Baby, Even The Losers Get Lucky Sometimes

CJ Watson: The play called for me to inbound the ball to Luol and get it back. I kind of stopped listening to Thibs in the huddle after that. Once I heard the ball was going to be in my hands I was good. My play, my time. The other guys didn't know it yet, but there was no way they were seeing the ball.

Luol Deng: Thibs drew up a nice little play in the huddle to get me rolling to the basket, with an option for an open jumper for either Kyle or Luke. CJ was to inbound the ball to me around the three point line and then come around to receive it back. Then it was my job to roll to the basket. If I was open, CJ would hit me. If not, it was up to him to create off the dribble. I thought it was pretty curious to hear "CJ" and "create" in the same sentence, but I trusted Thibs' vision.

Carlos Boozer: Thibs is a great dude, man. His reputation as a hard ass couldn't be further from the truth. He loves all of his players, especially me. He just has a weird way of showing it. Like, for instance, he barely acknowledges I exist during a timeout. He'll glance at me real quick and then start swearing under his breath. [laughs] My job was basically to set a down screen for Kyle and then try not to get in the way. 'Think of yourself as a highly paid decoy' Thibs said. He's a funny guy.

Kyle Korver: I don't like the ball in these crunch time situations. I get nervous and my hands start to clam up. When my hands start to clam up, it's hard to get a good feel for the ball. Anyway, I saw CJ start to trend to his right, kind of getting himself into a tough situation. I ran from the corner up to the top of the key. I kept thinking 'Please don't give me the ball. Please don't give me the ball. Please don't give me the ball.' My hands felt like I'd dunked them in a tub of ice water and then I remembered it was CJ handling the ball. There was no way he was going to pass it to me, or anyone, for that matter. I was able to calm down and get myself together after that.

John Lucas III: I wanted the ball in my hands. I always do. I'm John Lucas. Why shouldn't I want the ball with the game on the line? Thibs relegated my to the baseline and gave CJ the opportunity to make a play, which is pretty shitty if you ask me. I've been in this league long enough to know that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. If you're intent on taking a shot, you damn well better put it up when the ball is in your hands. There was a chance I would get a look, but with CJ making the decision, I knew the ball wasn't coming my way. I would have done the same thing if I was in his shoes so I can't really blame him.

CJ Watson: James Johnson switched on to me and I liked that match up. To tell you the truth, I hate the guy. He was always playing pranks with our toothbrushes on road trips last year. He's a real asshole. He's always jacked up to play us and was treating this game like Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I wanted to beat him with a nice crossover. I knew I could.

Luol Deng: Jose [Calderon] switched on to me when JJ picked up CJ. That turned out to be a pretty big development.

Carlos Boozer: I'm not eating without hot sauce.

Kyle Korver: I watched CJ attempt a fadeaway over JJ, who is like, five or six inches taller than him. I knew it wasn't going to end well. I even removed my mouthpiece thinking the game was over. 'We just lost to the Toronto Raptors,' I thought. 'Ain't that some shit.'

John Lucas III: CJ put that shot up and I couldn't believe he didn't float it more. I know he's a bit taller than I am, but c'mon man. You gotta throw that thing way up there and give it a chance. Come to think, if that was me, we would have lost the game. I would have at least hit the rim. John Lucas has never airballed a shot. [Editor's Note: CJ Watson's shot was partially blocked by James Johnson]

Coach Thibs:  GUAH WOOF RATATA AJFDLGHAOD AHDOAHDG GHAOGHAIJIAJDNCVAHE 

Luol Deng: God bless Jose Calderon. I have no idea what he was thinking. For some reason, he decided to jump backwards at put his hand up for the block like that was going to make a difference. He left me all alone to corral the rebound and I just let it go as fast as I could. I didn't even know if I got it off in time.

Kyle Korver: Pure elation. It's nice to get a win when you've already resigned yourself to a loss.

Carlos Boozer: You've seen me play. I enjoy celebrating athletic exploits whether I've taken part in them or not. I just started yelling 'Dunk that shit' because it felt right. I knew it didn't apply in that situation, but it still felt right.

John Lucas III: I found Luol and jumped on his shoulders. He didn't even feel me there, I don't think.

CJ Watson: I was extremely pleased with the way I was able to create and get our team the victory.

Coach Thibs: I spent our off days locked in a Motel 6 with nothing but a 2 liter bottle of mineral water and a large bag of Smartfood popcorn. Lesson learned. I won't be drawing up out-of-bounds plays in that sort of environment ever again.

