Coming to the end of a road trip that has seen injury troubles aplenty and some disappointing performances, the Chicago Bulls shrugged off the continued absence of Taj Gibson and first-half turnover problems to lay a second-half beatdown on the Brooklyn Nets, 102-84.

Derrick Rose struggled for much of the game, but found his stride in the third quarter as the Bulls started to pull away a bit. Jimmy Butler continued his excellent play, racking up 26 points on 12 shots to go with 4 rebounds, 5 assists and excellent defense on seven-time all-star Joe Johnson, who finished with just 3 points on 1/7 shooting. Pau Gasol scored 25 points (also on 12 shots) and grabbed 13 rebounds and Nikola Mirotic recorded a double-double off the bench with 12 points and 12 rebounds in just 27:24 of floor time.

Some of the hallmarks of a traditional Bulls win under Tom Thibodeau were there, to be sure. The Bulls outrebounded the Nets 50-34 and held Brooklyn to 37 percent shooting from the field and just 2/14 from distance. But make no mistake, this wasn’t a traditional Bulls win. Even with Rose mostly ineffective, the Bulls shot just under 50 percent (49.3) from the field and scored 102 points despite turning it over 19 times and managing just 7 offensive rebounds. This team features a lot of offensive talent, Kirk Hinrich’s continued existence and Doug McDermott/Tony Snell’s struggles notwithstanding.

It’s also important to note that the Bulls just went 4-3 on a road trip that has a tendency to submarine even good Bulls teams. Since the end of the Jordan Era, they’ve managed a winning record on the Circus Trip just twice: 2010-11 and 2014-15. And this year, they had to play the first three games without Rose and Gasol and the last four without Taj. This team hasn’t totally figured itself out yet, but there’s a lot to like here.

The Bulls are off tomorrow before making their return to the United Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST against the Dallas Mavericks.

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Sometimes they’re the Bad-A** Bulls, but tonight they were just the Bad Bulls.

Jeff Van Gundy noted Chicago’s win over New York yesterday wasn’t a fourth quarter blowout, but rather a game that was decided in the first quarter, and the same could be said of tonight’s game. The first quarter was a trainwreck, primarily because of Carlos Boozer. He was essentially a double agent, inept on the offensive end and a saboteur on the other.

The Bulls tried to attack Brooklyn’s small lineup early by going to Boozer down low against Paul Pierce, but truth be told, there is no size advantage there. On defense, he guarded center Miles Plumlee (starting for Kevin Garnett, out with back spasms), as he does against small lineups, leaving Joakim Noah to guard a perimeter player. The Nets took advantage of this in multiple ways. First, Plumlee is bigger, more athletic and more active than Boozer, so he was able to muscle his way to a rebound or two Noah wouldn’t have conceded. It removed Noah’s presence from the paint as a shot-blocker, and Brooklyn got multiple open shots out of pick and rolls.

Chicago stabilized themselves nearly immediately after Boozer exited. A Noah-Mohammed frontline, which according to NBA.com had only happened once for less than a minute prior to tonight, even did fine. Boozer came back in later in the quarter and they went right back to struggling.

That’s not to say they looked good without Boozer, as their offense was completely miserable. After just three turnovers yesterday, they had 28 tonight. The Nets did a very good job of containing pick and rolls and dribble drives intended to suck in a defender to kick to the open man. The closest thing the Bulls had to a go-to offensive playmaker was D.J. Augustin, and he missed four of his five threes.

The Bulls closed the deficit to just nine after Augustin’s lone make from beyond the arc, but Brooklyn stemmed the tide with a timeout and Pierce hit a dagger three with less than five minutes to play to put the Nets up 88-71. Garbage time ensued for fan favorites Jason Collins, who received an ovation in his first game on Brooklyn’s home floor, and Jimmer Fredette, who hit a layup in the final seconds to get to the Bulls to the 80 point mark.

Jason Kidd and the Nets all year have bemoaned their lack of identity. Tonight was another sign that they’ve found one in their small ball lineup. A team that appeared to be giants with a preseason Williams-Johnson-Pierce-Garnett-Lopez lineup now outhustles and befuddles teams with funky groups that function thanks to big shooter Mirza Teletovic and swiss army knife Andrei Kirilenko. They are .500 for the first time since November.

