Bulls Close Out First Round With Impressive Win Over Pacers

It took up until Game 5, but the Bulls finally got the complete game that had been expected of them as the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed in this year’s postseason. They got off to a better start than they had in either of the prior four tilts, limiting turnovers and the playing time of Carlos Boozer in Tuesday’s 116-89 win, which eliminated Indiana from the playoffs.

Chicago started off hot on Tuesday, stretching their early lead to double digits, leading 36-25 after the opening frame. Despite concerns about his ankle injury sustained in Game 4, Derrick Rose started out hot and played the whole first quarter, hitting on five of his eight shots in the first.

Rose would go on to play just over 20 minutes in the first half, dropping 13 points. His minutes and points trailed only Luol Deng, whose 15 points led the team in the first half. The Pacers were able to narrow the gap a bit, to just nine points, by the end of the first half, but that wouldn’t matter for too long.

After a run by Indiana in the third quarter that pulled them to within just a few points, the Bulls went on a 23-8 run in the third quarter that would prove to be the real difference, as Indy was never able to recover from it. Rose finished the quarter with 12 points, and was backed from a surprising nine from Keith Bogans for the frame.

The fourth quarter was all about managing to keep the lead for the rest of the game, with Deng and Joakim Noah serving as the only starters to see more than 90 seconds on the floor in the fourth. The 24 points from the Bulls bench in the fourth matched Indy’s total for the quarter, and would help in propelling the Bulls to the Game 5 victory.

The biggest differences in Game 5 from the struggles in the previous games against Indy were the turnovers, as well as success hitting the three-ball. After turning the ball over 20-plus times in multiple contests in this series, the Bulls turned the ball over just 14 times on Tuesday night. Much of that goes back to the limited minutes of Boozer, who sat due to struggles and a foot injury. This opened the door for big minutes from Taj Gibson, who scored 10 points, in addition to his seven boards.

Chicago would also launch over 30 three-pointers in this one, shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc. Bogans led the way for the Bulls, dropping 15 points, all via the long ball. Rose and Deng also combined for six additional shots made from deep in the effort.

For the Bulls, it’s not time to sit and wait, while they wait and see who their second round opponent could be. More importantly, it’s the short layoff will give Rose ample time to heal that ankle. Though it appeared just fine and didn’t seem to effect his speed too much, you can never be sure with a nagging injury like an ankle sprain, meaning the time off will be good for the MVP candidate.

After Loss To Pacers, Should Chicago Bulls Fans Be Concerned?

Saturday’s game was very similar to the other three games played in this series between the Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls. Unable to blow out the No. 8 seed Pacers in any of the first three, the Bulls’ woes finally caught up to them in Saturday’s loss to Indiana, which closed the gap in the series to 3-1.

Even more disconcerting about the loss was the injury to Derrick Rose, who rolled his ankle and had to be examined in the locker room. He did return, but didn’t have the same, explosive capabilities he typically has on that ankle.

On Sunday, Rose was seen in a walking boot and had an MRI performed, but the results of the test were negative. The Chicago brass is hopeful their star point guard will be good to go in time for Tuesday’s Game 5, but even with the status of Rose up in the air, there are still quiet concerns about this Bulls squad.

The general reason for the concern is the fact that despite they carry the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s playoffs, the Bulls have been unable to put away the Pacers for good in any game this series. They’ve showed resilience in being able to come back in each of the three wins, and nearly a fourth, but should they really be needing to come back against a team like Indy?

The other big concern, even bigger than Rose’s injury, is the play of Carlos Boozer, who has been ugly so far, with Game 2 as his only decent performance in the first four games. He’s hit the boards hard, but has struggled from the field (6-15 on Saturday) and has been a turnover machine.

But the Bulls knew what they were getting in Boozer: a guy who will add a few to the ‘win’ column in the regular season, but isn’t the most polished postseason player. That has certainly been the case thus far into the playoffs.

However, Boozer’s struggles and the tight games against Indiana are no reason for the Bulls or their fans to  be concerned.

Boozer seems to be pressing, as many Bulls did at home in the series’ first two games, and it shows on the court. He’s been turning the ball over at an extremely high rate and has been more of a liability than an asset, much different from that guy who performed so well for the Bulls down the stretch of the regular season.

