After watching the game over its pretty clear that Thibs and the Bulls are going with a "OMG THERE IS LEBRON OR WADE! GET EM!"(forget Bosh, let him score) strategy and it worked to a tee. The Bulls are allowed to do this for a few reasons.

1.Most the Bulls bigs can switch on picks. This a giant advantage in basketball when your bigs can switch picks with out a whole lot of worry.
2.The Bulls play help defense on a string. Meaning that the Bulls roatate and move with out much communication. They are one with in each other.
3.Active. Having hands up on shots, hands on the ball, ball pressure. All this adds up over the course of a game. We saw this in Game 1 as the game went on it wore on the Miami Heat.

Pictures

Here Wade comes off a curl and Bulls show Anthony no respect leaving him for the dump off. Deng is still glued to Lebron and Bosh and left for his jumper. Wade is met by 3 Bulls. He opts for the drop off to Anthony where Noah makes a quick rotation for a block that goes out of bounds. This is just one example of how the Bulls have many Luxuries because of Noah's skill set.

Here you can see Noah step back into the lane and help Deng deny the Ball to Lebron. I saw this many times when the Heat tried find him on the post. The Ball was swung to Bosh.... VICTORY! The little things like that add up and is a big factor into winning basketball games. Limiting touches of the best player on the court.

Wade is covered by Boozer,Bogans and Noah is thinking about coming. Rose has to stay with Anthony and let Bibby go. The Bulls are willing to let the Heat's other players win the game which is a great way to play since they are pretty much terrible. Wade passes it to Bibby who does score but the Bulls will live with it and force Wade not to find any rhythm.

WOW... Lebron took one dribble to the lane and the Bulls go "GET EM!!". Four Bulls to Lebron and Rose lets Chalmers wonder around the 3pt line with out much worry. Lebron tries to drop it off to Bosh but the ball is tipped out of bounds. Thibs is selling out on Lebron and the % works in the Bulls favor.

Here are one of the many defensive 3 sec calls that Boozer has received this post season. They make Bulls fans wanna put their head in a microwave. Once again you can see all the over help the Bulls are giving Lebron. Boozer is thinking the right idea but before Lebron even got below the FT line Boozer was in the paint giving help to Bosh who has now moved. This defensive 3 sec call was a bit fast but the right call.

Here you can See Asik leave Jamaal with out giving much of a care(can't blame him..dude can barley walk). The Bulls over load again on Lebron. CJ loses defensive awareness and lets Jamaal slip under the Hoop. Lebron is a great passer and finds Jamaal under the hoop where he struggles to dunk it as he misses his first attempt but does find the score on the second try. If I had to guess the Jamaal Magloire experiment is over.

At the end of the first Wade tries to go one on five and fails. Brewer was very active(like we talked about at the top) and got his hand on the ball many times. Noah has to worry about no one as he comes up to help. Deng is ready to come to as Wade tries to get a grip on the Ball. The Ball slips out of bounds and it goes back to the Heat. Plays like these frustrate Wade all game.

On the next play the Bulls have the clock on their side as they trap Wade in the corner and leave Miller. This just smart basketball as Wade has to adjust to just get the shot off. The Shot is wide right and the end of the first. I think Wade is beyond frustrated at this point as the Bulls are doubling and tripling his every move.

You can see here where Lebron finds the ball in the post and is met by three Bulls. Noah is gonna let Anthony wonder away every time. Taj's man Bosh(not pictured) doesn't help Lebron much as he stands and watches out of range for shot at the top of the three point line. Lebron has to throw it out to Bibby which is a win every time for the Bulls. Where Rose covers Bibby.

Once again Asik gives little care about Jamaal has he helps Brewer box in Wade. Taj is fronting Bosh so Wade has no choice other then to swing the ball to James Jones. Like I have said before its the small little things like this that no one notices that win basketball games. Limiting touches and players shots.

On this play Lebron comes up and Noah just waits for Lebron leaving Bosh alone(again). Once Lebron drives he sticks his big mitts on the ball knocking it away. Noah dives and saves the Ball and the Bulls are off and running. Noah shows again what makes him so special on the defensive end. Lebron makes the mistake of forcing the issue. He forgets that Noah isn't Jermaine O'Neal and he gotta respect his help.