Dueling Banjos

The weekend is here, both Conference Finals have come to a 1-1 stalwart, and magnificently, feature what may be five of the NBA's six best players (Dwight Howard has been fishing a while now, someone rock the boat and wake him up). Kevin Durant dominated summer headlines, as Team USA ran their offense through him while slowly crunching international competition beneath their feet. LeBron, Wade, and "The Decision" took over from there. Derrick Rose received MVP honors and NBA writers penned one thousand different articles on the meaning of humility and how Rose is saving the NBA -- and the world. Lost in the fracas, as he usually seems to be, was Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki is everything I've loved about this year's Playoffs. Heading into this season he was an immensely talented player, but a perpetual loser / choke artist. After Game 1 he became the best international player ever and possibly one of the ten greatest players of all-time. Step back, cock the basketball behind your head, fadeaway off of one leg, and throw perspective out the window.

I began searching for reasons why Nowitzki has been so underrated -- in terms of his legacy and the unique blend of size and skill he's brought to the game, moreso than being recognized as an All-Star and elite player. The first explanation would seem to be bad timing. Nowitzki's prime has coincided with the primes of Hall-of-Famers Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter, Steve Nash, and Jason Kidd. All were arguably better or more exciting players for the majority of their careers. Add in players like Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, and Tracy McGrady who ultimately didn't have HOF careers, but for a short time took the league by storm. Then the post-2003 draft picks: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Dwight Howard, who brought new excitement and marketability to a league who's star players were either getting old or failing to live up to the lofty standards that were set for them. If someone were to ask you in 25 years who the best 10 or 15 players of the last decade were, would it really be inconceivable to forget about Dirk?

For better or worse, athletes are measured by the number of Championships they've won. I'm sure you've seen the trailer for Bad Teacher by now. Unfortunately for Dirk, his two best Dallas Mavericks teams are best known for their epic Playoff collapses. The 2006 team was up 2-0 in the NBA Finals, firmly in control of Game 3 before surrendering a double digit lead in Miami, and went on to lose four straight. Then the 2007 team, Dallas' best team in franchise history, were ousted in the first round by 8th-seeded Golden State. Dirk played well in Games 2-5, but awful in Game 1 and series-clinching Game 6; the two most likely to be remembered. Those two seasons have come to define Dirk and the Dallas Mavericks. Despite the accolades and for all the substance they've played with the past decade, they're not good enough to win a Championship.

Then there's "Dirk's Quirks." He looked like a member of Ace of Base when he came into the league. This undoubtedly contributed to the "soft" discourse.

He's constantly adjusting his jersey even though it seems to fit him fine. He also has a tendency to try and tuck his hair around his ear, even though his hair seems to trend that way regardless. Dirk's quirks: they can be quite distracting. Next time the Mavs are on, observe how Dirk reacts when Dallas is struggling. He may get them back in it, but during a crucial stretch he's going to do the stupid jersey or hair adjustment and I promise you'll think a little less of him.

But back to why Dirk is finally getting his due as one of the toughest covers in NBA history. He scored in a variety of ways in his 48-point Game 1 performance. Nine of his fifteen shots came on the right side of the floor, and eight of those nine were 12 to 18 feet away from the basket. There was no secret to what Nowitzki was doing. He posted up every time down the floor, received the ball, and either drew a foul or shot is patented fadeaway. Oklahoma City's defenders were barely able to touch Nowitzki, so his 24 free throws were a bit of an aberration, but the fact that he made all 24 was not. 

There's one particular Nowitzki shot I want to talk about. Late in the 4th quarter and the Mavericks are up by seven. Nowitzki, who logged 41 minutes on the night was clearly tired. He received the ball in the post, 18-feet out. Serge Ibaka would be the victim this time. Nowitzki turned around and faced Ibaka. He was literally too tired to do anything, even bend over. He stood there with Ibaka in his face and the ball at his hip. Nowitzki held the ball for about five seconds before just raising up -- a last ditch effort. The highly arced ball fell right through the net. I don't care about a player's size or position. He isn't supposed to be able to catch the ball 18 feet out, face his defender, and swish a shot because he was too tired to do anything else. That has been Dirk Nowitzki in the 2010 Playoffs. 

The Thunder played him better in Game 2, fronting him and sending a help defender from the weakside. They also limited him to only ten free throw attempts. Nowitzki still made 10 of his 17 shots and made some excellent passes out of the double team. There's not much Oklahoma City can do with him, but they did just enough to win Game 2.

Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook is getting his typical treatment from the media. When he attacks the rim he's being too aggressive and needs to get the ball to Durant. When he doesn't attack he's being too passive and hurting his team. I'd hate to be in his position. What's funny is how Durant is getting off scot-free. Sometimes Westbrook can't get him the ball because he either hasn't used his screen properly, or isn't strong enough to create space for himself. Not Westbrook's fault, but he's received the brunt of the criticism. Magic Johnson, as part of ESPN's horrible "Bold Predictions" piece, actually said he expected Westbrook to have a 25-14-8 game. How the fuck can Westbrook win?

To Durant's credit, he'd defended Westbrook's decision-making, even drawing the ire of some who claim he's not being assertive enough. Rubbish, I say. Durant just wants to be one of the guys. Him and Westbrook have taken to MySpace to release their debut EP.

The NBA's answer to The Cool Kids?

I'm about to criticize Tom Thibodeau. Are you sure you want to do that? Yes. Really? Yes. I mean, I think so. Realllllly?

That's what I thought.

If you've watched even five Bulls games this year, you know that Thibs can be a little stubborn with his rotations. Of course, his stubbornness tends to pay off, so it's never really an issue. It was in Game 2 and cost the Bulls the game. Thibs subbed in Korver for Brewer with just under 9 minutes left in the game. The Bulls were playing with a Rose-Korver-Deng-Gibson-Asik lineup against Miami's Wade-James-Miller-Haslem-Bosh. Thibs' thinking was for Korver to hit a few threes (the Bulls were down 73-69 when Korver checked in) and get them right back in the game. Not a bad strategy except Korver has to play defense and Mike Miller was the only easy cover on the floor. Rose, who wouldn't sit the entire second half, was forced to guard Wade. This isn't bad for stretches, but not when the Bulls are completely dependent on Rose for offense at the end of a close game. Korver missed both of his three-point attempts in the 4th quarter. He was 1-3 from behind the arc in the 2nd quarter.

The Bulls are going to have trouble scoring against Miami regardless of the situation, but they most definitely won't be successful if Rose has to play the entire second half and guard Dwyane Wade for the last nine minutes of the game. Korver has to be given a short leash. If he's off he has to stay on the bench. At least with Brewer in the game, the Bulls have their best defensive lineup to accompany Rose. Rose can guard the most favorable perimeter match up and focus solely on offense. With Korver missing shots, too much pressure is put on a tired Rose to perform on both ends of the floor. Thibs stuck with Korver too long and it cost them.

I still maintain that the biggest advantage the Bulls have in this series is their coaching. Thibs won't make this type of mistake again. The Heat only scored 85 points despite 53 points on 54 percent shooting from James and Wade. The Bulls shot 34 percent (15 percent from three) and were in the game until the last couple of minutes. They let one get away.

Sometimes you have to lose yourself before you find anything.

Day 6: Bulls-Pacers (Game 3)

The Pacers played Game 3 like a team who knew they were overmatched. They tried every trick in the book. Flopping, hard fouls and screens, and sticking their legs out on contested threes and passes, among other things. I'm not about to criticize Indiana for anything they did. In a Playoff series, adjustments are the key. The Pacers outplayed the Bulls in different facets of Game One and Two (some may say the entire games themselves) and still came up empty. They had to do something. Sure, flopping and cheap shots are dirty and dishonest, but what were they supposed to do? Roll over? If anything, the Pacers' style of play in Game 3 was a testament to how good the Bulls are at pulling out victories, even when they don't play well.

Indiana's physical play was the story of this game. Stacey King and Scottie Pippen were ready to suit up and give a hard foul to who ever was closest. Jeff Foster and Josh McRoberts came off the bench took turns clobbering the Bulls, trying to outdo the other each time. Foster in particular drew the ire of Chicago fans when he deliberately came down on Rose's face, prompting a reaction from Rose. Not much later, he swung a blatant elbow to Deng's head, which put him to floor. That's what Foster does. He's in the league for two reasons: to get rebounds and try to get under his opponent's skin.

Some people, King and Pippen included, were quick to criticize the Bulls for failing to retaliate. I think the opposite. Let Indiana try to play their bully brand of basketball. The second Chicago tries to make this in to a shoving match is the second Indiana can take advantage of them. The Bulls are a more talented BASKETBALL team. Playing basketball is what they do best. If Indiana can get Chicago thinking about fouls and how to retaliate, they've got them off their game plan, which is exactly what they want.

