I think the Chicago Bulls match-up with the Cleveland Cavs very nicely. Let's re-visit the four regular season games:
Game #1: Bulls win 86-85
This was an impressive win for the Bulls. It was on the road and both Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James were in the lineup for the Cavs. Yes the Bulls still had John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas but neither had a great game. Salmons scored 14 points but his +/- score was -2 (meaning that the Bulls allowed two more points than they scored when Salmons was on the court). As for Thomas, he scored only six points and had just one rebound and one block in 12 minutes. Also, LeBron had a pretty good game scoring 25 points with seven rebounds and six assists. If the Bulls could be the Cavs on the road with LeBron having a good game, why can't they do it again in the playoffs?
Game #2: Cavs win 101-87
The Cavs won this one but the Cavs were at home so it was an expected win for the Cavs. LeBron scored 23 points with 11 assists. The good thing about this game was that the Bulls trailed by only one point at halftime. The bad thing was that the Cavs outscored the Bulls 29-15 in the 3rd quarter. If the Bulls are going to have a chance in this series, they can't allow the Cavs to have a big quarter especially in the second half. It resulted in a Bulls loss in this game and it will probably result in a loss if it happens in the playoffs. A big concern is can the Bulls score enough. The Bulls scored 86 in game one but were able to somehow hold Cleveland to 85 points. The defense couldn't do it for a second time and Cleveland scored over 100. The Cavs have other scorers besides LeBron so it's important that the Bulls try to keep to Cavs under 100 points if they can.
Game #3: Cavs win 92-87
Even though they lost, this game was also impressive by the Bulls. Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah all did not play and yet the Bulls lost by only seven points. LeBron had another good game. This time he scored 29 points with 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Bulls were actually winning 78-76 with 6:11 left in the game. It doesn't matter that LeBron was on the bench for most of the fourth quarter....the Bulls were missing three of their best players! The Bulls are at full strength now and I think they might have won this game if no one was injured.
Game #4: Bulls win 109-108
LeBron James did not play for the Cavs. Bulls led by 12 in the third quarter but Cavs took a four point lead with less than five minutes left in the game. The Bulls retook the lead and held the Cavs scoreless in the last 1:31 of the game and won by one point. Rose scored 24 points. Noah scored 17 with 15 rebounds. The Bulls won this game but barely and LeBron was out the entire game. Not good. It's safe to say the Bulls would probably lose this game if LeBron was playing. Mo Williams had a great game scoring 35 points with six three-pointers. Antawn Jamison scored 23 points. It was a reminder that the Cavs have other players besides LeBron that the Bulls need to worry about.
The Bulls played tough with the Cavs during the four games. You can argue the Cavs would have won the series if LeBron played in the fourth game. I think the Bulls could have won the third game if Rose, Deng, and Noah were playing. The Bulls played the Cavs well during the regular season. The "experts" predicting a sweep are ignorant. This will not be a sweep. This will be an interesting #1 vs. #8 playoff series. This is really a #1 vs. a #5 because the Bulls are better than a #8 seed. If they did not get injuries to Noah, Rose, and Deng, the Bulls would not be facing the Cavs right now. If the Cavs treat the Bulls like a #8 seed, they will regret it. The Cavs need to stay focused. The worst thing they can do is worry about who they'll be facing in the second round. If they don't worry about the Bulls, there won't be a second round for them. I think this series could go at least six games. I really think LeBron is carrying the Cavs. If the Bulls can shutdown LeBron, the Bulls could do well. However, it is a concern that the Bulls nearly lost against Cleveland without LeBron and in the case of Cleveland, the loss of one player does make a huge difference. The Bulls are even capable of winning this series if Rose plays great, Noah plays great, and the Bulls shoot the ball very well.
My biggest fear may not be LeBron James at this point. I'm worried about the referees. I really think the refs are somewhat biased. James will get foul calls where there is no contact. Bulls players will get mugged under the basket and no fouls will be called. We might even see the Cleveland players flop on some plays resulting in the Bulls getting called for an offensive foul. I'm sure there will several moments in which the refs make questionable calls against the Bulls and in favor of the Cavs. My fear is that the Bulls will lose to the Cavs not because the Cavs played better but because the Cavs got the better calls by the refs. The player to watch is Derrick Rose. Last year Rose got no foul calls because he was a rookie. Now he's an all-star so he should get those calls now. However, there has been times during the regular season in which Rose got fouled and the refs didn't call it. Bulls TV announcer Stacy King has often said, "Rose is an all-star and no longer a rookie....he should be getting those calls now." Will the refs call it both ways? If they don't, it could play a huge role in the Cavs series victory.