As for the Bulls, they have a very winnable game in Detroit on Wednesday, followed by a tough five game homestand, with four of those contests against legitimate playoff contenders.

The post Bulls Fail to Sweep Season Series Over Nets, Fall 96-80 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

The teams keep changing but the Bulls seem to have the Nets number in the Brooklyn era. They took three of four meetings in last year’s regular season and obviously won last year’s memorable seven game battle in the first round of the playoffs. They’ve thumped the Nets by at least 15 in both games this season and can sweep the season series with a win tonight.

At this point, it’s fair to call Brooklyn the definition of average, or The Good Bad Team, if you prefer. Dating back to their win in London over the Hawks, here are their results:

Wins: New York, Orlando, Dallas, Boston, Philly, San Antonio (minus Duncan, Parker, Leonard and Ginobili), New Orleans, Charlotte, Utah, Lakers, Denver, Milwaukee.

Losses: Toronto, OKC, Indiana, Detroit, Chicago, Golden State, Portland.

Aside from the one point win over Dallas and the loss in Detroit, and depending how you classify Charlotte, they beat the bad teams and fell to the good teams. In fact, they just finished a six game road trip that saw them get thumped by 44 in Portland, and then take it out on the floundering Nuggets the next night. Tonight’s game is their first time being at home since the All-Star break.

The Joakim Noah-Kevin Garnett feud may not get a chance to add another chapter to the book tonight. Even if Noah plays after spraining his ankle yesterday, Garnett is a game-time decision with back spasms. UPDATE (2:50 PM): GARNETT IS OUT TONIGHT

Brooklyn’s best chance might be hoping for a weary Bulls team. They’re on the road and playing a back-to-back after yesterday’s win over the Knicks, but they were up by enough that Tom Thibodeau felt comfortable to go to his TokoTime lineup and give Jimmer Fredette his first minutes as a Bull. Chicago matches up well with the Nets because of how well Jimmy Butler plays Joe Johnson. Brooklyn will need scoring from Deron Williams, Paul Pierce and deadline acquisition Marcus Thornton. Based on their previous meetings this season, neither of which saw the Nets crack 80 points, that doesn’t seem likely.

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Previous player capsules can be found here: Joakim Noah

Name: Carlos Boozer
Height/Weight: 6’9″ / 258 lbs
Age: 31
NBA Seasons: 11

Regular Season Stats: 79 games, 16.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 0.4 bpg, 47.7 FG%, 73.1 FT%

Post-Season Stats: 12 games, 16.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.1 bpg, 49.4 FG%, 68.9 FT%

Season Grade: B+

Recap:
For the most part Carlos Boozer’s year wasn’t too bad. Based on the averages he almost averaged the double-double he was originally signed to produce for Chicago on a respectable shooting percentage. Boozer also had the fifth most double-double games in the league with 44, was top 10 for both total rebounds and rebounds per game, and, very shockingly, Boozer was also 19th in the league for defensive rating and 13th with defensive win shares. It’s safe to say that Boozer had a good season especially relative to the expectations he had in the preseason and that he probably deserves a higher grade than given. Unfortunately there are a few things that just cannot be overlooked:

1. Boozer’s defense still just wasn’t that good. While Boozer did rank in the top 20 for both defensive rating and win shares, both of those statistics are heavily determined by team play. Individually, Boozer’s defense continued to be porous as he has repeatedly allowed opponents to blow by him into the paint and/or rotated too slowly onto an opponent, if at all. Boozer has proved to be the beneficiary of Tom Thibodeau’s system and the steller defensive play of his teammates, especially Joakim Noah.
2. Boozer failed to play consistently in the playoffs yet again. A big gripe fans have had over the past three years with Boozer is his knack for “disappearing.” Boozer did play well in the playoffs this time around, especially the first round against the Brooklyn Nets. But once again when Chicago needed him to step up in an important series against the Miami Heat, Boozer’s game was nowhere to be found. The result was another 4-1 exit against Miami.

