Bulls beat Pistons 83-71

Neither CJ Watson nor John Lucas III are as good as Derrick Rose, and opposing teams know it. One of Rose's biggest strengths is his ability to weave through traffic and get to the rim, a skill neither backup possesses.

Because of the distinct difference in maneuverability, opposing defenses play these two much differently than they would the reigning MVP. The primary difference comes with the way bigs hedge in the pick and roll sets.

When the Bulls set up in the half-court offense with either Watson or Lucas, they prefer to run PNR plays with anyone else on the floor except for whoever is playing shooting guard. Ideally, they would then either roll off the screen and take the shot themselves, or would  hit the rolling big for an easy layup.

The defense though is fully aware of what truly isn't a very complicated concept. They are also aware of the previously stated deficiencies, and try to take this play away as much as possible by "hedging" the screener's defender as often as possible. This means that the whoever is guarding the man setting the pick moves up temporarily and faces up the the guard to prevent a dribble drive or a clean passing lane in order to allow for the original defender to recover after the pick.

The problem with this defense though is that it invariably leaves a man open. By hedging off the roller, the defense then opens themselves up for quick outside-in passing. The Bulls learned early on that they would need to fight the hedge or else the majority of their PNR plays would be unsuccessful.

For example, let's say that CJ Watson has the ball on the left elbow and is being guarded by Brandon Knight. Carlos Boozer then picks Knight allowing Watson to go towards the top of the three point arc to his right. Jason Maxiell, Boozer's defender, leaves the rolling Boozer to help on Watson. Again, this temporarily opens up Boozer for a quick pass.

Watson has multiple options in this scenario. If Boozer stops his roll and pops out towards the elbow, Watson can hit him with a quick pass before Maxiell sets up, forcing another player to help on Boozer. This opens up Joakim Noah, Ronnie Brewer or Luol Deng on the baseline, players Boozer consistently finds for easy buckets in this situation.

Another option is for Watson to hit Joakim Noah moving up along the key. Noah would receive the ball near the elbow and have a wide open passing lane to hit the rolling Boozer before the defense had any time to recover.

These are just two of the ways the Bulls try to beat a hedging defense. Though it does not always work as cleanly as intended, they must be able to execute these sets at least until Rose comes back if they want to be successful in the playoffs.

Windy on the Banks Spotlight Player of the Game 


This is a new segment that I will be including after every covered game. This player might not have had the most gaudy box score, but without him the team certainly would've had a much tougher time. Tonight's inaugural WOB Trophy goes to....

Taj Gibson!

Gibson's hard work on the glass and on the defensive end earned him tonight's honors. At one point, he out-muscled two Detroit would-be rebounders for a loose ball and kicked it to an open Kyle Korver in the corner for an open three pointer. This play encapsulated his attitude for the entire game.

"He grabs his hard hat and lunch pail and he just says "gimme your candy!" - Stacey King

Gibson: 8 points, 5 rebounds (3 offensive), 1 block, 0 turnovers, 19 minutes of play

Bulls Romp Magic 85-59

The Bulls put on a defensive show tonight, allowing just 59 points, the fewest in franchise history. With the defense playing as well as it did, the offense also clicked at times, getting much needed contributions from Carlos Boozer and John Lucas III.

The Magic began the game intent on shutting down Carlos Boozer. They doubled him as soon as he caught the ball, hoping to force early turnover and get out to an early lead. The Bulls, however, used their consistently high basketball IQ to outsmart this defensive adjustment, and break through from the post. The key is to get Boozer in a position where he is able to react quickly before the double team sets up.

One of the ways this was done was by giving Boozer a steady stream of backdoor cuts. As soon as Boozer received the pass, one of his teammates would immediately cut to the basket. Whether it was Ronnie  Brewer, Joakim Noah, etc. there was always someone ready to receive the pass down low for an easy layup.

Another method used was to use Boozer as the roller in a pick and roll situation. He would set a ball screen at the top of the key, and then catch an open look before either popping with a mid-range jumper or driving to the basket for a strong layup.  

Just as Boozer was incredibly effective from the post, John Lucas III provided a sharpshooting touch from the perimeter. Lucas scored nine first quarter points on 3/3 shooting, and was generally able to get his looks after coming off screens. The Magic couldn't fight through the strong picks set on the 3 point line, and Lucas cashed in on the opportunities.

This was a great team win for the Bulls, and credit needs to go to Tom Thibodeau for coaching his team through immense adversity this season. Carlos Boozer is the only Chicago first teamer to start every game, and Derrick Rose, their star, has missed 14. Thibs and his team responded by accumulating the best record in the NBA. In the process, he also recorded his 100th career win, the fastest coach in NBA history to do so. Congrats Coach, you earned that accolade.

