Chicago Bulls: 3 Thoughts on 95-90 Loss to Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers held off a late fourth-quarter surge by the Chicago Bulls, defeating them at the United Center, 95-90, Wednesday night.

The Bulls, who came into the contest undefeated at home (8-0), gave up a 10-point halftime lead. This marks the first win at the United Center since 2008 for the Pacers, who improved to 12-5 on the year after the win.

Derrick Rose, who was playing in his second game since being sidelined for a toe injury, led all scorers with 24 points—12 of which came consecutively at the end of the first quarter to hold off an Indiana run.

Ronnie Brewer, who started in place of injured small forward Luol Deng (wrist), played brilliantly, chipping in a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Danny Granger led all Indiana scorers with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

In a battle of centers, Indiana's Roy Hibbert netted 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Chicago's Joakim Noah added 10 points and 13 rebounds.

However, the game proved to be the Bulls' real first test against a formidable competitor since Luol Deng went down with a torn ligament in his non-shooting wrist.

Trailing by one after the first quarter, the Bulls exploded in the second quarter, scoring 31 points—compared to Indiana's 20—to go into halftime with a 10-point lead.

However, Indiana bounced back, bringing the game to within two at 57-55 less than four minutes into the third. The Pacers eventually took the lead at the end of the third and never gave it up, despite a late push by the Bulls to bring the game within two with less than 20 seconds left.

The Bulls were never able to get anything going on offense in the second half, scoring just 16 points in the fourth quarter while shooting a lackluster 40 percent from the floor for the evening.

Without further ado, here are some thoughts on the Bulls' first home loss of the year:

Missing Taj Gibson Extremely Hurts the Bulls' D

Let's face it. Carlos Boozer can't play a lick of defense. His one-on-one performance Wednesday night shows why he is one of the worst defensive forwards in the league.

There were about three instances where I saw Boozer get burned by either Roy Hibbert or Davis West and then proceed to lay helplessly on the floor as they threw down a vicious slam.

Taj Gibson is set to return this weekend after missing a few games with an ankle injury. His return cannot come at a better time, as the Bulls are set to take on the Miami Heat on Sunday in what is shaping up to be the NBA's best game of the year.

Watching the Bulls tonight proved to me that Taj Gibson is crucial to the success of the team's defense. The Bulls gave up 50 points in the paint, mainly due to the fact that Carlos Boozer and Brian Scalabrine were the team's only options at PF.

In the three games that Gibson has been gone, the Bulls have given up 93 points a contest, compared to an average of just under 86 that they give up when Taj is in the lineup.

This season has also seen Gibson logging many minutes in the fourth quarter, mainly attributed to his stellar defense. In 17 contests this season, Gibson has averaged about seven points, four rebounds and one-and-a-half blocks.

While the stats may not seem like much, Gibson's one-on-one defense is unmatched by Boozer and Scalabrine in the fourth. At 6'9", Gibson has the length and speed to guard the opposing team's best forward in crunch time, as well as the post offense to give the Bulls big points when it counts.

If you had to give me the option to play one of the Bulls' three power forwards with less than 20 seconds left for defensive purposes, there is no doubt in my mind that I would take Taj.

Ronnie Brewer Is a More-Than-Competent Replacement

Since Luol Deng went down with a torn ligament in his wrist, Ronnie Brewer has been the one to replace "Glu-All."

Many believe that Brewer lacks the offensive skill set to replace Deng's 16 points per game. While certainly no one doubts Brewer's defense, a lot of people doubt his offense.

Well, they shouldn't. In his first real test since being called up to start for the injured Deng, Brewer was nothing short of spectacular. In 42 minutes Wednesday night, Brewer erupted for 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

While Danny Granger did, in fact, put up 22 points, there was nothing Brewer could have done. Granger was just hot all night. Instead of letting that get to this head, Brewer went out and matched Granger's offensive intensity with some of his own, scoring 16 of his 20 points in the first half.

Brewer's defense has never been questioned, but his offense was the cause of much concern when Deng went down.

Brewer's performance tonight shows why he is more than capable of replacing Deng on both sides of the floor.

The Pacers Are Poised for a Playoff Run This Year

I always knew the Pacers were going to be good this year. I never knew that they were going to be this good. Currently sitting at 12-5 with the Eastern Conference's third seed, the Pacers are playing at a level that has many people believing they can contend for a title.

While I would have merely laughed at the thought in the past, Wednesday night's game showed me just how good this Pacers team is.

Swallow these stats for a second. The Pacers are currently second in the NBA in rebounds per game (45.2), fifth in points allowed (90.5), and have six players scoring in double figures. Add that to the fact that the average age on the Pacers is 26.5 years, and you have yourself one of the brightest young teams in the NBA.

If I told you that the Pacers were just 32-50 two years ago, you probably wouldn't believe me. But they were. And the way the front office turned around this organization is remarkable.

The Pacers aren't a team comprised of multiple free agents who decided to team up to win a title. This is a team that has been built through a variety of great draft picks and smart signings.

That means that the players on the team are used to each other and like playing with each other, which makes the Pacers even scarier.

This is a team that is deep, can shoot the ball at a high rate, get down the floor and run the fast break and swallow up the paint with its size.