vs Game 16, Home Game 6 Tuesday, January 17, 2012 – 7:00 PM CT United Center Comcast SportsNet / ESPN 1000 AM BULLS VS. SUNS ALL-TIME ALL-TIME ................... Series tied 62-62 BULLS CURRENT STREAK ..... 2 Wins BULLS HOME STREAK .............. 1 Win BULLS ROAD STREAK ............. 3 Wins Game Notes Chicago Bulls (12-3) Home 5-0 Road 7-3 Bulls Averages: PPG: 93.5 (Opp: 85.0) RPG: 45.80 (Opp: 38.93) APG: 21.4 (Opp: 18.9) SPG: 7.13 (Opp: 8.00) BPG: 6.13 (Opp: 4.67) TO: 14.80 (Opp: 14.13) FG%: .446 (Opp: .423) FT%: .738 (Opp: .689) 3p%: .363 (Opp: .356) Probable Bulls starters John Lucas - PG - Ronnie Brewer - SG - Luol Deng - SF - Carlos Boozer - PF - Joakim Noah - C - Bulls Stats Leaders Points:Rose 20.8, Deng 15.3 Rebounds: Boozer 8.2, Noah 7.9 Assists: Rose 8.7, Watson 3.3 Steals: Watson 1.17, Deng 1.13 Blocks: Gibson 1.40, Noah & Asik 1.20 FG%: Boozer .508, Gibson .500 FT%: Rose .877, Noah .763 3FG%: Brewer .538, Korver .453 Injury report Richard Hamilton (sore left groin), Derrick Rose (left toe sprain) are day-to-day. For a full report and the latest on Bulls' injuries, check out the AthletiCo Injury Report. Phoenix Suns (4-8) Home 3-4 Road 1-4 Probable Suns starters Steve Nash - PG Jared Dudley- SG Grant Hill - SF Channing Frye - PF Marcin Gortat - C Injury report None.
Expectations if Rose doesn't play: We are likely to see another loss. Good teams can survive one or two games without their star, and I think we've used that up.
Q1 was all Boozer and Rip. Boozer 6-8 for 12pts, 3 rebounds and an assist. Rip 3-6, 6 points, 5 assists. Deng 6 pts, 5 rebounds. Boozer was guarded by Gortat.
CJ 5-5 in the second quarter (Bulls 49 - suns 39) I didn't know that rip would be back. Nice. Hope he's ok...
Climb on board the Booz Cruise! He's unconscious. 22 points wit 3:15 left in Q2. Deng is getting a nice rest for a change.
Bulls are up by 20 points at half. 67 points at half-time is sweet. CJ is having a great game. The bench has just 4 points.
Nobody has signed Bogans. He must not be as good as we thought ;-) This was a big game, IMO. We won without relying on Rose.
Encouraging win, for sure. I'd be curious to see a split for Boozer's stats when Rip plays and when he doesn't. The extra space seems to help a lot, and even though Rip isn't a great passer, he is great at making the right pass, moreso than Derrick Rose. It's kind of funny that after a year and a half, it's become clear that one of Boozer's best skills is his ability to move off the ball. He really can't create in the post worth a damn, but he's excellent at moving around within 15 feet of the hoop to get himself open. This would explain why Carlos might perform better with Rip and CJ than Derrick. Derrick usually passes when the defense completely collapses on him, and this is often independent of when the other players are in their best spots, although the defensive attention he draws is so large that it can be hard to tell the difference. Rip and CJ aren't good enough to command that sort of attention, and they know it, so they focus on making the basic pass at the best time possible, which is more befitting of Carlos, since he needs to be hit in his spots to do well. Boozer might want to consider adding a 3 point shot to his game. He's going to turn 30 and his FT% is down a lot this year, and he looks more and more like a stretch 4 with each passing game. And playing next to Derrick all but guarantees open jump shots. Overall, I really liked this game. It was good to see everyone playing well within another, and I count it as a baby step to finding that next level on offense.