I'm gonna say Cavs in six but I think the Bulls are definitely capable of making this series look like the Boston-Chicago series from last year only this year, the Bulls might actually finish the job.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Kelly Dwyer loves dissing the Bulls
Yahoo! Sport's Kelly Dwyer is a Bulls fan but you would never realize it from what he writes in his posts. First, he said that the mid-season projection that the Bulls would finish the season with a 37-45 record was "probably" right and that the projected 37 wins "might be a little optimistic." The Bulls suffered a ten game losing streak since then and yet currently have 39 wins with a chance to finish with 41 wins....four more than the projected total Dwyer said the Bulls would probably get.
After that, you'd think Dwyer would stop bashing the Bulls but recently he was at it again. Dwyer wrote two pieces: one on the Bulls' chances of making the playoffs and the second one on the Raptors' chances of making the playoffs. In the Bulls post, Dwyer has harsh words but for the most part he's right. Dwyer says, "Chicago is at its worst offensively. It doesn't have a low post presence, and the team's best offensive options rely on the worst shot in basketball to make their hay -- the contested long two-pointer." That sounds mostly accurate. However, Dwyer never says if the Bulls are going to make the playoffs or not. He just says that it is "too tough to gauge."
In the Raptors post, he pretty much reveals he thinks the Raptors will make it. Dwyer points out all the problems that the Raptors have been having and then writes, "But they're up against the Bulls, who might be at full strength, but it's the saddest 'full strength' you've ever seen." Dwyer is just getting started. He later writes, "It shouldn't be a surprise if the Bulls actually drop all four of their games between now and the end of the season, the talent just isn't there, and there is sound justification for all four of Chicago's opponents (New Jersey, Toronto, Boston, Charlotte) to want to win whilst going with the full rotation." And he doesn't stop there. He mentions that the Raptors will be at home versus the Bulls and "even with Bosh out and the Raptors handing Chicago open shots, will the Bulls score enough to keep it close? I'd pencil this one in for Toronto." Dwyer wraps his post up writing, "Toronto has the easier schedule, and even without their best player, their strengths still seem to fly higher than Chicago's strengths. Whatever Chicago's strengths are."
Dwyer wrote his latest post this morning after his Bulls beat the Raptors 104-88 despite Dwyer's prediction that the Raptors would win. The Bulls are finally going to get praise from Dwyer now right? Well....sort of. Dwyer writes, "Let's give credit where credit is due. Chicago took this." That's a nice comment to make about the Bulls other than the fact Dwyer built it up as if he didn't want to admit his favorite team played well last night. Prior to the comment about the Bulls taking it, Dwyer wrote, "I was ready to go off on the Raptors, I really was. For having no heart. For failing to show up for the biggest game of the season, played in the wheelhouse (a home Sunday contest in the daylight hours) that has served them so well all season. For losing to a pretty bad Bulls team. By a lot." Sounds like he wanted to make it sound more like the Raptors lost and less like the Bulls won. However, Dwyer then wrote, "But a day later, I'm not sure that's the right take. Sure, the Raptors slept through this, but what were we expecting from these guys? Is this in any way out of character for the Raps? Haven't we seen this all season? Why are we supposed to get haughty when the Raptors went all Raptor on us?" So far so good. Dwyer is actually ripping the Raptors and actually said a nice thing about the Bulls. Dwyer wrote more nice things about the Bulls...so much that posting them all would take up too much space. Stuff about how the Bulls played with great energy on the road, how they were quicker than the Raptors, and how their defense really stepped up. And just when you think Dwyer has finally stopped hating on the Bulls, he writes, "Chicago is Chicago, so Toronto's not out of this yet."