Future:
While some fans are calling for the organization to use the amnesty clause on Boozer it looks like he’ll still be around for at least another season. Aside from improved play and the fact that he’s one of the few Bulls players to be able to play without injuries for extended periods of time, Boozer’s game is would be fairly hard to replace this offseason given Chicago’s salary cap situation. As things stands, it seems as if the rumored “2014 plan” is still in full effect for Chicago.

The post 2012-2013 Player Capsules- Carlos Boozer appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

I was wrong. Obviously.

The Bulls continue to defy the odds. They’ve been doing it for well over a year now. I should know better than to doubt them at this point, but in some ways it’s like watching a horror movie monster come back to life over and over. We hit it with an ax…it’s still coming! We set it on fire…it’s still coming! We blew it up with dynamite…IT’S STILL COMING!

Frankly, there were so many reasons  — don’t let coach Tom Thibodeau hear you call them excuses — for the Bulls to fall this season. To fail.

Let’s start with the continuing absence of the team’s superstar. Derrick Rose, whose ongoing recovery from knee surgery has been making both fans and sports writers twitchy, hasn’t played a game this season and probably won’t. For his part, Rose isn’t paying attention to the criticism and seems content to wait it out until next season.

You know who else hasn’t played a single game for the Bulls this season? Omer Asik. Kyle Korver. C.J. Watson. Ronnie Brewer. John Lucas III. Management disbanded the vaunted Bench Mob last summer.

Then there have been injuries upon injuries. To Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Marco Belinelli, Rip Hamilton and Taj Gibson.

All the turnover and missed games led to a wildly uneven season. The Bulls scored several big wins against some of the league’s elite teams, but they also lost quite a few games to lottery teams.

But they never quit. Never gave up. To a man, the Bulls embraced Thibodeau’s “more than enough to win” mantra. While the Atlanta Hawks were tanking the final two games of the regular season in hopes of avoiding Miami in the second round, the Bulls were clawing and scraping their way up to the East’s fifth seed.

They knew that to be the best, you have to beat the best. So while the Hawks were getting bounced by the Pacers in the first round, the Bulls once again beat the odds and advanced to round two.

And the player who best personifies the team’s ravenous desire to win every game is Joakim Noah.

It’s stunning to think that Noah is the same guy who as a rookie got suspended for a game by his own teammates. Those days are long past. For the past few seasons, Noah has clearly been the team’s spiritual leader. With Rose still out and apparently reluctant to play, Noah has simply became the leader. After the Bulls lost Game 6 in Chicago, Noah vowed they would come back and win Game 7 on the road.

Then he went out and made it happen.

Noah — whose plantar faciitis was so bad a couple weeks ago there was speculation he might miss the playoffs — had a monster game: 40 minutes, 24 points, 12-for-17, 14 rebounds, 6 blocked shots, 2 assists, 1 steal.

It was an historic accomplishment.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Noah joined Elvin Hayes as the only two players in NBA history to have at least 24 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocked shots in a Game 7. And Noah is one of only five players in league history to have at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks in a game, joining Hayes, Kevin Garnett, Dikembe Mutumbo and Patrick Ewing.

Not bad company.

Noah did it all. With Deng (debilitating illness) and Hinrich (bruised left calf) sitting out, Noah carried the Bulls on offense and defense. He knocked down jumpers. He hit left-handed layups and running one-handed floaters. He repeatedly stuffed Brook Lopez.

What’s more, Noah’s offensive rebounding gave the Bulls second chance after second chance. In fact, the game’s most symbolic play may have happened with just under five minutes to go in the game. With the Bulls trying to stave off a Brooklyn rally and the shot clock winding down, Nate Robinson drove and threw up a desperate layup attempt that was way off the mark. But Noah tore down the offensive board and shoveled the ball back to Robinson, who found Belinelli for a wide open three-pointer. BOOM.

Those were the kinds of plays that Noah and the Bulls made all night. Except for one stretch of the third quarter, the Bulls were the aggressors. They were physical and relentless. And the Nets could not match them.

