Of course, Van Grumpy harrumphed this conclusion as supposedly irrefutable fact even as he was stumping for his own player, Dwight Howard, which makes his claim a bit disingenuous. It’s probably more honest to say that Stan believes Rose is the front-runner but hopes making bold public proclamations will inspire the MVP voters to reconsider the ballot they haven’t actually cast yet.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of people who feel strongly against Rose for MVP.
Neil Paine of Basketball-Reference compares Rose’s presumed MVP award to the one Allen Iverson won in 2000-01 – in an unfavorable way – stating that snubbing LeBron is “borderline indefensible.”
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop writes “LeBron James is a better player, playing just as he did when he ran away with this award the past two seasons. Beyond bitterness, is there a reason to disqualify him so early?”
Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk says Rose will probably win but wants you to know there are better candidates (Helin is with Van Gundy in the Howard camp).
Tom Ziller of SBNation absolutely hates the idea of Rose winning the MVP: “If you’re handing your support to Rose without considering [Russell] Westbrook and the others strongly, know that you’re not awarding the Most Valuable Player trophy, you’re awarding a kindergarten gold star for a totally awesome story or the Man Booker prize or something. Awarding MVP trophies based on warm fuzzies should be reserved for youth soccer, not the highest levels of sport.”
Ziller goes on to write the following faux future letter from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: “Dear basketball fans. No, we don’t know why Steve Nash won two MVP awards as the 20th or so best player of his generation while monsters like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal only won one each, and Tim Duncan only won two, and Dwyane Wade never won one. Our forensic research suggests that voters became enamored with the entertaining and surprising Phoenix Suns and, worried that their pea-sized brains would forget all about Nash and the Seven Seconds Or Less offense, decided to memorialize the era with not one but two giant bronze trophies. We regret the voters’ lack of reason, and as penance present this oversized mural depicting a bayonet-wielding Shaq chasing Mitch Albom through the Fourth Circle of Hell.”
Wow. And people think I’m bitter and sarcastic at Basketbawful.
What seems to be rubbing Ziller and others the wrong way is that the MVP isn’t treated as some hallowed “Best Player Based on Advanced Metrics” award. And who knows? Maybe the NBA should create a BPBoAM award. Or maybe the NBA should provide a clearly defined set of criteria for MVP voting…
…only that’s never going to happen.
Why would the NBA do something as stupid as that? The MVP debate creates buzz and makes headlines. It gets people talking. It’s free publicity year after year after year. If the NBA instituted rigid criteria for the MVP award, much of that free publicity would be lost. And Skip Bayless wouldn’t have nearly as much to scream about.
If Rose does indeed win the MVP, it will likely be because the Bulls win the East (and finish second or third in the league in terms of wins), he’s the team’s best player, and he has a better storyline than anybody else.
As Kevin Arnovitz of the Heat Index put it: “The media and fans like novelty because it keeps the narrative interesting. That means that whenever there’s a legitimate candidate for MVP who hasn’t previously been in the conversation, we tend to gravitate toward him. And when that candidate’s team loses only three times in six weeks, the momentum builds. This is true in basketball or baseball.”
Here’s the question: Don’t you think the NBA wants it that way?
Think about it. The NBA is a business. Fun, positive, feel-good stories are great for any business. Human beings love novelty. NBA fans are no different. Most of the anti-Rose hand-wringing is coming from the advanced stats community. But if stats are the only thing that matter, why don’t they just watch game simulations on NBA 2K11? Wouldn’t that be a dream world? Where every action and reaction was governed by hard data…where the only storylines were cranked out on a calculator or inside a computer…
Thanks. But no thanks.
This NBA fan enjoys the world as it is. And not because I’m blogging about a team whose best player may benefit from the “best storyline wins” concept.
And do me a favor: Let’s stop pretending the “storyline” thing is some gross miscarriage of justice. It’s not a new concept. Storyline has trumped statistical output repeatedly throughout NBA history. People like Ziller would have you believe it began with Nash’s MVPs in 2005 and 2006, or maybe, as Paine suggested, Iverson’s MVP in 2001.
It didn’t. Let’s hop into the WABAC machine, Sherman.
In 1961-62, Wilt Chamberlain led the league in scoring (an insane 50.4 PPG), rebounding (25.7), minutes per game (an absurd 48.5 thanks to overtime sessions), Player Efficiency Rating (31.8), Offensive Win Shares (17.1), Win Shares (23.1) and Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (0.286). Do you know who won the MVP award? Bill Russell. Because, see, Bill was a winner (the Celtics went 60-20 and captured yet another title) and Wilt was a loser (his Philadelphia Warriors went 49-31 and lost a tough seven game series to the Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals).
Chamberlain was — by leaps and bounds — the better player. Every statistic you could possibly ask for, advanced or otherwise, bears this out. But Russell had the better storyline. David versus Goliath. Champion versus Loser.
The 1962-63 season was more of the same. Wilt once again led the league in points (44.8), rebounding (24.3), PER (31.8), Win Shares (20.9), etc. Once again, Russell, the champion, was given the MVP award.
In 1972-73, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar averaged 30.2 PPG and 16.2 RPG. He led the league in Player Efficiency Rating (28.5), Offensive Win Shares (14.4), Win Shares (21.9) and Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (0.323). And his Milwaukee Bucks had a pretty decent season (60-22). However, Kareem wasn’t particularly well-liked and had won the award the previous season. Dave Cowens, on the other hand, was leading a revival in Boston, where the Celtics won a league-best 68 games.
