During the regular season, the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks ranked 12th and 13th in Defensive Rating. They were also eighth and 12th in Opponents Effective Field Goal Percentage.
The Miami Heat ranked fifth and fourth in those categories.
During this year’s playoffs, the Heat rank third in Defensive Rating, trailing only the first place (but eliminated) Orlando Magic and the second place Bulls.
Clearly, Miami is the best defensive team Chicago has faced this postseason.
And it shows.
In Game 1, despite winning by 21 points, the Bulls shot only 43.7 percent. The lopsided victory was due to their 19 offensive rebounds and 31 second-chance points.
In Game 2, they shot 34.1 percent and scored only 10 points in the fourth quarter.
In Game 3, the Heat held them to 41.6 percent shooting.
Miami’s defensive intensity — combined with what I’m guessing is the feeling that the series is slipping or has already slipped beyond their control — has the Bulls frustrated. Keith Bogans had words with Dwyane Wade. For reasons unknown, Taj Gibson was talking trash to a red-hot Chris Bosh in Game 3. Joakim Noah, as well all know, made some very unfortunate comments to a courtside fan.
This is new territory for a group of players who were characterized by such strong composure all season. From outside the locker room, it seems like the pressure is getting to them.
At the very least, the defensive pressure has gotten to Derrick Rose, who has been disappearing in the fourth quarter. In Game 3, with everything on the line, the Heat’s swarming, trapping, double-teaming defense repeatedly forced Rose to give up the ball. In those final 12 minutes, he attempted only two shots and didn’t make a single trip to the line.
Rose’s salad days of the regular season are a distant memory, as they should be. But it’s tough to forget how clutch he was “way back when.”
For instance, he finished the season as the second-best “clutch” scorer in the league, according to 82games.com, averaging 47.8 points per 48 minutes in “clutch situations,” which are defined as the last five minutes of regulation or overtime, with neither team ahead by more than five points.
No one is exactly sure why Rose isn’t dominating late in games right now, but it’s not hard to guess. It has a lot to do with the quality of competition. Rose faced double-teams, blitzes, whatever, all season, but now he’s facing long, athletic, focused players, led by the Heat’s big three, who are taking turns helping out or guarding him.
Let’s just say Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford weren’t exactly ideal sparring partners to get him ready for the Heat.
I hate to say it, but something like this was nearly inevitable. The Bulls were roughly average on offense for most of the season. They finished ranked 11th in Offensive Rating, but they still suffered through brutal offensive droughts because the system relied so heavily on Rose’s ability to create offense through dribble penetration.
When the Pacers limited that, the Bulls struggled.
When the Hawks limited that, the Bulls struggled.
When he Heat limit that, the Bulls are really, really struggling.
So what can they do?
In his article, Greenberg mentioned that ”Rose agreed with a reporter’s suggestion that they should run more isolation-style plays for him, be they on the top of the key or from a wing. In a perfect world, you put Luol Deng and Kyle Korver in the corners and Carlos Boozer in the low block to push help defenders off the ball, and Rose is off to the races.”
Added Rose: “That would be great. I think like more step-ups, things like that, more isolation-type things instead of double-teaming all the time.”
The Bulls have to try something, because the pick and roll isn’t working, either because the teammate setting the pick (often Joakim Noah) isn’t a threat to score or because the double is coming from an athletic, long-armed opponent like Bosh or James. The situation demands Rose pull back and pass the ball…at which point everything stalls.
Mind you, Noah was, at times, able to receive a pass and then make another quick pass for a score. But, as Sebastian Pruiti of NBA Playbook pointed out, the Heat figured out what Jo was doing and shut it down. It hurts that Noah seems afraid to take short jumpers. Without that minor mid-range threat, the Heat can adjust and negate his offensive contributions.
Meanwhile, LeBron James is doing a number on Luol Deng and there’s no telling whether Carlos Boozer can repeat his strong offensive performance from Game 3.
Which puts much of the responsibility back on Derrick’s shoulders.
What can he do against a defense that knows stopping him is the key to closing out the Bulls?
Said Rose: ”It’s something I’ve been experiencing through the whole playoffs. Every series, people have been trying to do that, and I’ve found a way. I think [tonight] will be a different game.”
It has better be.
My question is: How will it be different? For all his success this season, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau hasn’t made all that many innovations in the team’s offense. Will he create more isolations for Rose, as described above? Try more inside-outside play, focusing on Boozer and Noah in the post, with Rose, Deng, Bogans, etc., spotting up and moving without the ball? Will the Bulls simply keep “doing what they do” and hope to do it better?
More than anything else, the NBA playoffs are about adjustments. After getting spanked in Game 1, the Heat put a greater focus on protecting the boards. They won the rebounding battle in Game 2. Chicago outrebounded Miami in Game 3, but their offensive rebounding didn’t make the impact it had in the series opener.
What adjustments will the Bulls make tonight? Because they may well decide the series.
Update!ESPN’s John Hollinger has two suggestions: Play Gibson and Boozer together, relegating Noah to reserve minutes, and/or go with a small lineup when Boozer is out of the game (Rose, Deng, Korver, Brewer, and either Noah or Gibson). I’m fine with these suggestions.
