Coach Thib's deserves a lot of credit. I love the way he keep coaching even when we are up 20 points. But tonight would have been a great opportunity to give some playing time to our players who never get any. Namely, Scalabrine and Butler. If you have any ideas of using them in the playoffs, they will need more experience. When you have a 20-point 4th-quarter lead, that's when you can safely give them some minutes. And, you don't need to keep Luol in the whole damn game. He's great, yes. But every minute he plays increases his chances of getting hurt. You should have pulled him and let the deep bench build some confidence.
And to the players on the floor in the last 6 minutes- just eat clock. There is no reason to be jacking 3's with 18 seconds left on the clock. When the game is in the bag, the mantra should be, "take 24 and get 2". It's not classy to pad the score.
But it was a great game to watch. Congrats to Derrick and to Boozer for their fabulous play. Only a few more to go and we'll wrap up home court.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Bulls lose to 76ers
I have said before that a big halftime lead can be a dangerous thing. But that was in reference to the overconfidence and complacency that can come with HAVING a big lead. Last night, Philly had the big lead and we were never able to overcome it.
It was nice to see Carols and Joakim driving the lane. When the outside shots are not sinking, you have to go for higher-percentage shots. The officials were pretty lax and let the 76ers be as aggressive as they wanted. We did not respond in kind until halfway through the 2nd quarter. Our defense got beeter, but did not stay consistent. And our ball handling was sloppy. Derrick Rose, arguably the best point guard in the league (if he's the most valuable player, how can he not be the most valuable guard?) turned the ball over 10 times! Thankfully that is very uncharacteristic of him and should not become a habit. But seriously, 10 turnovers?
They had 14 points off of those turnovers, and that alone would have changed the game. And we missed 12 free throws; shooting only 60%. Again, that would have changed the game. I complain that we didn't get to the line as much as was indicated, but we were not making them pay when the fouls were called anyway.
It had to happen sometime. Our home winning streak ends at 14 games. Fortunately, Boston lost as well, so we are still 2 games in front. It looks like Boston is going to continue to drop and Miami is going to continue to surge, so we need to start worrying about keeping in front of them. Miami plays Cleveland tonight, so they're probably going to win that.
Wednesday we face Minnesota. We can't take anything for granted now down the stretch. Boys, watch some tape and see how they are going to play you. Be prepared. I'll be watching you.
It was nice to see Carols and Joakim driving the lane. When the outside shots are not sinking, you have to go for higher-percentage shots. The officials were pretty lax and let the 76ers be as aggressive as they wanted. We did not respond in kind until halfway through the 2nd quarter. Our defense got beeter, but did not stay consistent. And our ball handling was sloppy. Derrick Rose, arguably the best point guard in the league (if he's the most valuable player, how can he not be the most valuable guard?) turned the ball over 10 times! Thankfully that is very uncharacteristic of him and should not become a habit. But seriously, 10 turnovers?
They had 14 points off of those turnovers, and that alone would have changed the game. And we missed 12 free throws; shooting only 60%. Again, that would have changed the game. I complain that we didn't get to the line as much as was indicated, but we were not making them pay when the fouls were called anyway.
It had to happen sometime. Our home winning streak ends at 14 games. Fortunately, Boston lost as well, so we are still 2 games in front. It looks like Boston is going to continue to drop and Miami is going to continue to surge, so we need to start worrying about keeping in front of them. Miami plays Cleveland tonight, so they're probably going to win that.
Wednesday we face Minnesota. We can't take anything for granted now down the stretch. Boys, watch some tape and see how they are going to play you. Be prepared. I'll be watching you.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Bulls beat Milwaukee
I think the Jury is IN for Derrick Rose getting MVP, but if there was any doubt before tonight, it should all be erased now.
Milwaukee played like a team who's future was on the line. We played like a team that has the #1 spot in our division locked up. They definitely had a greater sense of urgency and focus. We trailed the whole game. But then D Rose got tired of losing and took over in the last 6 minutes. I don't think anyone is reading these posts, but if Coach Thibs is, here are my notes.
We should get Joakim more involved offensively. He is an all-star when he is playing on both ends of the floor. He can be an above-the-rim scorer a la Tyson Chandler was with Chris Paul. Since his return from injury, his scoring seems to be only as an afterthought to rebounding. He's a great rebounder, but he also can handle the ball better than most big guys and that could take some pressure off the perimeter.
