This OT loss was about as tough as they come, particularly as there were some bad calls that went against the Bulls. Rondo's foul on Miller at the end was clearly flagrant, but the refs aren't going to blow the whistle there against the home team in the playoffs (although Scottie Pippin may well remember otherwise, since he once had a ticky-tack three point shot foul called on him at home that cost the game). And blowing a ten point lead with under eight minutes to play is never a good thing.
Miller looks really bad messing up those free throws, but it must be distracting to be in that position, plus needing stitches in your mouth.
However, we all know the Bulls weren't going to contend for the championship this year, so I'm going to focus on the positive things they can take away from this game:
Rose did not have a good game and we still went into OT and the last shot. He's only going to get better. He has to watch those turnovers while still being aggressive in going to the basket.
Tyrus sat on the bench for most of the second half. Vinny has finally found his best position!
Ben Gordon was clearly hurt, although he was still up for some heroics.
Noah continues to play well. No question he is the most improved player on the Bulls since midseason. Now if he could only learn that a free throw is not attempted in the same manner as tossing a beach ball....
Hinrich is playing well, although he still dribbles too much and doesn't get them into the offense quick enough. Salmons isn't playing as well as he can, but he's hampered by injury too and shows great promise.
I strongly believe that if the Bulls could have swapped Tyrus for either Perkins or Davis, then they win this series. Shouldn't be too tough to make a similar off-season move. Throw Deng in as well and we could well get someone even better down low.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Boston game four
Never would have predicted that the Bulls would win two overtime games in this series. Anyone who has watched them this year knows that they have perfected folding down the stretch to an art form. Ben Gordon can be relied on to make a big shot, as he did at the end of regulation, but the Bulls defense rarely makes stops during crunch time. I'm not even sure that they did it that much in this game. It seemed more like Boston missing some shots, but they did do it a few times, and it turned out to be just enough.
It would have been a brutal loss if they didn't pull it out, what with the missed free throws, bad calls, and the usual bonehead plays by Tyrus. I wrote several weeks back that the Bulls best lineup is the four guard with Miller, when they can get away with it. And Vinny went with that, but he switched in Noah and Tyrus sometimes as well. Noah was good this game, so I was happy with that. Tyrus should be on the floor only in short stretches and never after the third quarter, and should never be allowed to take a jump shot. He took one 300 degree turnaround jumper that I wouldn't even try in a game of HORSE and was lucky to graze the rim. Even worse, during a key moment towards the end, with the Bulls ahead by two and Boston needing to foul, he ignores Rose, who was standing right next to him, and instead dribbles down court and gets fouled. Then he bricks the free throw!
Of course a lot of the Bulls were bricking free throws, but fortunately not Salmons, who made some big ones in OT. Rose had too many turnovers again, but was more aggressive offensively, and played his best since game one.
A big reason the Bulls pulled out this double OT miracle was that Perkins fouled out. Not that he's that great, but the Celtic frontcourt was decimated and that allowed the Bulls to stay small without getting killed on the rebounds. The Bulls should continue to go at him early because he is foul prone.
A few misc thoughts:
Scalabine must lead the league in fouls per minute.
Rondo's headband push his ears into a Vulcan point.
Big Baby Davis nearly won an Oscar for his reaction to Miller's shove. If he would have shed a few tears I think he would have gotten that ejection to stick.
How far has Marbury's star fallen? He only plays five minutes in a double OT game.
Salmons and Hinrich definitely bother Pierce. Yes, he had 29 this game and shot well for stretches, but he missed 15 shots and looked frustrated at times.
Rondo has really improved his game. Rose is going to be better for playing a series against him. I also think Rose will eventually be clearly the better player, although he's not in this series so far.
When the announcers were speculating on what the Bulls were going to do when Luol Deng (and I should add "if he ever") returns, I could only scream: "Trade!".