He was the Ringo of these “Heetles,” right? The oft-criticized, occasionally forgotten third wheel. The butt of all the “Two and a Half Men” jokes that swirled around Miami this season. The Boshtrich. The guy who went 1-for-18 against the Bulls during what’s turning out to be an utterly meaningless regular season game.
I didn’t think it would be Chris Bosh.
I just didn’t think he would be the Heat player beating the Bulls.
Bosh scored 34 points on 18 field goal attempts.
He went 5-for-6 at the rim, 2-for-2 from 3-9 feet, 1-for-1 from 10-15 feet and 5-for-9 from 16-23 feet.
He hit open shots.
He hit contested shots.
After starting the game 0-for-3, he went 13-for-15.
Bosh also earned more foul shots (10) than LeBron James (9), Dwyane Wade (6) or Derrick Rose (3).
Hknocked down eight of them.
Chicago’s defense was designed to slow down the scoring exploits of LeBron (6-for-13) and D-Wade (6-for-17). That mission was accomplished. But Bosh’s frightening accuracy from everywhere on the floor stretched that D to its breaking point. It allowed James to drive, draw the double team, and kick the ball out. Six of LeBron’s game-high 10 assists were dished to Bosh and Wade…four of them to Bosh.
That’s the value of Miami’s three-star system.
How can you possibly guard all three of them on every possession? The answer, it’s turning out, is that you can’t. Bosh now has two 30-point outbursts in three playoff games against Chicago’s league-leading defense. And in the one game he didn’t go for 30, James and Wade had their way.
It’s hard not to compare LeBron’s floor game and assist totals to that of Derrick Rose. Of course, when Rose tried to run the pick and roll with Joakim Noah, the Heat defense stuck to Rose like it was made of Velcro. That’s because Noah is no threat to score. Last night, Jo finished with a single point on 0-for-4 shooting.
Let’s put it this way: Noah finished the game with more alleged gay slurs than field goals.
Of course, Noah has never been a primary or even secondary scoring threat. The Bulls count on him to rip down rebounds and make an impact on defense. Only he didn’t do either last night. Not even close. Jo totaled a mere 5 rebounds, only one of which came on the offensive end, when he missed a tip shot.
And he was the unfortunate victim of several Bosh jumpers.
Noah finished with five fouls. He committed three of them trying — and failing — to stop Bosh. He couldn’t even slow Bosh down. That wasn’t just a hiccup in the game plan. It blew the game plan to hell.
Said Noah: “We didn’t finish well at the rim. I feel like I could definitely do a better job on the boards, and I need to finish better. I’m really disappointed in myself with the way I played tonight.”
You can tell Noah is frustrated. You can also tell he’s lost all faith in that little 15-footer he had developed before his thumb surgery. Now, when left unguarded with the ball on the outside, Noah looks like he’s holding the world’s hottest potato. He can’t get rid of that thing fast enough.
Juxtapose Noah’s fear of getting the rock outside the paint with Udonis Haslem’s confidence. Haslem went 4-for-5 from the field in the second half, which included jumpers from 15, 16 and 18 feet. Haslem’s ability to hit those shots opened up the floor for James to drive and kick, drive and kick, drive and score.
The Bulls aren’t opening similar lanes for Rose. Carlos Boozer finally made a jail break — 26 points, 10-for-12 at the line, 17 rebounds — but Deng went 2-for-7 when he wasn’t shooting from point blank range. Keith Bogans hit one and missed two. Ronnie Brewer was 2-for-6 and hasn’t earned any respect for his jump shot. Kyle Korver attempted only two field goals in 11 minutes. Omer Asik — who’s less of a threat to score than anyone else on this team — went 0-for-3 before leaving with a leg injury.
In short, the Bulls couldn’t stop Miami’s Big Three — who scored 73 of the Heat’s 96 points — and couldn’t get anything consistent out of their offense outside of Boozer. Haslem, Mike Bibby (2-for-4 on threes) and Mario Chalmers (2-for-3) spaced the floor just enough for their superstar teammates to go where they wanted to go.
Chicago won the rebounding battle (41-32) and outscored Miami in the paint (36-31), but the Heat nearly 51 percent from the field and went an outrageous 10-for-19 from 16-23 feet (52.7 percent). That can’t happen.
Said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau: “They’re making shots. We have to get up and challenge their shots better. We have to finish our defense. The rebounding was good. Challenging their shots wasn’t.”
I guess. Although there were a couple times Noah’s hand was so far up in Bosh’s face he could have wiped Bosh’s nose, but Miami’s big man knocked the shots down anyway. What more can Noah do to challenge? Hit Bosh with a brick?
Mind you, I think the long layoff between Games 2 and 3 helped the Heat more than the Bulls. Chicago has superior depth, but that hardly mattered because there was a four-day gap between games. James played 44 minutes. Bosh 43. Wade 39. Why not? They were well-rested, which totally negated the depth factor.
Maybe that will change since Game 4 is on Tuesday night.
Said Boozer: “We feel like we had chances to win both of these games. We are not frustrated to the point where we will not keep fighting, that’s not our character. We are a tough-minded team, tough group of guys, and trust me, we will be right back at it in Game 4.”