It helped that Brooklyn’s Joe Johnson (2-for-14 from the field and 1-for-9 on threes) couldn’t have located the basket with a GPS. But more importantly, everybody in red and black was stepping up. Belinelli match Noah with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting iced the game by hitting four straight free throws in the final half minute. Carlos Boozer played strong (17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal) despite foul trouble.

Jimmy Butler didn’t shoot well (3-for-10), but he played all 48 minutes for the second straight game and did a little of everything (9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists). He was also a defensive demon. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Deron Williams went 4-for-11 and Johnson went 0-for-5 when matched up against Butler.

Even Daequan Cook (8 minutes, 3 points, 3 assists, 1 rebounds, +10) and Marquis Teague (14 minutes, 4 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot, +4) got into the act.

The Bulls used a second quarter bliztkrieg — 32 points on 13-for-21 shooting — to build a 17-point halftime lead. And as usual, the defense closed things out, limiting the Nets to 18 points on 7-for-23 shooting during the fourth quarter.

It all added up to the first Game 7 win in franchise history.

Said Noah: “I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

As well he should. The Bulls could have been proud had they lost. They should be ridiculously proud that they won.

Said Boozer: “We’ve had that [“more than enough to win” mantra] since I got here in Chicago, man. You go in the locker room you see a big sign above our locker room that says ‘No excuses.’ We take that wholeheartedly since I’ve been here. Didn’t matter who was out — we’ve had guys that stepped up. Take your hat off to guys like Marquis Teague and Daequan Cook and Nazr Mohammed and Taj Gibson because they gave us a huge lift coming off that bench.”

Added Thibodeau: “I thought our guys, we took a big punch in Game 1 and we kept fighting back and that’s been the story of the season.”

Now here they are. Against all reason. In the Eastern Conference Semi-finals against the defending NBA champions.

Said Noah: “We were in the locker room, everybody’s got ice, everybody is tired, it is unbelievable to share these moments. I’m very excited to face the Heat; you want to play against the best. This is what it is all about, playing against the defending champs. It’s going to be a war.”

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Advanced Box Score, Play-by-Play, Shot Chart.

The post Game 7 Recap: These Bulls are Joakim Noah’s team appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

I think that about sums up the Bulls luck heading into a win-or-go-home Game 7 in Brooklyn. It all comes down to Saturday night, and the Bulls roster continues to shrink.

(Quick tangent: Luol Deng defended himself on Twitter Friday, saying it was more than a flu that kept him out. Deng should never have to explain himself for missing a contest. Actually, no professional athlete should ever have to explain why they missed a game, but someone with Deng’s track record should never be questioned. And if you saw the Vine of him leaving the arena, you could tell something was very wrong with him. He has played through countless injuries these past few seasons, while averaging the most minutes per game in the league. Perhaps this is misguided anger at another Chicago Bull, but that’s another story for another time. If Luol Deng thinks he cannot go, and had a spinal tap earlier that day, Luol Deng cannot go and shouldn’t be questioned. It’s that simple. Now back to Game 7.)

Chicago was in a similar place in Game 6 and grinded all the way to the end with a shortened, injury-plagued rotation (with three players coming down with an illness, maybe “plagued” is too accurate). It was a game they had no chance of winning, but yet were still right there at the end with a chance to tie. They should have been in a better spot down the stretch honestly, but Marco Belinelli went 1-5 from three in the fourth quarter (with many of those very makeable, open attempts) and Chicago shot 32.1 percent as a team. Who knows if it would have been different had the Bulls had more rested bodies at the end.

The Bulls dug themselves an early hole, allowing Brooklyn to shoot 65.0 percent in the opening frame, and although Chicago shot 59.1 percent, that’s not how they win games. The Bulls are never going to win a shootout, and giving Brooklyn early confidence is the last thing Joakim Noah and company can afford.

The defense tightened up the rest of the way, holding Brooklyn to 27.8 percent from the field in the second half, but even with that great defensive effort Chicago couldn’t close the gap. The Bulls did hold the Nets to 48.3 percent shooting at the rim (14-29), something that would go a long way in Game 7 if it could be duplicated.

