GOOD MORNING CHICAGO!
Read last week’s newsletter if you missed it here.
It’s another Bulls playoff game day.
Sunday night was for regret and despair. Monday for despair, analysis and a little bit of excitement. Today (Tuesday) has been reserved full-blown excitement. Tomorrow morning, the nerves will be my alarm clock.
But nerves are a privilege, my dear readers.
On Sunday, I learned that I have unfortunately not changed as much as I thought I would have over the course of five years (the time it’s been since the Bulls were last in the playoffs). (And also the time between me being a college junior and a full-blown adult, of course).
I forgot that when I watch Bulls playoff games — I regret to say — I am as loud, obnoxious, and annoying as a guy who is way too into a UFC fight, hellbent on proving his masculinity to the rest of the crowd in his vicinity.
After the Bulls went up five in Game 1 in the third quarter, I was in my Dad’s face (a Bulls fan), screaming at him “to tell the Bucks to get a time out!!” The Bucks did eventually oblige.
In the end, though, the Bulls fell short. And my God did last week’s newsletter end up being painfully spot on.
Here’s an excerpt:
I frankly would be far more nervous if the Bulls were going into a series in which they were favored. They are instead playing the defending champs in a series where no one expects anything out of them. They are +600 to win the series, and +10 in the first game.
I may take unpaid leave on Friday because 1) I need to get my mind right 2) I won’t need the money after the Bulls lose by 7, and not 10, in devastating fashion after putting up a fine effort in Game 1.
The Bulls did put up a fine effort, and they did lose by 7. And I did make 47 dollars, though I’m not sure that would have covered unpaid time off on Friday, even though I do write for a living.
Man, was that game winnable. And the Bulls should have won it.
Billy Donovan deserves immense praise for how ready the Bulls were. From a defense standpoint especially, the Bulls put forth their best defensive effort in months — and maybe of the year.
Giannis had 27 and 16, because of course he did. He also had six fouls, but was only charged with five, because of course he was. I honestly can’t imagine what he’d have to do to get his disqualifying 6th foul in a playoff game. The officials should be embarrassed for a lot of what transpired in Sunday’s game, but this especially.
Foul on Patrick Williams.
At this point, if correctly called, Giannis would have been disqualified for the final 2:05 of the game, and the Bulls would have had the ball down three points.
It’s probably 50/50 at that point that the Bulls win that game, given those circumstances.
At the same time, there’s about a 100% chance that if the Bulls best offensive players — Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic — didn’t shoot an abysmal 21 for 71 from the field, they also win the game. That’s a 29.5% clip. They also shot a collective 4/22 from three, which as you may remember from last week, was the exact thing I said could not happen if the Bulls were to have a chance in this series.
Overall, the Bulls shot 32% from the field. So in a defensive effort that won’t likely be replicated, the Bulls, for lack of a better way to say it, shit the bed.
Vucevic is — to some extent — unfairly lumped in there. He competed on defense, hit some big shots, bullied Giannis in the post a few times, and had a few three-pointers that were all but through the hoop before popping out.
Regardless, 9/27 from the field isn’t going to cut it. Missed lay-ups and tips (for the love of God, the tip-in opportunities) are inexcusable in a playoff series — especially one in which you are a significant underdog.
(And can the Bulls fucking dunk the god damn ball? Good God. The rest of the world would kill to dunk the ball just once in an NBA game and we’ve got guys trying to lay it in when there’s a strategic advantage to dunking.)
Zach LaVine. Whether his knee is hindering him or not, he needs to step up. This is a guy we were saying was obviously better than Devin Booker this year, so long as he got the chance to showcase it on a big stage with better players. Booker had 31 in a half last night. LaVine played (mostly) passively on the offensive end and shot terribly.
(Having said all of this, I was actually fine with LaVine’s three-point attempt at the end of the game. The Bulls were down three, and it was a fine shot. Just didn’t fall.)
It’s one game, and I know that.
But man, it was winnable.
DeRozan had his head all the way up his ass for the entire game. From having the worst shooting game of his life, to not making the right playmaking decisions down the stretch, to shooting a fucking two-point jump shot with 15 seconds left down five, it was all awful.
I do not think he’ll do the same in Game 2. Having said that…
He said after the game that there’s no shot he’d shoot that poorly again. That’s probably true. But while we do need him to shoot better, we really need him to shoot less. This team has plenty of offensive talent — he needs to know that. There’s no reason LaVine should be standing around on half of the offensive possessions.
In Game 1, it felt like a blessing and a curse that DeRozan had the season he had. DeMar, don’t erase a historic season with hero ball the rest of the series. I beg of you.
If any of those guys play even 10% better, the Bulls win that game. And that’s on them. Because the rest of the guys — Caruso especially, Javonte Green too, and even Coby — did their parts.
