Bulls 10-11

[philvb85]

Even though we are without Boozer I am very excited for what this season will bring.  Our offense looks great when we are in transition, I think that our half court sets are suffering from not having Boozer as a point of entry in to the post.  We need to figure a way to work Korver in to our offense and get him more looks coming off screens where I think he is a huge threat.  I'm not sure why we haven't tried starting him at the 2 guard, although his abysmal defense coupled with Rose's defensive struggles against scoring point guards could be the main reason.


I'm also glad to see the Heat appear unlikely to break the Bull's record of 72-10 this year, already having 4 losses. 

[Dan Michler]

I'm also super excited about the future of this team.  This year Rose is averaging 24 and 10 through 7 games.  Ridiculous.

That being said, we are starting with 6 of 8 home games against some cupcakes, then next week starts the barnum and bailey circus road trip which usually goes extremely poorly for the Bulls post-Jordan.  If we can win 2 of 7 I'll be okay with it.

I'm very impatient to see how we'll mesh with Boozer in there.  Right now we can't score when Rose comes off the floor.  Its embarrassing.  If Boozer can fix that then we might be looking at a top 3 seed in the East?

I totally agree with you Phil about the Bulls 72 win mark.  It pissed me off that people were giving the Heat that kind of praise without having played a game.  Miami will still win 55-60 games, but don't compare them to any of the greatest teams in NBA history, much less the greatest.  We've already seen they aren't going anywhere in the playoffs.  They have no size and you don't win without size.  I would compare them to the Warriors in the mid 90's when they had Webber, Mullin, Hardaway, and Sprewell.  A ton of talent is nice, but no size, no defense, and no rebounding = no winning.

[pdga#7648]

if the Lakers won last night, they went to 10-0. That 72-10 of the Bulls might not be very safe??

[philvb85]

Interesting to watch us go up against one of the contenders in the west.  We looked good but just got beat by a veteran team.  Taj also had a terrible shooting night, I think he is becoming too comfortable with the mid range jump shot.  We have seen Luol fall in love all too often with that shot, although he has become very good at getting to the basket and drawing fouls.  The rest of this road trip should be pretty tough, let's hope we can win a couple more before we get back to the U.C.

[Tom McManus]

I have not watched much of the Bulls since Jordan retired, that is until this year.  Rose has incredible speed and Noah has incredible want to and energy.  They seem to have the makings of a very good team. The game last night was pretty special. By the end of the game there were only Bulls fans left at the arena. It should be a fun season, especially since the Blackhawks seem to have the post Stanley Cup doldrums.

[pdga#7648]

not to mention the Suns were up 25-6 and 31-11 at one time early in the 1st.  great to see the Bulls stick with the game plan and come back and win that game.

[Dan Michler]

Yes, that was an awesome game last night.  We looked a little tired coming off the Lakers game the night before, but still pulled it out thanks to some clutch shooting by Korver and some terrible execution by the Suns.  Noah picking Nash's pocket twice in the final OT was huge.  Watching Rose play is definitely a treat Tom.  This road triip to start the season usually kills us, but this year we've handled it well.  Can't wait to see how this team looks once Boozer comes back.  LeBron has to be looking at the Bulls and having some thoughts about what could have been if he had chosen Chicago.

[Dan Michler]

Sounds like Boozer may be back tonight, or atleast by the weekend.  He sounds super hungry.  Looking forward to seeing him on the floor.  After a very impressive 4-3 road trip out west without Boozer and Miami looking the way they do, it suddenly doesn't sound too ridiculous to imagine tonight's game being a preview of the East Finals.  Derrick Rose 2nd in the NBA in scoring.  MVP?

[pdga#7648]

Hopefully the schedule for the next 6-8 weeks is as favorable as Kendall Gill says it will be.  NOAH is out 6-10 weeks with ligament damage to his thumb

[Dan Michler]

Yeah this really sucks.  Just when things are going good too.  Taj is going to have to try and fill in for Noah.  Any more injuries to the front line and we'll be in real trouble.  Boozer and Rose better stay healthy.

[philvb85]

We definitely can not afford any more injuries, unless they are suffered by Keith Bogans...

I'm surprised Noah decided to/was forced to undergo surgery after apparently still being able to put up a double double in pretty limited minutes.