The Bulls have their work cut out for them going on the road for a Game 7. Chicago is 0-6 all-time on the road in Game 7s. Add in their injuries and it’s going to be a huge hill to climb, but if there is any team in the NBA that can do it, it’s the Bulls.

Chicago has shown this year—heck the entire Tom Thibodeau era—that they have a shot in any game they take the court—no matter how few of their players actually take the court. But sometimes those injuries just become too much to overcome, just as they were last season against the Sixers. The Bulls don’t want to be the team that followed up a first round loss as the top seed with the squad that blows a 3-1 lead…even if they have an excuse for both occurrences.

“I’m just very confident our guys are going to take advantage of the (home court) opportunity and continue to do what they’ve done all year,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said Friday.

The Bulls will also do what they have done all year: fight until the last whistle no matter who is out there.

Stopping Deron: Deron Williams is 13-39 from the field with nine turnovers when guarded by Kirk Hinrich; unfortunately Hinrich probably won’t be able to play. That leaves Nate Robinson and Jimmy Butler. Williams is 12-24 with four turnovers when guarded by Nate Robinson and 5-14 from the field with six turnovers when Jimmy Butler is on him. So in short, keep Nate away from Deron at all costs.

Stats that may not matter but are somewhat relevant: Home teams have won 80.2 percent of Game 7s (89-22). The Bulls are 3-6 in Game 7s, but 0-6 in Game 7s on the road. The Bulls have not won a winner-take-all game on the road since 1989’s first round against the Cavaliers (this was a Game 5). The Nets are 0-1 all-time in Game 7s.

The post Bulls-Nets Preview Game 7 appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

On the surface, that question seems irrational and misguided, because there are no such things as curses. But it sure feels like a witch doctor somewhere worked some major voodoo on this team.

For the past two seasons, the Bulls have had championship potential that was ultimately undone by injuries. Injuries to their superstar. Injuries to their All-Stars. Injuries to starters and reserves. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of their ball boys come up lame during a shoot around. It’s been that ridiculous.

Initially, last weekend’s thrilling triple-overtime win in Game 4 appeared to be the point at which this series turned irrevocably in Chicago’s favor. However, given that it effectively knocked Kirk Hinrich (and his invaluable defense on Deron Williams) out of Games 5 and 6, it turned out to be a Pyrrhic victory.

Even without Hinrich, the Bulls seemed a fair bet to close out the series at home in Game 6, as long as nothing else unexpected popped up to bite them in the butt.

Then something unexpected popped up to bite them in the butt.

Luol Deng is sick. Sick with what exactly is the question. Deng was reportedly sick enough to undergo a spinal tap to test for viral meningitis. The test apparently came back negative — thank God — but Deng wasn’t well enough to play and got sent home well before tip-off.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, Nate Robinson and Taj Gibson were suffering flu-like symptoms during the game.

Robinson — whom coach Tom Thibodeau says has been sick for “a while” — still managed 18 points and 4 assists, but Gibson was clearly hampered. I know Gibson hasn’t had quite the season Bulls fans had hoped for, but he’s still much better than 3 points, 3 rebounds and 6 personal fouls in 18 minutes of a critical home playoff game.

Said Gibson: “It was all about being there for my team. I am just frustrated right now … I still feel sick. I just had to go out there and do my job. We have to play for each other.”

Added Thibodeau: “That’s part of it. In the NBA over the course of a season, guys get sick, they play through illness.”

Playing through illness and injury is what these Bulls do pretty much every night of their lives. If the Chicago Cubs have the Curse of the Billy Goat, the Bulls must have the Curse of the Co-pay. About the only thing that hasn’t happened is players spontaneously combusting on the bench. Or should I say hasn’t happened yet? After almost 200 players games (and counting!) lost to injury this season, almost nothing would surprise me at this point.

So Tom “We Always Have More Than Enough To Win” Thibodeau was forced to ride yet another starting lineup into action. And I do mean ride. Jimmy Butler did sit down for a single second of this game. Marco Belinelli played all but one minute and 37 seconds of this one. Joakim Noah — plantar faciitis and all — logged 43 minutes and 16 seconds. Robinson, even with the flu-like symptoms, played nearly 42 minutes.