I'm afraid to see what Dwyer will write next about the Bulls. He seems to rip them whenever he gets the chance and whenever they do something good, he gives them compliments that sound backhanded. I know because of his role as an NBA blogger he doesn't want to sound biased towards the Bulls but he has ripped the Bulls so much that it makes it seem like he is biased AGAINST the Bulls. I'm going to say this right now even though I'm afraid I might be wrong....the Bulls are going to make the playoffs. There I said it. I think they got it. I'm not saying that because I'm a biased Bulls fan....I'm saying it because the Bulls are the better team right now. Right now people are wondering if the Bulls can beat the Celtics and the Bobcats. But, can the Raptors win two games in a row? I believe the Raptors will lose at least one of their remaining two games and the Bulls will win at least one of their remaining two games. If that happens, the Bulls are in the playoffs. The Bulls could clinch as early as tomorrow night. I could be wrong but I want to give Dwyer the chance to rip me. I've been ripping on his predictions but I'm not giving him a chance to rip any of my predictions. So I'm officially predicting the Bulls will make the playoffs despite the fact their chances are seem to be barely better than 50-50 right now in my opinion. And what if the Bulls do make the playoffs? What will Dwyer say then? Surely he'll point out the fact the Raptors were missing Chris Bosh and ignore the fact the Bulls lost ten games in a row without Joakim Noah. He'll say that all the Bulls really won was the opportunity to get swept by Cleveland in the first round. The Bulls' season may continue but the Dwyer hating will not stop. If the Bulls do make the playoffs, I hope they do well enough against Cleveland to finally shut him up and make him admit the Bulls are not as bad as he says they are.
After that, you'd think Dwyer would stop bashing the Bulls but recently he was at it again. Dwyer wrote two pieces: one on the Bulls' chances of making the playoffs and the second one on the Raptors' chances of making the playoffs. In the Bulls post, Dwyer has harsh words but for the most part he's right. Dwyer says, "Chicago is at its worst offensively. It doesn't have a low post presence, and the team's best offensive options rely on the worst shot in basketball to make their hay -- the contested long two-pointer." That sounds mostly accurate. However, Dwyer never says if the Bulls are going to make the playoffs or not. He just says that it is "too tough to gauge."
In the Raptors post, he pretty much reveals he thinks the Raptors will make it. Dwyer points out all the problems that the Raptors have been having and then writes, "But they're up against the Bulls, who might be at full strength, but it's the saddest 'full strength' you've ever seen." Dwyer is just getting started. He later writes, "It shouldn't be a surprise if the Bulls actually drop all four of their games between now and the end of the season, the talent just isn't there, and there is sound justification for all four of Chicago's opponents (New Jersey, Toronto, Boston, Charlotte) to want to win whilst going with the full rotation." And he doesn't stop there. He mentions that the Raptors will be at home versus the Bulls and "even with Bosh out and the Raptors handing Chicago open shots, will the Bulls score enough to keep it close? I'd pencil this one in for Toronto." Dwyer wraps his post up writing, "Toronto has the easier schedule, and even without their best player, their strengths still seem to fly higher than Chicago's strengths. Whatever Chicago's strengths are."
Dwyer wrote his latest post this morning after his Bulls beat the Raptors 104-88 despite Dwyer's prediction that the Raptors would win. The Bulls are finally going to get praise from Dwyer now right? Well....sort of. Dwyer writes, "Let's give credit where credit is due. Chicago took this." That's a nice comment to make about the Bulls other than the fact Dwyer built it up as if he didn't want to admit his favorite team played well last night. Prior to the comment about the Bulls taking it, Dwyer wrote, "I was ready to go off on the Raptors, I really was. For having no heart. For failing to show up for the biggest game of the season, played in the wheelhouse (a home Sunday contest in the daylight hours) that has served them so well all season. For losing to a pretty bad Bulls team. By a lot." Sounds like he wanted to make it sound more like the Raptors lost and less like the Bulls won. However, Dwyer then wrote, "But a day later, I'm not sure that's the right take. Sure, the Raptors slept through this, but what were we expecting from these guys? Is this in any way out of character for the Raps? Haven't we seen this all season? Why are we supposed to get haughty when the Raptors went all Raptor on us?" So far so good. Dwyer is actually ripping the Raptors and actually said a nice thing about the Bulls. Dwyer wrote more nice things about the Bulls...so much that posting them all would take up too much space. Stuff about how the Bulls played with great energy on the road, how they were quicker than the Raptors, and how their defense really stepped up. And just when you think Dwyer has finally stopped hating on the Bulls, he writes, "Chicago is Chicago, so Toronto's not out of this yet."