A scrappy, white, undersized center going toe-to-toe with titans like Kareem and Wilt while helping the league’s most storied franchise return to its former glory? Now that, my friends, is a narrative worthy of the MVP.
In 1977-78, Bill Walton was unquestionably awesome — 18.9 PPG, 13.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 24.8 PER — but he also played only 58 games while George Gervin led the league in scoring (27.2), Kareem led the league in PER (29.2) and David Thompson led the league in Win Shares (12.7).
Walton, however, had become a folk hero, and his Trail Blazers were the league’s best (58-24) and most-beloved team. I’m pretty sure that helped Big Bill win the MVP.
Flash forward to 1980-81 when Adrian Dantley led the league in PPG (30.7), Larry Bird’s Celtics led the league in won-loss record (62-20), and Kareem led the league in PER (25.5) and Win Shares (14.3). But the Philadelphia 76ers held the league’s best record for most of the year before losing a tiebreaker game to Boston on the final day of the regular season. And hey: Doctor J was excellent (24.6/8.0/4.4) and had never won an MVP award. It was his time. And he won it.
Better story than anybody else.
Consider the 1986-87 season. Larry Bird was still his usual amazing self — 28 PPG, 9 RPG, 7 APG, a PER of 26.4 — but he’d won the last three MVP awards. Michael Jordan led the league in PPG by a country mile (37.1) and also took top honors in Usage Percentage (an incredible 38.3), PER (29.8) and Win Shares (16.9). But the Bulls went 40-42. Meanwhile, in L.A., Kareem finally passed the torch to Magic Johnson, who set career high in scoring (23.9 PPG) and led the Lakers to the league’s best record (65-17).
And it’s best story.
Or how about 1989-90, when Jordan, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley finished first, second and third in PER (31.2, 27.2 and 27.1, respectively). Barkley led the league in True Shooting Percentage (66.1) and Offensive Rating (an unreal 127.9), while MJ was the top dog in Win Shares (19.0) and Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (0.285). Sir Charles ended up with the most first place votes…but lost the MVP award to Magic Johnson, who had once again led the Lakers to the league’s best record (63-19) in the first year of Kareem’s retirement.
Best story wins out.
Let’s not forget about 1992-93, when Jordan again led the league in scoring (32.6), Usage Percentage (34.7), PER (29.7), Win Shares (17.2) and Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (0.270). But Barkley had been traded to the Phoenix Suns, had himself a career year (25.6/12.2/5.1) and led the Suns to the league’s best record (62-20).
Chuck was the MVP. Better story.
Now, 1996-97 is an interesting case. Many people feel that The Mailman “stole” the MVP award from MJ. Yet Malone’s Jazz won 64 games while Karl led the league in PER (28.9 to Jordan’s 27.8) and finished second (to Mike) in both Win Shares and Win Shares Per 48 minutes. Not really the heist some people have made it out to be.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Malone won the award, in large part, out of sympathy for a long career of (relatively) unrewarded brilliance.
Let’s not leave out Kobe Bryant’s MVP award in 2008. Bryant didn’t lead the league in any major statistical category. He finished fourth in Win Shares (13.8), fifth in Offensive Win Shares (9.5) eighth in PER (behind even Manu Ginobili), 8th in Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (0.208), 14th in Defensive Win Shares (4.3), and he wasn’t even in the top 20 in either Offensive or Defensive Rating. Statistically speaking, there was nothing whatsoever to suggest that Kobe was the best or most valuable player in the league. LeBron led the league in PER (29.1) while Chris Paul was first in Win Shares (17.8) and a close second in PER (28.3).
But the Lakers (barely) won the West and Kobe was given a Lifetime Achievement Award MVP because the Lakers had returned to prominence post-Shaq under his watch.
I could go on. But you get my point.
Derrick shouldn’t have to apologize if he wins the MVP. And I’m not going to apologize for him. Nor will I feel sorry for poor LeBron James, who has an MVP-caliber teammate (D-Wade is third in the league in PER) and another All-Star (in Chris Bosh) as sidekicks but whose team is currently sixth-best in the league in terms of wins and losses. That’s most important stat…right?
Henry Abbott noted that winning seems to be the most important factor in MVP voting. Well, the Bulls have the league’s second-best record and currently lead John Hollinger’s Power Rankings by more than two points over the…Denver Nuggets. LeBron’s Heat are fourth in Hollinger’s rankings. Critics will say that this success is due to coaching or defense. Others will say Rose is just the lucky beneficiary of an irresistable story.
Whatever.
The great and terrible thing about the MVP is that there are no true constants…just trends and generalities. This allows fans, experts and MVP voters to decide what’s most important to them. People get way too caught up in what they believe the MVP award should be. Should it be advanced stats? Or stories? Or wins?
Maybe it should be all three. Maybe it always has been.
You know what I took from this game against the Hawks?
People better start listening to what Derrick Rose has to say.
And beware.
Rose is a both humble and quite, which borders on amazing when you stop and consider his current stature among the NBA greats. His “aw schucks” attitude and respectful demeanor aren’t acts. In a sports world where the personalities and (especially) egos are larger than life, Rose seems like a creature from another reality. His personality is understated. His ego, if anything, is smaller than life.
Consider a world where Dwight Howard has 16 technical fouls on the season. Amar’e Stoudemire has 15. Carmelo Anthony has 13. Kobe Bryant has 12. Kevin Garnett has 11. Dwyane Wade has nine. “Good guy” Blake Griffin has eight. Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook have seven a piece. The usually calm Steve Nash has six. Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James have four each.