Rose-Less Bulls Beat Heat 106-102

Before I get to the actual game analysis, there's one thing that needs to be mentioned. John Lucas III is by far the best 3rd string point guard in the league. He made 9-12 FGs for 24 points and made 2 clutch free throws at the end of the game to ice it. I would not have expected the Bulls to put up 106 on one of the best defenses in the league missing Derrick Rose and Richard Hamilton. Lucas had the game of his life though and carried the Bulls to this win.

The rest of the Bulls success came from their physicality and toughness down low, and their utter domination on the glass.

Early in the first quarter, Ronnie Brewer took advantage of the Heat's lackluster baseline defense. He continuously cut backdoor to the basket for easy layups. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer displayed that they're one of the better frontcourt passing tandems in the league and consistently found him and gave him pinpoint passes.

Another play they ran that utilized their bigs' unique passing talents began, as most of their possessions do, with Joakim Noah getting the ball at the top of the key. Noah is unique in that he has a lot of raw quickness off the dribble, something that most post players do not have. This forces his defender to respect his ability to drive and play close to him, freeing up space in the middle of the floor. The Bulls then positioned Boozer behind Chris Bosh in the post, and after an easy lob over Bosh's head, Boozer laid it in for 2. The fact that the Bulls established deep position near the basket early in the game set the tone for the rest of the contest and Chicago never backed off the pedal.

As always with the Bulls, their success comes from their depth. Aside from Derrick Rose (and Luol Deng, to an extent), no one on this team can be considered a star. That said, the majority of their bench players can keep the game going on their own, and and this game was no different. The bench totaled more than half the team's total points (56), almost half their total rebounds, (23) and contributed 12 of the last 16 points of the game.

As of right now, the unit is living up to their hype.

Bench Mob indeed.

Bears Trade for Brandon Marshall

In my mind, new Bears GM Phil Emery had two jobs this offseason.

1) Acquire a big time wide receiver
2) Re-sign Matt Forte

Job number two is still up in the air, though there have been encouraging signs that the two teams are trying to reach a deal. The Bears franchise'd Forte earlier this month and now have until July to work out a long-term contract.

Earlier this afternoon though was the news that Emery completed job number one. The Bears traded 3rd round picks in 2012 and 2013 to the Dolphins for Brandon Marshall, a proven big time receiver who has great history with Jay Cutler. This moves instantly opens up the Bears offense who sorely needed a playmaker at the receiver position.

There is nothing I don't love about this move. Rather than breaking the bank to sign Vincent Jackson, the Bears give up 2 later-round picks for a guy that will help them right now. Additionally, the Bears can also address the defensive side of the ball and try to sign someone along the lines of Mario Williams or provide outside linebacker help. Also, by not spending top-dollar on a free agent receiver, this might retain cap space in order to give Forte a much needed new contract.

Well done Phil Emery. Your first move as GM was perfect, and the team is infinitely better after your first major move.

Bulls Defeat Knicks 104-99

Sometimes all it takes is hustle, physicality, and luck. The Bulls came into this game without two starters and a key bench player. The Knicks were out for revenge after being embarrassed by the 76ers. Then Chicago crashed the boards with relentless intensity and two young players stepped up when called upon: Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler.

Let's focus on Butler first. Coming into this game he averaged 8 minutes per game and just 2.6 points. Because of injuries to Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng the young was thrust into the fray and performed admirably, contributing 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Most importantly though is that the Bulls had enough confidence in his game to utilize him very similarly to Deng, the regular starter at the position.

Chicago relies upon Luol Deng to be the glue that holds the team together. He plays exceptional perimeter defense and can make shots from anywhere on the floor. Granted, Jimmy Butler's play was not all-star caliber, but as a rookie who has not seen the floor much this season, his play was encouraging. He was good moving without the ball off screens, and had a bit of success creating his own shots, but was most impressive on the defensive end. Butler played the majority of his second half minutes guarding Carmelo Anthony in iso situations (Melo's forte) and prevented him from scoring on most occasions. For what many consider to be the deepest team in the league, Butler's emergence could spell trouble for any team in a condensed season where everyone seems exhausted.

Taj Gibson played within himself on the offensive boards in this game. One of the best backup forwards in the league, Gibson added such ferocity off the bench that the Knicks will have nightmares of him hauling in rebounds in front of them. The Bulls had multiple second, third, and 4th shot opportunities, and Gibson was responsible for many of them with his eight offensive rebounds.

The Bulls' success on the glass came from their energy and physicality, and the Knicks' lack of both. Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler were incredibly outmatched and could not keep up. The Bulls did not do anything fancy. They were simply the stronger team down low and powered through the Knicks weak front line.

