Two lessons I’ve learned from this game:
1. Derrick Rose is still really hurt and should
have never played as he could barely leave his feet. He needs more rest and
time for getting in shape before the playoffs.
2.
Omer Asik is the ideal playoff big off the
bench. He takes possessions seriously and seems to have such a natural feel for
defense, that he can alter games in the short bursts when he is in games.
Aside from that, the outcome of this game wouldn’t have
frayed my opinion on the Bulls much, but it’s important to beat the team many—including
me—deem better than you.
The Bulls are just so unconventional in this era of
star-laden rosters that are supposed to win titles. They’re blessed with
arguably in the best tactician in the game today who seems to do everything
right, including sitting the MVP for a once Euro League player to close the
game.
He understands there is little chance in hurting Rose’s
feelings even as Rose was hurting the team with his inability to move much. If
this were a similarly hurt Carmelo Anthony or Russell Westbrook, I don’t get
the sense they would have been as open-minded about the deferral.
Thibodeau has also implemented more interior passing, a
strength of both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah who are notorious for
disappearing in these games against the Miami Heat. I thought they were
significantly better, if not extraverted in their efforts—particularly Boozer.
I don’t know what
Boozer will give them when the playoffs roll around, but this is good enough—hitting
mid-range jumpers, following up misses, aggressive defensive rebounding and
smart passing. His defense will suck, but I’ll take it. If he’s anything like
that mechanical, flat-footed, timid player we saw last year, the Bulls are
toast.
He’s an important player because he can be a major weakness
or strength. He also seems prepared for Rip Hamilton’s passes and Roses misses
when he is attacking the rim.
But the bouquets should be heaved at the curly-haired Turk,
who probably wears khakis and Birkenstocks when traveling with the team. Omer
was fabulous against the Heat as he uses his length to aggravate shooters
rather than block them. You have to remember that American players are
conditioned to block a shot, send it in the fourth row if the opportunity
appears. It’s an ego thing, a bravado, a swagger.
Dwight Howard, mister insecure, is probably the best at
this. Javale McGee, the uber talented mindless one, is second.
But imagine how many plays they would change with Omer’s
approach of going straight up, absorbing contact and using his airspace to hold
defensive position rather than foul. It’s almost surprising to guys like LeBron
and Wade because of their explosive ability and ability to draw so many fouls.
“Wait, what? No call?”
You don’t get that with Omer. In fact, Omer probably gets
more calls on him than he should. Defensive players should have the ability to
go up and defend a shot without a foul called on them. In the past 20 years,
much of the strategy of guys like Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant or Wade has been
to get the defender off balance and plow into them for an easy and-1.
In the Gospel of Tom Thibodeau, Omer’s selfless play is
ideal for a defense that packs the lane.
I’m still waiting for Rip Hamilton to matter.
Kyle Korver, who also disappeared against the Miami Heat
last season, has been sensational the past two games—actually for the last
month. To be honest, if he plays like this, I think they Bulls will beat the
Heat.
Part of what froze Rose last year, was Korver’s inability to get open and
pull the trigger when asked. When he did
shoot, they weren’t going in. He’s another selfless player, but they need to
condition him to look for his own shot more often. He’s just too good from any
spot on the floor (except near the rim). He opens up the lane and gives the
bigs more room to work.
This was the player I envisioned when the Bulls scooped him
up in the free agency derby two summers ago.
He’s often been timid, but he
needs to fire quickly when he gets the chance. There are only a handful of
better shooters from 3 point land in the league.
The Miami Heat have been slumping, maybe as bad as they were
when they kicked off their dynasty (they call that sarcasm—SNAP!) last season,
but I have a difficult time overreacting on their demise. I only see one team
that can beat them in the East and that’s the Bulls.
The Bulls have to get their best player healthy and they
have two weeks. They have to get their 35-year-old free agent acquisition in sync
with the team and in shape, and again, they only have two weeks. They still
start out games really slow and claw their way back in because of their
rebounding and tireless effort—but that’s more a symptom of the regular season.
They exploit sloppiness and laziness.
But the biggest question mark hovers around Derrick Rose.
The Heat are vulnerable to be sure, but I wonder how they’ll
look after they get a little momentum after winning the first playoff series. I’d
like to see them square off with the Indiana Pacers because they are sort of a
Bulls-lite and would irritate them much the same way the Bulls do.