I hope Carlos is right. The Bulls haven’t lost three games in a row all season. If it happens on Tuesday, this series will be all but over.
Deceptive Stat of the Night: According to ESPN Stats and Information: “The Heat’s point guards (Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby) did an excellent job containing Derrick Rose in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Chalmers and Bibby held the reigning MVP to 4-12 from the field, including 0-3 on isolation plays. This after Rose shot 15-30 when guarded by them in the first two games of the series.”
Sorry, but those guys aren’t containing Rose. They’re helping, to be sure, but Derrick has rarely seen single coverage in this series. Miami is sending help at him from every direction.
No offense to Bibby and Chalmers, but they aren’t the reason why Rose disappeared in the fourth quarter, managing a couple points on only two shot attempts to go with 3 assists and 2 catastrophic turnovers. Miami’s team defense has been intense. Rose hasn’t figured out and answer. He and Thibs will need to if the Bulls are going to survive.
Game Two Stats: Chicago:
Chicago Starting 5: 55 points, 29 rebounds (16 offensive), 13 assists, 4 steals
Miami:
LeBron James and Dwayne Wade: 51 points, 19 rebounds (4 offensive), 7 assists, 4 steals
Injuries: Udonis Haslem: Day-to-Day, Foot, did not practice Friday
LeBron James: Day-to-Day, flu-like symptoms, will play
Overview: After Game One I said that Miami was the team that had to make the changes. They did. Now it’s Chicago’s turn to adjust to what the Heat just did to them.
The Bulls, after playing great in game one, got beat bad in game two. Chicago escaped their somewhat poor shooting in game one by getting a ton of offensive rebounds and second chance points. But Chicago shot almost 10 percent worse from the field in game two, and couldn’t wiggle their way out of that 34.2 percent shooting.
And after making 10-21 three pointers (47.7 percent) in game one, the Bulls fell to 3-20 (15 percent) in the most recent matchup. No one could hit from long range. Luol Deng was 1-7 from behind the arc, after going 4-6 in game one. Kyle Korver continued to struggle, going just 1-5. And Keith Bogans went just 1-4. Derrick Rose didn’t hit any of his three attempts.
The shooting didn’t get much better when the Bulls moved in closer either. From within nine feet Rose was 2-11, Noah was 4-9, and Boozer was 3-7. And although Chicago brought down 17 offensive rebounds, they scored just 18 second chance points. They went 5-14 off those offensive rebounds, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The Bulls scored 31 second chance points in game one, off of just two more offensive rebounds.
But the good news is that the Bulls know exactly what the Heat will do—score in the low to mid 80s on 47.1 percent shooting. Just like they did in both games this series.
Alright that’s probably not going to happen again, but game two is probably more similar to what to expect for the rest of the series. Both LeBron James and Dwayne Wade bounced back from their poor showings in game one. They combined for 20 more points in game two, and Wade made as many free throws by himself as both did in game one (eight).
LeBron shot 12-21 from the field with Wade shooting 8-16. James had 18 points in the paint in game two, after having just two in game one. You can expect more drives from Wade and LeBron as the series continues. They also combined for 17 free throws, which is probably going to continue as well. James did have five turnovers though and only recorded a plus/minus of +8, which isn’t fantastic.
Mike Bibby played surprisingly good defense on Derrick Rose, and recorded a plus/minus of +16.
Miami made some adjustments to limit the scoring off of offensive rebounds, but Chicago still grabbed a bunch of offensive rebounds. If Chicago keeps averaging 18.0 offensive rebounds per game, good things should happen. The Bulls probably won’t go 4-13 again on their second chance points, and should shoot better from in close.
And I know I keep saying it, but it keeps getting proven correct: when Chicago plays a poor game, they come out and play well in the next one. Especially Derrick Rose. He almost always bounces back. And according to ESPN Stats and Information, games twos are not Rose’s friend. “While Derrick Rose has been excellent in series-openers, Game 2 has not been as nice. Rose averages 8 points fewer in Game 2 and in five career games has shot just 39 percent from the field, including a 7-23 performance on Wednesday.”
Something that must improve is Chicago’s crunch time defense. Normally very good, their defense at the end of game two was not great. LeBron James by himself scored nine points in the final 4:30.
Against the Pacers and Hawks, the Bulls defense was at its best in the fourth quarter. This was one of the Bulls biggest weapons, allowing them to come back from a few fourth quarter deficits. But it didn’t happen in game two; partly because the Bulls are playing a much better offensive team, with LeBron, Wade and Chris Bosh.
Chicago can definitely play better, and Thibodeau should have a game plan to harass LeBron next game, and not let him get into a rhythm, particularly at the end of the game. As long as Chicago continues to bring down offensive rebounds (while winning the rebounding battle like they did in game one) and defends better, the Bulls have a good chance of getting home court advantage back.
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.
In Game 1, the Bulls won with defense and rebounding.
In Game 2, the Heat won with defense and rebounding.
Don’t get me wrong. There were other factors. Plenty of them.
