The Bulls defended the paint and forced the Heat to beat them from the outside. And it worked. For the Heat, I mean. It backfired big time for the Bulls. According to Hoopdata, Chicago held Miami to 10-for-23 shooting at the rim. That’s a conversion rate of only 43.5 percent for a team with two […]
Archive | NBA Playoffs
Defining moments of a haunting loss
Things started out so well for the Bulls. They raced out to a 19-8 lead with 4:22 left in the first quarter…and then bad things happened. Very bad things. Very bad offensive things. The terror actually started exactly at the 4:22 mark when Ronnie Brewer clanked the free throw of an “And 1” opportunity. Keith […]
Eastern Conference Finals Game 4: Heat 101, Bulls 93
The Bulls gave absolutely everything they had last night. It wasn’t enough. There are several stats from this game that blow my mind. LeBron James had a playoff career-best success rate at the free throw line (13-for-13) and Chris Bosh wasn’t far off that mark (10-for-11). The Heat — who ranked 12th in the league […]
Omer Asik may miss Game 4
ESPNChicago’s Nick Friedell writes: “Chicago Bulls center Omer Asik missed shootaround Tuesday morning with a muscle strain in his left leg, and he is a game-time call for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat. He suffered the injury in the third quarter of Game 3 on Sunday and did not return.” […]
Adjusments will be the key to Game 4
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 […]
Eastern Conference Finals: Game 3 Preview and Open Thread
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 […]
Eastern Conference Finals Game 2: Heat
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 […]
ECF Game 1: Preview and Open Thread
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, […]
Round 2 Game 5: Bulls 95, Hawks 83
Talk about a turnaround. In Game 4, the Bulls were up 69-67 heading into the fourth quarter before getting outscored by 14 points in the final frame of a disappointing loss. Last night, Chicago led 69-68 and then outscored the Hawks 26-15 over the final 12 minutes, taking a 3-2 series lead in the process. […]
Round 2 Game 5: Preview and Open Thread
Game Four Stats: Chicago: Derrick Rose: 34 points (12-32), 10 assists Carlos Boozer: 18 points (7-10), 6 rebounds Atlanta: Josh Smith: 23 points (8-22), 16 rebounds, 8 assists Al Horford: 20 points (9-11), 5 rebounds Joe Johnson: 24 points (9-14) Overview: Going back home it’s now a three game series for the Bulls. Give credit […]