Derrick Rose has one technical foul. One technical foul during a season in which NBA officials have more leeway than ever to T up players for overreacting to calls and non-calls.
And it’s the only technical foul Rose has ever had on any level.
When Derrick earned his one and only tech back in December, he said: ”Next time I’ve just got to hold it in and hopefully I won’t get any more techs, because I need that (fine) money. There’s a recession out here.”
Rose was joking around, but he was serious too. And you know what? He hasn’t been called for a technical foul since. For all we know, he may never get one again.
One of the great misconceptions about Rose — and most of these opinions are expressed by bloggers and scribes outside of Chicago — is that he has no personality. That, by NBA standards, he is quite nearly tabula rasa. It’s as if people haven’t encountered quiet humility and stoic dignity before. Well, in this league, most probably people haven’t. Not in a superstar-level player. The closest comparison I can make is former Boston Celtics great Robert Parish. But, although the Chief was great, he was never considered a franchise player like Rose. Which makes Rose almost an alien being among his peers.
That said, one thing people may have noticed is that, when Rose says something, he means it. He really means it.
Last Sunday, anticipating a rematch of sorts with a Kings team that humilated the Bulls last season by coming back from a 35-point deficit to win in the United Center, said: ”It’s a heartbreaker. But you learn from it. If we’re up 30, we’re going to try to push it to 40, 50 points.”
The Bulls won by 40.
After crushing Sacramento, Rose was looking ahead to his team’s matchup with the Hawks. The last time the Bulls visited Atlanta, they had choked away a 19-point lead and lost by three. Regarding that, Rose said: “You can’t forget that game. I think none of us on the team have [forgotten] that game. You’ve got to remember it. I think that if we get a lead like that down there again, I think that we won’t let them come back the way they did.”
Well, the Bulls got a lead like that again. In fact, they led by as many as 47 and eventually won by 33.
Rose was front and center, making sure the Bulls didn’t let up, trying to crush the the Hawks into a fine paste. He capped off a 20-point first half by drilling a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer. He finished with 30 points on 20 shots, knocked down a career-best six three-pointers on eight attempts, and dished out 10 assists versus only one turnover. That’s a lot of production considering he played only 29 minutes and sat out the entire fourth quarter.
“The way I look at it, why can’t I be the MVP in the league? Why can’t I be the best player in the league? I don’t see why not. I work hard, I dedicate myself to the game and sacrifice a lot of things at a young age, and I know, if I continue to do good what I can get out of it. If that’s me going out and doing whatever, I’m willing to do it because in the long run I know it’s gonna help me. This is the hardest I’ve ever worked out, this past summer. I’ve put a lot of work in, staying in the gym every day, making sure I’m getting prepared for a big season because I believe we can make it far.”
This statement was met with a slight chuckle and mild amusement by many fans and experts. Rose winning the MVP award in a world with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, et al.? On the one hand, people seemed relieved that Rose had finally said something of interest. On the other, they might have preferred something that sounded a little less, well, crazy.
And yet…here we are.
I’m still staying out of the “Rose for MVP” debate. I prefer to see how things shake out by the final day of the regular season. Win-Loss records and all that. That said, LeBron James and Dwight Howard seem to be Rose’s primary competition for the award, and their teams have the sixth and eighth-best records in the league. Historically speaking, that’s not good enough to win the MVP.
So even I have to wonder: Why can’t Rose be the MVP?
The love fest for Rose aside, the Bulls looked fantastic last night. Playing on the second night of back-to-back games on the road against the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, with the first seed on the line, the Bulls ravaged the Hawks like some sort of wild animal. In the first half, they shot 73.8 percent from the field (not to mention a blistering 78 percent from beyond the arc) and outscored the Hawks 72-43. On this night, their offense was every bit as good as their league-leading defense.
The Bulls finished with an Effective Field Goal Percentage of 60.8 and an Offensive Rating of 135.4. They had 30 assists on 43 field goals. They outrebounded the Hawks 40-26 (including an astounding Offensive Rebounding Rate of 32.3) and outscored them 48-18 in the paint. And those numbers include an entire fourth quarter worth of garbage time.
To me, the defining moment of this game came with 2:08 left in the third. With his team leading 91-55, Rose committed his only turnover of the game and, after Joakim Noah fouled Josh Smith to prevent a breakaway, Rose was cursing himself out. Despite being ahead by 36 points. That’s how Derrick works. That’s how this team works.
Rose obviously had a big game and Luol Deng scored 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting. But, and I know I keep saying this, the win was a total team effort. Guys were locking down on defense. Setting pick. Crashing the boards. Setting each other up. And it’s worth reminding the world at large that we are only now seeing how good the Bulls could be. Finally, all the pieces are on the board. Carlos Boozer is back. Joakim Noah is playing. Everyone is in place for the stretch run.
Especially the defense.
That’s right. Defense. Even though the Bulls have had back-to-back red-hot shooting games, everything this team does begins on the other end of the court.
Said Deng: ”I think it starts with our defense. When our mindset is right on defense, we seem to work harder on offense. When we’re not as focused on defense, it kind of leads to our offense. We’re kind of just going through the motions. It always starts with defense.”
Added Rose: “It’s still defensively. Sometimes it gets hard, but to win games, to win a championship, it takes defense. And we’re just trying to stay together on defense, knowing that we can’t take any steps back right now. We’re trying to keep going. We’re trying to push each other every day. Trying to get better. And I think that we’re moving in the right direction.”