The Bulls missed on a lot of open looks. Shots they hit in Game 1 became shots they bricked in Game 2. I lost count of how many shots rattled around the rim or went halfway down before popping back out…but there were several. If two or three of those wide open looks had snapped through the nylon, maybe things turn out differently.
Or maybe they don’t. We’ll never know.
The Bulls also shanked 10 free throws. The most painful of those misses came when Derrick Rose short-armed two in a row with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter and the Heat leading only 73-69. It also hurt when Taj Gibson failed to convert the free throw on an “And 1″ opportunity with 2:29 left and the Heat up 78-75.
On the other side of the basketball, Miami got a huge lift from Udonis Haslem, who returned from the dead with an inspiring all-around performance: 13 points, 5-for-10, 3-for-3 on the line, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. His plus-minus score (-11) is deceiving, because Haslem made several big-time plays.
He was to the Heat what Gibson was to the Bulls in Game 1.
In particular, Haslem drilled two 20-footers in the final minute and a half of the third quarter to stymie a rally attempt by the Bulls. Time and again, Haslem made positive basketball plays. He blocked a shot by Rose. He threw down a couple dunks. He grabbed three big offensive rebounds.
Before Game 1, Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau instructed his players: “Inspire your teammates. Do it with your effort.” Haslem did that last night for the Heat.
Miami also owned the paint, outscoring the Bulls 50-34 in the colored rectangle, and going an amazing 16-for-20 at the rim (80 percent). According to ESPN Stats and Information: “The Bulls have not been able to keep the Heat from scoring down low, allowing Miami to shoot 64.6 percent from inside 10 feet in this series. In Game 2, the Heat entered the fourth quarter shooting 20-for-27 (74.1 pct) from inside 10 feet before cooling down.”
And, of course, there was LeBron James hitting clutch jumpers down the stretch. His biggest shot was the three-pointer he nailed with 4:28 left to put the Heat up 76-73. Before that bucket, the game had been tied at 73-73 for almost three full minutes, and anybody could have taken control at that point.
LeBron did just that.
So, yeah, there were other factors involved, but it still came down to defense and rebounding.
The basic building blocks of basketball.
The Bulls missed a fair share of open looks. However, the Heat pursued, pressured and contested with much greater intensity than they had in Game 1. For the most part, they kept Rose away from the basket, limiting to four shot attempts at the rim. When Rose did drive, the Heat made him to stop sooner than he wanted and forced him into 0-for-7 shooting from 3-9 feet.
Miami also cut off Deng’s path to the basket. Several times he drove baseline and lost the ball or got stripped. He ended up taking seven three-pointers and converting only one of them.
Carlos Boozer was 3-for-10. Kyle Korver was 1-for-7. Hands were in faces all over the place. In the final tally, the Bulls shot 34.1 percent as a team and went 3-for-20 from beyond the arc.
The Bulls still managed to haul down 17 offensive rebounds, but they resulted in only 18 second-chance points, compared to the 31 they had in Game 1.
According to ESPN Stats and Information: “Through three quarters, the Bulls dominated the offensive glass but struggled to capitalize, scoring just 16 points as they went 4-for-13 on second-chance opportunities. That came back to haunt them in the fourth, as the Heat kept Chicago off the glass, holding the Bulls to just two second-chance points on a single offensive rebound.”
In the bigger scheme of things, the Heat rebounded the Bulls 45-41 for the game. It was the first time this year — including both regular season and playoffs — that Miami outrebounded Chicago.
This is another one of those games that, if you look deep down, remind you that for all the drama and heroics we see in players like D-Rose and LeBron, winning and losing really comes down to the fundamentals of the game.
Defense and rebounding.
Those are supposed to be the Bulls’ specialties.
Last night, they were the team’s Achilles’ heel. Now the homecourt advantage is lost.
Game One Stats: Chicago:
Joakim Noah: 9 points, 14 rebounds (8 offensive), 2 steals, 2 blocks
Miami: Chris Bosh: 30 points, 9 rebounds
Injuries: Udonis Haslem: Out
Overview: For the first time in these playoffs, Chicago showed up in game one. The Bulls pretty much need to do exactly what they did in game one, while Miami has to make all the adjustments.
Chicago didn’t shoot great, just 43.7 percent from the field, but they did shoot 47.6 percent from three (10-21). And they made up for that poor shooting in another aspect.
The Bulls absolutely dominated that glass, grabbing 45 rebounds to Miami’s 33. But it was really on the offensive glass that Chicago did their damage (a crazy 41.3 offensive rebound rate). The Bulls won that battle 19 to 6. Joakim Noah out-rebounded the Heat on the offensive glass by himself, with eight.
Chicago scored 31 second chance points. Miami had just 8. That’s a 23 point difference, when Chicago won by 21 points. There’s your difference.
And the Bulls needed those second chance points, because Miami shot pretty well. The Heat shot 47.1 percent from the field, and perfect from the line (15-15).
That foul shot number is low though. Through the playoffs, Wade is averaging 9.0 free throw attempts per game, while LeBron is getting there 8.7 times per contest. That’s more than 15 right there, and in game one they only had eight trips to the charity stripe between the two of them. Chicago needs to keep Wade and LeBron from driving, to keep them off the line, to keep their scoring down.
