Nostalgia was in the air at the United Center for “Joakim Noah Night.” Surely, the Bulls intentionally chose this game against the Knicks to honor their tempestuous center. There’s a history of bad blood between the franchises. Noah’s brief tenure with Knicks stunk. Former teammates Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson are Knicks now. And Tom Thibodeau was the coach who brought the best out of Noah.
Adding to the uniqueness of the evening, this year’s Bulls were an undefeated 4-0.
Four games into season, the Knicks had the second-best offense in the NBA. The Bulls had the second-best defense.