I'm afraid to see what Dwyer will write next about the Bulls. He seems to rip them whenever he gets the chance and whenever they do something good, he gives them compliments that sound backhanded. I know because of his role as an NBA blogger he doesn't want to sound biased towards the Bulls but he has ripped the Bulls so much that it makes it seem like he is biased AGAINST the Bulls. I'm going to say this right now even though I'm afraid I might be wrong....the Bulls are going to make the playoffs. There I said it. I think they got it. I'm not saying that because I'm a biased Bulls fan....I'm saying it because the Bulls are the better team right now. Right now people are wondering if the Bulls can beat the Celtics and the Bobcats. But, can the Raptors win two games in a row? I believe the Raptors will lose at least one of their remaining two games and the Bulls will win at least one of their remaining two games. If that happens, the Bulls are in the playoffs. The Bulls could clinch as early as tomorrow night. I could be wrong but I want to give Dwyer the chance to rip me. I've been ripping on his predictions but I'm not giving him a chance to rip any of my predictions. So I'm officially predicting the Bulls will make the playoffs despite the fact their chances are seem to be barely better than 50-50 right now in my opinion. And what if the Bulls do make the playoffs? What will Dwyer say then? Surely he'll point out the fact the Raptors were missing Chris Bosh and ignore the fact the Bulls lost ten games in a row without Joakim Noah. He'll say that all the Bulls really won was the opportunity to get swept by Cleveland in the first round. The Bulls' season may continue but the Dwyer hating will not stop. If the Bulls do make the playoffs, I hope they do well enough against Cleveland to finally shut him up and make him admit the Bulls are not as bad as he says they are.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Bulls playoff chances/Could the Bulls get Chris Bosh?
I regret to say I watched most of the 4th quarter and both overtimes of the Bulls-Nets game last night. I feel like I wasted one hour of my weekend for nothing. The Bulls should have won their game against the Nets (Nets won 127-116 in double overtime) even though it was the Nets who blew a double-digit 4th quarter lead. I can write a lot about what went wrong but I'll make it brief: missed free throws by the Bulls prevented them from winning in regulation and the refs screwed the Bulls in the first overtime. As for the second overtime, the Raptors dominated but there shouldn't have been a second overtime. The game should have ended in the first overtime. Derrick Rose got fouled causing him to lose the ball with 25 seconds left in the first overtime with the Bulls up two. He hits two free throws to put the Bulls up by four and the Bulls hold on for the win right? Wrong. There were no free throws because the idiot refs ruled that Rose lost the ball on his own and they gave the ball to the Nets after the ball went out of bounds. What the replays showed was a Nets player pulling on Rose's left arm and then the ball immediately coming out of Rose's hands. The Nets then tie the game with two free throws and the games goes to double overtime after Rose misses a potential game winning shot.
I could say more but nothing I say can change the loss to a win so the only thing left is to look forward to Sunday's important game versus the Toronto Raptors who are tied with the Bulls for the eight and final playoff seed and hold the tiebreaker. Can the Bulls make the playoffs? First of all, I expect the Bulls to beat the Raptors. They have been mediocre without star forward Chris Bosh and the Bulls should be able to take advantage of that like they did against Cleveland who was missing LeBron James. The problem is that the next two games after that (home vs. Boston, at Charlotte) are pretty much must-win games. However, I think the Raptors may lose one of their remaining games after the Bulls game. They are on the road against Detroit and home against New York but I think both of those teams will look to play spoiler. Detroit picked up a win against Miami which leads me to think they have a pretty good shot at stealing a win against Toronto on Monday especially considering Toronto will be playing the second game of a back-to-back against Detroit. But the Bulls need to stop hoping for the Raptors to lose and worry about winning their own games. Had the Bulls won last night, I would be very confident that the Bulls would make the playoffs heading into the Toronto game. With the loss, I still think they can do it but it's going to be harder now and the game against the Raptors is definitely a must win game for them. At this point, I can't predict if the Bulls will make it or not. I want to say they will make the playoffs but I'm not sure. They need to beat Toronto tomorrow and if that happens, I would have to say the Bulls would be the favorite to make the playoffs at that point.
