Chicago Bulls: 3 Keys to Victory Against the Indiana Pacers

If this season’s second meeting between the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers was a Hollywood blockbuster, it would be titled Pacers vs. Bulls 2: Rose’s Revenge.

The Pacers handed the Bulls their first home loss of the season back on January 25.

To add insult to injury, Indiana couldn’t contain its excitement and let forth a boisterous celebration, much to the chagrin of Derrick Rose.

During the postgame press conference after Chicago's road win on Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose reiterated feeling smarted about Indiana’s jubilation, according to ESPNChicago.com.

"I haven't forgotten about anything," Rose said, "I remember that.”

The venue remains the same for the rematch, and Chicago has Luol Deng back for this game.

Despite being more complete and healthier than in the first meeting, the Bulls cannot afford to take the Pacers lightly.

This game will be just as tough as the previous game; however, if Chicago can correct the following issues from that first meeting, the Bulls should secure the win.

1. Defend the Paint

The Pacers scored 95 total points in their first win over Chicago. Of those 95 points, 50 of them were interior baskets.

It’s hard to imagine a team, with a defense perpetually ranked in the top three all year and an interior presence that includes Joakim Noah and Omer Asik, giving up that many points in the paint.

Roy Hibbert, whose play has been pretty solid this year, matched his second-highest point production of the season with 20 points.

David West chipped in 14 points, including a runner in the last 1:30 that helped Indiana stay in front of Chicago as time wound down.

Overall, Chicago’s center/forward combination of Carlos Boozer and Noah was outscored by Indiana’s West and Hibbert, 34 to 21.

This frontcourt disparity cannot be present in the second game if the Bulls hope to avoid going down 0-2 to the Pacers.

Getting points from West is nothing new, but allowing Hibbert to break 20 is unacceptable.

Chicago has to do a better job of limiting Indiana’s high percentage of shot attempts if the Bulls are going to pull out the win.

2. Get More Bench Production

Close games are often decided by the team that can get points from secondary or unexpected sources.

In the first game against Indiana, Chicago’s famed Bench Mob did very little to live up to its stellar reputation. The Bulls’ second unit contributed a paltry eight points in that loss.

One may point out the fact that the reserves were two players short, since Ronnie Brewer was starting in place of Luol Deng, and Taj Gibson was out with an injury; however, that does not nullify C.J. Watson shooting 0-6 from the field and adding one point to Chicago’s total output via splitting a pair of free throws.

Sure, Indiana’s reserves only had 15 points, which isn’t too spectacular either, but Tyler Hansbrough’s 10 points bested the entire Bulls bench.

One of the staples of Chicago basketball during the Tom Thibodeau renaissance has been the quality of bench play. Many would argue that Chicago’s second unit boasts more than a few players who could start for other teams.

If the Bulls are going to make a thunderous statement in victory, they will have to get more points from the backup guys.

3. Play a Better Second Half

The Bulls rolled into halftime against the Pacers, leading 54-44.

It was a tight game in the first quarter until Chicago carved out some breathing room by outscoring Indiana, 31-20, in the second quarter.

The second half had a completely different Bulls team on display.

Indiana did the steamrolling in the third quarter, totally erasing Chicago’s 10-point lead and taking a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

Chicago never recovered from that third-quarter blitzkrieg and was only able to put up 16 points in the last period.

At the end of the game, Chicago had been outscored 51-36 in the second half.

Even though Indiana may still be trying to find its place among the top-tier Eastern Conference teams, it is still a very good ballclub that can do a lot of damage, especially if it has confidence.

That big third quarter was all Indiana needed to keep it together as things got tight in those last two minutes. The Pacers never lost their poise and beat Chicago at its own game of crunch-time heroics.

The Bulls need a much better sustained effort in the second contest in order to even the score.

Overall

It’s great to see some of the older Chicago Bulls rivalries starting to come into play again.

The 1990s saw great regular season and playoff contests between these two teams and their fiercely competitive leaders, Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller.

In the new millennium, both franchises have talent that is young and deep enough to make every future contest just as thrilling and entertaining as those that fans of a certain age remember.

The players are just as excited as the fans about the renewed enmity of these ballclubs.

Let’s hope that their excitement translates into another good showing the second time around.

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