But the fact that his battery mate down low, Joakim Noah, played so well on Saturday should end up benefiting Boozer. With both dominating the glass, combining for 27 boards on Saturday, Boozer can have a bit of the scoring load taken off of his shoulders if Noah continues to re-emerge and prove how healthy he is moving forward.

What most people have to realize about this Bulls team is that they’re not the type of team that is going to constantly blow teams out, especially in the playoffs. Sure, they had some runaway games during the regular season, but Tom Thibodeau and co. preach that defensive philosophy that has made the Bulls so successful this season. They’re going to be in some nailbiters, but this team has proven all season that until that clock reads 0:00, they’re going to be in the game, if not leading.

Even with Rose in a walking boot on Sunday, the concerns over his injury don’t seem to be too great. Many figure he’ll go on Tuesday, and if not, the Bulls should be able to feed off of the energy from the fans at the United Center to grind out a possible series win.

In short, there’s really no need for Bulls fans to hit the panic button, even if it wasn’t an easy, clean sweep of the Pacers. I have a hard time believing the Pacers wouldn’t be giving a squad like Boston or Miami the same type of trouble as an 8-seed. If Thibs and the Bulls make the necessary adjustments moving forward, and Rose gets back to full strength quickly, this team will be fine.

Familiar Scene As Bulls Scratch Out Road Win Vs. Pacers

In some ways, a No. 8 seed can be the hardest one to beat come playoff time. Just look at the Chicago Blackhawks on the NHL side of Chicago and what they’re doing to the Vancouver Canucks in these past couple games.

But while the Chicago Bulls aren’t having a level of trouble like that with these Indiana Pacers, it’s clear that Indy isn’t going to go away in this series until Chicago’s win total reaches four. They proved it again in another tight one on Thursday night.

Thursday’s tilt had a little different flavor, though, as the Pacers were finally able to put the breaks on Derrick Rose. Sort of.

The MVP candidate ‘only’ mustered up 23 points for the Bulls, who ended up winning 88-84 to take a 3-0 series lead, but he earned every single one of them.

Rose took a beating from an already physical Pacers team, who was in his face all night with trap defense and double teams, meaning that the Thursday would be all about the defense for the Bulls, since their offensive contributions were few and far between.

Aside from Rose, the only player to show up on the offensive side of things was Luol Deng, who came out of the gate firing. While the former Duke forward did fizzle a bit as the game went on scoring-wise, he did lead the team in minutes, with 45, while dropping 21 for the game. His best stuff came in the first half, with 14 points, seven in each quarter.

The Bulls still had to overcome their obstacles in this one, aside from the stingy defense against Rose, which included the turnovers that have plagued them, as well as the Carlos Boozer that has hurt them early in this series. Boozer reverted back to his Game 1 performance, shooting just 2-10 on the night, finishing with four points and 11 boards.

Even on a night where he didn’t play particularly well, it was Rose that was there to close the door for the Bulls at the end. Rose scored 14 points in the second half, eight of them coming in the fourth quarter, including a clutch layup to run the score up to 86-84 in favor of the Bulls.

The concerns are sure to grow with the Bulls having more troubles with this pesky Pacer squad, but this isn’t a Bulls team that is going to blow anyone out, for the most part. They’re going to be involved of plenty of grind-it-out type of contests. And while there is plenty of room for improvement, the simple fact is that good teams find a way to win the close ones.

The Bulls have done that so far and it’s going to take another defensive effort to put Indy down for good when the two meet for Game 4 in Indiana on Saturday afternoon.

The Legend Of Derrick Rose Grows As Bulls Sneak By Pacers

There’s really only one word you could use to describe Derrick Rose‘s performance in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon: unbelievable. Or is that unbelieva-Bull?

Actually, to this point, the greatness of Rose should come as a surprise to virtually no one. He’s done it all season. You know when it comes down to it, he’s going to be the one on this Bulls squad to step up, and step up he did in Chicago’s 104-99 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

By all accounts, the Bulls did not turn in their best performance in their playoff opener. They actually turned in one of their poorest performances of the entire season.

Chicago found themselves outplayed by Indy in the majority of this one, with the Pacers coming out as the more physical team and carrying more energy, mostly due to the presence of Tyler Hansbrough.

For many, it’s the first time really hearing Hansbrough’s name since he was a standout at the University of North Carolina just a couple years ago, but had the Pacers managed the win on Saturday, it would have been Hansbrough that got them there.