It would have been a brutal loss if they didn't pull it out, what with the missed free throws, bad calls, and the usual bonehead plays by Tyrus. I wrote several weeks back that the Bulls best lineup is the four guard with Miller, when they can get away with it. And Vinny went with that, but he switched in Noah and Tyrus sometimes as well. Noah was good this game, so I was happy with that. Tyrus should be on the floor only in short stretches and never after the third quarter, and should never be allowed to take a jump shot. He took one 300 degree turnaround jumper that I wouldn't even try in a game of HORSE and was lucky to graze the rim. Even worse, during a key moment towards the end, with the Bulls ahead by two and Boston needing to foul, he ignores Rose, who was standing right next to him, and instead dribbles down court and gets fouled. Then he bricks the free throw!
Of course a lot of the Bulls were bricking free throws, but fortunately not Salmons, who made some big ones in OT. Rose had too many turnovers again, but was more aggressive offensively, and played his best since game one.
A big reason the Bulls pulled out this double OT miracle was that Perkins fouled out. Not that he's that great, but the Celtic frontcourt was decimated and that allowed the Bulls to stay small without getting killed on the rebounds. The Bulls should continue to go at him early because he is foul prone.
A few misc thoughts:
Scalabine must lead the league in fouls per minute.
Rondo's headband push his ears into a Vulcan point.
Big Baby Davis nearly won an Oscar for his reaction to Miller's shove. If he would have shed a few tears I think he would have gotten that ejection to stick.
How far has Marbury's star fallen? He only plays five minutes in a double OT game.
Salmons and Hinrich definitely bother Pierce. Yes, he had 29 this game and shot well for stretches, but he missed 15 shots and looked frustrated at times.
Rondo has really improved his game. Rose is going to be better for playing a series against him. I also think Rose will eventually be clearly the better player, although he's not in this series so far.
When the announcers were speculating on what the Bulls were going to do when Luol Deng (and I should add "if he ever") returns, I could only scream: "Trade!".
Friday, April 24, 2009
Boston game three
This was the game I was afraid the Bulls would pull out of their playbook in game two, coming out completely dazed and confused. They had a ridiculous amount of turnovers at the start and this game was over midway into the third. Both teams played scrubs for the fourth quarter.
Tyrus Thomas is just a joke. Bulls would clearly be better off without him on the court but they simply have no one else to put in. Since it was a garbage game, Tim Thomas and Aaron Gray got some minutes and reminded us why they usually sit on the bench. At one point, early in the game, one of the TNT announcers said that Vinny had some "keepers" in Tyrus and Noah! Is he kidding me? Actually, Noah wasn't as bad as usual and as I've said before, he has improved a lot lately. He also has one less year in the league than Tyrus, so there may be some hope for him. There is no hope for Tyrus and I'm amazed that the Bulls can't see that. And how ironic is it that his much less touted college roomie, Glen Davis, is clearly a better pro player than Thomas?
Of course, you don't have a blowout just because of one guy and the Bulls were generally bad all around. Even Rose had 7 turnovers after receiving the ROY award with his family before the game. And Boston shot well. Pierce got his form back and they moved the ball around they way they need to.
At least the Jazz game was a good one. ;-)
Tyrus Thomas is just a joke. Bulls would clearly be better off without him on the court but they simply have no one else to put in. Since it was a garbage game, Tim Thomas and Aaron Gray got some minutes and reminded us why they usually sit on the bench. At one point, early in the game, one of the TNT announcers said that Vinny had some "keepers" in Tyrus and Noah! Is he kidding me? Actually, Noah wasn't as bad as usual and as I've said before, he has improved a lot lately. He also has one less year in the league than Tyrus, so there may be some hope for him. There is no hope for Tyrus and I'm amazed that the Bulls can't see that. And how ironic is it that his much less touted college roomie, Glen Davis, is clearly a better pro player than Thomas?
Of course, you don't have a blowout just because of one guy and the Bulls were generally bad all around. Even Rose had 7 turnovers after receiving the ROY award with his family before the game. And Boston shot well. Pierce got his form back and they moved the ball around they way they need to.
At least the Jazz game was a good one. ;-)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Rose wins ROY
As expected, Derrick Rose won the rookie of the year award. I know that people were telling me that the ROY voting is done before the playoffs and is only for the regular season. Yes, that is the official stance, but I'm quite certain that plenty of votes come in after the season and you can't tell me those votes are not influenced by those early playoff games.