Kings top Blackhawks 3-2 in Shootout

How can a team with so much team speed be late on so many opportunities?

The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the fastest and most talented teams in the NHL. Their problems come though when they get over-aggressive and are unable to get back well enough on defense.

The first goal came just a minute and 17 seconds into the game. The Blackhawks started their shift poorly after letting up a scoring chance right off the opening faceoff, but eventually got great pressure in the Kings' zone. Four of their players crashed the net and were unable to knock it in. This turned into a long rebound and a 4-1 for LA. Though they had an extra 2 players, the Kings would only need two as Justin Williams got it to Slava Voynov for the quick goal.

This came as a result of the Blackhawks' defense not staying home under the circumstances. The forwards were able to create a scramble at the front of the net leaving Duncan Keith as the only player to retreat into the defensive zone. At this moment the Kings' players recognized the potential for an early chance and put it home to get on the board almost immediately.

The Blackhawks first goal came in the second period and is exactly the way they need to be playing moving forward. Viktor Stalberg benefitted from a neutral zone turnover, got an odd man rush with Patrick Sharp and Marcus Kruger, and made a great pass. Drew Doughty blocked Sharp's first attempt but Kruger was able to lift in the easy rebound. The Blackhawks at this point had been playing patient, but were aggressive enough when it mattered to cause a score.

In general, the Blackhawks are no patient enough on the back end to play dump-and-chase right now. Their forwards have not been able to get to pucks to set up an extended possession in the offensive zone which forces the defense to play up and out of position far too often. Chicago is athletic enough and fast enough to be able to cause offense in other ways, and therefore must play smarter and more conservative hockey if they want to be successful in the latter stages of this season.

Special National TV Lakers/Celtics Bonus Post Time!

I want to take a page from Sesame Street's book for today's post about the Lakers/Celtics game. For years and years they have been educating our youth with their "word of the day" segment. Today's word(s) of the day? Execution.

In the latter stages of the 4th quarter, the Lakers decided to shift their offense from general iso/post looks on the baseline to more of a two-man create game between Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. To begin the set, Gasol would get the ball right side near the top of the key. He would then hand off to Kobe and in the process set a pick on Bryant's defender. They would alternate this look with Kobe having the ball at the top of the key and Pau setting a screen on either side. This freed up more space into which Kobe could not only drive, but create for the rest of his teammates. This seems like it would be an effective process, but the rest of the Lakers could not get themselves into the right positions to allow for open baskets.

Andrew Bynum, clearly a post player, clogged up the lane by setting up on the left block instead of the right one and took up space where he was not in the position to be getting the ball. Neither Derek Fisher nor Metta World Peace moved along the perimeter without the ball to get into open catch and shoot situations. That said, Kobe still made 4-6 shots (many of which being contested) for 10 points and 2 assists in the 4th quarter though, and, as the best closer in today's NBA, kept it close and gave the Lakers their best chance to win.

On the other side of the ball, the Celtics don't have nearly the same shot creators from which their counterparts benefit. Throughout the game Paul Pierce, they're best shot creator, shot just 4-13 from the floor and provided just two 4th quarter points (both from the free throw line). Instead of constantly trying to go to him though, Boston's focus shifted giving touches to their entire team, hoping their ball movement would propel them to a victory.

Boston's unselfish style of play was apparent from their assist numbers. They registered assists on 33 of their 39 shots made, but were unable to come up with a point in the last 2:20 of the 4th. This was due to the way the Lakers closed out on the perimeter shooters and stopped Boston from getting open looks.

The Celtics intended to swing the ball inside-outside from their posts to the perimeter to get open looks on baseline/elbow jumpers. They understood that the overwhelming size combination of Bynum and Gasol prevented them from being able to go to a post game, so they relied on their athleticism and intelligence to get shots to their excellent mid-range shooters. Primarily this would result from a dribble drive from Rondo and then a kick out on an off-ball screen to either Kevin Garnett or Brandon Bass. Unfortunately for the C's, however, their shots would not fall in the final moments of the half and they finally came away with the loss.

Bulls Lose 99-94

I've felt the past couple posts have started to stagnate. Therefore, instead of just writing recaps, I want to start thinking more about individual strategy analysis. This game vs. the Orlando Dwight Howards featured 3 very formidable post players with one rising (sometimes literally) above them all (Howard).

