Bulls-Knicks Preview
By MIKE VOTTA, STATS Senior Writer
Posted Dec 29 2007 5:53PM


Jim Boylan is hoping that his first game as Chicago's interim coach is a sign of things to come.

Boylan looks to build on his first win as an NBA head coach on Sunday when the Bulls visit the New York Knicks.

Boylan was named interim coach of the Bulls (10-17) on Thursday after Scott Skiles was fired on Monday. Before Boylan got the job, assistant Pete Myers coached Chicago in its 94-79 loss at San Antonio on Wednesday.

Boylan, however, managed to lead the Bulls to their first win in four games, a 103-99 victory over Milwaukee on Friday.

"It's funny being out there. I coached the team in the summer, but obviously it's quite different," Boylan said. "It was an emotional thing. My family is here."

Boylan immediately put his stamp on the team, asking Ben Gordon, the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, to give up his spot in the starting lineup. Gordon agreed and scored 19 of his team-high 31 points in the fourth quarter.

"I didn't want to make any predictions before the game, but I thought he would (respond) because that is the kind of guy Ben is. He told me he would do it, that I could count on him," Boylan said. "He came through. I have to applaud him for accepting this role."

Gordon made 10 off 11 free throws in the final period.

"I took me a while to kind of get warm but after a few trips up and down I found my groove," he said. "It worked for us and hopefully it will continue to work in the future."

Even though he won his debut, Boylan still has plenty of work to do. The Bulls are in the basement of the Central Division and have lost three of four on the road, where they are just 4-10.

"We have to realize that we won the game but there are still things we didn't do so well," Gordon said. "We have to take the attitude of having to get better everyday."

A game against the struggling Knicks (8-20), who have lost three straight and own the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, could help Chicago continue to get its season back on track.

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