The Bulls did a really good job on LeBron and Wade, even when they switched off (Noah and Gibson specifically). But Deng, Bogans and Brewer also should get a lot of credit for harassing the Biggest Two, and making them work for everything. Miami isn’t deep like Chicago, so they rely on a fewer players to do more.
If Chicago can tire Wade, LeBron and Bosh, it will be huge. Wade and LeBron had been averaging 25 points each per game. Wade was 4-6 in the paint, but shot just 7-17 overall. From 10-23 feet he was just 1-6. LeBron shot 5-15, just 1-4 at the rim and 2-6 from 16-23 feet. Plus Wade got dunked on by Taj Gibson…did you see that? Seriously, did you?
The Miami Heat bright spot was Chris Bosh. He was 12 of 18 from the field, for 30 points and he also grabbed nine rebounds. But even with those scoring numbers, it wasn’t all good news for Bosh. He recorded a plus/minus of -15. Actually everyone on the Heat had a negative plus/minus, with Wade topping out at -22. And while every Miami player had a negative plus/minus, every single Chicago players posted a positive one.
Miami will surely make some changes, but the Bulls should still win if they put together something similar to game one. The Heat’s biggest issue will be securing the defensive rebounds. And if they send more guys at the glass, it could open up shooters on the outside.
The Bulls also turned to the Rose-Korver pick-and-roll late in the game. It was forcing Miami’s two poorer defenders to play a really tough pick-and-roll. Rose can drive or shoot, and Korver’s quick release has to keep them honest.
Miami isn’t going to just roll over though; they’re going to come out even harder.
“We’ve been able to bounce back this year no matter if it’s been the regular season or the postseason,” James said. “Learn from mistakes in the previous game and then move on. We’ve done that. We’re looking forward to the challenge, we’re excited about tomorrow’s opportunity to be here and try to steal homecourt.”
It will be hard for the Heat to make changes on the glass that will work, as Chicago also out-rebounded the Heat during the regular season by more than ten.
“It’s not about bigger bodies, it’s about wanting the ball,” Bosh said.
The Bulls wanted it more most of the regular season, and definitely wanted it more in game one. Will that stay the same tonight?
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.
During Chicago’s first round playoff series against the Pacers, Carlos Boozer was getting shelled by Bulls fans who were unhappy with his relative lack of output. Had it been a 1930s creature feature, Boozington would have been hiding at the top of a windmill surrounded by a mob of pitchfork-wielding villagers.
The reaction was strong and disproportionate. Boozer was being portrayed like some kind of cartoon bandit sneaking offwith bags of money in the dark of night. Sure, he struggling to score, but his rebounding numbers were strong. And it wasn’t like he set fire to the locker room or slipped laxatives into Derrick Rose’s breakfast cereal.
Booz was hurt and slumping…but he was trying.
Tom Thibodeau’s response: “He’s a lightning rod. The guy played 26 minutes (in Game 1 of the Pacers series) and he gets blamed for everything. Carlos is a terrific player. He started off Game 1 very aggressively. He got into some foul trouble and then he was limited. He has to stay aggressive. But he wasn’t responsible for all our defense (in Game 1); I can assure you that.”
“Carlos is in a situation where he’s hurt and he’s giving us everything he can. I’ve been in the position where I’ve been booed before in the United Center and I know to get to where we want to get to, we need Carlos. We should be supporting him. I don’t understand that.
“Not a lot of people know what that feels like to be a worker, work hard and be in position where you get booed by your home crowd. Booz is an emotional player. The crowd has a lot to do with his game. He enjoys that. I enjoy playing to the crowd. The crowd has a big impact on what we do. We realize that. I just want to show some support for my teammate and what he’s going through right now, because I don’t think it’s fair.”
Boozer finally emerged from his slump with a 23-point performance (on 10-for-16 shooting) as the Bulls eliminated the Hawks in Game 6 in Atlanta. Then Booz gave it up for his teammates:
“I love my teammates, man. We’ve been defending each other all season, no matter who was going through what throughout the course of the year. We’ve always had each other’s back. We’re all like a family. A lot of people say that, but we really are. It felt great to have everybody on my side that’s in this locker room and that’s how we’ve been all season. And we don’t listen to what you guys write about, talk about, we listen to each other. And we focus on what we talk about.
“When you have your teammates out there with you, you know the guy behind you has your back, he knows that you have his back. That’s what a team is supposed to do.”
Said Noah: ”Hewas a nice guy and all. But Bosh was more into, ‘Well it depends on what this guy does, what that guy does.’ Booz knew this was where he wanted to be. I liked that.”
Added Boozer: ”I just told Jo that if I leave Utah, this is where I want to come. I was like, ‘You and I could lock down the middle. D-Rose’s potential is through the roof. And Luol (Deng) is a versatile as anybody.’ … We can ride out and do some good things.”
As it happens, they did ride out and have done some good things.
With the potential to do some great things.
