May
10
BULLIED OR BULLHEADED TONIGHT?
Filed Under Chicago Bulls
CHICAGO’S UP AGAINST THE ROPES IN GAME THREE!
After getting picked on and picked apart by the Pistons in the first two games of this series, it’s time for the Chicago Bulls to show who they are tonight in Game Three. With the organization facing an identity crisis that hasn’t been seen since Michael Jordon hung it up some seven months after slaying the Utah Jazz for title number six in June 1998, Chicago needs to regroup from two humiliating blowouts in Detroit in which they weren’t even close to competing and get back to the style of play that has made them a successful and fun team the last couple of seasons.
It’s all going to have to start on the defensive end. Chicago must be able to slow down Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, keep the Pistons off the offensive glass and get the ball moving on the outlet. Ben Wallace has been the subject of some unfair criticism about the Bulls’ shoddy defense thus far in the series, but defense has and will always be about each man doing his job. Maybe Chicago employs more zone as it was the only thing somewhat effective in Game Two.
On the offensive side, Chicago’s “Two And A Half Men” of Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich must pick it up. Gordon hasn’t cracked 20 points in a game this series. In fact, his totals for the first two games (7 and 13 points) only add up to 20 points. Yikes. Deng needs to relax and start hitting the mid-range shot. As for Hinrich, it’s time to grab this team by the reins and do something. As the point guard, Hinrich needs to kickstart the offense from the get-go and stop looking like this guy on both sides of the court, but rather play with some decisiveness.
As for the Pistons, they feel good about a 2-0 lead but could feel that much better in a couple of hours with a 3-0 lead. So how will Game Three fare? With the way the Bulls have been playing the last two games, it’s hard to predict. Having watching them over the last couple of seasons, you would expect a much better effort. But with how bad they’ve played the last two games, it’s hard to tell what you’re going to get.
With that said, Chicago will ideally get out to a quick start (around a 10-point lead) and maintain it with its dear life throughout the game. The first half will be crucial because if the Pistons hold the lead throughout the first half and entering half time despite the Bulls’ best efforts, Chicago will be done.
So will Chicago be bullied once again tonight or will they be bullheaded and at least make this a competitive series from now on? We shall soon see!
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