Always the scrappy player in college, Hansbrough brought that energy to life, scoring key baskets for Indiana down the stretch, and really taking Carlos Boozer, who played his college ball at Duke, to school throughout Game 1. It was a rough go all day for Boozer, who had one of his worst games since signing with the Bulls last summer. C-Booz managed just 12 points and six boards in the playoff opener.

Boozer wasn’t the only one quiet for the opener, however. Joakim Noah shot just 5-12 from the field, while the typically potent bench unit scored just 12 points, if you take out the 13 that Kyle Korver dropped, including a key three pointer to give the Bulls a 102-99 lead.

However, Noah did make up for his struggle shooting with his dominance on the boards and of Josh McRoberts. Noah snatched 11 boards on the day, while also blocking three shots. Two of those were blocks of McRoberts in the game’s final seconds, coming on back-to-back shots.

But with the bulk of his squad coming out flat to open up the series with Indy, it was Derrick Rose as the glue that kept the team together, and eventually put them over the top.

Rose dropped 39, even after going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc. Of the 39 he scored for the game, 21 came in the second half and 19 came off of free throws. But the most impressive moment for Rose was a sequence early on in the first quarter. After swatting away a Darren Collison layup attempt, Rose made a brilliant spin move at the other end and got the layup to go, cementing yet another play for Rose in Sportscenter’s Top 10.

Danny Granger, who acknowledged the chances of Indiana having success if they could stop Rose, likened the MVP candidate to a “stalker ex-girlfriend”, in that every time they were hoping Rose was done for the day, he kept coming back at them.

As ugly of a win as it may have been, the Bulls now hold the 1-0 edge in the series against the Pacers. Tom Thibodeau and crew are certainly aware of the fact that the Bulls won’t be able to breeze through this series without at least a little resistant from the eight-seeded Pacers.

With the day off on Sunday, expect the Bulls to come out hard after this scare in Game 1, as they host the Pacers in Game 2 of the series at the United Center, on Monday.

 

 

Top Seeded Bulls Open Postseason At Home Vs. Pacers

After battling their way through the NBA’s 82-game schedule, in which they finished with the best record in the entire league, the 62-20 Chicago Bulls will clear their record to 0-0 when they open the playoffs at home against the division rival Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers come into the series as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, which hasn’t exactly been a reputable spot in recent years. As is typical of the bottom seeds in the East, the Pacers hovered around .500 all season, ending their season eight-games under that mark.

The Bulls’ feats of this 2010-11 season are well-documented. A squad that many expected to hover around 50 wins on the season surpassed nearly everyone’s expectations for the season, following the play of Derrick Rose on their way to their best season since their last championship, back in 1998.

Obviously, the biggest reason for the ultra quick turnaround has been Rose, who is easily the leading candidate for NBA MVP the season. If he wins it, Rose will become the youngest MVP in the history of the league.

However, there’s also the matter of Tom Thibodeau and the new mentality he has brought to the Bulls.

Even with 62 wins and the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed, the Bulls are still not satisfied. Thibodeau ran an intense practice on Friday, focusing on the play of Joakim Noah even after the rest of the team was finished. Noah’s play tailed off a bit in the latter portion of the season, mostly due to his health. Noah looks healthy heading into Saturday, making the Bulls’ frontcourt among the best in these playoffs.

Defensively, the Bulls are as talented in anyone in the league. The Pacers will have an extremely tough time scoring on the Bulls, as if stopping Rose, Luol Deng, and co won’t be a difficult enough task for the  young squad.

Offensively, the Pacers are led by Danny Granger, who scored almost 21 points per for Indy this season, along with his five boards a game. The Pacers boast a pretty solid frontcourt to match up against the Bulls, which is led by Georgetown product Roy Hibbert and his 7.5 boards per game.

The Bulls are hoping to make quick work of the Pacers, in order to keep themselves fresh for the latter portions of the postseason. However, they would be foolish to overlook them, as the Pacers were the only division foe to defeat the Bulls this season, and if Granger’s comments about Rose are any indication, they intend to give Chicago a fight.

However, an oversight of these Pacers doesn’t seem possible with Thibs at the helm. The first-year coach has his team’s feet still on the ground, and focused for the opening round, with the goal of winning a championship this year as the only thing on their mind.

Next Page »