The proof is that he won so easily over Mayo: 111 votes for Rose and only 5 for Mayo, with 2 each for Lopez and Westbrook. Rose would have won anyway without that big first playoff game, but I doubt it would have been such a landslide.
And for those guys who wanted to pick Beasley in the draft: 2 second place and 1 third place votes.
The proof is that he won so easily over Mayo: 111 votes for Rose and only 5 for Mayo, with 2 each for Lopez and Westbrook. Rose would have won anyway without that big first playoff game, but I doubt it would have been such a landslide.
And for those guys who wanted to pick Beasley in the draft: 2 second place and 1 third place votes.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Boston game two
A tough loss, but the Bulls typically play very badly after a big win and they played pretty well this game. Ray Allen is going to look like the hero because he got hot at the end, but the real reason the Bulls lost is because Boston badly out-rebounded them (21 vs 8 on the offensive end) and their big guys were able to score inside. Doug Collins said something to the effect that if you raise your eyebrows at Tyrus Thomas, he will go for the fake, and that is absolutely correct. Tyrus always goes for the block! He did get six in this game, which is great for fantasy sports, but bad in real basketball because he doesn't rebound, and he doesn't stay in front of his man.
At least Vinny was smart enough to keep Tyrus on the bench for long stretches of the fourth. Miller and Noah were both OK, but not as good as Perkins and Davis. Rose was fine, but not great like he was in game one. Ben Gordon was nearly the hero once again, and I'm sure that seeing his fellow Huskie get hot got his pulse up.
For all of the huge flaws the Bulls have in the forecourt, they would have won this one if Allen didn't catch fire at the end. Pierce looks slow and out of sorts during this series so far. Hard to believe that will last, but the Bulls are playing pretty good defense on him.
It hurts to lose a close one, but Boston can't be feeling comfortable going into the United Center 1-1. Salmons, in particular, tends to play a lot better at home, and the Bulls need him to stay in this series.
At least Vinny was smart enough to keep Tyrus on the bench for long stretches of the fourth. Miller and Noah were both OK, but not as good as Perkins and Davis. Rose was fine, but not great like he was in game one. Ben Gordon was nearly the hero once again, and I'm sure that seeing his fellow Huskie get hot got his pulse up.
For all of the huge flaws the Bulls have in the forecourt, they would have won this one if Allen didn't catch fire at the end. Pierce looks slow and out of sorts during this series so far. Hard to believe that will last, but the Bulls are playing pretty good defense on him.
It hurts to lose a close one, but Boston can't be feeling comfortable going into the United Center 1-1. Salmons, in particular, tends to play a lot better at home, and the Bulls need him to stay in this series.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Boston game one
This game almost makes up for all of the bad OT losses the Bulls had this year. Never mind that we should have won it in regulation or that we didn't play all that great -- it was a big, big win.
I should say that everyone except Rose didn't play great, because he was great. Before this game it was going to be a close ROY vote, but now they're already drilling his name onto the trophy. He needs to play better defense against Rondo, who had a very good game himself, and he needs to watch the fouls and the dangerous passes, but everything else was super. The Bulls future looked a lot brighter after this game.
Tyrus and those jumpers!! I hate those! I know he made two out of three at the end, but what is he doing jacking up a jumper from the baseline, and another from out near the three point line, when Rose is having a career night and Gordon had finally found his shot in the 4th!! Move over Deng, because Tyrus has become my new least favorite Bull.
Noah made a very, very stupid play at the end of regulation, that almost cost us the game, but overall, he played pretty well. He's much improved during the last few weeks. He gets us the rebounds that Tyrus should, but doesn't. Vinny is rewarding him with big minutes for his efforts.
Miller and Salmons both had very off nights, but then so did Pierce and most especially Ray Allen. We'll take that trade-off any day. Boston was out of sync all night and that won't last. I still don't understand why they didn't let Pierce have the ball more at the end, but then Tyrus wasn't giving it to Gordon either... .
Hinrich is the only other Bull who gets solid minutes, and his have dropped considerably, although he played fairly well. So they have a very short 7 man rotation. Our other Thomas is too lazy on defense to have him replace Tyrus. Bulls are basically one or two decent big guys away from being a good team.
