Nate Robinson: 'I don't like C.J. Watson, he don't like me'

An interesting note today from Nick Friedell who covers the Bulls for ESPN Chicago. He spoke to Bulls guard Nate Robinson this morning and the big takeaway was that Robinson apparently doesn't like Nets guard C.J. Watson. And, according to Robinson, the animosity is mutual.

"We're just competitors," Robinson said Monday after helping the Bulls even their Eastern Conference quarterfinals at a game apiece. "I don't like him, he don't like me. That's how it's going to be. There's animosity between the two of us, and for us, that's good."

Interestingly, Watson has played great in the first two games of this series off the bench, averaging 12 points on 59 percent shooting and three assists in 24 minutes per.

Robinson has played well himself, averaging 14 points and one steal per game in just 23 minutes. He also went on to say that the fact that they don't like each other adds a little extra motivation and confidence.

"When you don't like somebody and you're playing against somebody, you want to destroy the other person," Robinson said. "You want to shut that person down. You want to do good, so for me, it's just a lot of confidence.

"He makes it competitive, and that's how it should be. That's how the game should be played. When you play against guys on other teams, you shouldn't like them."

There doesn't seem to be much love lost between a few of the Bulls and Nets, including Carlos Boozer and Reggie Evans who were chirping at each other and throwing elbows throughout much of Game 2.

If Monday night is any indication of how the rest of this series is expected to play out, we'll likely continue to see much more physical basketball between the two teams.

• Nate embraces 'animosity' with C.J. - Chicago Bulls Blog - ESPN Chicago