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but the bench was awful for a third straight game. The Pacers' bench has outscored the Bulls' bench 27-25 in Game One, 43-22 in Game Two (that number is a bit inflated because of Collison's injury), and 32-20 in Game Three. I maintain that the bench goes as Brewer goes, and Thibs has been weary of playing Brewer. Although he did come up with two clutch free throws and a couple big rebounds to end the game as something positive to build on.

Kyle Korver has really saved the Bulls. 13 points, 4-4 threes in Game One, 5 points and one huge three in Game Two, and 12 points and three threes in Game Three. The Pacers have been trapping Rose as he crosses half court, usually forcing him to give the ball up to Noah at the top of the key. Indiana's defense was really active today and deflected a bunch of interior passes that the Bulls normally execute. Anyway, with the trap on late in the 4th quarter, Korver will get some open looks. As strange as it is to say, he's been just as valuable as Rose in closing games this series.

The Pacers have given it a valiant effort but are probably going to be swept. Things have looked picture perfect for them at times, but ultimately they're going to fall well short. Kind of like this Jeff Foster jumper.    

Day 1: Bulls-Pacers (Game 1)

Due to his slightly over exaggerated comments about the Bulls, Danny Granger became the story of Game One even before the game started. When asked whether he would prefer to face the Bulls or Celtics in the Playoffs, Granger said Chicago. "Chicago, they go as Derrick Rose goes," he stated. "If you can make a concerted effort to stop Derrick Rose, you have a better chance of beating them."

To be fair, Granger didn't say anything inflammatory, or even ridiculous. Many people feel Boston, because of their playoff experience, will be a tougher out. And the Bulls do tend to lean heavily on Rose for their offense.

Part of the lore surrounding Rose during his 2011 MVP campaign is the Jordan-esque memory he seems to have developed regarding past performances. Jordan was the master of self-motivation. He scoured the Earth for anything that could be perceived as a slight against him or his team. Rose is the same way. It has been no coincidence that some of his most dominant performances have come against teams that beat the Bulls earlier in the season. The Bulls' 115-108 overtime loss against Indiana the last time the two met, coupled with Granger's comments, figured to fuel Rose to a monster performance. Much of the onus then fell on Granger's shoulders, as many looked to see if he could back his words up in Game One.

While Granger is Indiana's best player, I felt Tyler Hansbrough was going to be the key to this game. He torched the Bulls for 29 points on 10-19 shooting in their last meeting against the Boozer-less Bulls. I thought he'd be able to exploit Boozer on the offensive end and he did. Hansbrough provided the usual hustle plays, crazy eyes, and ability to knock down that damn mid-range jumper that Boozer gave him all game. Granger's 18 points in the second half (including the first eight to start to half) fueled the Pacers, but he won't go off like that from behind the arc all series. Hansbrough is the disconcerting match up because he can do what he did today every game.

I'm not normally one to harp for too long on stats, but today I will make the necessary exception. The Bulls are the best team in the NBA at defending the three-point line. They held teams to 32.6 percent shooting during the regular season, best in the league, and gave up less threes than anyone this year. The Pacers went 10-18 from three-point line. That's an  unacceptable 55.6 percent.

The Bulls are also the best rebounding team in the NBA. They out rebounded Indiana 49-34 (21-13 on the offensive glass) but were outscored 9-8 on second chance points. They gave up 10.1 offensive rebounds a game during the regular season. With a rebounding advantage as sizable as the Bulls' was today, there's no excuse for being outscored in second chance points. Three-point shooting and second chance points were what kept Indiana in the game. If the Bulls performed even remotely close to what they normally do in these areas, this is a double digit victory.

The Bulls closed out the game on a 16-1 run. After two Deng free throws, Rose scored or assisted on 12 of the Bulls' last 14 points. I'm not sure there is any other player I would want on my team at this point to close a game. Rose adjusted during crunch time. His shot wasn't falling (he went 0-9 from three) so he attacked the basket, as he did all game. He attacked the basket with reckless abandon, hammered home an "And 1," spun into the lane to finish off a 7-foot floater, made two more free throws and set up a wide-open Korver three with his penetration.

Watching the end of this game, it's easy to see why Chicago's critics think the Bulls are too dependent on one player. But look at the shots Deng and Korver knocked down this game. Those two, along with Boozer will have to pick up the slack when the ball is inevitably forced out of Rose's hands. Deng and Korver stepped up today. I'm not buying that this game somehow exposes an offensively flawed team. Team defense and rebounding were the two biggest issues today. Bigger than anything that happened on the offensive end.

