10 Reasons the Chicago Bulls Are Boston's Biggest Competition in the Conference
There's a concept floating around among NBA fans that there are three elite teams in the Eastern Conference—the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. There's a tendency to dismiss the Chicago Bulls from the discussion, but they've been making the case they are the second best team in the Eastern Conference, and a legitimate contender to win it all.
If you haven't been paying attention, you might think that's a ludicrous statement. The good news is that this slide show is your one stop shopping guide in case you haven't. I've got 10 good reasons for you to show how not only are they among the elite teams in the conference, they're the biggest competition Boston has for the conference crown.
10: They're Second Right Now
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First thing, let's establish an inarguable fact.
The Chicago Bulls are second in the Eastern Conference already.
They passed Miami last night based on the strength of the tiebreaker. Now, you can argue that doesn't mean everything, and I'd agree with that. However, that's not the whole argument, it's the 10th of 10 reasons.
That doesn't mean that you can completely dismiss it though. Based on over half a season of play, in real NBA games and with real NBA results, the Bulls are right now sitting on the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. That's not an opinion, it's a fact.
Now you might argue they aren't as good as their record, but the truth is they're probably better than their record. Since Boozer returned and got acclimated, the Bulls are 23-6, the second best record over that span in the NBA, trailing only the Spurs.
And lest you think that record has just come at the expense of the weak Eastern Conference teams, bear in mind that span includes wins against the Thunder, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Heat and the Magic. Their only loss against a winning team in that span was their Christmas matchup with the Knicks.
They are also the only team in the Eastern Conference other than Boston with a .500 or better record against .500 teams.
Their record is not an illusion. The reason they are sitting on the No. 2 seed right now is that they've been playing basketball well enough to get it.
9: Karma
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LeBron recently tweeted about Karma. Without getting into that whole mess, let's get into someone who has some good Karma coming back to him. Tell me this story from Rick Reilly isn't the coolest you've read in a while.
"Three young fans are walking alone after leaving the United Center. They're the last to go, so they're all alone. A white SUV pulls up next to them. This part of Chicago could use a shave and a clean shirt, so somebody rolling up on you isn't usually happy news. The young men try not to look. The window comes down and who is behind it but Derrick Rose himself, the Heir to Air.
Their mouths fall unhinged.
"Hey, man, just want to thank you guys for taking time to come out," Rose says. "Really appreciate it."
Their voice boxes go mute.
"And thanks for wearin' my jersey, too!" Rose says to one of them.
Their eyes fail to blink.
Finally, one of them, Martin Campoverde, 23, gulps, "What's it feel like playing in your hometown?"
Rose pauses and smiles. "Greatest thing ever happened to me," he says. "This is the greatest city in the world."
Window goes up. SUV drives off. Year is made."
Do I even need to add anything else to that? How often do you see superstars stopping their fans?
8: Coach Tom Thibodeau
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When the Bulls hired Tom Thibodeau this summer, there were a lot of questions as to whether they he could make a good head coach. Sure, he was a good defensive guru and all that, but could he connect with the players and design an offense? Could he make a good head coach?
The answer to that has been a resounding yes. Not only has he established that he can be a head coach, but he has become one of the best head coaches in the NBA. In fact, ESPN's Award Watch has him in second place right now for Coach of the Year, behind only Gregg Popovich.
His defense we'll cover later, but of late his halftime adjustments have been key. Against both the Heat and the Magic, the Bulls have entered the third period down and put together runs at the start of the quarter to eventually propel the team to victory. Against the Heat, they ran off the first 11 points of the second half. Against the Magic, they ran off an 18-5 run to open up the third quarter.
These have both been to key halftime adjustments made by Tom Thibodeau. There have been a couple of questionable late game decisions and there are those who will let the fact the Bogans is still starting blind them to everything else, but on the whole, Thibodeau is emerging as an elite coach. He is a big part of the reason the Bulls are on their way to being an elite team.
7: Balance
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There has been a misconception that since Rose has been doing so much to carry the team, that the team itself is unbalanced. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to hoopsstats.com on Eastern Conference teams, in terms of efficiency differential, the Bulls are third among starting lineups. Among playoff teams, they are second in differential from their bench, only trailing Philadelphia. They are third in the paint, and third out of the paint.
So starters and bench, in the paint, out of the paint, they are among the best in the NBA. And yes, overall, they are among the best in the NBA.
This is key because one might think, as Stan Van Gundy did last night, that if you can stop Rose from driving the lane, you can stop the Bulls. Not so fast. Derrick Rose can beat with you his passing too. He dished out 12 assists last night and Luol Deng went off for 26.
The Bulls bench has keyed several turnarounds too, including the two 23-plus point comebacks the Bulls have already had this season. Terrific bench defense has gotten consistent stops, which are the crucial part of a turnaround.
6: Fourth Quarter
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The Bulls have been one of the better, if not the best fourth quarter team in the NBA.
