Chicago Bulls Thread

[NovU]

Nevertheless this should be a great preview of ECW to come for the fans, in a playoffs atmosphere.

[Andrew]

It certainly could be. In a season that's been littered with some ugly games following the layoff of the lockout, hopefully it'll be a competitive clash.

[RedPhazon8]

Would be perfect if the Bulls run the same play as in the Pacers game, only this time Scal makes it for the win... would silence the crowd more then anything. It will probably not happen, but that would be something...

[Andrew]

A perfect game for the Bulls wouldn't come down to a situation like that to win or tie.

[NovU]

The Bulls seem to be shorthanded this time around with Deng and Hamilton sitting out(very likely both). Meanwhile the Heat finally has all 15 men healthy roster. Should be interesting to see how this factor plays out in today's game. I very wanted both teams at full strength but the Bulls are still very capable.

[Andrew]

So close and yet so far...if only Rose had knocked down those free throws...or that final shot...

Still, that's not a bad effort with Deng and Watson out and there's no shame in losing to a healthy Miami Heat team. A tough way to lose, but there'll be chances for redemption and they're still atop the East right now. Hope they can find a way to get Deng back soon, though.

[RedPhazon8]

I liked the effort for the Bulls without Deng or Watson, Korver changed the game with his 3's that he otherwise missed last season. The biggest problems I saw was the lack of an inside game from the Bull's bigs, Noah did fine but Boozer and Gibson seemed to have bad nights. Omer did not have much time on the floor, but the two possessions Rose had at the end were pretty bad. You'd rather have them in the regular season instead of a game 7 though, the missed free throws were terrible knowing he was doing well there. When he didn't look around the floor on the last possession for a wide open Rip, that has to improve...

[Andrew]

Another solid bounce back win, but another tough stretch coming up with nine straight road games thanks to the United Center hosting Disney on Ice. They're all winnable games with the Sixers the only team that's playing particularly well at the moment while the Celtics and Knicks could also be a bit of trouble, but even with a couple of guys limping or sitting out with injury they should be able to take care of business in most of those games.

As for Rose's late game woes against the Heat, Sam Smith has made a few historical comparisons.

[George7]

Well I don't have time to make a bigger comment for the last two games, but one thing is sure:

Good Old Joakim is coming slowly but surely back!!!

[Andrew]

Indeed, he's getting back to his usual double-double production. Seven assists yesterday, too.

[RedPhazon8]

Looking forward to the 76ers match-up, the best thing it will prove I guess is if the 76ers are a good or great team. Every NBA expert has said they've had the easiest schedule out of everyone, so we'll see.

[benji]

[shadowgrin]

Beard.
Not looking back despite an explosion.
Kobe's number.

Scal is badass. But we all know that already.

[Andrew]

We need a higher res version, for wallpaper.

A bit of a rough patch at the moment, not a great time for a nine game road trip. The inconsistency of the Knicks might allow them to avoid losing back-to-back for the first time this season though.

[shadowgrin]

Could have posted this in the Dunk or 76ers thread but where's the fun in that?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsdDLsgy8to

[RedPhazon8]

Bulls just had one of those games where they come out flat, happened against the Warriors and Hawks this season. Hopefully Deng comes back today against the Knicks, although Hamilton's on and off play time is starting to bother me...

[George7]

Rose is back!! Looking great,looking healthy ,and doing the impossible in every chance!! 3rd game in the last 4 where he was lights out,so we can hope for a little more stability in Bulls image...

[Andrew]

Close call against the Knicks but at the end of the day, they got the W. At least Rose made one of two at the end there, definitely a bad foul by Brewer as well. But again, they pulled it out and once again avoided back to back losses.

phpBB [video]

And another look at that insane layup:

phpBB [video]

[RedPhazon8]

The Houdini layup was incredible, and it was good to see the Bulls get back on track.

[air gordon]

The losses to miami and philly suck. Its the same script as last year- put lebron on Rose and he can't score and the rest of the team can't score either.. Boozer doesn't show up

Just as long as the bulls can continue to beat up on what seems a league full of mediocre teams, its all good.

And finally they are sitting RIP until he is fully recovered. Post season glory hinges on Deng being able to play through the wrist injury. At least there is 2/3's of the season to find out if he can.

The Przybilla rumor comes as a surprise. Asik hasn't been able to find much PT lately

[Andrew]

Convincing win in Milwaukee, despite a new franchise low of four free throw attempts on the night. Guess it doesn't matter when you shoot 53% from the field and knock down fourteen threes on the night. 26 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists for Rose, with zero turnovers. Solid return to the lineup for Deng with 21 and 9, though 41 minutes might have been a bit too much. That's Thibs, I guess.

[RedPhazon8]

Maybe the only thing Thibs needs to do is openly show that he has faith in his backups to finish games like these. The team is up by around twenty, let them close it out so players can get some rest. He's probably making sure stuff like what the Hawks did in the UC earlier in the season never happens to the Bulls... He's a guy with the mentality that no matter what's going on, we stick to the game plan. He was even raging when the defense failed in some possessions... but so far he's been able to backup his talk/actions with a good team and good record. I think he's cool...

[Andrew]

Thibs is a great coach and his approach certainly has merit. He's obviously well aware of how the final 12 minutes of a game is plenty of time for a 15-20 point lead to be blown and he wants the team to be competitive and focused at all times...which is awesome. After all, you want your coach to have that vision and the ability to connect with the players, have them buy into the philosophy and system and motivate them to give it their all.

The drawback is that sometimes you've got to change the plan a little bit. It might not necessarily be the best move to play a guy nursing a serious wrist injury that he's delaying surgery on for 41 minutes in his return. The compressed schedule and current nine game road trip the Bulls are on also makes any rest the starters can get all the more important when the opportunity arises.

I think Thibs is pretty good at assessing the risk/reward of giving guys the minutes that they're getting, but there are occasions when he could perhaps be more flexible. The Bulls are also a young team, so they can handle the heavy minutes and compressed schedule a little better than certain other teams can. When it comes down to it, I believe Thibs will make the right call on these matters, even if certain decisions appear puzzling or unconventional at times.

[JBoom_LALALAND]

I think Tom Thibodeau is a great coach, but this team would not go anywhere without proper execution and mindset in the Playoffs (just like how LeBron blocked D-Rose shot at destiny in the playoffs)

[Andrew]

The same could be said of any team, really.

Anyway, not a great game for Rose, leaving after only playing 10 minutes due to back spasms, but fortunately the Nets didn't put up much resistance. Hopefully it's nothing serious with Rose and he's right back in the lineup and his usual self against the Hornets in a couple of days.