The Chicago Bulls Wish You A Happy Holidays

I'm a sucker for athletes making holiday skits like this. In the 1980s and early 1990s, NBA players blessed us with plenty of hilarious moments via the NBA Draft and post-game press conferences. It's not like that anymore. Players are coached at an early age about how to avoid doing or saying anything stupid to the media. And in all fairness, they get roasted for practically every comment they make, so it's best to err on the side of caution and refrain from letting loose.
These videos are one of the few times athletes can stray from the way they're "supposed" to act and just have fun. In an age where player's media personalities are becoming more and more robotic, videos like this are a breath of fresh air.
Top 3 Reasons To Watch:
1) Kyle Korver channels his inner-Sinatra. I have to applaud Korver for being the lone player who even attempted to sing his part. Although I'm not sure about that "Ode-to-the-Nutcracker" march he added in.
2) Derrick Rose is funny. His head tilt is priceless. I think marketers are slowly starting to pick up on this as Rose has appeared in a funny ESPN and fantasy basketball commercial after being shafted in the Adidas 'Fast Don't Lie' ad. I think guys like LeBron and Dwight Howard are thought of as funnier because they joke around on the court, where as Rose is pretty stoic.
3) Joakim Noah being Joakim Noah. After his playing career he seriously needs a reality show. Here's my top five (in order) of current players I want to see in their own reality show:
1. Ron Artest
2. Joakim Noah
3. Delonte West
4. Zach Randolph
5. Stephen Jackson
Honorable mentions to Yao Ming (not sure if he's still considered a current player), and Shaq (I could see his shtick getting old pretty quick. Plus, he already had a semi-reality show when he faced off against other athletes in their sports).

Happy Holidays, everyone! Don't forget, the Bulls play on Christmas Day for the first time since 1997. The last time the Bulls and Knicks played each other on Christmas was in 1994. The Bulls were victorious 107-104 behind Scottie Pippen's 36 points. Let's hope for a repeat performance.   

Thoughts On The Bulls First Preseason Game

Kyle Korver is going to be a much more important edition than most of us anticipated. While it was largely believed Korver would stand out by the three point line and become the recipient of Rose's drive and kick outs, Korver will probably play a bigger role than that. Thibodeau had him coming off screens, and with his quick release, he was extremely effective, shooting 7-12 from the floor.
Corey Brewer was out, so he obviously couldn't compete with Korver tonight, but from what I saw Tuesday, Korver's making a strong case for the starting 2 guard spot. The only question is if he can hold up defensively. Hopefully, the preseason will present some opportunities for us to find out.
It looks like within this offense, Taj Gibson will be asked to shoot the midrange jumper. He had a few wide open looks and only made one of them. With Boozer out, the Bulls find themselves in a familiar position, lacking an inside scoring presence. Until then, Gibson will have to hit that shot consistently, because neither him or Noah are feared down low.
Speaking of Noah, he was not only aggressive on the boards (as expected), but on the offensive end as well. Much has been made about Noah's offensive development over the offseason. Reports have said he's been working on a hook shot, although he didn't showcase it in Tuesday's game. Noah's touch around the rim didn't look too good, but that could possibly be attributed to early season rust.
Luol Deng looked as comfortable than ever in Thibodeau's offense. Thibodeau made it a point after he was hired to speak on how he believed Deng wasn't being used properly in Vinny Del Negro's offense. In the past, Deng was more effective when he was able to slash to the basket, rather than settling for jumpers like he was expected to do in Del Negro's system.

Soon-to-be fan favorite Brian Scalabrine will make this team. Brought in because he played within Thibodeau's system in Boston, Scalabrine looked great on the offensive and defensive end. Familiarity within a system is a bigger factor to success than most people realize, and Scalabrine has plenty of that. The biggest thing about Scalabrine is he knows his role. He plays solid defense, and won't try to do too much on the offensive end. He'll take an open shot if it's there. At this point, I'd much rather have him at the end of the bench than James Johnson's out of control play.
He only played 18 minutes, but Brandon Jennings didn't look for his shot as much as he did last season. I'm not sure if it was Scott Skiles' intention, but it looked like Skiles was trying to mold Jennings into a more prototypical point guard, rather than the shoot first guard he was last year.
Milwaukee will have plenty of scoring options this year, and while Jennings was one of the most exciting players in the league last year, it's probably in the Bucks' best interest to make Jennings more of a distributor.
Both teams are extremely deep. No Bogut, Salmons, or Maggette for Milwaukee. No Brewer or Boozer for Chicago. That's five combined starters, and there was still plenty of quality on the floor. This will be a great battle all season, between what looks like the cream of the crop in the Central Division.