I'm still not expecting the Bulls to win this one, but they are pretty good at home and have now won on the road, so it's a real series now.
I should say that everyone except Rose didn't play great, because he was great. Before this game it was going to be a close ROY vote, but now they're already drilling his name onto the trophy. He needs to play better defense against Rondo, who had a very good game himself, and he needs to watch the fouls and the dangerous passes, but everything else was super. The Bulls future looked a lot brighter after this game.
Tyrus and those jumpers!! I hate those! I know he made two out of three at the end, but what is he doing jacking up a jumper from the baseline, and another from out near the three point line, when Rose is having a career night and Gordon had finally found his shot in the 4th!! Move over Deng, because Tyrus has become my new least favorite Bull.
Noah made a very, very stupid play at the end of regulation, that almost cost us the game, but overall, he played pretty well. He's much improved during the last few weeks. He gets us the rebounds that Tyrus should, but doesn't. Vinny is rewarding him with big minutes for his efforts.
Miller and Salmons both had very off nights, but then so did Pierce and most especially Ray Allen. We'll take that trade-off any day. Boston was out of sync all night and that won't last. I still don't understand why they didn't let Pierce have the ball more at the end, but then Tyrus wasn't giving it to Gordon either... .
Hinrich is the only other Bull who gets solid minutes, and his have dropped considerably, although he played fairly well. So they have a very short 7 man rotation. Our other Thomas is too lazy on defense to have him replace Tyrus. Bulls are basically one or two decent big guys away from being a good team.
I'm still not expecting the Bulls to win this one, but they are pretty good at home and have now won on the road, so it's a real series now.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Slouching into the playoffs
Bulls barely beat a Detroit team that looked asleep and then got trounced by a bad Toronto team, that nonetheless seems to have the Bulls number. Why? Because Toronto has decent big guys and the Bulls most emphatically do not.
So now we get Boston, which as I've said before, may be better for the Bulls than Orlando. Of course if KG is 100% than I think we get swept. But if he's still hurt and a few of their other guys are banged up or off, then we could take some games. Bulls are still a huge long-shot to win a series against Boston though. A few playoff wins would be great.
Now, does Rose get ROY? I think he does. It's clearly him or Mayo, with Brook Lopez also getting votes. Mayo has better stats, but his team finished so poorly, and he didn't finish as well as he started. Memories are short in post season voting. Rose will win and he deserves it.
So now we get Boston, which as I've said before, may be better for the Bulls than Orlando. Of course if KG is 100% than I think we get swept. But if he's still hurt and a few of their other guys are banged up or off, then we could take some games. Bulls are still a huge long-shot to win a series against Boston though. A few playoff wins would be great.
Now, does Rose get ROY? I think he does. It's clearly him or Mayo, with Brook Lopez also getting votes. Mayo has better stats, but his team finished so poorly, and he didn't finish as well as he started. Memories are short in post season voting. Rose will win and he deserves it.
Monday, April 6, 2009
New Jersey and upcoming playoffs
Thanks once again to Ben Gordon for rescuing the Bulls late in a game. Nice to have Salmons back, even if he does seem a bit hampered still.
So, now it looks like the Bulls are definitely in the playoffs. Some may think that this isn't a good thing with a first round exit nearly assured, but it is important for Rose to have the playoff experience. Right now it looks like Orlando or Boston. Strangely, I think Boston is actually better for the Bulls, as Garnett doesn't seem like he's going to be 100%. The Bulls weakness is clearly in the front court and Dwight Howard would murder them.
Not that the Bulls have much of a chance with either one, but getting a playoff win (dare I hope for two?) would be extremely nice.
So, now it looks like the Bulls are definitely in the playoffs. Some may think that this isn't a good thing with a first round exit nearly assured, but it is important for Rose to have the playoff experience. Right now it looks like Orlando or Boston. Strangely, I think Boston is actually better for the Bulls, as Garnett doesn't seem like he's going to be 100%. The Bulls weakness is clearly in the front court and Dwight Howard would murder them.
Not that the Bulls have much of a chance with either one, but getting a playoff win (dare I hope for two?) would be extremely nice.
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