1. We've lost 4 straight 2. We've got a tough 6 game stretch Utah, then 4 road games against good teams, then Lebron 3. We'll be doing that without Noah 4. Were we too optimistic about Flip and Hakim. We've taken a step back defensively, although much of that may be due to Noah's absence? 5. You have Luol Deng making this odd juxtaposition of quotes a. "Right now, with 20 games left, it's not about individual stats or anything. It's about getting the win" b. "There are some nights you don’t get the ball,” Deng said. “It looks bad, but I only missed six shots." c. Reading those together, I come to the conclusion that Deng shouldn't talk much. Because that just grates on me.
You called the Utah game. http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2094118,CST-SPT-bull10.article Bulls simply indefensible JAZZ 132, BULLS 108 | Bulls allow season-high point total, fall out of last playoff spot in East March 10, 2010 BY JOHN JACKSON jjackson@suntimes.com A string of home games usually is considered a good opportunity for an NBA team to get on a roll. But for the Bulls, their just-concluded four-game homestand had the opposite effect. With a 132-108 loss Tuesday to the Utah Jazz at the United Center, the Bulls' transformation from a confident team to a reeling bunch was complete. The 132 points allowed were a season high, and the Bulls allowed at least 105 points in each game of the homestand. ''We're not gonna win games unless we play better 'D,''' said Bulls forward Luol Deng, who played 32 minutes before leaving with a strained right calf. ''The offense is fine; we're scoring enough points. But we have to get some stops if we want to win.'' The Bulls (31-32) wasted a strong effort by Derrick Rose, who scored 25 points and tied his career high with 13 assists. The Jazz (41-22) has one of the most efficient offenses in the league, and it exposed the Bulls' defensive shortcomings. Deron Williams (28 points, 17 assists) led the assault and seemingly got anywhere on the court he wanted. The Bulls' defense has struggled to protect the paint since center Joakim Noah went down with plantar fasciitis, but they couldn't defend the paint or the perimeter against the Jazz. ''We just have to try to find guys who are healthy and who can play and contribute and try to find ways,'' Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. ''There are no excuses. We just have to keep battling and working every day.'' The Bulls dropped their fifth consecutive game overall and fell to ninth place, a half-game behind the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat, in the battle for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Besides Deng and Noah, forward/center Taj Gibson (plantar fasciitis) also is battling injury. ''There's still a lot of basketball to be played,'' Del Negro said. ''Hopefully, we can play much better as we get our guys healthy. But right now, we have to try to weather this storm a little bit and stay confident, stay together and keep working.'' Especially on the defensive end. ''I think we're giving up too much penetration,'' Del Negro said. ''We have to get everybody on the same page, keep the ball out of the middle as best we can. Really, a lot of it has been second-chance opportunities, getting beat on the glass. ''The teams we're playing are high-quality teams, and we're giving them second opportunities to run their offense and put pressure on us defensively. That's been hurting us a lot, too.'' There's no question what the Bulls' problem was in the first half. They were 25-for-40 from the field (62.5 percent), including 6-for-9 from three-point range. They also committed only four turnovers and had 19 assists on 25 field goals. But despite the great offensive numbers, they trailed 63-61 at halftime. The Bulls' offensive production dropped off in the third quarter -- 20 points on 7-for-17 shooting (41.2 percent) -- but their defense didn't improve any. The Jazz scored 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting (61.1 percent) in the quarter to take a 92-81 lead into the fourth. The Bulls scored the first five points of the fourth to pull to 92-86, but they could get no closer because they couldn't get enough going on either end to make a serious run.
Taj has had the non-Chang's PF for a while now, he's just been playing through it. I guess he's had a milder form than Noah. At least until he played on it so much it's gotten worse. One thing this losing streak and general collapse has reinforced in me is how much defense begins and ends on the inside. For all the time people spend talking about Kirk and Deng, your perimeter defenders, even if they're good perimeter defenders, don't do much to change the game's outcome. Your interior defenders, on the other hand, make a really big difference. If you can't stop opponents close to the basket and collect rebounds, you're going to be in a world of hurt. I'm not sure what the Bulls can do right now. I guess if I were them I'd consider sitting moving Deng closer to the basket to play the 4 defensively. He's a fairly good rebounder and that's something the Bulls need a lot of help with. Joe Alexander and all those hops might be worth giving a look too, but that means we're getting to the point of desperation.
I agree that defense starts in the middle, but you need to have guys on the perimeter who are working in the scheme to force guys one way or the other to where the bigs expect them. The other thing is that Miller is exceptionally slow. Conley was using Miller as a screen on Rose down the stretch in the Memphis game. That's just bad. I wouldn't be shocked if this streak hits 0-11. But if Noah comes back at a decent level, I also wouldn't be shocked if they won their last 10 games like they did a few years ago. This team is capable of doing both.