This is why, despite my occasional doubts, I’m behind Boozer 100 percent. He arrived in Chicago with the reputation of being a 20-10 guy. Because of that, fans start to get twitchy when he doesn’t score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds. But here’s the thing: The Jazz needed 20-10 from Boozer and they struggled to win when he didn’t give it to them.
This Bulls team isn’t built like that. They need Carlos to be an inside threat and contribute to winning however he can. Sometimes that means going for 20 points, or hauling down 10 rebounds, or cheering on Taj Gibson from the bench. Which he has done and will continue to do, by the way.
I know about Boozer’s spotty history — specifically his questionable departure from Cleveland– but he has been an ideal teammate this season. He accepts his role and supports his teammates. Many guys with Boozer’s pedigree and large contract would probably sulk about losing fourth quarter minutes to their backup. But when Taj Gibson throws down a monster dunk, Booz is right there, jumping up off the bench to slap palms.
People need to understand that this Bulls team is exceptionally close. That, as much as anything else, has contributed to the winning environment that has been created. I understand that stats are important. And, with the growing use of advanced metrics, fans and experts get riled up when they aren’t seeing the numbers they expect.
But nobody on this team cares about stats. They care about each other and they care about winning. That’s it. Every single player on the Bulls has Boozer’s back. That’s important. So is the fact that Boozer wants to be here and is committed to the team over everything else. Even his own numbers and pride. It makes him the perfect fit for this situation even if he isn’t averaging a 20-10.
So, even if he struggles again, I’m going to have Boozer’s back as long as his team believes in him.
According to Deadspin’s Emma Carmichael, this photo of Taj Gibson posterization of Dwyane Wade will replace Bruce Lee posters across America. Personally, I’ve replaced every contact photo on my iPhone with this picture. So if you call me, this is what I’ll see:
“And remember: heart. But the important thing is Chicago heart.”
That’s what Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told his players before Game 1 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals. And if you were wondering whether this team buys into everything their coach has to say, this game provided complete and utter confirmation.
This Bulls didn’t simply carry out Thibodeau’s orders. They lived them.
Like midway through the third quarter when Joakim Noah wound up defending Dwyane Wade in isolation. D-Wade couldn’t get around Noah, and Jo swatted his shot.
A few minutes later, LeBron James went right at Taj Gibson one-on-one. Gibson not only stayed right with James, he got a piece of LeBron’s shot.
Later, Kyle Korver knocked the basketball away from Wade and was the first one on the floor trying to recover it. Korver ended up deflecting the ball out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Heat, but that play epitomized the kind of effort the Bulls were putting forth.
That effort resulted in some numbers that ranged from “impressive” to “absurd.”
For instance, Chicago scored 22 points off 16 forced turnovers, went 10-for-21 from downtown, and outrebounded Miami 45-33. Furthermore, the Bench Mob outscored their Heat counterparts 28-15.
Those are impressive stats.
Even more impressive was the fact that the Bulls held James and Wade to a combined 11 points in the second half. In fact, both James (15 points, 5-for-15, -14) and Wade (18 points, 7-for-17, -22) looked very mortal. They each finished with only four free throw attempts and a co-game-high 4 turnovers.
The Heat advanced past the Celtics by repeatedly isolating their two superstars. None of the Boston players — individually or as a collective — could stay between those men and the basket. That didn’t work against the Chicago D. Not in Game 1 anyway. With the Bulls keeping James and Wade out of the paint, and shutting down Miami’s fast break, the Heat mustered only 34 points in the second half.
Now for the absurd numbers. Chicago had a 19-6 edge in offensive rebounds that led to an unbelievable 31-8 advantage in second chance points. The Heat could not protect their defensive glass. Noah had 8 offensive rebounds. Carlos Boozer had 4. Gibson had 3. Heck, even C.J. Watson had 2.
The Bulls didn’t shoot all that well — 43.7 percent as a team — but they had an offensive rebounding percentage of 41.3. When a team rebounds four out of every 10 missed shots, that gives them a pretty distince advantage.
You want to see energy and intensity? Check this out:
And this:
Regarding Gibson’s dunks, Noah said: “It was unbelievable. The one on Wade was crazy and the one at the end of the game was crazy, too. I’ve been calling him ‘Light Feet’ for a long time. That’s his nickname around here… he’s got a few nicknames, but ‘Light Feet’ is one of them.”
Countered Wade: “That’s the first time I’ve been dunked on all year. I’ll take my 90-1 dunks [ratio] this year. It was a very athletic play. I knew I didn’t have a chance when I was backpedaling. He’s very athletic. This won’t be the last time I get dunked on.”
According to ESPNChicago’s Nick Friedell, Gibson preferred the putback dunk to his poster-maker on Wade: “That just shows that no matter what the score is, no matter how much time is left in the game, you never stop playing. You want to keep playing til the clock runs out and that’s Thibs’ motto: Play 48 minutes. And tonight we wanted to go out there and show that we can play 48 minutes of tough basketball.”
Did they ever. In the second round of these playoffs, versus Miami’s 2.5 superstar system, the Celtics looked like a civilization in decay. Last night, the Bulls looked like a hoard of rampaging barbarians storming the castle gates. They outworked and outhustled the Heat.
They also played smart basketball.
