No Sophomore Slump's

There’s something about those second year guys these days. How else can you explain that the hero’s of the night were both players that already have one stat line on their Upper Deck? Ben Gordon and Matt Murton both lead their teams to big wins, and it was beautiful.

Let’s start with B-Geezy A.K.A. The Fourth Quarter King. The boy tied Mr. Rims (Latrell Sprewell) for the most threes in a game without a miss. Nine for nine. And these were not easy shots. Pull ups, fadeaways, leaners with Gilbert Arenas’ arm in his eyes. But did this prevent (J)ordan from missing one? Nope. Add in Kirk’s 18 points and 8 dimes, and Da’ Bulls got a vital 103-101 win at the UC versus the Wiz. This leaves them at 38-41, one game up on the Sixers with three to play. Add in that we have the tiebreaker, and it’s really a two game advantage. And imagine this. If the Bulls win out, and the Pacers, Bucks and Wizards all lose one more, we’d finish with the number 5 seed. Yes, you read that correctly, the 5 seed. We’d face the Clevland LeBron’s in round one, not the Pistons, Heat, or Nets. And really, no matter what playoff seed we get, this season has been a success. Why? Because we have the Knicks first round pick, and they have the second worse record in the league.

As for Murton, tonight showed why I’ve been praising the redhead since last June, even before he was on the big league roster. Two for four tonight with three ribbies, including a triple. He has a solid glove in left, definitely an upgrade over Pisser Alou. And I like how he handles himself. Even when he makes an out, he never gets too low, and after he hits a homer, he doesn’t get too high on himself. Staying under composure is a huge asset, and I think Murton has it.