at least made Wizards dynamo John Wall work, as containing his speed was public enemy No. 2 behind keeping Nene from dominating like he usually does. Wall’s trademark speed hurt the Bulls, as he scored 21 points and dished out 11 assists, but the Wizards never found a true rhythm, shooting just 42 percent from the field.
A late first-half spurt started by two Brooks layups and a triple buoyed the Bulls to a seven-point halftime lead, as they seemed to produce timely scoring with over 50 percent of their production in suits.
Both teams came into the game desperate for some positive reinforcement, but for different reasons.
The Bulls found a reason to get emotionally recharged after a tough week — it just took a big-talking rival to wake them up.
“They’re good, so I guess it is (one),” Thibodeau said with a chuckle on his way out after being asked if this is truly a rivalry.
Game on.
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