So whats it all mean?
This just a few plays from the first half. The pictures shows what 48 mins of this can do to your offense. How it might throw a wrench in your plans. While it did help that the Bulls offense was also hitting. But this kind of defense should be the standard all series. The thing that the Bulls have be aware of is the Big three's adjustments. They are smart players and seeing this stuff all the time will cause them to figure parts of it out over a 7 game series but the Bulls are so good at it that I think this could be a major reason the Bulls can win this series.

Now this isn't defensive but all..... TAJ GIBSON OWNING YOUR SOUL!
Taj getting ready to get out his pogo stick.

Magloire give Taj a little boost!

OHHHHHHHH! Watson with the best seat in the house.

THAT JUST HAPPENED DE...YANE.... WADE.


OH MY GOD THE TAJZILLA IS LOOSE ON MIAMI! 

There was the Bulls team I have been waiting for all Playoffs. Just the energy is what I am talking about. They brought it the whole game and I will say I am one to be hard on the UC crowd and they brought their "A" game. The night had a very 90s feel to the night where the Bulls were just flying around playing good sound basketball.

Season Series 3-0 Bulls

Center Match Up
Noah vs Anthony/The Nihilist(Big Z)/Bosh Spice-ADV Noah


The Heat have messed with the center spot so I am not sure who they will go with. I would guess Anthony if I had to. They seem to like him more right now and in a lot of ways he is like Noah with all the garbage work he does. Anthony lacks all the basketball skills but makes up in effort. Noah should have his way in this match up. Noah is  bigger and more skilled. Plus he will beat or match Anthony's efforts on 50/50 balls and rebounding. Anthony didn't even see the floor in the last game vs the Bulls so its hard to see this match up.

Big Z will give off a different challenge. Noah will have to respect his jumper on pick and pops. Big Z won't be scared to goon it up either. He will push some buttons. Noah had his way with Horford which surprised even me since I thought it would be a wash.

Even if Noah gets switched on to Lebron he has great feet to at least stay in front of him some what as he showed on the last play of the Bulls vs Heat game in March. Noah might not even see these two that much since he may be locked up with Bosh most the series and let Boozer handle these two randoms. Noah will challenege Bosh on every play and should be the kind of player that frustrares Bosh pretty good for a long playoff series. As good as Bosh is I just see Noah winning the war under the hoop and the mental games but whatever happens I expect a big series out of Noah.

Power Forward Match Up
Boozer vs Bosh in a pillow fight/Anthony/The Nihilist(Big Z)-Toss Up


No but really. These guys get called soft all the time. Boozer can be a post banger when he wants to but Bosh just seems to wonder around the 18 feet area shooting jumpers. I doubt we really see them match up to often as Boozer would have issues if Bosh ever decided to get his ass on the block. I expect Boozer to being guarding the other two and should be ok doing it. He just needs to make sure he puts his big body into Anthony since he will hustle for rebounds.

On offense they may put Bosh on him to have his length give him issues and it will. Boozer has a hard time with those big long forwards. He finally is out of the slump and looks better but Bosh will cause him issues. The other two he should have some success. If he is matched up with either Big Z or Anthony he should go right to the block and get a touch. This is a major advantage for the Bulls if he can get easy buckets on Anthony and Big Z.

The Series may come down to Boozer at least going 10 and 10 in all the games. If we cant get that out of him then we will lose and we will have over paid. After his last game I expect him to give us at least 10 and 10 and more. I feel its a bit of a wash of a match up.

Small Forward
Deng vs Lebron-ADV Lebron


Lebron is pretty much as tough as it gets of a match up. He can do it all. Deng has done a pretty good job on him in the 2 games they matched up. I mean 26 and 29 pts isn't great but hes not going off for 30+ so Deng's length and defense does have some effect.

The Playoffs he is playing on a whole different level and if he hits jumper hes pretty hard to stop. Deng will just try to limit his going to the hoop.If he makes the jumpers then he does. Not much you can do.

