Joakim Noah, His Father, Jimmy Butler & The Bulls Beat The Heat In Overtime

It’s unclear whether Joakim Noah‘s dad, Yannick, had anything to do with Chicago’s impressive overtime win over the 2-time defending champion Heat on Sunday afternoon, but he was too wrapped up in his son’s game to finish an interview during the game. We now know where his son got his intensity, though, and Noah’s overall game combined with Jimmy Butler‘s stifling defense on a still struggling LeBron James, and the Bulls got a big, 95-88, overtime win against the visiting Heat.

The play that was a microcosm of Chicago’s big home win began with the score knotted at 82-all, a little over two minutes left in the fourth and LeBron isolated at the top of the key. He drove right on Butler, but was stripped as he went for a shot at the rim. Noah ended up with the ball and his bounce pass to Taj Gibson ended in a slam — plus the foul on Mario Chalmers.

Here’s Yannick’s hysterical interview:

Joakim finished 9-of-16 from the field for 20 points. He also had 12 boards, seven assists and five blocks in a performance that should go a long way towards augmenting the popular pick for the 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year. But when asked about a smattering of “MVP” chants during the game, Noah was dismissive, telling reporters after the game:

“I don’t like it. No, I don’t like it. Our MVP is not playing. We have one MVP, and that’s Derrick Rose. And, it’s not about MVPs, it’s about rings, and one day I hope that we can get one here.”

Anyone that loves basketball, loves Joakim Noah.

Is Noah your pick for the 2013-14 DPOY?

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