That’s another amazing thing about this team. After every loss, after every win, the talk is always about getting better. And it’s not lip service, either. The players have taken that concept to heart. Because of coach Tom Thibodeau.
After back-to-back games on back-to-back nights in which his team led by 40-plus points at various times, Thibs still insisted there’s still plenty of work to do.
Said Thibodeau: “They shot too high of a percentage. Defensively, there’s a lot of things we can clean up. But I like the fact that we got the big lead. And I thought we played tough with the lead. And we want to be a 48 minute team. They outscored us in the fourth 21-16, so there’s things we can correct and improve, but we got to keep the big picture in mind. I think the good teams in this league continue to get better as they go along.”
Considering the Bulls are leading John Hollinger’s Power Rankings by more than two full points and currently have the best point differential (+7.4) in the league, the idea that they can still get better is kind of scary…
…but I like it.
TrueHoop Network: Bret LaGree of Hoopinion: “The Hawks didn’t make a basket in the paint over the final 27:34 of the game, though Marvin Williams (in the third quarter) and Jeff Teague (in the fourth quarter) each made a jumper inside of 15 feet during that portion of the game. The Hawks didn’t make a basket in the paint over the final 27:34 of the game despite trailing by at least 20 points for the entire time. Defense is about talent more than it’s about effort but a culture of accountability has its place as well.”
Atlanta Hawks Status Check: Record: 40-30
Division: 8-4
Conference: 16-23
Home Record: 17-16
Last 10 Games: 4-6
Streak: Won 1
Last game: Won 104-96 over Detroit
PPG: 95.4 (25th)
Opponents PPG: 95.3 (9th)
Offensive Rating: 106.3 (19th)
Defensive Rating: 106.2 (13th)
Pace: 89.5 (27th)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: .502 (11th)
Turnover Percentage: .135 (19th)
Defensive Rebound Percentage: .745 (11th)
Offensive Rebound Percentage: .239 (26th)
Free Throws Per Field Goal Attempt: .206 (28th)
Opp. eFG%: .491 (11th)
Opp. TO%: .124 (27th)
Opp. FT/FGA: .211 (5th)
Leading scorer: Joe Johnson (18.8)
Stats from Basketball-Reference.com.
Atlanta Injury Report: None
Overview: Tonight’s game will be the third time this month the Bulls and Hawks have faced off, and also it will be the last time this season. The two teams split the previous match-ups. Chicago won the most recent, avenging an embarrassing loss on March 2.
What is really surprising from the most recent Hawks-Bulls game is the scoring of the starters. Derrick Rose put up MVP numbers, scoring 34. Luol Deng scored 18. The other three starters? Kurt Thomas, Keith Bogans and Joakim Noah scored a combined 4 points (2-11 shooting). And all of those came from Thomas.
The Bulls still managed to win by 18 points. This exemplifies things that have been said about the team all season. First of all it shows how good the team is on defense. They held their opponent to 76 points on 35.7% shooting.
It also shows how much of a team the Bulls really are. Some of the starters couldn’t score, but the bench stepped up big-time, contributing 38 points. The Hawks bench scored only 26 points.
Speaking of “team,” last night against the Kings, Chicago had eight players score in double figures, including all the starters. (Yes, Keith Bogans started).
The Bulls are going to need their bench again tonight. They’re playing on the second night of back-to-back. Luckily, last night the Kings forgot to show up so the Bulls could rest their starters. Wait, what? That’s the Kings’ regular team…oh wow.
Well anyway, the starters averaged 27.2 minutes (Deng had the most minutes for the starters, logging 33 minutes). This would have been a huge Brian Scalabrine night, but sadly he was inactive. He was probably tired from all the congratulatory high-fives he had to give though.
But the Kings are one of the worst teams in the league, while the Hawks are a solid playoff squad. The same focus that demolished the Kings should get a win against the Hawks, but it won’t be nearly as easy. Chicago has lost six straight games in Atlanta. Their last win at Philips Arena came in April of 2007.
Al Horford vs. Joakim Noah: These ex-Florida teammates seem to take it up another gear when facing each other, but their teams expect different production. Horford’s scoring is more important to Atlanta than Noah’s scoring is to Chicago. This is evidenced in the two previous games.
March 2: Atlanta wins 83-80
Joakim Noah: 13 points (3-6 from the field), 12 rebounds in 34 minutes
Al Horford: 31 points (13-20 from the field), 16 rebounds in 41 minutes
March 11, 2011: Bulls win 94-76
Joakim Noah: 0 points (0-4 from the field), 11 rebounds in 30 minutes
Al Horford: 6 points (3-8 from the field), 7 rebounds in 40 minutes
I’m not blaming the first game on Noah, that’s not why I did the comparison. There was plenty of blame to go around, especially when you blow a 19-point lead. Rose didn’t shoot well, Boozer’s defense was non-existent (not all that unusual but still a problem). The list goes on. But that’s not the point.
In the first game, Noah scored above his season average, but the Bulls still lost. In the second game he failed to score, but the Bulls won. When Horford scored the Hawks won, and when he didn’t they lost big. It’s not really that simple, a lot goes into a game; but it is clearly an important factor, maybe even a game changing one.
What I’m trying to say is Noah’s biggest contribution will come on the defensive end. I know, I know this isn’t stunning to any Bulls fans. But stopping Horford goes a long way against the Hawks, and Noah’s focus should be on keeping Al in check.
