CHICAGO — Going back decades, the last time that the Knicks and Bulls were jockeying for positioning at the top of the Eastern Conference there were fights on the court and profane messages on the whiteboards, a rivalry that was must-watch not only for the fan bases but for the NBA’s leadership as they readied to hand out suspensions.
It is in stark difference to what the mood was Thursday. With "Joakim Noah Night" being held and the Knicks stocked with remnants of the Bulls' contending teams, the event was staged to have Tom Thibodeau, who was the coach for those last Bulls’ glory days, and Noah’s teammates, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson, on hand.