They are first in the Eastern Conference in point differential in the fourth frame. They've only lost two of 25 when they're leading after three. Only Atlanta, Utah and San Antonio have lost fewer, with one loss each. On the other side of that coin, the Bulls have won an NBA high eight games where they are trailing after three.
Obviously, the fourth quarter is the most important, and closing means winning. The Bulls have shown they are a great fourth quarter team and when the playoffs come, a lot of games are going to be decided in the fourth quarter. A history of solid fourth quarter play should help the Bulls in tight playoff games.
5: Luol Deng
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Luol Deng is not the best player in the NBA, there's no argument there. However, he might be the best fourth best player in the NBA. How many teams have the luxury of going to a 17 ppg player as their fourth option? None. Every once in a while he might got go off for 26, or 40 too. That's not too shabby from a fourth option.
And let's not forget that Deng is emerging as an elite defender too. Having him is invaluable in the playoffs. While no one is going to put the breaks on the likes of LeBron James, Deng serves as at least as a halfway decent speed bump.
4: Joakim Noah
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During the first part of the season, Joakim Noah was huge for the Bulls. In fact, there were some who were saying that he, not Derrick Rose, was the key to the Bulls' success. While that might have been going a bit far, his value to the team can easily be understated.
He is the team's best defender, and he is also their best energy player. He is a human pogo-stick on the boards. His weird and ugly shot is not aesthetic, but it is effective,. He is the team's best rebounder. He is that guy that does all the little things that don't show up in box scores.
The Bulls have been winning so far with either Noah or Boozer. They've only played nine games with the two of them both in the lineup, and at the time neither was completely healthy. We've yet to see how good the Bulls will be once he and Boozer are in the paint together, but it's not far fetched to think that "better" is the most reasonable choice.
Particularly important, and perhaps lost on many, is that the fast break has been hampered by the loss of Noah. When Noah went out, the Bulls were near the top of the NBA with 16.2 fast break points per game, which would have the fourth right now. Sans Noah, they've dropped to 13.5 fast break points per game. Just that margin alone covers the difference in three of their losses since he went out.
3: Carlos Boozer
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Offensively, he's Carlos Boozer. He's what the Bulls thought they were getting, which is a 20/10 guy who can play with his back to the basket, who can score with either hand and who is going to get plenty of rebounds.
There are two things that have been pleasant surprises from Boozer though. First, he's been a nice passer. Second, since his fourth quarter benching, Boozer has continuously improved on defense. He's not going to get confused with Kevin Garnett any time soon, but he's become arguably an above average defender.
HIs defensive rating is a career low of 97 (which is a good thing). His opponents' oPER is 15.2, which is above average for a power forward. His opponents' points per play is .88, which again is above average. Does he still get beaten? Yes, no question about it. But he's getting more stops lately too. He's getting in the way more often. He's playing better defense than he has at any time in his career, and he deserves some credit for that.
If you can get his offensive production without his defense being a liability, you have a player that can be a difference maker in a seven game series.
2: Defense
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I studied the most common factors among previous NBA championships, going back to the merger with ABA. In that time, more than half the teams that went on to win the NBA championship were in the top three in defensive rating among all NBA teams. It was the single strongest correlation to winning among all statistics. Defense matters.
Now, there might be some who don't quite know what defensive rating is. It's a measure of how many points a team gives up per 100 possessions. It's a better measure of defense than points per game because not all teams play with the same pace. A fast paced team might give up more points, but actually have a better defense.
The Chicago Bulls have a great defense. They are first in defensive rating, giving up almost one full point fewer than any other team in the NBA. They are also giving up the lowest field goal percentage in the NBA. When you couple that with the fact that they are third in the NBA in rebounding (with one or the other of one the league's premier rebounders on the bench most of the time), that means a lot of stops.
In short, defense wins championships and the Chicago Bulls have a championship-level defense. Their defense makes them an elite team and the Celtics' biggest rival in the Eastern Conference. Boston, incidentally, is second in the NBA.
1: Derrick Rose
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Too big, too strong, too fast, too good! Two ulcers? Tune it out. That's what D-Rose did.
It seems he just keeps finding a way to do more than what he could possibly be expected to do. In spite of all that that the Bulls have gone through with injuries and everything, the Bulls aren't in a position of having to use them as excuses.
In spite of those, the Bulls are sitting second. The biggest reason is Derrick Rose and his clutch performances, which include four buzzer beaters, including two in one game. That's not enough for him though, as his relentless need to improve is Kobe-esque.
Some have pointed to his inefficiency in scoring. So he's improved on that, averaging nearly 10 free throws per game in 2011. He's improved on his defense to the point that he's arguably the best defensive point guard in the NBA, giving up the lowest points per play and oPER of any starting PG in the NBA.
Late in the game against Miami, he guarded Wade. Three times Wade went at him. Three times Wade failed to score. Rose leads all point guards in blocks per game. Rose isn't just a high volume scorer any more. He's becoming a complete NBA player, and a team leader.
He plays through adversity and pain. He carries the team. He's a bonafide MVP candidate. He's the biggest reason the Bulls are the Celtics' biggest contender for the Eastern Conference.