About the Author:
Braedan Ritter was born and raised in Pennsylvania but was swayed by gifts from his aunt to follow the Chicago sports teams. It didn’t hurt that the Bulls had a guy named Michael Jordan playing for them, and the Sixers had…Derrick Coleman. Braedan has stuck with Chicago through thick and thin, and really thin (see: Chicago Cubs). And speaking of Coleman, Braedan is currently a student at Syracuse University.
With 8:49 left in the third quarter of a home game against the Kings, John Salmons – remember him? — drilled an 11-footer to help the Bulls go up 79-44. For those who enjoy simple math, that represented a 35-point lead with less than 21 minutes to go. Completely and utterly insurmountable, right?
Sadly, it was not.
Sacramento outscored Chicago an astounding 58-19 the rest of the way, including 33-10 in the fourth quarter. No home team had ever lost after building a lead that huge. It was the biggest come-from-ahead loss in Bulls franchise history. It was also the largest come-from-behind win in Kings franchise history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the biggest comeback since Utah overcame a 36-point deficit to beat Denver on November 27, 1996.
It was, without question, one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.
On Sunday, anticipating this “rematch” of that epic-level disaster, Derrick Rose said: “It’s a heartbreaker. But you learn from it. If we’re up 30, we’re going to try to push it to 40, 50 points.”
Mission accomplished, Derrick.
Let’s go over the numbers:
They Bulls scored at least 30 points in all four quarters. The 132 points represent Chicago’s highest point total of the season. The 40-point margin of victory represents their second-largest win of the year. The Bulls shot 61.3 percent from the field (49-for-80) and 70.6 percent from three-point range (12-for-17). They earned 31 free throw attempts. They registered 34 assists (to 19 for the Kings). They outscored Sacramento 36-7 on the fast break and 56-22 in the paint. They blocked 10 shots and had 16 steals. They forced 22 turnovers while committing only 10.
Eight Bulls players scored in double figures:
Derrick Rose: 18 on 6-for-11 shooting
Kyle Korver: 18 on 7-for-11 shooting
Luol Deng: 17 on 5-for-9 shooting
Carlos Boozer: 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting
Keith Bogans: 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting
Joakim Noah: 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting
Omer Asik: 14 points on 6-for-6 shooting
C.J. Watson: 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting
Said Kyle Korver: “Sometimes when it rains, it pours, right? I thought we executed really well. We got a lot of good looks. It’s not like we were making a lot of tough shots. We hit a lot of jump shots. Guys passed the ball really well; we had a lot of assists. When you’re doing that, it’s really fun basketball to play.”
Added Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau: ”I love the balance. We’re inside-out, keeping the ball moving, making the extra pass.”
There wasn’t much not to love in this one. Unless, of course, you’re a Sacramento fan. In which case, may heaven help you. The Kings are the second-worst team in their conference and may be forced to relocate to Anaheim.
Kind of takes the shine off the apple, doesn’t it? Out-of-control blowout wins against terrible teams don’t really teach anything to or about a team. Especially when that team is playing on the second night of back-to-back games.
I’m more interested to see what the Bulls do in Atlanta tonight. The last time the Bulls visited Philips Arena, they blew a 19-point lead and lost 83-80. It was one of three defeats the Bulls have suffered in their last 19 games. That loss didn’t set well with fans. And it certainly didn’t set well with Rose.
Said Derrick: “You can’t forget that game. I think none of us on the team have [forgotten] that game. You’ve got to remember it. I think that if we get a lead like that down there again, I think that we won’t let them come back the way they did.”
As for the Hawks, they’ve lost six of their last nine games and are fighting to hold onto the fifth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re currently 4.5 games ahead of the surging Philadelpha 76ers. They’ve got a lot to play for, and they’ll be playing at home, where they’re 21-14 this season.
As for the Bulls, let’s go over the milestones they reached last night. Chicago has won 13 in a row at the United Center, their longest home winning streak since 1997-98. Moreover, the Bulls have the NBA’s second-best home record (31-4) behind San Antonio (32-3). At 50-19, they’ve clinched their first 50-win season since 1997-98.
This is meaningful. Ever since they finished the annual Circus Trip with a plus-.500 record, this season has been full of “first time since 1997-98″ moments. That was the last season the Bulls were truly great. The last in which they won an NBA title. The final year of the Michael Jordn era.
These are not small accomplishments. And they’re why the Bulls are tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the East. They’re also why the Bulls sit alone at the top of John Hollinger’s Power Rankings.
But this team has higher aspirations than sparking records and top-tier rankings.
Said Boozer: “That’s what we expected. I’m used to being on 50-win teams. We didn’t come here to win 50 games. We came here for much more higher goals. We’re getting better. We’re taking it step by step, but that’s definitely a good step in the right direction.”
Sacramento Kings Status Check: Record: 17-51
Division: 5-8
Conference: 11-31
Road Record: 8-24
Last 10 Games: 2-8
Streak: Won 1
Last game: Won 127-95 over Timberwolves
PPG: 98.8 (18th)
Opponents PPG: 104.2 (24th)
Offensive Rating: 103.3 (25th)
Defensive Rating: 108.9 (19th)
Pace: 95.0 (4th)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: .478 (26th)
Turnover Percentage: .144 (27th)
Defensive Rebound Percentage: .741 (14th)
Offensive Rebound Percentage: .301 (2nd)
Free Throws Per Field Goal Attempt: .208 (27th)
Opp. eFG%: .513 (27th)
Opp. TO%: .136 (12th)
Opp. FT/FGA: .234 (17th)
Leading scorer: Marcus Thornton (21.2)
Stats from Basketball-Reference.com.
