May
6
CINCO DE MAYO MASSACRE!
Filed Under Chicago Bulls
SHARP DETROIT PUTS BRUTAL BULLS AWAY IN 95-69 ROUT!
In an effort that will undoubtedly be prompting nightmares in Chicago tonight, the Detroit Pistons annihilated the Bulls by 26 points in Game One of the second round Eastern Conference playoff series. Chauncey Billups and the masked-one Richard Hamilton sliced and diced through the Bulls defense en route to 20 points apiece.
Bringing a blood lust to the floor haven’t seen since their 2004 NBA Finals victory over the Lakers in five games, the Pistons played hungry Saturday night, moving the ball quickly and crisply on offense and suffocating Chicago’s offense. A focused Billups absolutely abused Chicago guard Ben Gordon, who was limited to just seven points–none in the second half–after picking up two quick fouls in the first couple of minutes. While getting back on the right shooting track with a 6-for-7 performance from the field for 15 points, Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich could not contain Hamilton, who did his damage off of screens and slashing to the hoop. Rasheed Wallace was solid defensively while the Pistons bench was led by Jason Maxiell, the energetic forward from Cincinnati who was all over the place and scored a career playoff-high 12 points.
As for Chicago’s bench, it was dead on arrival, going 3-for-30 from the field. In his return to Detroit, Ben Wallace played tough, but Chicago’s big men could not put a body on any Piston under the boards. Luol Deng led the team with 18 points, most of which came in the first half, but his game (like his teammates) was far from smooth.
Game Two is Monday night, leaving Chicago with a few questions:
? How are they going to stop Billups from doing whatever he wants while still trying to chase Hamilton and keep Gordon on the floor?
? Will Gordon, Nocioni and the bench be resuscitated in Game Two or can we just put the tag on their toes until the series gets to Chicago? If that proves to be the case, will Chicago have any chance in this series?
It’s still a long series but Game Two becomes a must-win for Chicago because they are not going to take four out of five from Detroit after being down 2-0!
Here’s a breakdown of the key players in Game One.
GAME ONE KILLERS:
? Chauncey Billups: The Detroit point guard came out attacking from the get go and used his strength to go wherever he wanted. Billups beat Gordon to the rim throughout the second half. When he was not parting the Red Sea, Billups was moving the ball all night, hitting Hamilton for easy shots.
? Rip Hamilton: The lanky guard/forward was attacking the rim and carving up Hinrich off the baseline screens. His cutting layup after a Carlos Delfino missed three pointer in the first half was symbolic of the whole team’s incredible hustle.
? Jason Maxiell and the Detroit Bench: Despite his lack of height, Maxiell bullied the Bulls down low. In just 16 minutes, Maxiell went 5-for-6 from the field and grabbed six rebounds. Lindsey Hunter undressed and embarrassed Gordon with a steal in the second quarter which led to an easy Hamilton lay-in, while guard Carlos Delfino was also solid.
? Rasheed Wallace: Hit some big threes in the game and displayed how much of a backbreaker he can be with the long ball when Billups and Hamilton are on their games.
? Flip Saunders: Had the Pistons revved up for this game, and the team put together its most solid playoff effort since the Game Five clincher against the Lakers in the 2004 Finals, a series which saw Detroit in constant motion en route to running out Shaq and Kobe.
GAME ONE CORPSES
? Andres Nocioni: As good as he usually is off the bench, Nocioni was absolutely brutal. He came in late in the first quarter and had about five series in a row where he was out of control (forcing shots, going to the rim with reckless abandon, throwing sloppy passes). Even in garbage time, Nocioni couldn’t come close to drawing iron with his jump shot. Skiles pulled him early in the second quarter and did not put him back into the game until midway through the fourth quarter.
? Ben Gordon: Was overmatched on defense against the veteran Billups. Gordon picked up two quick fouls and could never get going. In the second half, he looked like a turnover waiting to happen.
? Chicago’s Interior Rebounding: After dominating the Heat on the boards in Round One, the Bulls did not box out the Pistons all night. Whether it was Maxiell, Chris Webber, Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess or whoever else wanted an easy offensive rebound, the Pistons got it by simply working harder than the Bulls.
? Tyrus Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha, Chris Duhon and the Rest of the Bench: Detroit’s bench played as good as it possibly could and Chicago’s played as bad as it could. Rookies Thomas and Sefolosha were in over their heads on the road. Duhon did not come out looking for his shot in the first half when Gordon was sent to the bench with two fouls. Even the usually steady Malik Allen was 0-for-7 in the game and dribbled himself into several traps.
? Chicago’s Defense: The Bulls are a team predicated on defense and they didn’t play much of it on Saturday night (with the exception of Ben Wallace early in the first half). You can probably count on one hand the number of times that a Scott Skiles-led Bulls’ team was outhustled and outworked, and tonight was one of those rare nights.
Overall, Chicago played arguably its worst game of the season. At least for one game, the Bulls did not look like they were even near Detroit’s caliber. As Doug Collins said during the telecast, they need to remember the feeling but forget the game. With a Game Two victory, Chicago will steal home court and accomplish the most realistic situation for them after two games: a 1-1 split.
The Pistons cranked it up defensively for the first time in the playoffs in a long time. If Billups and Hamilton play like this the whole series, Chicago will be left searching for answers on how they are going to guard both of these guys!
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