Despite it all, the Bulls almost won. “Almost” being the operative word.

Chicago’s D struggled mightily in the early going, as the Nets scored 33 points on 65 percent shooting in the first quarter. And although the defense picked up in the second half — limiting Brooklyn to 35 points on 10-for-36 shooting over the second and third quarters — that rocky start had the Bulls on their heels all game long.

This was one of those classic “hump” games, where the Bulls were tantalizingly close for most of the night but could never get over the hump and take control. They had countless opportunities to tie the game or take the lead, but something always stymied them. Missed shots. Turnovers. A key play by the Nets. Something.

In the final two minutes, the Bulls had several chances to tie the game. Robinson missed two layups. Carlos Boozer committed a loose ball foul. Belinelli missed a three. With three seconds to go, Noah lost a jump ball to Williams.

For the record, Noah is 6’11” and Williams is 6’3″.

Said Joe Johnson: “We just believed. We believed in one another. In practice (Wednesday), we went over a lot. More so than anything, it was about who wanted it badder.”

That’s a nice sentiment. But I disagree.

After all, who wanted it any badder than Noah (15 rebounds, 14 points, 5 assists, 5 blocked shots), who according to Elias Sports Bureau joined Artis Gilmore as the only players in Bulls playoff history to finish with at least 15 rebounds, 10 points and 5 blocks in a game since blocks were officially recorded in 1973-74? And Noah almost made the play of the game by tying up Williams on an inbounds play with seconds to go.

Robinson was pretty productive despite his illness. Belinelli scored 22 points and tied a career-high with 7 assists. Butler ran the marathon and finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and a blocked shot. Boozer had a double-double with 14 points and 13 boards.

The Bulls held the Nets to 43 percent shooting and won the rebounding battle 46-41, including a 15-10 advantage on the offensive glass. I think they wanted the game badly enough.

As Brooklyn coach P.J. Carlesimo put it: “Starting with Derrick, their franchise player hasn’t played. It seems almost every time we play them, it’s a different roster. … There is not a team in the league that plays harder than them.”

That said, a team can go to the well only so many times before that well runs dry. Only don’t tell that to Noah, who remains as defiant and fiery as ever.

Said Noah: “We’re a team of fighters. We keep getting punched in the face but we fight back. I’m proud of this team, and we’re going to go into a hostile environment in Brooklyn and we’re going to win.”

Noah’s teammates mirrored those sentiments.

Said Butler: “[Our confidence is] going up. It’s sure not going to go down. They know they got to win Game 7; we know we got to win Game 7. Same style of basketball; it’s going to be a fight. The tougher team is going to get the win, and we go in wanting to be the tougher team.”

Added Gibson: “We just got to go there, put our boxing gloves back on and tell everybody ‘be ready to play. It’s no time to be hurt, sick; it could be the end of the season. So we have to go out there, just put forth a lot of effort. There’s no time to worry about small things; we got to just push the limit.”

The Bulls may go down in Game 7. But they will not go down without a fight. That is who they are. Which is why their fans may be disappointed in a particular outcome, but they can never be disappointed a group of players who never give up on a game, no matter the odds.

Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Advanced Box Score, Play-by-Play, Shot Chart.

The post Game 6 Recap: A heartbreaking (and possibly backbreaking) loss appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

X factor: In a game that bodies were at a premium, the Bulls were in foul trouble for much of it. Both Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson fouled out, which meant more minutes for Noah as Thibs shuffled the already short rotation. Those fouls also gave the Nets a 33-18 advantage in free throw attempts.

Defining moment: The shot of Nate Robinson throwing up into a trash can during a timeout. Robinson played 42 minutes while fighting off an illness, scoring 18 points and dishing four assists, but he wasn’t the only guy fighting through pain.

That was…gutsy: The Bulls had no right being in this game with Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Derrick Rose out, but there they were within reach at the end of Game 6. I have grown very tired of the “moral victories” that Chicago has been racking up this season, but tonight was a great effort and the guys on the court deserve a ton of credit for their fight. Unfortunately that effort does nothing in the end except give the Nets something to think about going into Game 7.