Sacramento Injury Report: Marquis Daniels: bruised spinal cord (is out indefinitely)
Tyreke Evans: plantar fasciitis in left foot (expected to miss one month)
Hassan Whiteside: left knee surgery (will miss remainder of the season)
Overview: If a team wants to get back on track after a disappointing loss, there aren’t many better options than to play than the Sacramento Kings. The Kings only have 17 wins this season. And they are are playing on the second night of a back-to-back. And the Bulls haven’t lost at home since January 18. Things are looking pretty good for Chicago after what happened in their last game.
Chicago had a tough loss against the Pacers on Friday night. They’ve had the whole weekend off to think about that loss, and to correct their mistakes from that game. It also gave them some time to remember their embarrassing loss to the Kings from December 21, 2009, which they apparently have not forgotten about.
The Bulls have gotten some revenge for that game already this season, beating the Kings by 11 all the way back in November. Rose had a great game, scoring 30 points (10-23 from the field, 9-9 from the line), grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists. Joakim Noah added 17 points and 8 rebounds, but also tore his thumb ligament. This injury caused him to miss a bunch of games leading into the All Star break.
This win was during their early season stretch without Carlos Boozer. They have gotten used to playing without their new PF. Boozer has missed 23 games this season, and the Bulls played their last five games without him. But according to Nick Friedell of the ESPNChicago.com, Boozington is expected to play tonight. Deng missed practice yesterday, but will play as well.
That is even better news when Friedell also reports that Taj Gibson is a game-time decision. Gibson was seen wearing a walking boot because of a toe injury. It seems the Bulls might have needed more than a weekend off to rest and get healthy.
The Bulls will need all their bigs ready for this game. Sacramento isn’t high on many of the stat lists, but they are good at offensive rebounding. They are second in offensive rebounds per game at 13.2; just half a rebound per game behind first place Minnesota.
One of the Bulls strengths is rebounding. They force their opponents to take low percentage shots and then grab the boards. The Bulls lead the league in opponent effective field goal percentage (.460) and are third in the league in defensive rebound percentage (.759). Protecting their glass and limiting second chance points will be key. But the Bulls also go after offensive rebounds hard.
The Bulls are fifth in offensive rebounds per game, bringing down 12.0 per contest. And they have been even better lately. In their last three games, the Bulls have averaged 17.7 offensive rebounds.
The biggest thing that the Bulls need to rebound from is their poor defense from last game. They allowed 62 points in the first half and 13 points in overtime. In the November game against the Kings, Chicago allowed just 85 points and only 28 points in the second half (9 in the fourth quarter). Expect Tom Thibodeau to have the Bulls ready after the Pacers found a lot of holes in his normally great defense.
Some numbers to chew on: According to Stats LLC, the Bulls are 3-13 when allowing their opponent to score more than 100 points. They are 42-2 when holding their opponent to under 96 points. It’s a good thing the Bulls are allowing just 91.2 points per game (second in the league), or this could have been a really long season.
About the Author:
Braedan Ritter was born and raised in Pennsylvania but was swayed by gifts from his aunt to follow the Chicago sports teams. It didn’t hurt that the Bulls had a guy named Michael Jordan playing for them, and the Sixers had…Derrick Coleman. Braedan has stuck with Chicago through thick and thin, and really thin (see: Chicago Cubs). And speaking of Coleman, Braedan is currently a student at Syracuse University.
ESPNChicago’s Nick Friedell writes: “As expected, the Chicago Bulls signed guards John Lucas III and Jannero Pargo on Sunday, and both players practiced. The pair are expected to provide injury insurance and depth in practices.”
I’m sure Brian Scalabrine and Rasual Butler are relieved to know their Gatorade-and-towel handing out duties have been effectively cut in half. I’d heard a rumor that Scal’s towel-waving shoulder was starting to show signs of tendinitis. So: Whew!
Said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau: ”We think they’re a great fit for us. Both are high character guys, both are shooters. And it’s insurance for us. And it also gives us an opportunity to rest some guys in practice, if we choose to do that.”
Certified NBA practice dummies. Nice.
Lucas is best known (assuming he’s remembered at all) for bricking two free throws with 12 seconds left in a one-point loss to the Nuggets back in November.
Meanwhile, Pargo is famous (read that: infamous) for shooting 34.6 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from downtown for the Bullies last season. Or, as I often put it, “slowly killing me one jump shot at at time.” His game log from last year could be accurately described as Kafkaesque.
But, hey, no big deal. Barring injury or catastrophic blowout, their contributions will include cheering from the pine and going crazy when somebody dunks or Derrick Rose hits some amazing shot.
There haven’t been very many times this season — especially recently — when the Bulls have failed on defense. Unfortunately, it happened last night.
The Pacers scored 115 points. That’s the fourth-highest point total the Bulls have surrendered this season, ranking behind only the 116 points they gave up to the Rockets in an overtime win on December 4, the 118 points they surrendered in Toronto in Joakim Noah’s first game back from thumb surgery on February 23, and the 120 points the Knicks scored in the United Center way back on November 4 (thanks to a flurry of three-point shooting).
Indy scored 31 points in each of the first two quarters in route to a 62-point first half. They Pacers had 89 points by the end of the third quarter. Mind you, the Bulls had held their opponents to 89 points or less in 12 of their last 13 full games. So there’s no way the Pacers — who rank 24th in Offensive Rating — should have been scoring so easily.