On offense Deng will still need to get his 17-20 pts for the Bulls to win this thing. He had 20-18pts vs the Lebron this season so as long as hes not cold he should get there. He has been playing focused basketball and will put it all out of the court.

Lets hope Lebron has one of those bad shooting nights where much doesn't go right. Thats when his level of play dips enough to call him human. Deng will have his hands full all series.

Shooting Guard
Bogans vs Wade-ADV Wade(duh)


You gotta say Bogans has stepped it up. He was all over Johnson and Granger in the playoffs. He has brought some nice toughness to the court and even shooting the ball with confidence.

Now that we got that out of the way... D.Wade will have his way more then not. He is also in playoff mode and is playing damn good basketball. Bogans will be pretty powerless. Just gotta hope you can make him shoot jumpers and that he doesn't shoot like he did in the Boston series. He made some shots he wouldn't make % wise so we hope that comes back down a bit but I think D.Wade is what makes this team go. If hes going off then the rest will.

The Bulls may throw more double teams here then at Lebron. I think Thibs knows Wade is the key and will see more traps and what not thrown at him. Wade had 20,34 and 30 vs the Bulls. They really need to keep him under 30 in order to have a chance.

Bogans needs to hit his two threes so the % chance of winning goes through the roof(like 32-3 or something when he scores 6pts?). Lets hope he keeps Wade a bit honest because he gonna have a hell of a time on the other end of the court.

Point Guard Match Up
Rose vs Chalmers/Bibby/Wade/Lebron-ADV Rose

Rose will have the whole house thrown at him... Not just the sink. I think all(not Bibby) these players can bother Rose in different ways but not enough from stopping him to get his. Rose is just gonna have be on par every game and be very smart.

If Rose gets into one of those shoot 8 three point and 8 turnover games then the Bulls will lose easy because the Heat will be playing fast break basketball and that =death for the Bulls. Rose needs to be a PG first and keep the turnovers down. Anything silly will cost the team.

He looked to be doing this more at the end of the Hawks series and that is only shooting the 3 when it is there. No need to jack them for no reason(like the Pacers series). Rose needs to attack the rim and keep getting to the FT line. If he does this the Bulls have a great chance. Some of those match ups will give him issues but more then not he figures it out after a while and they will switch someone else to him. If Bibby starts out on him then he needs to smell the Blood and get to rack while he can.

On defense he will get the two PGs and Wade at times. Derrick defense has come a long way and hes gotta make sure a guy like Bibby doesnt have a 4 for 5 three point shooting night. That will be enough from someone other then the big 3 to win a game. On Wade he gotta be careful not to get silly fouls since Wade just falls all over the place and gets calls like no other star in the NBA.

Rose should have an out standing series. He has been waiting for this the whole year.

The Benches
Bulls vs Heat-ADV Bulls 
Korver,Brewer,Watson Toss Up House,Chalmers,Miller,Jones
Gibson,Asik,Thomas>Big Z,Howard,Haslem

I think the benches are damn close but I give the Bulls the edge. I feel like they found new life in that last two games of the Hawks series. Gibson will keep his mins and will be a huge advantage vs Bosh.

The guards are a wash to me just due to not knowing who will show up. Will Korver be hot or cold? Will Watson be Warrior Watson or Bulls Watson? Will Brewer go into his shell? After seeing the PT that went around vs the Celtics its hard to see House or Miller playing much but they are the kind of guys that come in have a big three point shooting game that pushes it to Miami's favor. Jones has played better then expected thus far so I will respect them here and call it a wash.

The Bulls have big advantage at the PF and C I think as Gibson and Asik have been playing out of their minds as of late and lets hope that keeps going. I think Asik play in the Hawks series may have finally sat Thomas for the rest of the year(or career) but who knows. We may need him in tight spots. Howard(old) Big Z(old and slow) Haslem(hurt) don't really stand much of a chance vs our bench unit.

This will be a important time in the game. If the Bench can produce the Bulls chances go up in a big way of winning.

So....Like who's gonna win the series? 



