2011 Chicago Bulls Playoff Thread (5/26 7:30pm CST - TNT)

[Wilson A2000]

I know no playoff opponent should be taken lightly, especially after Indiana stretched the Bulls to 5 games, but...I'm going to take Atlanta lightly.

 

The Bulls will have had a tougher time with Indiana

[Magnetic Curses]

I know no playoff opponent should be taken lightly, especially after Indiana stretched the Bulls to 5 games, but...I'm going to take Atlanta lightly.

 

especially if hinrich misses time.

[17 Seconds]

What a terrible late season trade for Orlando. Van Gundy has to go.

 

Did SVG have anything to do with the trade?

[UMFan83]

What a terrible late season trade for Orlando. Van Gundy has to go.

 

You mean early season?

 

I don't blame them for deciding that their core probably wasn't going to win a title and tried to shake things up. But it obviously left the team worse off. I wonder if they just assumed that Howard was going to stay when they made that trade, because whether or not it made them better now, it's not a deal that brings the kind of players you want to stick around for.

 

I don't think Howard will be shipped off this offseason, but it's gonna be a big story and I think Orlando will listen to offers. If he goes to the Lakers, I'll die a little inside.

[bukie]

Five things in particular that are encouraging about this Bulls-Hawks series:

 

1. The Hawks are the worst defensive team left in the playoffs, and their best (and only above average) defender may be injured for the series.

2. The Hawks' offensive "strategy" involves strictly isolation sets, with very little ball movement. The Bulls' defense is particularly designed to handles these well and close out on shooters.

3. The Hawks were outscored on the year, and gradually performed worse as the season went along. The Pacers were the only other playoff team outscored on the year, but at least they got better as the season went on.

4. The Hawks are also the worst offensive team left in the playoffs, and the only above average offensive players that gets consistent minutes are Horford and Williams. The best thing that can be said about Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford this year is that they "could catch fire". Both are terrible defensively.

5. The Hawks are the only team the Bulls played this year where they had at least a 20 point lead in each game. Yes, the second half of that first game was probably the worst half the Bulls played all season, but they've blitzed the Hawks in 10 of the 12 quarters they've played.

[bukie]

My favorite part of Sam Smith's Bulls-Hawks preview:

 

Once again, the Boozer matchup will be crucial. If the Hawks play Collins at center and Horford at power forward, Boozer will guard Collins in likely a cross match as Collins will defend Noah. But if Horford plays center, Noah will guard him with Boozer on Josh Smith, who likes to float outside and shoot jumpers. Which, actually, is fine because he’s a lousy shooter and it makes his teammates mad.

[Cubbies622]

I've got 4 tickets to Monday's game. I put them on Ebay for 1 day, since 3 would have ended on Monday. So far no bids and it ends in 10 hours so if anyone is looking to get some tickets for pretty cheap here is the id. Currently listed for 50 each, I paid 100 each.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220776618637&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

[rawaction]

Yeah, this is easily the best matchup for the Bulls.

[Wilson A2000]

What a terrible late season trade for Orlando. Van Gundy has to go.

 

Did SVG have anything to do with the trade?

 

No, but I don't think he brings much to the coaching table. And you just can't lose to the Hawks.

[SpongeWorthy]

Looks like no Kurt for the entire series for ATL.

[Banedon]

Looks like no Kurt for the entire series for ATL.

 

That's actually too bad. I mean it's good for our chances of winning, but I still like Kirk.

[snoodmonger]

Looks like no Kurt for the entire series for ATL.

 

That's actually too bad. I mean it's good for our chances of winning, but I still like Kirk.

 

Out of curiosity, who would he have been responsible for guarding if he had played?

[SouthSideRyan]

Looks like no Kurt for the entire series for ATL.

 

That's actually too bad. I mean it's good for our chances of winning, but I still like Kirk.

 

Out of curiosity, who would he have been responsible for guarding if he had played?

 

Rose.

[snoodmonger]

Looks like no Kurt for the entire series for ATL.

 

That's actually too bad. I mean it's good for our chances of winning, but I still like Kirk.

 

Out of curiosity, who would he have been responsible for guarding if he had played?

 

Rose.

 

sounds like Kirk caught a break then.

[Old Style]

No Kirk? Bulls will sweep. I thought it was a good chance before hearing that news.

[Wilson A2000]

No Kirk? Bulls will sweep. I thought it was a good chance before hearing that news.

 

If they start Jamal at PG, they really don't lose much overall. Jamal is playing really well.

