The Bulls Saturday defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 91-81 in a significant kind of game. And, no, not because of the 76ers’ 24th consecutive loss, the second longest losing streak in NBA history. It was yet another game that a Bulls’ team with nascent playoff aspirations was once again outplayed physically, on the boards, for loose balls and generally outhustled. Moving to 39-31 and in a virtual tie with the Toronto Raptors for third place in the Eastern Conference with a dozen games left in the regular season, the Bulls, nevertheless, are often beginning to look like a team headed for a short postseason. “We could play better than we are playing now,” agreed Noah. “We won tonight; it’s a good feeling. But at the same time (to) be critical about what we can do better and get ready for the postseason.” “I am (concerned),” said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. “Furthermore, I’m always concerned. You’re not going to be great every game. But now we have to change it. To do the things we want to do, we’ve got to be great defensively. We have to be great in our rebounding. We have to do better than what we do now. We’re capable of being great. We’re going to have to put more into it.” http://blogs.bulls.com/2014/03/bulls-add-to-76ers-woe-with-91-81-victory/
The Sixers have just one guy who's 26. Everyone else is younger. Of our regulars, Jimmy is 24, DJ is 26, and Noah and Taj are our only other guys under 30 (they're both 28). In fact, we start 32 years old Boozer, 33 year old Hinrich, 33 year old Dunleavy. It's not really surprising that a bunch of young guys would give our geezers fits.
http://idrisr.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/nba-champs-team-age/ ^^ A look at team avg age of NBA champs. IIRC the Bulls avg a bit over 28.
Well, if the season ended today, the grizzled Bulls would get a pretty over-seasoned Nets team that starts 32 year old Joe Johnson and 36 year old Paul Pierce, with 33 year old Andrei Kirilenko, 36 year old Jason Terry and 37 year old Kevin Garnett hobbling in to fill key bench roles...an AARP sponsorship opportunity if I ever saw one.
Seems like the youth and athleticism that goes with it gave the Bulls a hard time against Philly. Sorta like how Tyrus would have good games sometimes. Checking out the Nets' starting lineup, they are starting Shaun Livingston, Mason Plumlee, and Deron Williams. The top 4 guys in minutes off their bench that game are: Blatche, Teletovic, Thornton, and Gutierrez. And they've been a hot team playing the younger guys.
The lesson of TT: Jump out of the gym stats are of limited value. TT had the occasional "good game" but even a blind squirrel finds a nut noe and then. Biggest differences between TT and the squirrel? 1. TT didn't have a disability. 2. The squirrel had a bigger brain and basketball IQ.
Point =? As always I stress that numbers percentages rankings and such do nothing more than lend over-inflated credibility to speculation. Like the old joke (in various permutations) Why did Duke replace Cameron Stadium's flooring with newsprint? They always look good on paper.
There is no guarantee at all the Bulls get out of the 1st round. Its impressive that Thibs has found a way to win these regular season games with the scraps he's given, but at some point in the playoffs you have to score the basketball. All the teams tend to bust their ass in the playoffs. Given the TANK didn't happen, the competitive spirit of this group has been sustained, even if the Bulls get bounced out of the playoffs. With Rose, Mirotic and hopefully a scoring 2 next season, the Bulls have maintained the good chemistry and defensive, team oriented spirit and will get some offensive firepower.
The east has quietly become more competitive. Brooklyn and Toronto have been playing just as well if not better than the Bulls the last several months, and Washington looks like a dangerous team to me. We can't match the dynamism of John Wall on offense. Teams 7-14 are a joke, but right now we're poised to face Brooklyn in the first round. That'll be a close, hard fought series.