Oh this is so hard. I like our team vs the big 3 but The Heat have been running through people like Clubber Lane in Rocky 3. They seem to have figured it out making this series a 6 to 7 game one. I will say this. If the Bulls win I think its in 7 games. Getting that final game at home will be huge. If the Bulls lose this series it will be in 6.

The Big 3 have avg 80+ points a game in the playoffs. That can't happen vs the Bulls. It will be a short series.
The game in March the Big 3 had 69 points and in Feb they had 70 for an avg of 69.5 for the season. The Bulls got those two wins by a hair. There isn't much room for error there. The Bulls need to keep them around 70pts or lower. Once you get past 75 I feel the % of a loss sky rockets. It will be important to limit one of the 3 and that more then likely will be Bosh.

A big factor will also go into slowing the game down and making the Heat beat them in the half court. Once you play sloppy and let them start running its over. Derrick Rose must take control of the ball and not be careless with it. 

Once again its hard to pick. My heart vs my brain. The level at which Miami has played has been scaring for now and going forward but my heart hasn't done me wrong all year and I think a team wins over 3 very talented players in the end. It can go either way but The Bulls is 7. If they fail... I won't be doing a "FINISH HIM" ms paint with Lebron's head being ripped from his body. That still doesn't mean it hasn't been a great season and lets hope the West can stop the Heat. If they go on to win the title the world will go dark.

If the Bulls win it will be like a dream. Before the season the Bulls seemed to be a solid team but not NBA Finals team. Oh how far they have come. Lets hope the Bulls bring it to the Heat and  play tough smart focused basketball.

Enjoy the Games my Friends.

Wow who are these guys? I have missed you! Finally the Bulls got their stuff together and played like they have all season. They brought that playoff energy that I have starved for since the start. I will get to Rose later but the rest of the team clicked all game. Noah is really play at a All star level again. Not many players can have such a huge impact on a game and only score 2pts. Noah can do that.

The Bench mob had their best playoff game to date. 34pts off the bench is huge and only had one tough patch where the Hawks drew with in 12pts. Lets hope they can keep playing well so we can keep this rotation.  The Hawks are lucky that Teague has played out of his mind other wise that would have been a 30pt Bulls win.

I was worried after the 1st half that the Bulls might let up but this wasn't the case as the Bulls did what I have asked for all year. STEP ON THEIR THROATS! Now the Bulls need to have that same mind set for game 4. If the Bulls can do that then the Hawks will fold and go to Chicago more to see the cities attraction then to play basketball.

Why Can't I? 
He was fast, he was focused... He was a killer. Tonight Derrick got to the hoop at will which opened up his shot. This has to be the formula to his game every night. That Derrick is impossible to stop. I do think the world has been lifted off his shoulders now that the MVP is sitting at home on his coffee table. I think that can be said for the team too. The tightness just seems to be gone.

Rose made way better choices tonight. From a passing stand point and a shooting stand point. I didn't see many dribble dribble jack a 3 point shot and he was making the right passes and not just forcing it into a crowd of Hawk players. Only two turnovers tonight.

Some of his shots were pretty much insane off the glass stuff... The crap he puts in on a normal basis. His D was pretty shaky to start the game. Caught sleeping a lot but he made adjustments as the game went on.

Noah vs Horford
I have been sorta tracking this match up since I found it as a draw in the my Bulls Hawks preview but it really hasn't even been close. Noah has pretty much shut down Horford. I am rather shocked as I thought he would get his vs Noah and it would be more of a back and forth thing.

Horford isn't even avging 10ppg in this series. He had a few nice rebounding games but he doesn't give them the hustle and energy that Jo does. Noah may only got 2 pts tonight but he effect a tone of shots and grabbed 15 rebounds with 8 on offense.

No doubt in my mind that Noah would have been a All Star this year if he had not been hurt. What he has done vs Horford just proves that.

Taj Gibson
What a draft pick this dude was. When you can just let Boozer rest and still get great production out of that spot from a back up then life is good. He just puts all his effort on the floor and you will never say he didn't play hard. He just out works all the other Hawk players.

Let Boozer go through his slump and Gibson will play well.

10 cent brain 

This explains Smith in a nut shell.