Now, I also want to talk about Chris Bosh possibly going to the Bulls. In my opinion, the Bulls MUST make it to the playoffs. Not just to give them more playoff experience or for the rest of the nation to get a good look at Derrick Rose and see that the Bulls are just one star player away from being really good, but also because if the Bulls make the playoffs, that means Chris Bosh and the Raptors will not. As you might know, Bosh is a free agent after this season. I don't see why he would want to stay in Toronto and if the Raptors miss the playoffs, I think it's a lock that he leaves. And I think the team he might join is the Bulls. Think about it......Bosh was carrying the Raptors and now he is seeing what kind of team the Raptors are with Bosh out of the lineup. If the Bulls can make the playoffs without a player like Bosh, imagine how far they can go WITH a player like Bosh. This doesn't mean I'm completely confident Bosh would go to the Bulls but I think Bosh knows he has a better chance at winning a championship with the Bulls than he does with the Raptors so I think the Bulls have a good chance at getting him. But the Bulls MUST beat out the Raptors for that final spot or else Bosh might think the Bulls AREN'T a better situation for him than the Raptors and he might start looking for other teams that might be better for him. Or worst case scenario....not only do the Raptors make the playoffs but they actually do well against the Cleveland Cavs in the first round. If the Raptors were to be competitive with the Cavs, then Bosh might think the Raptors are just one key player away from being a contender and he might stay in Toronto. The point is that the Bulls making the playoffs makes them more likely to get Bosh and missing the playoffs makes them less likely to get Bosh.
I could say more but nothing I say can change the loss to a win so the only thing left is to look forward to Sunday's important game versus the Toronto Raptors who are tied with the Bulls for the eight and final playoff seed and hold the tiebreaker. Can the Bulls make the playoffs? First of all, I expect the Bulls to beat the Raptors. They have been mediocre without star forward Chris Bosh and the Bulls should be able to take advantage of that like they did against Cleveland who was missing LeBron James. The problem is that the next two games after that (home vs. Boston, at Charlotte) are pretty much must-win games. However, I think the Raptors may lose one of their remaining games after the Bulls game. They are on the road against Detroit and home against New York but I think both of those teams will look to play spoiler. Detroit picked up a win against Miami which leads me to think they have a pretty good shot at stealing a win against Toronto on Monday especially considering Toronto will be playing the second game of a back-to-back against Detroit. But the Bulls need to stop hoping for the Raptors to lose and worry about winning their own games. Had the Bulls won last night, I would be very confident that the Bulls would make the playoffs heading into the Toronto game. With the loss, I still think they can do it but it's going to be harder now and the game against the Raptors is definitely a must win game for them. At this point, I can't predict if the Bulls will make it or not. I want to say they will make the playoffs but I'm not sure. They need to beat Toronto tomorrow and if that happens, I would have to say the Bulls would be the favorite to make the playoffs at that point.
Now, I also want to talk about Chris Bosh possibly going to the Bulls. In my opinion, the Bulls MUST make it to the playoffs. Not just to give them more playoff experience or for the rest of the nation to get a good look at Derrick Rose and see that the Bulls are just one star player away from being really good, but also because if the Bulls make the playoffs, that means Chris Bosh and the Raptors will not. As you might know, Bosh is a free agent after this season. I don't see why he would want to stay in Toronto and if the Raptors miss the playoffs, I think it's a lock that he leaves. And I think the team he might join is the Bulls. Think about it......Bosh was carrying the Raptors and now he is seeing what kind of team the Raptors are with Bosh out of the lineup. If the Bulls can make the playoffs without a player like Bosh, imagine how far they can go WITH a player like Bosh. This doesn't mean I'm completely confident Bosh would go to the Bulls but I think Bosh knows he has a better chance at winning a championship with the Bulls than he does with the Raptors so I think the Bulls have a good chance at getting him. But the Bulls MUST beat out the Raptors for that final spot or else Bosh might think the Bulls AREN'T a better situation for him than the Raptors and he might start looking for other teams that might be better for him. Or worst case scenario....not only do the Raptors make the playoffs but they actually do well against the Cleveland Cavs in the first round. If the Raptors were to be competitive with the Cavs, then Bosh might think the Raptors are just one key player away from being a contender and he might stay in Toronto. The point is that the Bulls making the playoffs makes them more likely to get Bosh and missing the playoffs makes them less likely to get Bosh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)