[Dan Michler]

He certainly has remained productive with the injury, but you can see it bothers him.  They said it would not heal on its own, so I can see why they wanted to do it ASAP. 

10 weeks from now is Feb.23rd.  There will still be 27 games left in the regular season for the team to gel before the playoffs.  22 of the 31 games between then and now are against sub .500 teams.  With a 5 game lead in this sorry division already, we are pretty clearly headed for a top 4 seed in the playoffs and 1st round home court advantage, even without Noah (assuming Boozer and Rose stay healthy which is assuming a lot).  I think they made the right choice in going for the surgery immediately.

[pdga#7648]

really don't know if Taj can be the effective force Noah was night in and night out though.
For sure, Rose and Boozer need to stay healthy.   I think Korvers PT will increase now too. Another  proven scorer, and he is starting to get good looks and not just desperation 3's when a game is out of hand. Keeping my fingers crossed for sure the next 6-8 weeks.

[philvb85]

Interesting game last night.  You may try to blame the loss on our plane troubles the night before but I saw an unenthusiastic team that wasn't playing defense.

I was torn on Thib's decision to bench Boozer for the last 14 minutes of the game.  He couldn't guard anyone, especially Humphries but at the same time he can easily get to the foul line which would have helped. 

Just a bad loss all around.  If we want to break in to that upper echelon of teams these are the games that we absolutely can not lose.

[Dan Michler]

Bulls are 17-2 against sub .500 teams this year.  I think you should cut them some slack.  Lost in the final seconds on the road in the 2nd night of a back to back.

[pdga#7648]

and they were down by 9 with like 2:47 to play in the 4th. they came back to tie it with like 14 seconds to play.  that's a great feeling knowing they can come back from 9 on the road, like Dan said a 2nd night of back 2 back games.  they sit as #3 in the East, and 5th best record of all the NBA teams.  so enjoy the great season they are having.

[pdga#7648]

17-3 at home, but just 8-9 on the road.  They beat a very good Celtics team the other night. I can't wait for Noah to get back. Him, DRose and Boozer on the floor together is going to be great to watch. If they are this good now, it's only going to get better.
Brewer and Korvers play off the bench has been  a big +


The team I watch night in and night out, will be playing in a round #2 of the playoffs this year. Barring anymore injuries to the big 3.

[philvb85]

I guess we just couldn't find it in us to come back from a double digit deficit last night.  I hate to say it, but at times it's almost painful to watch when the reserves are in.  CJ Watson doesn't look like he is at all comfortable in our offense, and we need to do a better job of getting Korver shots.  He took two big 3s down the stretch last night and nailed them both.

I can't stand the inconsistency in regards to the referees either.  Last night they were absolutely horrible on both ends.  I was so optimistic following last Saturday's big win that Rose was actually getting the calls when he was fouled.  Last night the refs reverted back to the same mentality with him.  Even when he draws a considerable amount of body contact he doesn't get the foul.  They need to realize he is just that good at preventing his shots from being blocked and pay attention to the body.

 

[Dan Michler]

Agreed, Rose definitely isn't getting the calls that a Kobe or LeBron get on a nightly basis.  Some of it is definitely his style.  He's going to have to get a little theatrical to start getting to the line as much as he deserves.  Derrick Rose is the most entertaining player in the NBA after Blake Griffin.

Frustrating loss for sure last night, but not time to start worrying.  At 13 losses we are still among the elite and are 7-3 in our last 10.  A win in Indy on Friday will get us back on track.  After that its at home for Miami then off to Memphis.  Then its a 6 game homestand where we can really get back on a roll.

I went to see the Bulls/Nets on New Year's eve.  Very fun time, hoping this ends up with a conference finals appearance this year (I think we can take Boston and Orlando, not sure about Miami).

[Dan Michler]

Game of the year yesterday!  Rose and Wade both making sick play after sick play late in the 4th.  Then Kyle Korver throwing in the dagger to seal it.  Obviously they didn't have LeBron, but the team they put on the court absolutely threw their best punch at the Bulls last night, but Rose always had the answer.  Very promising.  Look forward to seeing these 2 teams faceoff at full strength with LeBron and Noah back in action.