The post Quick Reaction: Nets 95, Bulls 92 (Game 6) appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Williams did a good job getting to the line, but it was once again Brook Lopez who gave the Bulls the most trouble. The center recorded 28 points and ten boards, six of those rebounds being offensive. Lopez scored 20 points in the paint, hitting 8-14 from that area. He was 1-6 outside the paint, once again showing the importance of pushing Lopez out away from the basket and into lower percentage shots.

Lopez and Williams got their points, which the Bulls could live with. What they can’t live with is the role players toasting them. Gerald Wallace had his second good game this series—which could also be his second good game of the entire year—hitting 5-8 from the field and 2-3 from deep. Andray Blatche also went 5-8, scoring 13 off the bench to go with five boards. C.J. Watson tallied eleven points, and even grabbed two offensive rebounds. Good games from the Nets role players in Game 1 also resulted in a loss for Chicago.

Those three role players hurt the Bulls, but something Chicago knew it would have to stop coming into this series really dug them the deepest hole in Game 5. The Bulls gave up 17 offensive rebounds, after giving up just 36 through the first four games of the series combined. Those 17 boards translated into 24 second-chance points.

And while we are pointing fingers, it’s Luol Deng’s turn. He has failed to step up even with the Bulls two best players out or injured, including his 6-14 for 12 points in Game 5. He’s 1-18 from three in this series. Deng averaged one made three per game for the year. Joakim Noah isn’t getting much healthier than he is now, so Lu needs find his shot and shut down whoever he is guarding at the moment, especially when it’s Gerald Wallace.

Game 5 felt a lot like Game 1 to me. Brooklyn got lots of points in the paint. Their role players contributed. And they pulled away from Chicago to get a pretty convincing win.

All that means Thibs will once again have to make his adjustments, although with Hinrich potentially out, it’ll be tougher. It might be best for Marco Belinelli to start, rather than Nate Robinson. That way Nate could do his normal “shoot all the time” off the bench routine, and Belinelli could guard Joe Johnson, freeing up Jimmy Butler to guard Deron Williams from the start. Starting Nate Robinson is like eating a ton of candy right before dinner; it may sound like a good idea, but you’re going to throw up all over.

Nate, not surprisingly, put up little resistance for Williams, but Butler has done a good job on him all series. This idea of starting Belinelli was tossed around before Game 5, but Thibs decided against it. Given a second chance, maybe he’ll try and switch things up and not allow Deron to get into a rhythm.

Tom Thibodeau could have more on his hands than just figuring out how to replace Hinrich’s defense though. Both Luol Deng and Taj Gibson stayed home on Wednesday because they were sick. Thibs is hopeful they can go, but if not…well if not Vladimir Radmanovic is a possibility to get playing time in the postseason and that’s just scary.

No matter who is out there, this will be the Bulls best chance to close out the Nets as they return to the United Center. Brooklyn’s Andray Blatche said on Wednesday “there’s no doubt in our mind. We are the better team.” That should give whoever is healthy some extra motivation to get that last win.

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LVP (Least Valuable Player): I feel like I’ve said it a lot this season, but with Derrick Rose out and Joakim Noah injured, the Bulls’ other “All-Star” needs to show up. Well, Deng hasn’t been there this series. Lu finished with 12 points on 6-14 from the field and 0-3 from deep. For the series, Deng is 1-18 from three point range.

Defining Moment: Gerald Wallace’s five points in 17 seconds with just over two minutes left in the game put it out of reach. Wallace hit a corner three and then stole an errant Nate Robinson pass and slammed home a breakaway dunk. Unfortunately he didn’t miss it like C.J. Watson did, and the Bulls hopes of another comeback were dashed.

X factor: The Bulls were allowing nine offensive rebounds per game in this series.Tonight they gave up 17 offensive rebounds and 24 second chance points. Chicago allowed the Nets to shoot 50 percent from the field—they can’t also give up 17 offensive rebounds and expect to win. C.J. Watson even had two O-boards.

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