It was the gesture seen around the world. Game 2 was not kind to the Chicago Bulls. While in the process of getting blown out, Joakim Noah was ejected, only making matters worse. As he walked off the court, he was greeted by a Miami Heat fan giving him the middle finger and expressing her displeasure with the center. Some sports fans can been harsh and unruly and Noah got the worst of it. Instead of getting angry, Noah notes that fans like that are all just part of the process.
Reluctant to dive too deep into how that actually made him feel, Noah just noted that no one has fun with somebody sticks a middle finger in their face. The gesture came after Noah was ejected with 10:12 left in regulation play. He had already received one technical foul after getting physical with LeBron James and then proceeded to yell at a referee from the bench, ending his game early. A rain of boos poured down on the Bulls star as fans let him know how they felt.
Noah is used to road fans, noting that when a team goes and plays in a hostile environment, those kinds of things are to be expected.
"It's all good. It's all part of the process. It's all part of the process," Noah said.
Noah kept his composure while exiting the court, something that head coach Thibodeau was happy to see. He was not thrilled though with the team's on-the-court performance. He admitted the team was not focused on doing their job and did not handle playing on the road well enough.
"We've got to do better, do a better job with that. You can't get sidetracked. We know how it's going to be called. We're not going to get calls. We just got to be tough mentally, physically, emotionally. We've got to be a lot stronger," Thibodeau said.
Noah was not the only one to lose their cool during Game 2. Taj Gibson was also ejected after expressing his displeasure with the referees. Gibson believed he did not handle the game well and let his emotions get the best of him. The game was chippy as nine technical fouls and two ejections took place. Noah can at least rest easy knowing no one will give him the finger in Chicago.