I know Josh Smith has nothing to do with the Bulls but this is the first time I have had a chance to watch his game and I must say he is with out a doubt one of the dumbest players I have ever seen. When he goes to the rack and uses his physical gifts he is hard stop but he settles for bad jumpers on so many plays. Its mind boggling. I know he had a nice stat line tonight but he could be so much better. I know Boozer can be a bit frustrating but this dude makes me wanna pull my hair out and he doesnt even play for my Bulls.

The Good
-DRose Kilt It
-MVP chants
-Korver found some open space
-Deng shutting down Johnson again
-Rose and Bogans frustrating Crawford
-Noah's impact
-Taj Ho Grant type game
-Boozers dunk.... That didn't count.
-Rose plays well when Hubie calls his games... Dick Stockton and David Rose can hit the road.

The Bad
-Transition defense sorta...sucks.
-Boozer wasn't great but I have a feeling he climbing out of the slump.
-Another defensive 3 secs?? AHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRR!!

The Ugly
-Josh Smith's brain
-ZaZa's face
-Rose's first 5 min defense
-Boozers hands

The Players

Rose: Thought he was gonna go a quarter on us...
Bogans: Got his 6pts which mean we win
Deng: Tough night on offense but putting all his efforts into Joe
Boozer: I think he gonna start playing better. He looked better tonight despite being blocked again.
Noah: What can you say? He has been elite all series. Horford has been shut down for the most part.

The Bench Mob

Korver: Found some space. Did his thing.
Gibson: Grabbed that lunch bucket and hard hat.
Watson: After a rough playoff start has turned it around. Been Great.
Brewer: Doing his best when given chances. Playing solid.
Asik: Gave great mins tonight. Adjusted some Hawk shots.



Media Crap
Hawks suck at Home.
Rose finds his Groove.
SHUT EM DOWN!
Bench Mob hits the Hawks.
Do they deserve each other? 

Yeah we are disgusted too.

Round 2 Bulls vs Hawks Preview

      VS








Season series 2-1 Bulls

Center Match up
Noah vs Horford-Toss Up
This is maybe the best match up of the series. Old buddies from Gatorville will square off in the 2nd round. Horford is the only dude on the Hawks I would want(ok maybe Johnson for our 2..) anywhere near my Bulls. Hes a work horse and a lot like Noah in that regard. He will grind out rebounds and do all the dirty work that no one on that roster wants to do. He has added a nice 17-18 foot jump shot that Noah will have to come out and guard.

We do know that Al lit Noah up pretty good for a career high in pts and rebounds in the Bulls loss to the Hawks. That of course was not a healthy Noah. To me this match up is a Toss Up. The dudes are gonna be 1up each other all game and will all come down to hustle. Horford will edge Noah in Points but Noah will edge him in blocks and dimes. They may go out to dinner after the game and talk about the old days when they ruled the College Basketball world but on the court it will be war.

Power Forward Match Up
Boozer vs Josh Smith-Adv Smith

What bothers Boozer the most besides his shadow? Long,leapers with head bands. Josh Smith is a nightmare for Carlos but if Carlos is smart he can out wit him on the block with all his up and under moves and head fakes. Thats the way he will have to play it. If he tries to go right at Smith or settle for fade away jumpers then its gonna be a long series for Boozer(like the picture at the right).

The Bulls have to limit Smith. He can either kill you in a game are spurt a 10-0 run with his blocking,running the court and dunking. He will take bad shots and thats what Boozer and his help defense is gonna have to do. Force him into jumpers. Smith himself can go backwards when his play isn't good so lets hope the Bulls are ready to help and force him to take poor jump shots. I gotta go with Adv Smith just due to how poor Boozers play has been and I do think he will only get worse before he gets better.

Small Forward Match Up
Deng vs Williams-Adv Deng

Williams is a guy that can make some nice athletic plays(like the block on Rose) or be invisible. For a number 2 pick he hasn't done a lot(that pick is cursed so whatever). Deng should own this match up. Deng is just  a way more sound player. Williams is gonna have to cover Deng from sideline to sideline. As long as Deng doesn't hit a major slumps then he should have a great series.