Chicago managed to play defense without fouling, limiting the Heat to only 15 free throw attempts as a team. By comparison, James and Wade came into this game averaging 14 combined FTA during the playoffs. The Bulls weren’t giving up easy points.
Speaking of which, they also took care of the basketball. After a shaky first quarter in which they committed 3 turnovers and gave up 8 fast break points, the Bulls finished with only 9 turnovers and the Heat ended up with only 10 fast break points.
As Friedell noted, Chicago went 30 straight possessions without a miscue and had only 1 turnover in the second half. By valuing possession of the basketball, Chicago prevented Miami from racking up easy transition baskets and forced them into a halfcourt, iso-heavy offense.
That worked out pretty well.
This was the team’s best game in the playoffs. They were 100 percent focused and committed to carrying out the game plan. Everybody was sharp. Derrick Rose had one of the quietest 28 points you’ll ever see. Luol Deng had a great all-around game (21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists) and played excellent defense on LeBron. Noah dominated the glass (14 rebounds) and intimidated from within the paint. Carlos Boozer was solid (14 points, 9 rebounds) and efficient (5-for-10 from the field, 4-for-4 from the line).
And, of course, the bench was a plus all night long. On that subject, check out the Bench Mob’s plus-minus numbers: Gibson (+17), Ronnie Brewer (+13), Korver (+9), Omer Asik (+9), C.J. Watson (+7).
In many ways, this game seemed like a war of attrition, with the Bulls wearing the Heat down with their depth in the second half. And it’s worth reminding everybody that after a regular season in which both James and Wade averaged close to 40 minutes per game, they are averaging 43.4 MPG and 39.6 MPG during the postseason.
With their usuage rates hovering in the 30-ish range, and with almost every single Miami play running through them, maybe the Bulls can keep throwing fresh bodies at them until they tire out.
Or maybe not. It’s worth remembering that, as impressive as the win was, it’s still a one-game sample. Will LeBron go 5-for-15 again? Probably not. Will he and Wade finish with only four FTA each again? Unlikely. What seems more reasonable is that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra will look at the tape, make adjustments, and we’ll see the Heat come out with a new game plan for Game 2.
Season Series:
Game 1: Chicago won 99-96 (Derrick Rose: 34 points, 8 assists; Dwayne Wade: 33 points, 6 rebounds)
Game 2: Chicago won 93-89 (Dwayne Wade: 34 points, 8 rebounds; Luol Deng: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists)
Game 3: Chicago won 87-86 (LeBron James: 26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists; Derrick Rose: 27 points, 5 assists)
Injuries: None
Overview: Bulls-Heat. It all comes full circle doesn’t it? The Heat, the team many people believed would be the number one seed, faces off against Chicago, the surprise number one seed. Chicago went after the three stars leading Miami into this series. They missed out, but snagged some nice consolation prizes.
The biggest question is which Chicago Bulls will show up? Did it take the Bulls ten postseason games, or more exactly, 39 quarters, to get back to what they were doing in the regular season, or are they going to start this series like the other two? Chicago is coming into this series playing their best ball of the post season.
There was a lot of talk about Rose shooting too much. And 23.3 shots per game may seem like too much, but Chicago needed him to take those shots. If you watched game six, Rose was dishing extremely well, especially to Carlos Boozer (and Taj Gibson in the fourth quarter of game five). Derrick only took 14 shots, because they didn’t need his scoring as much (although he still scored 19 points), Rose knows what to do. He can be a passing point guard if other guys are hitting shots, or he can take over. It’s really the best of both worlds.
Chicago was 3-0 against Miami in the regular season, but this is a new Miami team. They seem to have everything figured out during this postseason. Boston was 3-0 against Miami in the regular and then got romped in the playoffs.
That’s not to say that Boston and Chicago are the same, because Chicago is much younger and the Bulls point guard isn’t playing with one arm (knock on wood that doesn’t happen). Chicago also has home court advantage, for what that is worth, and the Bulls big offseason acquisition will actually contribute on the court and not just on the dinner bill.
The Bulls won the regular season games, but LeBron didn’t play in the first game (neither did Noah) and Chris Bosh went 1-18 in the second match-up. As much as everyone would like to see that again, it probably won’t happen. And Chicago won by an average of less than three points. That’s one possession over the course of the game that meant the difference between winning and losing.
And although Rose played well against Miami, averaging 29.0 points on 44.6 percent shooting, while adding 6.3 assists, he recorded a plus/minus of -3 for the entire series. This again shows how important the bench is, especially compared to Miami’s lack of bench players.
Overall the player match-ups will be key. And none will be bigger than Luol Deng against LeBron James. The two played 75 minutes against each other during the regular season. Deng’s numbers aren’t bad. He averaged 16.8 points on 57 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists with LeBron on the court. With LeBron off (in 47 minutes) Deng averaged 11.5 points on 33 percent, 6.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
LeBron on the other hand averaged 25.4 points (57 percent shooting) per 36 minutes, to go with 7.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists when Luol Deng is on the court. His season stats per 36 minutes were 24.8 on 51 percent shooting, 6.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists.