Sure, Chicago held Indiana to 13 points in the fourth quarter and managed to force overtime…but the damage had been done.
Now, you may be tempted to give the Bulls credit for holding the Pacers to 43 percent shooting. And, admittedly, they did a credible job of contesting jump shots. Indy went 19-for-60 on jumpers (31.6 percent) and 5-for-13 on three-pointers (38.5 percent). But — and you knew there was a “but” coming, right? — the Pacers hit 18 of their 25 layup attempts (72 percent) and threw down three dunks (according to this shot chart).
So, essentially, they converted 75 percent of their shots at the rim.
The Pacers also earned 35 foul shots. That’s the sixth-most free throw attempts the Bulls have given up this season. Indy knocked down 30 of those freebies.
Furthermore, the Bulls had no answer for Tyler Hansbrough. “Pyscho T” had team-highs in points (29) and rebounds (12) while shooting 12-for-19 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Hansbrough was just straight up outworking people. At one point, with just over three minutes left in regulation, Indiana’s Darren Collison bricked a jumper and Hansbrough bolted from the other side of the floor, grabbed the offensive rebound, ran out to 17 feet and tossed in a jumper with nary a hand in his face.
Mind you, Hansbrough set back-to-back career highs against the Knicks last week. Granted, New York’s defense is horrible, but come on. Check out his game log: Hansbrough has scored 20 or more in six of his last seven games. Check out his splits: Hansbrough is averaging 20.2 PPG on 51.2 percent shooting over his last 11 games. This wasn’t some sort of “out of nowhere” performance.
Said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau: ”The only quarter we played defense was the fourth. “You usually get what you deserve.”
Ouch.
Thibs continued: “We’ve got to do a lot better. This is a step backwards. …You’ve got to get in the fray. If they’re going to make contact, then you’ve got to fight. And we didn’t do that until late. You can’t measure what you have to put into a game. You’ve got to go into the game thinking, ‘I’m putting everything I have into this,’ and then, I think when you wait around, and now all of a sudden you’re in a hole, so you’re fighting your way out of the whole, then you don’t have enough energy to finish it off in the end, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Not to give the Bulls any excuses, but they did look tired from the previous night’s win in New Jersey and appeared to be a step slow all night. The Pacers seemed to be a split-second quicker to loose balls and tap-outs. At times, everything seemed to be going Indiana’s way.
Chicago’s saving grace was Derrick Rose, who tied his career-high with 42 points. The Bulls entered the final quarter down 16 points, and when things looked absolutely hopeless, Rose took over. He scored 19 points in the final 7:18 of regulation. He hit two layups, a short jumper, a three-pointer and 10 free throw. The only other Bulls player to score in that stretch was Kurt Thomas, who went 1-for-2 at the free throw line after being fouled by Danny Granger.
It was an amazing performance…the kind that serves as a reminder of why Rose is an MVP candidate.
It also wasn’t enough.
And, if I’m going to be completely honest, Derrick’s big game has me kind of worried. It’s easy to overlook because he’s still putting up big numbers and the Bulls are winning, but Rose is in kind of a slump. Check the splits: Rose is shooting 39.6 percent from the field this month. If you check his splits from 2008-09 and 2009-10, you’ll notice that March of 2011 has been the worst shooting month of Derrick’s career (discounting his 39.1 percent October of 2009, which consisted of only two games).
Bottom line: Rose’s jumper is not falling.
Last night’s game was a perfect example. Rose went 9-for-11 on layups and 18-for-21 from the line. But he went 2-for-16 on jump shots, including 2-for-8 on his three-point attempts. And when you see box score lines like 11-for-27 from the field, 18-for-21 from the line, 2 assists and 4 turnovers from a superstar point guard…
…you see what I’m getting at?
Going back to Derrick’s splits, he’s averaging only 5.6 APG this month, which represents his worst assist month of the season. In fact, it’s his worst assist month since averaging 5.2 APG in February of 2010. Rose hasn’t had a double-digit assist game since March 2. He hasn’t reached his average since March 7. He dished total of 4 assists in back-to-back games against the Nets and Pacers.
I don’t think it’s all Derrick’s fault. Guys were ducking shots down the stretch last night. I’m serious. At one point, Rose drove, drew the double and dished to Kyle Korver…who didn’t take the shot and ended up passing the ball back to Rose. Bulls broadcaster Stacey King noticed this and (correctly) said that guys have to be ready to take those shots.
Then again, it’s a chicken-and-the-egg situation: Are Rose’s teammates deferring to him or are they out of rhythm because Rose is taking all the shots? When Rose fouled out in overtime, the Bulls looked completely discombobulated.
Despite his monster game, Rose was killing himself up after the game, specifically for not coming through in overtime: ”That’s the time when I’m supposed to take over. And I didn’t show up. Tonight, I think my turnovers hurt the game. Plain and simple … no way I was supposed to turn that ball over in that clutch situation, and I did. I put that on me, man.” Rose also said he felt “beat up” and that he needed to “try harder.”
Wow. Go easy on yourself, there, Derrick.
This isn’t the end of the world. There are bright sides. First, the Celtics got blown out in Houston last night, so the Bulls are still tops in the East. Second, as painful as this game was, it’s very hard to win back-to-back road games on back-to-back nights against teams that are trying to claw their way into the playoffs. Especially when you’re without your second-leading scorer, as the Bulls were. I mean, as ESPNChicago’s Nick Friedell points out, Noah was the last Bulls player other than Rose to make a field goal, and that came with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The problems with the defense, well, they’re going to take care of themselves. Thibs will see to that. These kinds of defensive lapses are aberrations with a great defensive team like the Bulls. But Derrick having to do everything on the offensive end, that cannot continue. And hopefully, Boozer — who has now missed five straight games — will be back soon and the offense can become a little more well-balanced.