And Derrick Jones Jr. did get that tick, and played well when he did. Tell Tristan Thompson his job for the rest of the playoffs is to yell at the Bucks when they’re shooting three pointers by the Bulls bench. And to commit one hard foul and get three offensive boards, maybe. And to keep his dick in his pants. Otherwise, let’s rely on our best defensive lineups and hope our All-Stars can play like All-Stars.
Now here comes the optimism. The Bulls are still 10-point underdogs today. They are still massive underdogs to win the series.
Do you think I give a shit??
That’s not a rhetorical question. Answer before proceeding.
Correct. No, I do not. Because did anyone think that team looked remotely like the team that lost four out of their last five in the regular season in embarrassing fashion?
It was a whole new ball club, an entirely different attitude. Caruso is due a lot of that credit.
And Caruso’s defense, paired with Donovan’s game plan, which consisted of much more blitzing at opportune times and doubling the best perimeter players when need be… worked!
The Russian was cut!
Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday shot poorly too, sure. But they didn’t shoot poorly in the way that our guys did. They weren’t just missing shots. Our perimeter defense completely neutralized them. Middleton had 11 points on 13 shots, along with 7! turnovers, and Holiday had 15 points on 16 shots with 4 turnovers.
That wasn’t an anomaly. The Bulls forced 21 turnovers against the Bucks Sunday. Does that remind you of any other team?
Yeah, it does. It reminds you of this Bulls team, over four months ago.
Sure, the Bucks will make adjustments. But the Bulls strategy worked. It was evident to anyone watching the game that it wasn’t merely a bad Bucks game, but a bad Bucks game forced by the Bulls defense.
And that’s where our All-Stars do deserve credit. Did you notice LaVine crashing the boards? He had 10 crucial ones, which is what you need from your bigger guards when you’re going against Giannis and Brook Lopez with Derrick Jones Jr., Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic.
DeRozan played the best defensive game I’ve ever seen out of him, and that’s not an exaggeration. The strategy and defensive effort is there.
It all goes back to the make-or-miss mantra. If the Bulls hit their shots, they win Game 1. (Thanks, dude.) And if the Bulls can generate playmaking opportunities through their best scorers in Game 2, they can win.
So what else needs to happen for the Bulls to eradicate home-court advantage and head back to the UC tied 1-1?
The Bulls shot enough threes, finally, in Game 1. But they made 7 of 37 of them. LaVine, Caruso, and Vucevic need to make theirs. But we need a three or two from Javonte Green as well. And Coby needs to build off of Sunday’s effort. We need 18+ from Coby tonight. He’s more than capable.
Patrick Williams needs a three or two as well. He’ll have wide open ones. It’s time to fit the bill as a fourth overall pick, young fella. Need him on both ends tonight.
I understand Billy erring on the side of veterans playing on Sunday, too, but my God, let the rookie play.
Ayo Dosunmu is not afraid of the moment. I know that much. Your defense gets better when he’s out there, and if no one else is going to hit a three, let him try.
The Bulls need to win the turnover battle again. They were +10 last game. They need to stay in the green there. Even without Ball, they have the defensive playmakers to get there. Stay aggressive.
Finally, the defense needs to be close to where it was in Game 1. That may not mean 93 points again, but if the Bulls want a chance, a similar effort needs to be in store.
If you’re scared, get a dog. Our team showed they weren’t on Sunday, so you shouldn’t be either.
Picture this. The Bulls win Wednesday night. They cut the Russian on Sunday, they hurt him bad on Wednesday.
The weather turns in Chicago and it’s Friday night. It’s 65 degrees as you’re on the way to the liquor store. The whole town — and the group chats — are buzzing.
The Bulls have a chance to go up in a series no one thought they could compete in. The United Center is letting in 22,000 Bulls fans as the sun goes down.
Give us that hope. Give us that chance.
If you’re scared, get a dog!
We’re beaten, we’re bruised. We’re down, but we’re not out. What the hell is it now, then, and forever… STILL GOTTA COME THROUGH CHICAGO!, but before that, let’s win one in Milwaukee.
LETS GO BULLS!
Just me and Chuck Mac again. Where are the rest of those OPRF and Iowa sports fans?
I was proud of the Bulls efforts. I expected a blowout. The defensive scheme worked and Caruso is worth every nickel we pay him for his intensity and particularly his defensive intensity. I( need Vucevic to stop being afraid to go to the basket on the pick and roll like every other big man in the league. I feel for Lavine. He is so unsure of his launch that he is now looking to body people on his drives no longer confident he can out leap them.
Tonight is everything. compete or it all spins out of control.
Pressure is a privilege!! Not much more to add. Need ANYONE to hit some threes alongside Coby and we'll have a fighting chance tonight. LOCK IN!
I see the Tristan Thompson comment playing to the female subscribers.