One thing I remember from watching the Bulls' 72 & 10 season (or any of their championship seasons for that matter) was that one of the players key measures of success was how little of the fourth quarter they had to play. I think they felt like they hadn't performed well if at least Jordan and Pippen weren't wrapped in towels with at least six to go.

Yeah, I hear above about lots of celebs in the stands and everyone wanting to play in front of them, but hey, the football folks were already at the bar by the middle of the fourth. The Pistons had a couple of starters on the bench fairly early, but there were some notable exceptions. Partly it's about giving them rest, but it's also a lot about not having the 10th man on someone else's bench shove Ben a bit the wrong way and have him come down and strain a knee. It's also a lot about giving the bench minutes that count. Sure you're up 20, but the second string will surely hear about it the next day if they haven't kept the lead. You can just imagine what Jordan would have said to the 8th guy if he had to take the wrap off and come back in for the last couple of minutes to preserve the win.

Plus, those early exits sure give the fans something to cheer about.

Regardless though, great game to watch - Rasheed under control and playing some monster D, Ben just changing the game time and again, and some decent stints off the bench. The next streak has begun...