Per 36 minutes, with Keith Bogans on the court, Dwayne Wade averaged just 19.8 points and his plus/minus is -13.2. Does that mean more Bogans!? Bogans is shooting 48.7 percent from three in the post season. In the Atlanta series he shot 10-21. Bogans shot just 38 percent from behind the arc during the regular season.
The Heat will definitely have a strategy in place to slow Derrick Rose, but what’s more important will be Chicago’s defense. The Bulls offense does not always show up, but the defense does, and Chicago will need it more to stop the two superstars and whatever you want to call Chris Bosh.
Another key is rebounding, which Chicago has been consistently good at. During the regular season, the Bulls out-rebounded Miami 43.7 to 33.0. The Bulls also won the offensive rebound battle 11.0 to 6.7. Chicago will need all the easy buckets they can get against a good defensive team.
“I think a lot of people are looking forward to this series,” LeBron James said. “It’s going to be two great defensive teams [that] take pride defensively, [teams that] get more out of getting stops than they do in scoring…May the best man win.” Team, LeBron…teams play basketball. Maybe that team thing could be key.
One-man-band: Via ESPN Stats and Information: Six previous times in NBA history has an MVP with no other All-Stars on his team faced off against a team with 3+ All-Stars in that season’s playoffs. The team with the multiple All-Stars won 5 of those 6 series, with Hakeem Olajuwon being the only MVP to win, leading the Rockets to a victory over a Knicks team featuring All-Stars Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Charles Oakley in the 1994 NBA Finals.
Chicago isn’t exactly one guy and 4 scrubs, just ask Carlos Boozer. “It hasn’t been a one-man show, but our one man is pretty good.”
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.
In the NBA playoffs, thanks to the best-of-seven series, the better basketball team usually wins.
That’s what happened last night.
While it’s certainly true the Bulls haven’t always played up to their potential this postseason, they did it on the road in Game 6, blowing out the Hawks in their own arena. There were some crazy numbers in this one. Like Chicago’s 53.2 percent shooting. If you subtract their 3-for-13 effort from beyond the arc, the Bulls converted 59 percent of their two-pointers. And they registered 34 assists on their 41 made baskets.
That’s pretty incredible.
The Chicago D came through yet again, holding Atlanta to 36.5 percent from the field and only 1-for-11 from three-point range. Al Horford (2-for-10) and Jamal Crawford (also 2-for-10) were non-factors, and Joe “The 120 Million Dollar Man” Johnson managed only 19 points on 18 shots and committed a game-high 4 turnovers.
Said Derrick Rose: “If anything, our defense won this game.”
Added Crawford: “After Game 1, they made me and Joe’s life a living hell.”
That’s what this team does. And credit Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau for remembering the Bench Mob in this series. For whatever reason, Thibs was reluctant to play the reserves much in the first round. The bench played a much bigger role in this series and it made a difference. Particularly because the Hawks — who were without Kirk Hinrich — don’t get much production outside of the starting unit.
Said Horford: ”What goes underrated about them is the depth of their team. They just wear on you. They just kept coming, kept coming every game. It seemed like their starters were fresh.”
Carlos Boozer sure looked fresh. He went 10-for-16 from the field (and 7-for-10 on jumpers) to finish with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. The sigh of relief from Bulls fans after Boozer’s big night probably altered weather patterns across the globe.
Said Booz: ”D-Rose gets so much attention. The 15-footer was open for me. I shot it.”
Speaking of Rose, he attempted his fewest field goal attempts of the postseason (14) and finished with his second-lowest playoff point total (19), but he dished out 12 assists (to only 3 turnovers) and finished with a game-high plus-minus score of +24.
It was just a precision game for the Bulls. They did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to do it. But what about Atlanta? I mean, the Hawks didn’t just play poorly. They looked beaten from the opening tip.
Jeff Fogel of Hoopdata writes: “Atlanta committed only 12 personal fouls on the night. TWELVE! That means Chicago was getting their looks without drawing contact. As passive as it gets.”
And:
“Atlanta let the Bulls put on a Globetrotter’s passing clinic, as 35 of Chicago’s 41 baskets were assisted. So, it wasn’t a case of Chicago taking turns driving straight to the basket for layups. It was pass-pass-pass open look. Half-hearted rotations AND not hitting anybody from the Hawks.”
And:
“While trailing most of the second half by double digits, Atlanta still played incredibly slow on offense. No sense of urgency. No ‘we’ve got to get back into this thing’ mentality. Patiently work for a shot to see if you can cut a 16-point deficit to 14…then go back and move around slowly on defense.”
It’s hard to say what happened. The Hawks were playing pretty spirited basketball through the first five games. Their collective will seemed to break during the fourth quarter of Game 5. Remember: Their starters were logging nearly 40 minutes per night against a grueling defensive team. Like Horford said, the Bulls’ depth wore them down.
Like I said, the better team usually wins.
There’s not much more to say than that, is there? The Bulls, simply put, thoroughly outplayed the Hawks in every conceivable way. They did what they were supposed to do — what everybody thought they should do — and now they will face the Miami Heat for a chance to go to the NBA Finals.
Said Rose: ”It’s going to be fun. It’s going to definitely be fun.”