Great post, Rosenthal. I am trying to form a better understanding of how Rip makes everything easier on offense and I think you've raised another possibility for me to look for. First off I completely agree about Boozer developing into a stretch four. Thibodeau spent last season trying to elicit post scoring from Boozer and Noah and I get it: everyone wants post scoring. But if you don't have the horses it's not going to happen. Both of them can finish off cuts in the lane but they're probably not going to be a consistent source of points in iso situations in the low post. I'm still have patience with Noah in the low post, occasionally he executes well, but Boozer looks like he doesn't have the lift or the length to make it happen. Secondly, I saw that Rip made the annual GM questionnaire for best player at moving without the ball: I am in wholehearted agreement with the Rip Hamilton votes, after watching him closely in only a handful of games. The Kyle Korver vote, not so much . I don't think I am able to compare Rip's moves off the ball with Ray Allen. I recognize that Allen is great at getting himself open, but I don't have a gestalt understanding of what Allen does for the Cs on offense. What I see from Rip is the following: -- Rip, like Korver, is able to create space and easy jump shots by running his defender through off the ball screens. This is only one component of what Rip does for our offense but it merits a mention. -- Rip consistently and regularly bails out Derrick Rose when Rose leaves his feet or picks up his dribble. Rose brakes rules with relative consistency because he's so dynamic that plays that are not technically fundamentally sound work for him. In particular he leaves his feet when breaking to the hoop or passing out of double teams. It usually turns out fine because Rose is either able to draw a foul, pull a rotating big man and force a shot -- leading to easy offensive rebounding opportunities -- or even score. Rip consistently breaks towards an open lane and the ball whenever Rose gets into trouble and he provides Rose with another option for when he gets stuck. This is the type of genius off the ball movement that creates a ton of opportunities that I've never seen from the Bulls' other guards. Rip is going to be incredibly useful in the playoffs when teams try to trap Rose around the free-throw line extended three point area, like they did last season. --Third, Rip is perhaps the best guard I can remember in a Bulls uniform at reading opposing shots and either moving into rebounding position or running the break. You almost never see Rip standing in place after a shot goes up. He's either breaking toward where he expects a long rebound or is already running the court. --Rip, finally, is amazing at reading defenses and clearing space for his teammates before they have the ball. He's like the Steve Nash/Ricky Rubio of shooting guards in that he sees plays before they happen and pulls help defenders away from teammates before they receive the pass. I love the way he'll pull his man and overload one side of the court before there is even a pass to a teammate isolating on the weak side. Rip has taught me that its possible to be a facilitator for teammates, like Steve Nash and Chris Paul, as a two guard, without ever having the ball in your hands. He makes the Bulls better not only through assists but through providing an outlet when they get trapped into decisions and clearing wide open looks.
I'm more than happy to end the experiment trying to make Carlos our alpha post-player. Like FJ said, no more rainbow J's in concrete boots over taller defenders. I don't think he's ever been that player (read accounts from Jazz fans), but the mystique has followed him his whole career. Carlos is a face the basket player who needs to receive the ball in motion, preferably off the pick n' roll. It's just what he does. I doubt he's changed much his whole career, but our stupid expectations are beginning to align with reality.
One thing that has changed this season is that Boozer has cut back on his inside game and is relying more on jump shots. So far this season, he's at 70% jumpers. Looking back, 54% was his previous high...he's always hovered around 50% (53% last season). At 70%, he's the same as Deng. Not sure if this is by design or if it's simply what Boozer feels he can get most comfortably. Whatever works.
Good point. I'm honestly not sure if I should think it's the scheme or his own preference. I don't think he's slowed down much from his Utah days, probably a step from 05-06, but not a lot. If Derrick Rose is best attacking the paint and so-so on the pick n' roll, Noah has a jumper that no team respects, and Boozer is a good mid-range shooter, perhaps it makes sense that he takes a lot of outside shots.
My theory is: 1) the lane gets clogged with Noah, Boozer, and Rose all trying to be there at the same time. 2) Noah's not enough of an offensive threat. Boozer gets guarded by their C or PF, whichever favors them. Or they both guard him. 3). Boozer is listed at 6'9", but is probably shorter. When guarded by Cs, he gets his shot blocked more. 4) The past few games, Thibs has played Boozer at C with Taj at PF. 5) Noah likes to offensive board. Playing in the post means 2 defensive bigs on or near him. 6) Boozer is a fine passer. 7) Boozer is the 3rd best ballhandler on the court most of the time. 8) with Deng and Noah crashing the offensive glass, he's in better position to run back on defense. 9) The Bulls look like they're working on pick n roll/pop plays as well as give and go. Boozer is great at those plays, the Bulls haven't run them very well. 10). The Bulls generally set a lot of screens. For Rose not near the basket. For Korver and Rip for their catch and shoot plays. You can't have Noah and Boozer setting screens on the baseline. They already pass the ball to Noah nowhere near the basket too much as it is
