Cubs Beat Nationals 4-3

Kerry Wood and the Cubs bullpen blew the first two games of the season against the Nationals after great outings by the starters. Then Jeff Samardzija decided that the best way to reverse that trend is to prevent any relievers from entering the game.

Despite Starlin Castro's ninth inning error and the ensuing two-run shot from Adam LaRoche, Samardzija cruised through the entire game. His pinpoint command of his fastball, splitter, and slider are what brought him success.

With no outs in the ninth inning Samardzija rocketed a four-seam fastball onto the lower outside corner past Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond. Despite the fact that he had already thrown almost 100 pitches, the radar gun listed the pitch at 97 miles per hour.

With one out in the same half-inning, Samardzija faced second baseman Danny Espinosa. Espinosa though did not last very long as backstop Doug Eddings called a backdoor slider strike three for the second out of the inning.

Jeff Samardzija began his career as a nomad. Cubs management could not decide if he was best as a starter or a reliever. This indecision hurt him in the long run, and was unable to be successful in either department. Last season, he was a reliever for the entire season, and one of the most reliable in the bullpen. This season he has been dubbed the third starter, and began with a gem. If 2012 Samardzija pitches as well as his first game reflected for the entire season, the Cubs might be on their way to a surprise season.

Windy on the Banks Spotlight Player of the Game


Who else but Samardzija?

8.2 Innings Pitched, 4 hits, 1 ER, 8 Strikeouts

Rockets Beat Bulls 98-93

The Chicago Bulls lost their second in a row to the Houston Rockets. This marked the first time in 86 tries that they lost back to back games. There wasn't, however, one specific set that Houston continuously ran in order to beat the Bulls defense. Instead, they outworked, out-hustled, and out-manned the Bulls.

When the Bulls defense plays the way it is supposed to, they close out on opposing shooters quickly and don't allow open shots from anywhere on the floor. In this game, however, the Bulls simply seemed soft on the defensive end.

Coming into this game, Chicago was a stellar 14-6 without Derrick Rose. The past two games though have showcased the flaws inherent to both CJ Watson's nor John Lucas III's games. Though both are above average outside shooters, neither is especially fast. On top of that, neither possesses the ball handling skills necessary to adequately run the floor the way a starting point guard should. Therefore, when matched up against quicker, more athletic guards, they struggle.

Goran Dragic, Houston's starter, is by no means an all-star. He is, however, very quick, and has very good court vision. Because neither Watson nor Lucas were able to hound him on the defensive end. As a result, he finished with 20 points on 75% shooting, with 5 assists and 4 steals. Dragic took advantage of Watson and Lucas's sub-par play and submitted an excellent performance.

The Bulls performed very well earlier on in the season when Rose was out for just a few games at a time. At this point though, Rose has missed 11 straight games, and neither Watson  nor Lucas has enough in the tank to properly run the point. With Miami and OKC breathing down their backs looking for the best record in the NBA, the Bulls offense needs to get back into shape to avoid losing out on valuable playoff position.

Thunder Blow Out Bulls 92-78

The Oklahoma City Thunder are clearly led by superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They were on top of their games when they played the Bulls, and their play design made it easy for them to excel.

Both Durant and Westbrook are uniquely talented in that they showcase incredible mid-range/three-point range games without needing to receive a pass. OKC then runs simple pick and rolls at the top of the key to get them open mid-range shots.

The key to this play is spacing. In this example, let's assume Kevin Durant has the ball and is guarded by Luol Deng. Kendrick Perkins is setting the pick, guarded by Joakim Noah. Westbrook and Thabo Sephalosha, the two guards, vacate to either corner. Serge Ibaka, guarded by Carlos Boozer then plays near the baseline to free up as much mid-range space as possible for the shooter.

When Durant runs off the pick, Deng fights through it because he knows that Joakim Noah will go under it to prevent the drive. Noah then is unable to get in Durant's face, Deng is unable to fight through the screen, and Carlos Boozer is too worried about Ibaka under the basket to close out on Durant in time. This creates just enough space for Durant to pull up with the shot.

This play is successful not only because of the talents that both stars bring to the table, but also because of its versatility. If shot isn't there, then it becomes a routine pick and roll situation. Oklahoma City can also run it with either Westbrook or Durant (as well as with backup shooter James Harden to an extent), and can set the pick with any of their bigs.

Part of the reason this game was a blowout was because of this play's success. On the game, Durant and Westbrook went 21-34 and shot 62% from the floor.

Windy on the Banks Spotlight Player of the Game


Congratulations to Serge Ibaka!

Well before this game was a blowout, the Bulls couldn't get anything going down low. Ibaka's presence down low forced the Bulls to take 24 three pointers, 9 more than their average. The league's leading shot blocker finished with 5 blocks, and was a force down low. Noah, Boozer, Gibson and Asik went a combined 9/26 and shot 35% from the floor. 

Serge Ibaka: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks, 50% shooting in 21 minutes of play