Indiana Pacers Status Check: Record: 29-39
Division: 6-6
Conference: 20-21
Home Record: 18-15
Last 10 Games: 3-7
Streak: Lost 1
Last game: 82-90 loss to the Celtics
PPG: 99.4 (15th)
Opponents PPG: 100.8 (17th)
Offensive Rating: 104.3 (24th)
Defensive Rating: 105.8 (11th)
Pace: 94.8 (4th)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: .484 (22nd)
Turnover Percentage: .141 (24th)
Defensive Rebound Percentage:
Offensive Rebound Percentage: .258 (18th)
Free Throws Per Field Goal Attempt: .231 (10th)
Opp. eFG%: .484 (7th)
Opp. TO%: .125 (26th)
Opp. FT/FGA: .234 (17th)
Leading scorer: Danny Granger (20.6)
Stats from Basketball-Reference.com.
Indiana Injury Report: Mike Dunleavy: broken thumb (out 6-8 weeks)
Overview: In a possible first round playoff matchup, Chicago goes into Indiana looking for a season sweep of the Pacers.
As it stands, Indiana is in the last playoff spot in the East,trailing the seventh-place Sixers by six games. There is a slim chance the Pacers will move up a spot, but a better chance that they fall. The Bobcats are just half a game back. The Pacers are playing to keep their playoff spot.
The Bulls are fighting for the number one position. Just one win separates the Bulls and Boston for the top spot in the East.
The Nets helped the Bulls out by beating the Celtics in the game prior to playing the Bulls. The Pacers’ last game was against Boston, but they couldn’t help as much as Jersey did. C’mon Indy! Well, maybe they can make it up to the Bulls by losing tonight.
These two teams are in going in opposite directions. Chicago, as you know, is playing great, winning eight in a row.
But the Pacers are just 2-7 in their last 9 games, with both of those wins coming against the Knicks. In those games, Tyler Hansbrough set back-to-back career highs in points, scoring 29 and then 30. I thought he could only score that many in the ACC. But in March, Hansbrough has averaged 19.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per game. He didn’t average more than 23.5 minutes per game in any other month. He is being rewarded with more minutes, and with the way he has played his last few games, the same can be expected against Chicago.
Indiana is going to need all the scorers they can put on the floor tonight. The Bulls held the Nets to 73 points, continuing their stifling defense. The Bulls have allowed more than 90 points only once since February 24 (100 points against the Jazz, but they still won by 18 points). That’s a 12-game stretch.
The Bulls defense has been great in the games against Indiana this season. In the first three games between the two teams, the Pacers failed to score 90 points even once (they averaged 82.7 points). The Bulls outscored the Pacers by more than 17 points in the three wins this year and held Indiana to just above 36% shooting.
Chicago is still a perfect 12-0 against divisional opponents this year. Can I hear 13?
About the Author:
Braedan Ritter was born and raised in Pennsylvania but was swayed by gifts from his aunt to follow the Chicago sports teams. It didn’t hurt that the Bulls had a guy named Michael Jordan playing for them, and the Sixers had…Derrick Coleman. Braedan has stuck with Chicago through thick and thin, and really thin (see: Chicago Cubs). And speaking of Coleman, Braedan is currently a student at Syracuse University.
If, like me, you’ve been basking in the positive vibes emanating from this year’s Bulls squad and thinking that something special is going on behind the scenes, here’s the confirmation.
From ESPNChicago: “The Chicago Bulls will honor Scottie Pippen with a bronze bust of the Hall of Famer during a ceremony at halftime of a game against the Boston Celtics on April 7 at the United Center. The bust of Pippen, who works as an ambassador for his former team, will be permanently displayed on the 100-level concourse of the United Center.”
Pippen said (via statement): “Words really can’t express my feelings. It’s an unbelievable honor and truly amazing. It’s something you dream of as a kid growing up, but you can never foresee those childhood fantasies becoming reality. You see statues of individuals who have done great things and made their mark on history, but as a basketball player, you never really think about arriving at this point. It’s an amazing honor for the Chicago Bulls to do this for me.”
Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf added (also via statement): ”Not only is Scottie Pippen one of the greatest players to ever wear a Bulls uniform, but he’s among the best players in the history of the league to play the game. He had a tremendous impact in bringing six world championships to Chicago and there is no better way to pay tribute to him than with a permanent bust that honors his inspirational career.”
I’m not sure why Pip isn’t getting a full statue like Jordan. Seriously, how cool would it be to see a statue of Scottie next to MJ’s statue? Especially if Bronze Pippen was dunking over a Bronze Ewing. You know, the whole “art imitating life” thing.
I don’t know. Maybe this was the organization’s way of saying, “Scottie, you were truly great, but let’s be honest, you were not as great as Mike, so we’re only bronzing part of your anatomy.”
If this continues, maybe we’ll see additional bronze partials of other players from the Jordan era, with each one based on that player’s level of contribution to the championship cause. We could have bronze replicas of Horace Grant’s feet, or John Paxson’s hands, maybe a thumb of Will Perdue or the bronze fingernail clippings of Stacey King.
Admit it. That would be awesome.
Update! From By The Horns reader Brad S: “I’d like to see Toni Kukoc’s sweet, sweet hair styling encased in bronze.”