Joakim Noah said on Thursday that the Chicago Bulls would beat the Brooklyn Nets in Game 7 of their playoff series, and he delivered.
Noah went off for 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocked shots in Chicago’s 99-93 road win. Even more impressive was that seven of his rebounds were offensive.
Noah’s performance was special for a number of reasons. He has been bothered by his plantar fasciitis and is playing through the foot injury. He also stepped up and led his team to victory when they were missing Luol Deng and obviously Derrick Rose.
After the game, Noah went to the stands to celebrate. He met his sister, Yelena, and the two shared an awesome handshake (GIF via @CJZero):
Joakim Noah’s sister Yelena is actually a model. Their father is former tennis player Yannick Noah, and their mother is a former Miss Sweden.
Now the Bulls move on to face the Miami Heat. You may recall that Noah said the Heat were “Hollywood as hell” after losing to them in the Eastern Conference finals two years ago. Noah is giving the Heat respect this time around, but you know he’s dying to beat them.
“Obviously they’re the best and you want to play against the best… It’s going to be a war,” Noah said Saturday, via FOX Sports Florida’s Chris Tomasson.
This should be a fun one.
As a bonus, make sure you watch this nasty dunk Noah threw down late in the third quarter against Brooklyn:
