Beware the second night of back-to-back games. Especially when the second game is on the road.
Thanks in part to Toronto’s apathetic approach to defense — the Raptors entered the game ranked last in the NBA in Defensive Efficiency, giving up 116+ Points Per 100 Possessions — the Bulls looked strong in the first half. After two quarters, Chicago was +10 on the boards, up 14-0 in second chance points, shooting over 50 percent from the field, and had a 60-53 halftime lead. Why, it even looked like the Bulls were going to reach the century mark in scoring for the first time this season.
As it turns out, they couldn’t even reach their season-high of 93 points.
Chicago actually kicked the lead up to 11 when Luol Deng drilled a 17-footer with 7:45 left in the third quarter, and it momentarily seemed as if the Bulls might actually run away with this one. Then things got ugly. How ugly? When everything was said and done, Chicago ended up shooting 10-for-40 (25 percent) in the second half. Ahead 88-85 with 6:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bulls went the next six minutes and 14 seconds without scoring a point until Kirk Hinrich hit the second of two free throws with 10 seconds to go.
Here’s a summary of Chicago’s offensive — and I mean that in both senses of the word — possessions during that horrifying stretch: turnover (Joakim Noah three-second violation), turnover (Luol Deng’s pass was stolen by Andrea Bargnani), Derrick Rose missed 22-footer, Deng missed 20-footer, Taj Gibson offensive rebound, Gibson 0-for-2 from the line, Deng missed 21-footer, Hinrich missed 19-footer, Hinrich missed 22-footer, turnover (Deng traveled), Rose missed 20-footer, Rose missed layup, Noah offensive rebound and missed tip shot, John Salmons missed 14-footer, Salmons missed 25-foot three-pointer, Deng missed jumper, Hinrich 1-for-2 from the line.
To sum up: 0-for-11 from the field, 1-for-4 from the line, and three turnovers. Nine of the Bulls’ 11 shot attempts were jump shots. Six of the nine jumpers were from 20 feet or further out, and one was a 19-footer.
So what can me make of this? Three things. First, the Raptors have the kind of awful defense that readily gives up — and therefore seduces opposing teams into taking — uncontested jump shots. Second, the Bulls were clearly fatigued. By the fourth quarter, their shots were consistently coming up short and you could tell they had no legs. Third, because Toronto’s defense was giving them jumpers and because they were dragging, the Bulls bailed out and took those jumpers instead of forcing the action and trying to get to the rim. And let’s face it, tired teams don’t win on a steady diet of 20-foot shots. Especially bad shooting teams…which Chicago has been so far this season.
Of course, it’s worth noting that losing Tyrus Thomas (left arm fracture) has compromised the Bulls’ frontcourt depth. Jannero Pargo’s creaky back has limited his minutes (not to mention his effectiveness), which has left the team thin in the backcourt. Obviously, it’s not an optimal situation.
And now the Bulls have dropped back to .500 (4-4), and it goes without saying that teams with aspirations of making the playoffs — and maybe even earning a fourth or fifth seed — can’t afford to lose winnable games at home (as they did against the Nuggets) and fall to bad teams on the road (as they did against the Raptors). Now Chicago faces a long and winding road before their next home game.
Four Factors:
The Raptors won the battle in Effective Field Goal Percentage (43.7 to 40.9) and Free Throw Rate (26.1 to 23.8). The Bulls won in Turnover Percentage (13.1 to 15.1) and Offensive Rebounding Percentage (29.4 to 26.1). However, Chicago scored only 12 points off 15 forced turnovers while the Raptors also scored 12 points off 13 forced turnovers, so that was a wash. Sure, Toronto hit five more free throws, but the real culprit was Chicago’s woeful shooting. Speaking of which…
Still slumping:
Things aren’t getting any better for Salmons, who followed up his 3-for-13 shooting performance against the Nuggets with a 1-for-11 stinker against the Raptors. On the season, John is shooting 30.6 percent from the field and 26.2 percent from downtown. “Horrific” doesn’t begin to describe Salmons’ shooting this season.
Frontcourt defensive woes:
The Bulls were again exploited by an opposing frontcourt player, as Chris Bosh — after being outplayed by Noah in the first half — finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. Bosh got stronger as the game plodded along. By the end, the Bulls simply could not contain him, especially close to the basket. Speaking of which…
Key stats:
The Bulls shot so poorly (39 percent for the game) mostly because they were settling for so many jumpers. Not surprisingly, the Raptors outscored them 50-36 in the paint. Also, Toronto was +11 on the boards in the second half, mostly because are best rebounder was running on fumes. Speaking of which…
Here we “Jo” again:
Noah had yet another double-double last night (12 points, 11 rebounds) to go along with 4 assists and 2 blocks. However, he had 10 points, 7 boards and 3 assists by halftime. Noah looked spent in the second half and eventually fouled out. He simply ran out of gas…like the rest of the Bulls. His fatigue was a big reason Bosh dominated the second half and Chicago got pounded in the paint.
Way to go, rookie:
Taj Gibson wowed Bulls fans by shooting 8-for-13 and scoring 18 points. He also had 5 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocked shots. The kid played his butt off. He continues to be everything management and the coaching staff wants Tyrus Thomas to be.
Update: By The Horns reader Greg left a couple comments that deserve special mention here…even if they somewhat (but correctly) temper my enthusiasm for Gibson’s play as of late: “So far this season, I’ve been thrilled with the D, good rotations, solid individual D, and I recognize that Taj has been a big part of that steadiness with his solid understanding of the game. That said…1 Defensive Rebound in 34 mins in a game that we lose due to being crushed on the boards during the 2nd half??? I recognize that 18 points on good shooting is nice, but come on. Let’s not show too much bias in favor of the surprising rookie, I’ve been reading this column enough to know that if TT dropped that line, he would have been crucified for the lack of rebounding.” Greg is right. I would have killed Ty for that. Fair is fair.
Greg also added: “Taj has 5 defensive rebounds in his last 81 minutes of game play. I love his rotations and energy, and the offense has been a surprise, but BOX OUT!!!”
Comeback watch:
One night after playing Carmelo Anthony to a standstill — or maybe even outplaying him — Luol co-led the Bulls in scoring with 18 points to go along with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Of course, he committed 4 turnovers and started shooting blanks in the fourth quarter, but Deng has been proving his doubters very wrong so far this season. His shooting is so-so, but his effort is A+…especially on the boards. My only criticism from last night is that he shot too many jumpers and didn’t force his way to the hoop often enough. As a result, he earned only one trip to the line. That’s not nearly good enough, especially against a woeful defense.
Team leadership:
D-Rose scored 14 points and dished out 6 assists, but he shot only 6-for-14 and couldn’t make anything happen during the team’s scoreless stretch in the fourth quarter. Rose needs to realize that Ben Gordon is gone and that this is his team now. Situations like what happened last night are when franchise players have to step up. Bosh did it for the Raptors. Derrick needs to start doing that for the Bulls…and fast.
Rose was also abused off the dribble in the second half, and Noah was either not available or too tired to clean up the mess. As Chris commented: “I was starting to have my doubts about Jose last night, but the Bulls made him look like an all-star. Given the quickness advantage that both D. Rose and Pargo have on my boy Jose… FAIL.”
Reasons for concern:
You mean besides the bad shooting, spotty leadership, and the self-destruction of John Salmons? Well, the Bulls play seven of their next nine games on the road, including a seven game road trip through Sacramento, Los Angeles (Lakers), Denver, Portland, Utah and Milwaukee. Then, after a home game against the Pistons — Gordon’s first game back at the United Center — they face the Cavaliers in Cleveland. Seven of those games are against playoff teams, including two against title contenders and two against division rivals. This is a brutal stretch that could make or break the Bulls’ season.
Extras:
Recap, Box Score, Play-By-Play, Shot Chart, Photos.
After attending the game last name (go Raps!), I have to say that Joakim Noah has the ugliest shot I’ve ever seen. The mantle has passed from Shawn Marion.. that thing is truly horrific, it needs to be dragged out back and shot.
Also Demar DeRozan went off, the kid had 10+ rebounds – many of them rising over people in traffic – and a spectacular dunk in the 3rd quarter that really got the crowd into the game.
Rose was fairly invisible for most of the game, he floated around the outside and jacked up a jump shot once in a while. Noah and Tah Gibson definitely came to play, they killed us in the first half.
Finally, Jose Calderon made your interior defence his bitch, and repeatedly got all the way to the rim for easy layups. I was starting to have my doubts about Jose last night, but the Bulls made him look like an all-star. Given the quickness advantage that both D. Rose and Pargo have on my boy Jose… FAIL.
I don’t mean to be captain obvious…but isn’t it long overdue for this team to start developing a penetration and low-post game? That’s all I saw in that fourth quarter was jump shot after jump shot. The free-throw attempt numbers with this club have seemed alarming to say the least..
It’s pretty simple – if no one thinks you’re going to shoot close to the basket, they won’t bother defending you down there.
Jo is the true bellwether of this team…given that he’s the only player on the squad other than Lu who can rebound. It’s no coincidence that when Jo ran out of gas the team fell apart.
So far this season, I’ve been thrilled with the D, good rotations, solid individual D, and I recognize that Taj has been a big part of that steadiness with his solid understanding of the game.
That said… 1 Defensive Rebound in 34 mins in a game that we lose due to being crushed on the boards during the 2nd half??? I recognize that 18 points on good shooting is nice, but come on. Let’s not show too much bias in favor of the surprising rookie (Way to go rookie), I’ve been reading this column enough to know that if TT dropped that line, he would have been crucified for the lack of rebounding.
Also, there should be a law against Taj and Miller playing together at the 4-5 since neither one rebounds a lick.
Add on…
Taj has 5 defensive rebounds in his last 81 minutes of game play.
I love his rotations and energy, and the offense has been a surprise, but BOX OUT!!!
The dichotomy is striking:
Noah, Gibson and Deng playing really excellent ball, while Rose, Kirk, Salmons and the rest have been woefully underperforming.
I will cut Rose some slack as he is still not 100% physically, but am still worried about how easily quick, opposing guards consistently beat him.
Greg — You’re absolutely correct. The post has been updated with your comments, which were fair and necessary. And yes, I would have totally blasted Tyrus for doing such a lousy job on the defensive boards. I got carried away because Taj has been overperforming in certain areas.
The Gibson criticism is quite fair. At the same time, however, watch how quickly he learns from his mistakes, in sharp contrast to you-know-who.
When your best offensive player is Taj Gibson, you know you’re going to have trouble scoring.
Bulls had a miserable 4rth quarter, scoring only 11 points and having a stretch of 5+ minutes where they could not score. Yeah, that’s pretty bad. This to a Raptors team that could care less about playing defense. All they do care about is pushing the ball up the floor and running high screen and rolls toward the basket.
Chris Bosh was persistently magnificent. He had a very tough post up matchup against Noah and yet was able to relentlessly attack Joakim, eventually fouling him out and finishing with 28 points.
Have to give credit to the ‘Taj Mahal’ who had a very solid 18 and 5. When the Bulls were ahead and playing well, Taj was a major factor hitting big shots and playing good defense. It’s too bad because getting 18 from Taj should be a bonus to your existing scorers. Salmons had another awful game. He just can’t seem to string consecutive good games. John had only 5 points in 33 minutes. That is unacceptable. Even with Salmons struggling, the Bulls don’t have very many options at sg. Pargo can’t do it, at least not for heavy minutes, and Kirk is more suitable at pg. I say try Rose at sg and let his speed take on the slower sg’s. If Gordon could play sg, then Rose’ size should fine. At least try it on a few possessions. Miller was bad again too. 19 minutes and only 3 points, while looking painfully slow on defensive rotations. So what can the Bulls do to revitalize the offense? I hate to say it, but the Bulls might want to inquire about Allen Iverson. His nickname is ‘The Answer’ right? Yeah, I know it’s a stretch, but the season is drifting away from them quickly.
It was a doubly tough game to lose because there was a stretch in the early third quarter where they looked to be taking control of the game and had a 9 point lead. Unfortunately the Bulls could not sustain the lead and it just steam rolled into a disastrous ending. Hopefully they can right themselves against a struggling Philadelphia team who themselves are coming off consecutive losses.
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I knew Deng would come back strong. I feel vindicated. Happy for you Bulls fans.
(Just about the Deng thing. Not about the inability to put the ball in the basket.)
Allen Iverson???? You have got to be joking, right RPK? This guy has ruined the last 3 teams he has been on. Besides, the Bulls management has gone to great pains to NOT have guys like that around. Tim Thomas, Larry Hughes, J.R. Smith, the list goes on and on.
…Besides, can you imagine the practice habits Tyrus would pick up from Iverson? He’s very impressionalble, you know…
“and fall to bad teams on the road (as they did against the Raptors)”
Yeah I think if you label the Raptors as a bad team then the Bulls should also be in that category. I better Del Negro would give up his arm for the kind of offense the Raptors have.