Shooting Guard Match Up
Keith Bogans vs Joe Johnson(highly over paid)-Adv Bogans...oops Joe Johnson

Yeah I kid. Joe Johnson wins this in a mud slide. Bogans will do a nice job on him but Joe will get hot at times. Hes just such a good pure shooter. To me he is really a taller Ben Gordan but maybe not as clutch. Joe Johnson will see many defenders. Deng,Brewer and Bogans will all take turns trying to limit him.

If the Bulls do find a way to keep his production down then the Bulls have a great shot at winning the series in 4. If they let him go off then it maybe a bit harder then that. IMO the Bulls have to make him put the ball on the floor. He can stroke it fast and quick(ewwww) and is right there with Ray Allen when it comes to pure shooters.

Point Guard Match Up(LOL!)
Derrick Rose vs Randoms-Adv Rose

With Kirk out or limited it will be hard for the Hawks to stop Rose. He should be able to get to the hoop at will. They will try a number of defenders. Teague,Crawford,Marvin(?) will all get their chance. Hell maybe the Hawks will bring Gerald Wilkins to be the Rose stopper like the Cavs did in 93 for Jordan... We all know how that turned out.

I hope Rose lets his 3pt shot come to him(wide open looks) since he should be able to get to the rack at will vs Crawford or whoever. If Kirk does make a game then he should be a bit slowed but he is tough and would make it harder on Rose. Kirk did maybe the best one on one job all season on Rose. But its Playoff time now and I expect Rose to have his way with the 50% Kirk if he does dress.

Bench
Bulls vs Hawks-Adv Bulls
Crawford,Teague,Wikins > Brewer,Korver,Watson
Collins,Head Butt Dude,Armstrong < Gibson,Thomas,Asik

Depending on how the Hawks go with the starting line up their bench is just bizarre to me. They could have up to as many 4(!) centers on the bench if they start Crawford or Williams. That leaves just Teague at PG and a paper bag at SF. Its a pretty uneven bench and roster to be honest. I like the Bulls bench in this match up and that's even with Crawford coming off it and a crapping showing thus far by the Bench Mob. As a whole the Bulls are better.




I like the Bulls is 5. The Hawks are a glorified AAU team in my eyes. They play one on one ball a lot. Don't really look for each other and can take a ton of bad shots. Basically this team would end Larry Browns coaching career with a heart attack if he were the coach.

This kind of basketball plays into the Bulls defense pretty nice. The only way this series gets tough is if the Bulls come out flat again. They need to bring energy because the Hawks will. Also limit Crawford and Johnsons easy looks. The 3pt shot will get them going. If the Bulls bring it and stick to their Ps and Qs then this series should be a sweep or in 5. Six would suck but not out of the realm. Derrick should have a field day if Kirk can't go.

Enjoy the games friends. 


IN YO FACE JON KONCAK!!!!!

Sorry for the delay. Having a 2 month old makes my days at home impossible to write. Anyway...FINALLY!
Bulls put for the most part a full game together. They did have some bag stretches but nothing like games 1-4. They were tough and for once set the tone and weren't gonna take any bull shit from the Pacers.

Derrick Rose still had moments of jacking a few threes I think he shouldn't but overall was back to the norm.
Noah was off the charts. He is now a 100% back.

The Pacers were a nice challenge for the Bulls. The Bulls learned what it was like to be hunted. I mean really the Bulls have been the Pacers the last two years in the playoffs. Now everyone is gunning for you. The Bulls got pushed to the limits and didn't panic or freak. They found ways to win. We now find out if we play the best AAU team in the NBA or the under achieving Orlando Magic.

Can he get any worse?
Boozer just had his worst playoff series of his career. He looks nothing  like the Boozer I saw earlier in the year. He is just one of those players that when they get down on them selfs they get worse. Hes not one to bounce back well. He may get even worse. Maybe the break he will find something in practice. He knows he was terrible. He was missing point blank layups in game 5. Thats all mental. I almost wanna just say bring him off the bench and let him find his way and let Taj(who was amazing on Tue) start but that would with out a doubt would crush him and he might be found in the basement of the UC huddled up on the floor in a small ball. We just have to stay the course with him(even when his contract becomes terrible in two years).

