FROM MY LIVING ROOM—First the Thunder go 1986 Lakers on the
Chicago Bulls on Sunday and now the Bulls lie dead against the middling Houston
Rockets, a team so average that it almost needs Kirk Hinrich as its likable
combo guard.
Well, it’s hardly a surprise. The Thunder are maybe the best
team in the NBA since Kevin Durant has demonstrated some defensive fundamentals
that have been missing in his career. To me, it’s the one question mark on his
game since he is as gifted of an offensive player I’ve just about seen. You
pair that with Derrick Rose-lite in Russell Westbrook, a Manu-Janobli-esque
James Harden and an improving front line, you’ve got yourself a potential
championship.
Not that the Bulls are completely out of this thing. I sense
that the Derrick Rose injury has been a lot worse than they’ve reported but
have also taken the Rip-Hamilton approach of ensuring they’re actually healthy—not
gimpy or just functional.
After all, it hasn’t helped them since both Hamilton and
Rose were rushed back from injuries this season and aggravated an existing
condition or deflected it to another compartment on their bodies. It’s what
happens when you have a bad ankle, you lean a certain way to compensate. It takes
it toll—even for uber athletes like Rose.
This manifests as the Miami Heat are playing the most
apathetic ball of the season. I think people are over thinking this one as they
tend to be an unfocused group of players—primarily LeBron. On one hand, it
shows that they can be beaten; on the other, it shows how little they value
this stretch in the season. The new car smell has worn off. The playoffs are
rearing its head and they can stop making visits to the New Jersey Nets or
Golden State Warriors.
Meanwhile, we’ve learned that Tom Thibodeau might be the
best coach in the game, propping up John Lucas III as a realistic option off
the bench for microwave points and wisely have his bigs create many of the
inside points, rather than counting on dribble penetration. Color me impressed.
I think he’ll win coach of the year—an award that can be as fickle and aimless
as a Carmelo Anthony fourth quarter run.
The Bulls have leaned on Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer to be
their primary scorers and the absence of Rose and I’m wondering if there was
anything gained from this run without the MVP. Deng has had a wrist injury that
won’t get better until the offseason (probably followed by surgery) and yet has
gone from good to bad in nearly every matchup since.
Boozer, as we all know, is a stock that posts good numbers
but has tons of debt hidden behind it. At this point, I consider him a valuable
regular season performer who has helped the Bulls cling to their top seed, and
if that means a championship, then he should be praised for that much. I don’t
think he’ll matter
Against the Rockets, he gave you the familiar lollipop
jumper with some decent defensive rebounds. He’s been an enigma because he
seems to be more comfortable when Rose isn’t playing. I don’t get it: He’s not
Russell Westbrook, he wants to defer and looks to pass at the beginning of
nearly every game.
And that brings me back to the Miami Heat. If they’re really
idling at this point of the season, you have to wonder why. I don’t think many
can go into comfort mode and then switch it on in the playoffs, though
Shaquille O’Neal made a career of it. But Shaq’s game was more brute and power.
As long as he was in shape, no one in the league could stop him.
What’s striking, is that it took nearly two seasons for the
Heat to figure out their offense. Their half court sets are just lazy and
sloppy now. While I do think the Bulls are the more vulnerable team in these
playoffs because of the uncertainty with Rose and Hamilton—compounded with the
fact that neither has played much at all together—if the Heat get stuck with a
matchup against the feisty Indiana Pacers, they could be in for a longer series
than most anticipate.
Playoff basketball is about defending, rebounding and having
those scorers near the end of games.
It seems that one team has all the components, and it’s not
the Heat or Bulls. Again, we won’t know until Rose returns.
Contact Mike Mitchell
at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com.
2 comments:
not sure what to think of the Bulls' recent play. Part of me thinks it's the Bulls coming back to realistic expectations while playing without Rose. Another part of me thinks maybe the Bulls are understandably going through something analogous to high school "senioritus" with the playoffs just a stone's throw away. Either way the central question remains unchanged: Can the Bulls beat Miami?
I think the senioritus tag is certainly applicable for the Miami Heat.
They seem to be screwing around a tad and maybe everyone seems to be tired. Though the Thunder might have flourished in these times.
Who knows?
It's difficult to watch these games without Derrick. It's also put a burden on the bench as CJ Watson is expected to sit as well.
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