But consider this a good time if you’re a Bulls fan. It’s
sort of like coming back from vacation and everything feels kind of weird
around the house and your job, but you’re glad to have the life you do, you’re
thankful that you got to go away, you never thought you could afford it and you
did, you know the next few months will be challenging, but you’ve done it
before and you are ready.
Contact Mike Mitchell
at michaelkennethmitchell@gmail.com.
4 comments:
It was an exciting game. I do think, however, if the LeBron of the 2011 EC Finals shows up, then it's over. And I don't care if Boozer and Noah decide to show up. The 2011 ECF Bron was everything the regular season/playoff Bron is supposed to be: clutch, dominant, unstoppable, and so on. If that dude shows up, then it's over. And he can shut down Rose on top of all that. By the way, Sam Smith is getting on my nerves for reasons that currently do not involve lazy journalism and hidebound thinking. He continues to maintain that James cannot guard Rose despite the lopsided results of the Rose-James isolations all throughout last year's playoff series. It's almost like he's overly protective of Rose in a meathead fan sort of way, publicly denying his shortcomings as if to implicitly protect his sacrosanct image of "unguardability." Look, I'm a fan of Rose as much as the next guy. And he seems to be a great guy, which makes him easier to like than, say, someone like Kevin Garnett or even Jordan. But let's just admit the obvious here: James has, can and will neutralize Rose. There's nothing to be ashamed of a 6'8 freak of nature clamping down on a physically ordinary (relative to the NBA landscape) but prodigiously talented 6'3 PG.
So I think if the ECF 2011 James shows up, and I think he's been the same dude throughout this regular season except for very recently, and Wade and Bosh play to their averages, then it will be very tough, to say the least.
Sure. LeBron--and maybe with consideration to Wilt Chamberlain, Jesse Owens and possibly even Julius Peppers--is the most athletic specimen ever.
That isn't hyperbole. The thing is, Derrick is sort of a 6'3 version of him, but as you mentioned, I'd take the 6'8 version. Fittingly they are the two most athletic players to ever play their respective positions.
What scares me most, is his health. I have no reason to believe he'll ever be 100 percent this season. We already know Luol Deng won't--their second best player and Rip Hamilton--supposed their third best scorer--hasn't played anything like the guy I've seen in three years previous.
You can only go by what we've seen so far. I think it's down to two teams in the East. Miami is the favorite, but I do remember how poorly Boozer, Noah and Korver played last year and wondered if they can play up to par.
In essence, sure, the Heat are the better, more talented squad, but it seems the Bulls offset so many of their shortcomings with offensive and defensive rebounding. It creates extra possessions. It makes up for poor shooting, lack of dribble-drive by players other than Rose.
A champion is usually among the top three rebounding teams in the NBA. http://basketballogy.com/2010/champions-rebound/
I don't consider them the favorite in the Heat series, but the parts around Rose have bettered.
But it's Rose, I'm worried wont' be able to be, well, Rose.
By the way, don't worry about Sam Smith's musings. I'm more offended he actually publishes and responds to readers' queries about the Bulls being better when Rose isn't in the lineup, nor should he take the final shot.
That shouldn't even merit a response.
Yea I'm totally with you on the deteriorating health. That more than anything, perhaps, will negatively impact the Bulls' championship aspirations. I'm also with you on the plausibility of the Bulls overcoming the Heat. I considered using a "top-heavy/stars" roster counterargument here against your point, and how stars demonstrate why they're stars in the playoffs, but then I remembered the top heavy rosters of the Heat, Thunder and Lakers lost last year in the playoffs to a team that, like the Bulls, was comprised of one star and a bevy of good role players.
What separated the Mavs from the Bulls, however, was the secondary creator/scorer, and I would argue that the Mavs had two: Terry and JJ Barea, both of whom could break down defenses when required and create chaos. With the Bulls, like you've pointed out before, everything needs to work perfectly: When the defense collapses, Korver MUST hit the three; when Boozer has space, he MUST convert; when Hamilton runs off those screens, he MUST hit that shot, and so on. If any of these guys fails in their specific role, then Rose must press turbo and do his thing, or you just trash the possession and try again next time. So I still think the absence of the luxury of a secondary creator/scorer will work against the Bulls, even if Korver is lights out, Noah is high energy, and so on. But I do your point seriously and I really really hope I'm wrong and you're right.
I do take your point seriously*
Post a Comment