"Everybody get frustrated a little bit," he said. "But the biggest thing about us is we hold together as a group of guys, and we have one goal in mind, to win. And no matter what happens, as long as we win, that's all that matters."

At least he always says the right thing.

I love Noah's Grandfather.
You can forget what someone like Noah brings when he hasn't been 100% for so long. He looked the dude from the last two years who will put everything he has into winning a basketball game.He finally stepped up and didn't take crap from the Pacers. Did some of the things Pippen talked about.  It took 5 games for someone on the Bulls to do it but Noah did and proved why we pay him what we do. Glad to have him back going forward.

Thibs adjusted
It was nice to see some small adjustments. The traps he threw once and while to shorten shot clocks. Being a bit more diverse on offense(not just running Korver off screens for 5 mins). These things we have waited for since the series started.

The Good
-Can Noah's Grandfather come to all the games?
-Rose looked good, ankle shouldn't be a issue
-Dengs complete game.
-Bogans goes all Wildcat on us.
-Lack of turnovers finally. Took care of the ball.
-Ball movement was out standing
-3ball!
-Korver can dunk?!?!
-Da Bench showed well
-Foul trouble for Rose isn't good but he got a nice break with only 30 mins.

The Bad
-Brewer only 12 mins.
-The shots the Pacers pull out of their ass.
-How did D.Jones not play until game 3?

The Ugly
-Boozer
-Boozer
-Boo.... Its ok buddy you'll bounce back... I hope.

The Players

Noah: Was the man
Boozer: See "The ugly".
Deng: Looked like 10-11 Deng
Bogans: ahhhh who are you?
Rose: Took care of the ball and made better choices. He could still cut down on some bad threes.

The Bench MOB

Gibson: I love when you become a poor man Horace Grant.
Korver: Finally wasn't the one but still did some nice things. 13pts!
Brewer: Seems a bit lost. Maybe he will find Boozer down there.
Watson: Played a good game finally. Stayed with in the offense.
Asik: Welcome to the Playoffs big fella.
Butler: Has he missed in any garbage time?

The Bulls continue to disappoint me. If they came out and played with half the fire and passion as they show in the 4th than the Bulls would have swept and won each game by 20. They still seem to be in cruise control. Only putting the gas down on the 4th come backs. Tonight it bit their asses. Rose struggled pretty bad. Might have been his worse game of the season. Not sure how much was the ankle and how much he is just off right now. The injury is a whole other can of worms.

I am not sure I have seen a series were the other team out plays the other 75% of the time and is still down 3-1. The Bulls lack a lot of effort on defense which is bizarre. The Pacers do pretty much whatever in the paint and not much is done about it. It goes back to how this team just doesn't have that killer instant(I really dont wanna use the word soft). They are beyond lovable but they have failed time and time again at stepping on opponents throats They have yet come out and just wanna murder someone yet. Hell the Bulls have yet to send a real message to Jeff Foster for his antics and its going on game 5! You know back in the day that shit would have been dealt with by game 2.

The Bulls need to come out with a fire lit under their ass and I'm not sure it will happen. It hasn't happened yet. Not sure if it ever will but if they don't take care business in game 5 then consider the Bulls in trouble.

Put it on the shelf for just a bit Derrick
His three point shot has been hideous. He needs to kill the jack a 3ball stuff for a while. I mean if hes open then he should take it but the dribble dribble jack needs to stop. Or to come down with 18 secs left in the shot clock and just jack a 3 is just dumb basketball. Derrick Rose is 5-28 in the series. Let the 3 come to you.

Careless
Its even more alarming how careless the Bulls have gotten with the Ball. I'm pretty sure they lead the NBA in turnovers in the playoffs. It just goes back to playing regular season ball with a team that is playing playoff ball. I thought it was a one or two game thing but even tonight they were wasting their positions. At one point the Pacers scored 18pts off turnovers. The blame is going all around but Rose again has put the team in some bad situations with some of his choices.