Secondly, you should talk to Derrick about getting away from a double-team faster. In the middle of the game it became obvious that they were going to double and deny him from getting into the lane. As soon as the defense starts double-teaming him at the half court line, he needs to get it to the open man. Of course, the man who's defender has left him needs to get themselves accessible to score. I did not see enough movement from those who did not have the ball. Yes, Derrick was able to take over in the 4th, but it should not have been that close a game to begin with, and if the ball was better distributed, D would have an easier time flaring up when he wanted to.
I was glad to see a lot of Ronnie Brewer tonight. It seems like we have been using him less lately. Bogans has gotten better over the season. For a long time, I though we had Bogans start just so that Ronnie could give a spark when he came in. Ronnie used to play more minutes.
There seemed to be more Bulls fans there than Milwaukee fans. That's good, because the majority can be happy with the outcome. I thought we were going to lose this game, but that last quarter was very exciting to watch.
Milwaukee played like a team who's future was on the line. We played like a team that has the #1 spot in our division locked up. They definitely had a greater sense of urgency and focus. We trailed the whole game. But then D Rose got tired of losing and took over in the last 6 minutes. I don't think anyone is reading these posts, but if Coach Thibs is, here are my notes.
We should get Joakim more involved offensively. He is an all-star when he is playing on both ends of the floor. He can be an above-the-rim scorer a la Tyson Chandler was with Chris Paul. Since his return from injury, his scoring seems to be only as an afterthought to rebounding. He's a great rebounder, but he also can handle the ball better than most big guys and that could take some pressure off the perimeter.
Secondly, you should talk to Derrick about getting away from a double-team faster. In the middle of the game it became obvious that they were going to double and deny him from getting into the lane. As soon as the defense starts double-teaming him at the half court line, he needs to get it to the open man. Of course, the man who's defender has left him needs to get themselves accessible to score. I did not see enough movement from those who did not have the ball. Yes, Derrick was able to take over in the 4th, but it should not have been that close a game to begin with, and if the ball was better distributed, D would have an easier time flaring up when he wanted to.
I was glad to see a lot of Ronnie Brewer tonight. It seems like we have been using him less lately. Bogans has gotten better over the season. For a long time, I though we had Bogans start just so that Ronnie could give a spark when he came in. Ronnie used to play more minutes.
There seemed to be more Bulls fans there than Milwaukee fans. That's good, because the majority can be happy with the outcome. I thought we were going to lose this game, but that last quarter was very exciting to watch.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
We got lucky
I don't know where our heads were last night, but our starters played pretty sloppy. As Luol Dneg put it in his post-game interview, the Bulls were outplayed by Memphis. The Grizzlies looks crisper, more focused, and like they wanted it more. D Rose had a terrible shooting night, and Boozer's defense was severely lacking against Gasaul. Luckily, we were able to pull it together in time.
It can be very hard to keep your focus in this last stretch. But home court advantage needs to be a priority for us. We need to win every game and we will have a chance of home court against the Lakers in the Finals.
It can be very hard to keep your focus in this last stretch. But home court advantage needs to be a priority for us. We need to win every game and we will have a chance of home court against the Lakers in the Finals.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sole possession of 1st place
So we kicked @$$ last night. A large halftime lead can be a dangerous thing (as we have seen in the past); but last night it was just dangerous for Atlanta. It's hard to find much fault with a 33-point victory, but I can.
I know the guys get excited to pad their stats, but it is not classy to kick a team when they are down. In the last 5 minutes, we should have let the clock run 20 seconds or so and then just take a shot because we had to. Let the game end quickly. There was no need to be shooting 3's with 15 seconds left on the clock when we were up by 40 and we were in the waning minutes of the game.
I do like the fact that Tom T let the starters rest. We got a wake-up call when Boozer got hurt late in a rout. Phil Jackson used to let MJ and Scottie rest when the game was in the bag. Tom has not done that so much this season, but he did last night.
And how about a shout-out to Memphis for taking down Boston tonight? And they did it in Boston no less. I didn't see the game, just the highlights on NBA.com. Now, I like Boston. But I like the Bulls more and would like to see us have the easier road in the playoffs (plus, home court advantage has been huge for us this year). I would like to see Boston beat Miami (my feelings about Miami will be saved for another rant), and us beat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then I'd love to stomp on Kobe and the perennial Lakers, but I'd much rather they get embarrassed and knocked out in the first or second round. I'd like the Mav's to take out the Lakers, then have the Spurs win the West. Then, Bulls win it all in 6.
The problem with this fantasy is experience. Often, teams have to knock at the door a few times before they figure out what it takes to win the championship. Other than Coach Thib's, no one on our roster has ever even been to the finals. That could hurt us.