Carlos Boozer provided an interesting study. In this game he shot 12-20 for 26 points, and kept the Bulls in the game with his clutch elbow and baseline jump shooting throughout the 4th. One play that was run with particular perfection in the contest was a pick and pop with the primary ball handler. Boozer would set up his pick on either side of the dribbler, would slip the screen and take the jumper from either elbow. This extended Orlando's defense and allowed for more open lanes to the basket or 3-point shooting opportunities from the guards. Not only that, his 20 shots taken was second only to Rose's 22. This involvement in the offense increased his motivation to play defense as can be seen by his 4 steals.

It's no secret that Dwight Howard is the best center in the league. When push comes to shove, he's just bigger, stronger, and more athletic than the other bigs. On three different occasions, Jameer Nelson (averaging just 5.5 assists on a team with a dominant big and knock-down shooters) had enough faith to just throw the ball up to Howard and have him jump over everyone and throw it down. What I'm more interested in is how the Bulls tried to defend him and how the Magic then adapted to (and eventually bested) Chicago's efforts.

Orlando's basic set featured Howard on either block with the other 4 players flanking him behind the 3 point line. When Howard posts up, the Bulls tried to run what was almost a triangle defense. Howard's primary defender would play behind him on the post, and whichever perimeter defenders were on his side would alternate and swipe in at him as he backed in. This resulted in 2 turnovers over the course of the game as Howard was unable to predict from where the double was coming and resulted in easy transition points for the Bulls.

The Magic realized quickly the strategy the Bulls were using on Howard and tweaked their sets to get him into more 1-1 situations. In these cases, it was rare that either Noah or Boozer would be able to stop him and these cases were instrumental in extending their lead. Instead of extending on all sides of the perimeter with Howard on the block, the Magic instead went to more of a baseline iso set. The other 4 players would spread on the other side of the court while Howard worked baseline with whomever was guarding him. This allowed him to post up easily and either turn baseline or drive middle with a baby hook. By putting Howard in a place where the Magic were able to maximize his versatility, the Magic then opened up other shots for their 3 point shooters to put the Bulls away.

Bulls Win 92-72

"Get your hard hat an lunch pail Taj Gibson," exclaimed Bulls color commentator Stacey King with about three minutes left in the third quarter.
Let's back up a second. Gibson had just converted a tough tap-in after a Derrick Rose miss to extend the Bulls' lead to 13 in the midst of a 20-4 Chicago run. This workman-like, blue-collar effort was indicative of their entire game performance.

Chicago's 92-72 win over Indiana was not as easy as the score suggests. the Pacers maintained a one-point lead at halftime and were holding the Bulls to 39% shooting. Then in the third quarter, the Bulls made 12 of their 21 shots to build a 19 point lead.

Though the starters built their lead in the third, Chicago's bench mob had to keep them in the game before halftime. John Lucas III, backing up Derrick Rose in place of injured CJ Watson, scored 13 points off the bench, including nine in the first two periods.
Taj Gibson, for whom the Bulls ran multiple baseline iso plays, rendered starter Carlos Boozer's lackluster performance inconsequential, finishing with ten points and nine rebounds.
Ronnie Brewer, was forced to resume his role as a spot starter after Richard Hamilton injured his shoulder just two minutes into the game. He finished with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Tonight, the team with the best record in the NBA defeated the current third seed in the Eastern Conference. It was a close game in the first half. But the White Mamba's entrance late in the fourth quarter displayed the abyss present between those two seeds.

Rutgers Falls to Villanova 77-71

When you come out losing 28-9 and are allowing the other team to shoot 10-11 from the field, it's tough to expect to come out with a win.
Then when the second half starts with a 20-2 run to cut the lead to one, Rutgers had hope.
Then... what happened?
Villanova went to a 2-3 zone. Mack, Carter and Seagears couldn't penetrate the way they had been early in the game. Nova began making shots again and breaking Rutgers' press. Rutgers lost the rebounding battle 36-27. Though they forced 21 turnovers, they committed 25 total fouls.
Rutgers, once again, lost to a lesser team. They had a chance to improve their seeding for the upcoming Big East tournament, and once and again let it get away. As has been the story for the entire season, Rutgers' youth was apparent. They won't be going anywhere. They might win one, maybe two games on a big stage. Right now though, Scarlet Knight fans should look to next year. One that promises development, maturity, and some semblance of consistency.
Final note - what is Myles Mack thinking on the offensive side of the ball? Prior to tonight, he was shooting 34% from behind the arc. In this game, he shot 10 three pointers and only made 3 of them. This is a consistent issue. If this team is going to grow, Mack needs to learn that his best asset is not as a shooter who stops offensive flow by jacking up wild threes. He needs to facilitate more, drive to the basket and kick out to open shooters, or just spot open for the occasional open look. He's not consistent enough to take this many shots, and it drastically hurts the offense.