Why?
I didn't get why Noah sat so long in the forth. He was the Noah we all know and love. Hes pretty much back. Why was Korver in on the out of bounds play where he lost Dunleavy and then fouled him? Why didn't Thibs or a player call time out when  the play went to hell?

Officiating
It was pretty bad tonight. From Boozers BS foul for smacking a hand away to his lame Tech. What was even better was the phantom calls on the Dunleavy 3pt shots. He pretty much acted on both. I never really complain about refs to much since I am one but tonight they were pretty bad.

The Good
-Noah is back
-The Bulls crowd
-????

The Bad
-Deng still hasn't played 4 quarters of good basketball.
-The Pacer crowd
-Watson on all fronts

The Ugly
-Maybe Rose's worst game of the season.
-The Bench has been out played pretty bad by the Pacers bench.
-Rose's skill to finish at the hoop has vanished.
-Turnovers not just a problem but a team trait thus far

The Players

Noah: The only one who has shown energy(not surprising but still...). He is now back to form.
Boozer: Struggled with the refs tonight. They were out to send a message. I think he got it.
Deng: Picked up his game in the 4th, Needs to do it for 48 mins.
Bogan: Zilch,zero,Nata
Rose: Played like Marbury tonight. Just jacked bad shots. At least he found teammates.

The Bench Sad

Korver: Still on fire. Needs even more PT
Gibson: puts out the effort. Just needs to knock down the jumpers.
Watson: His playoffs play gets worse by the game.
Brewer: Where did this dude go?
Asik: Not enough data..
Thomas: Still waiting on him to enforce the paint area... has not makes me sad.

This was a jump ball call.... All Ball.

That was ugly..again. Some stepped their games up(not Boozer)and some others struggled. The Bulls still have yet to play on the same page in the 2011 NBA playoffs. Rose really struggled but credit the Pacers for throwing a bunch of different traps at Rose. This game does prove that the Bulls can win without Rose doing all the scoring.

Some of the officiating was a bit off. Rose was hit,scraped and fouled on his go a head score to give the Bulls a win. Deng was back to doing was he has done all year and that is score and rebound. Noah as well looked as sharp as he has in a while. You can see him getting back to form. He even hit a jumper. It coming along for him.

Boo on the finish.

Boozer has a hell of a time finishing. He just can't when bigs with wing spans the size of a Pterosaurs defend him. He either gets striped or blocked... Or just misses if challenged. At least he stilled rebounds. Going forward with the Hawks or the Magic he will struggle there too. Both have athletic,long,high flying freaks that block shots. Let just hope he keeps boarding.

Kyle knows kung foo 

Dude has been a key reason why this team is up 3-0. He has missed liked one shot or something all series? at least someone is hot. Lets hope he can stay around or at least at his avg for the rest of the playoffs. His stroke is so pretty... He is Neo now when he shoots. He is the one...

Turnovers

Some more JV girls basketball out there tonight. Its mind boggling to me how careless this team has gotten with the ball over the last two games. 15 tonight. There go for periods where they forget what team they play for. Rose has to be more sure with where he is throwing the ball. He just tends to get careless with it. Lets hope it gets back to season avg come game 4.

Jeff Fuckster

This dude makes you wanna punch a dolphin. No for real. This is how all the other fans around the league feel about Noah. The dude looks like he should be a insurance adjuster. Not a NBA player. Someone on the Bulls needs to step up and give some hard fouls. We have yet to do this. I wanna fuel the hate more... Some Jeff pictures to make your piss boil!

@McGrawDHBullsMike McGraw

Keith Bogans was 3-for-3 from 3-point range in Game 3. Bulls now 27-2 when he scores at least 6 points.

Rose: Off tonight but is still Clutch. Needs to be better with the ball.

Bench Mob

Korver: He can see the ball go in before he shoots it.
Gibson: Played great night. Defense(2blks) and made a few plays on offense.
Brewer: Keeps struggling. Looks the player we had in the first month of the season.
Watson: Struggled again. In the Playoffs he has been pretty brutal.
Thomas: Needs to punch Foster or at least have a few hard fouls. ENFORCE!
Asik: Meh... incomplete.