Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls: Lesson Learned After Loss to 76ers
A 105-99 loss to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers sent the message loud and clear to the Chicago Bulls: They need to play defense. Not better defense. Just defense.
It was nonexistent last night, or the night against the New Jersey Nets. It really hasn’t existed since Dec. 18, when Joakim Noah left the lineup because of a thumb injury. In fact, just to push the matter, the concept of true defense was lost when Kirk Hinrich was traded to the Washington Wizards over the summer.
Defensive-minded Tom Thibodeau can preach about it all day long, and the Bulls can harp about how they need to improve in that area, but one way of learning it is to see your own teammate play it on the practice courts.
Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer were brought in with the idea that they will pick up the slack on the defensive end. Right now, fans are upset that Bogans is even playing, and Brewer isn't getting enough minutes to make enough noise.
The Bulls made a mistake when they let the 76ers get hot from the get-go. In the first half, both teams traded points, with the Bulls only up by two entering the third quarter. Philadelphia kept fire burning and outscored Chicago 32-18 in the third.
Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks (combined for 43 points) took charge when they saw that the Bulls weren’t challenging them and settled for plenty of outside shots. Too easy.
The Bulls couldn’t defend these guys, and their rotations were sloppy. How bad was their D?
Well, if you can’t do the elementary stuff right, like knowing how to defend picks (which freed up Holiday and Meeks and allowed Elton Brand and Andres Nocioni to cut the lanes), then you’ve got problems.
When you’re down by 10 against a team that is well below .500, and Holiday decides to knock down a three, then you know your opponents are just toying with you.
Philadelphia even had Lou Williams (its back-up point guard) go on a shooting streak, totaling 20 points.
I can recall two times when he was left open and nailed his shots. I can recall plenty of times when C.J. Watson got beat by him. And let’s not get started on how many times Carlos Boozer has been beat down the court or how he doesn’t like to cover the help line.
Nocioni grabbed two crucial rebounds in the in the final minutes of the fourth that arguably won the game. Don’t forget that the Argentinean was playing with a dislocated middle finger.
Where was Boozer when the Bulls needed him the most? Did he think his 13 rebounds and 31 points were enough to seal the deal?
Nocioni simply wanted the ball more, and that type of heart is absent from the Bulls until Noah returns.
But that won’t happen anytime soon.
The Bulls play against an aggressive, fast-paced Celtics team tonight. Luckily, Boston is without Kevin Garnett, so Boozer gets a break.
It’ll be interesting to see how the two aging veterans, Kurt Thomas and Shaq O’Neal, match up.
Here’s an idea for Thibs: Give Omer Asik and Taj Gibson more minutes. That’s probably not the answer to the Bulls’ defensive woes, but they’re more productive than Thomas.
The Bulls can’t make the same mistake with Ray Allen or Paul Pierce as they did with Holiday and Meeks. We all know what happens when Allen has a hot hand.
The knowledge of playing great defense is there with Thibs. It comes down to how well his team can execute it.
Yet, they came out defensively against the 76ers the same way they came out against the New Jersey Nets: flat. The take away? Defense isn’t learned overnight.
“Our catch-and-shoot defense wasn't very good,” said Thibodeau on an ESPN article. “Containing dribble penetration. And then challenging shots, you got to challenge shots. Sometimes we're right there and if we don't challenge shots they're going to make [them].”
Yeah, we know you know your stuff, Thibs. But what does the team think?
“I really don't know right now,” said Derrick Rose on an ESPN article. “I'm confused. We just got to find a way where everybody's on the same page ... We're not playing like ourselves right now. Where we're not stopping people, they're scoring at will right now and we just got to get back to ourselves.”
Ultimately, the Bulls need to stop playing flat-footed and bring some defensive intensity to the game. Like Nocioni, they need to want the ball badly. It’s hard since they’re without their emotional leader, Noah, but unlike the Bulls’ last two games against the Celtics, they have the home–court advantage.
ESPN Chicago radio’s Jonathan Hood said to not be surprised if the Bulls lose to the Celtics tonight.
I won’t.
I’ll be surprised if they show any heart and play defense all four quarters.