[UMFan83]

No Kirk? Bulls will sweep. I thought it was a good chance before hearing that news.

 

If they start Jamal at PG, they really don't lose much overall. Jamal is playing really well.

 

What? 3.2 APG Jamal Crawford is going to run the offense and adequately defend Derrick Rose? Losing Kirk is huge for Atlanta because he does several things that no one else on the Hawks can do.

 

Crawford works best for Atlanta because he is a great scoring option off the bench, not because he can step in and run the offense.

[Wilson A2000]

No Kirk? Bulls will sweep. I thought it was a good chance before hearing that news.

 

If they start Jamal at PG, they really don't lose much overall. Jamal is playing really well.

 

What? 3.2 APG Jamal Crawford is going to run the offense and adequately defend Derrick Rose? Losing Kirk is huge for Atlanta because he does several things that no one else on the Hawks can do.

 

Crawford works best for Atlanta because he is a great scoring option off the bench, not because he can step in and run the offense.

 

He isn't going to adequately defend Rose, but isn't Atlanta the worst offensive team left? They need offense and Crawford brings. I just don't think they lose anything in the end.

[17 Seconds]

No Kirk? Bulls will sweep. I thought it was a good chance before hearing that news.

 

If they start Jamal at PG, they really don't lose much overall. Jamal is playing really well.

 

Kirk is the only one of those 2 guys that has a chance to decently defend Rose. also jamal starting means their bench is weaker

 

kirk being out would definitely help the bulls a lot

[UMFan83]

No Kirk? Bulls will sweep. I thought it was a good chance before hearing that news.

 

If they start Jamal at PG, they really don't lose much overall. Jamal is playing really well.

 

What? 3.2 APG Jamal Crawford is going to run the offense and adequately defend Derrick Rose? Losing Kirk is huge for Atlanta because he does several things that no one else on the Hawks can do.

 

Crawford works best for Atlanta because he is a great scoring option off the bench, not because he can step in and run the offense.

 

He isn't going to adequately defend Rose, but isn't Atlanta the worst offensive team left? They need offense and Crawford brings. I just don't think they lose anything in the end.

 

Crawford does not run the offense at all. He's a scorer. You need someone to bring the ball up the court and initiate the offense. According to 82games.com, in very limited spells, the Hawks were -45 when Crawford acted as a PG. Crawford can not do that. Crawford can still play 30+ minutes coming off the bench if need be.

 

He is a mediocre to below average defender as well. He's perfect as a bench player, not at all as a PG. You are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole here.

[DivineBovine]

Kirk vs. Jamal? Is that even an argument? It's not even close. We caught a big break with Kirk being out. Bring on Jamal Crawford. He doesn't scare me at all.

 

Haven't we as Bulls fans learned what Jamal is all about? He can score. And can't do much else. Thank goodness Isaiah fell for the allure of all the points he used to score on a crappy team. The main improvement Jamal Crawford has had since leaving is he's realized he's not a superstar and doesn't jack 20 shots per game.

[Wilson A2000]

The difference is that Jamal is a different player right now. He is playing really well so only looking at his season stats is a little misleading. I had the Bulls in 5 before and I don't think that is going to change with Kirk out.

[UMFan83]

The difference is that Jamal is a different player right now. He is playing really well so only looking at his season stats is a little misleading. I had the Bulls in 5 before and I don't think that is going to change with Kirk out.

 

Playing so well how? Defensively? No. Running the Hawks offense? No.

 

That is what the Hawks need from their PG.

 

And I'm not even mentioning the fact that Crawford is playing 30 minutes a night, so there's almost no way that the Hawks could be just as good with Crawford playing 35 minutes a night and Hinrich playing 0 vs. Crawford playing 30 and Hinrich playing 35.

[ChiCubsFan]

The difference is that Jamal is a different player right now. He is playing really well so only looking at his season stats is a little misleading. I had the Bulls in 5 before and I don't think that is going to change with Kirk out.

 

No, he's really not. He can score, but I'm not worried about that. Our defense is set up perfectly for teams that like to iso and drive and kick. With Kirk running the team, they actually ran a real offense. With Jamal at PG they're going to play 1 on 1 basketball a lot, and that just won't be successful against the Bulls. It may not change the amount of games it takes the Bulls to win the series, but that's only because it's really hard to sweep in the NBA.

[Soul]

Wasn't Hinrich their best chance to defend Rose -- at least a little?