Rip Hamilton thrives after fan's 'Old Man Rivers' joke

Chicago Bulls shooting guard Richard Hamilton got off to a quiet start in the Bulls' 115-86 demolition of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. That all changed in the second half after Hamilton got an earful from a Cavs fan at Quicken Loans Arena, via ESPN Chicago:

"Some dude in the crowd called me old, that's what woke me up. He called me Old Man Rivers, some dude behind me. So I was like, 'All right, I've got something for you.'"

Hamilton proceeded to score 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the third quarter. The shooting guard finished with 19 points on the night, tied with Carlos Boozer for the team lead.

The veteran shooting guard has gotten off to an excellent start this season after a disappointing 2011-12 campaign. Chicago acquired Hamilton before last season in hopes that he would be the missing piece to a title run, but his season was marred by injuries.

Hamilton also scored 19 points in Chicago's season-opening win over the Sacramento Kings, and the Bulls will need him to continue this type of production with Derrick Rose on the shelf.