I know the guys get excited to pad their stats, but it is not classy to kick a team when they are down. In the last 5 minutes, we should have let the clock run 20 seconds or so and then just take a shot because we had to. Let the game end quickly. There was no need to be shooting 3's with 15 seconds left on the clock when we were up by 40 and we were in the waning minutes of the game.
I do like the fact that Tom T let the starters rest. We got a wake-up call when Boozer got hurt late in a rout. Phil Jackson used to let MJ and Scottie rest when the game was in the bag. Tom has not done that so much this season, but he did last night.
And how about a shout-out to Memphis for taking down Boston tonight? And they did it in Boston no less. I didn't see the game, just the highlights on NBA.com. Now, I like Boston. But I like the Bulls more and would like to see us have the easier road in the playoffs (plus, home court advantage has been huge for us this year). I would like to see Boston beat Miami (my feelings about Miami will be saved for another rant), and us beat the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then I'd love to stomp on Kobe and the perennial Lakers, but I'd much rather they get embarrassed and knocked out in the first or second round. I'd like the Mav's to take out the Lakers, then have the Spurs win the West. Then, Bulls win it all in 6.
The problem with this fantasy is experience. Often, teams have to knock at the door a few times before they figure out what it takes to win the championship. Other than Coach Thib's, no one on our roster has ever even been to the finals. That could hurt us.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Derrick Rose for MVP
Well, I did not see the loss to Indiana, but it's pretty darn clutch for a guy to be down by 3 points, get fouled on a last-minute three point attempt, and then sink all three free throws. Unfortunately, he fouled out in the overtime and we lost, but I think that shows great poise under pressure.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
First post
Hello to my fellow lovers of the NBA. I hope that all of you are Bulls fans, but I know there will be some who gravitate to other teams and see our Bulls as a nemesis. That's fine. I'll post what I think, you can respond, and we'll all have a good time.
I have been meaning to start this blog for a long time. I wanted to call it "angrybullsfan" for the past several years, because I had a lot of criticisms about how our team was playing and being coached. For one thing, that blog title was taken. But more importantly, I am no longer mad. I still have some criticisms, which I will list here; but I am very excited about our team and our coach.
Another thing you will learn quickly about me is that I DON'T LIKE KOBE. He was disrespectful to Michael Jordan when MJ was talking to Phil Jackson about returning. He said something like "Stay away old man. This is a young man's game." I found this to be rude.
I often see him try to take games over himself. At cruch time, his attitude seems to be "there are 5 guys against me, and 4 guys in my way." He likes the glory too much. And then there was that whole rape thing. His numbers will wind up ahead of Jordans just because he entered the league so young, and because MJ took some years off. MJ remains the greatest player ever.
I also no longer like LeBron, Dwayne, and Bosh. They as much as admitted that they cannot win with a normal team. They need an all-star team to be able to compete with the Celtics or the Lakers. Apparently their all-star team is not enough to beat our bulls though. I write this in jest, because they have been on fire the past week, torching the Lakers and the Spurs. If they get their act together, then may be a real threat in the East. They do suffer from a lack of depth though.
That's all for now. Let's kick New Jersey's butt tonight!
I have been meaning to start this blog for a long time. I wanted to call it "angrybullsfan" for the past several years, because I had a lot of criticisms about how our team was playing and being coached. For one thing, that blog title was taken. But more importantly, I am no longer mad. I still have some criticisms, which I will list here; but I am very excited about our team and our coach.
Another thing you will learn quickly about me is that I DON'T LIKE KOBE. He was disrespectful to Michael Jordan when MJ was talking to Phil Jackson about returning. He said something like "Stay away old man. This is a young man's game." I found this to be rude.
I often see him try to take games over himself. At cruch time, his attitude seems to be "there are 5 guys against me, and 4 guys in my way." He likes the glory too much. And then there was that whole rape thing. His numbers will wind up ahead of Jordans just because he entered the league so young, and because MJ took some years off. MJ remains the greatest player ever.
I also no longer like LeBron, Dwayne, and Bosh. They as much as admitted that they cannot win with a normal team. They need an all-star team to be able to compete with the Celtics or the Lakers. Apparently their all-star team is not enough to beat our bulls though. I write this in jest, because they have been on fire the past week, torching the Lakers and the Spurs. If they get their act together, then may be a real threat in the East. They do suffer from a lack of depth though.
That's all for now. Let's kick New Jersey's butt tonight!
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