Chicago Bulls: 10 Reasons Why They Will Win the East, Reach the NBA Finals
Less than one year after being bounced from the 2010 NBA playoffs, the Chicago Bulls have transformed themselves from tough first round match-up, to possible fringe contender, to "Holy s---, they can win the title this season."
Their unselfishness, humility, and team chemistry has delighted basketball purists. But it is their defense, star point guard, and unrelenting hunger that has put terror into the hearts of their opponents.
They are not yet worthy of being called "the team to beat"—there's a certain two-time defending champion out in L.A. that still holds that distinction. But a ticket to the NBA Finals is up for grabs in the Eastern Conference, and the Bulls have all the necessary tools to snatch it away.
The #1 Seed
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Entering the playoffs as the East's top seed is a huge advantage for the Bulls because (a) they can sit back and watch Boston and Miami beat the hell out of each other in the second round, and (b) will play any potential Game 7's in the comfort of their home arena.
Avoiding Boston or Miami until the Conference Finals is perhaps the biggest key to Chicago escaping the East. There are three legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference (Chicago, Boston, Miami) and one psuedo-contender (Orlando). Although dispatching the Magic in the second round won't be easy, it is undoubtedly better than facing the Heat and Celtics in back-to-back series.
After six or seven physical games, either Boston or Miami will emerge from the wreckage and be awarded the unenviable task of limping into the United Center—the building where Chicago is nearly unbeatable. The Bulls 34-5 record at home is tied with San Antonio for the best in the league.
Size
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If you don't have quality big men, you will not win the NBA title. That's not a theory; it's a fact. In the NBA, particularly in the playoffs, size wins.
Luckily for the Bulls, they have both quality and quantity up front. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer are a two-headed monster in the starting line-up, with Noah gobbling up rebounds and anchoring the defense, while Boozer is a constant threat to go for 20 points and 10 rebounds on a given night.
Chicago also has reliable post players coming off the bench in Taj Gibson, Kurt Thomas, and Omer Asik. Gibson is a solid role player, averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 22 minutes per game. Thomas, in his 16th NBA season, provides experience and toughness—necessary components to every championship team. And Asik, the 7-foot rookie from Turkey, is capable of wreaking havoc on the defensive end and is also among the league leaders in Total Rebound Rate (percentage of rebounds grabbed by a player while on the court).
All of these big bodies allows Chicago plenty of options to throw at Orlando beast Dwight Howard in the second round, and gives them a decisive advantage in the paint over Boston and Miami.
Quality off the Bench
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Any potential title contender is only as good as its second unit. Fortunately for Chicago, they may have the best in the league.
Chicago's bench features their two best perimeter shooters in C.J. Watson and Kyle "Don't call me Ashton Kutcher" Korver. This season Korver is upholding his reputation as one of the game's top marksmen, hitting 42.5% of his threes.
The Bulls reserves also play suffocating defense. According to basketballvalue.com, Ronnie Brewer, Taj Gibson, and Kurt Thomas all rank in the top seven in the league for Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). Korver is just outside the top 10, but is widely regarded as one of the worst defenders in the NBA; the fact that his rating is so good is a testament to the rest of the second unit's ability to mask his defensive ineptitude.
With balanced scoring and a commitment to team defense, Chicago's bench gives them yet another advantage over Eastern Conference challengers.
Everyone Knows Their Role
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In order for a contender to reach its full potential, everyone on the team needs to know their roles. Players must realize that they excel at certain aspects of the game and do not at others; delusional players trying to do too much in crucial situations can kill a team. Essentially, every championship team needs eight roles to be filled, and Chicago has at least one player to fit each description:
- 1 primary ball handler (Derrick Rose)
- 2 perimeter scorers (Rose, Loul Deng)
- 1 defensive-minded big, 1 offensive-minded big (Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer)
- 1 elite rebounder (Noah)
- 1 perimeter defender (Deng, Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans)
- 1 guy that will eviscerate you from deep if you leave him open (Kyle Korver)
- 1 guy that can create a shot for himself or someone else in crunch time (Rose)
The Bulls have someone to fill each role, and the players stick to what they do best. You will not see Korver trying to beat his man off the dribble; Joakim Noah isn't hoisting 17-foot jumpers; and in crunch time, no one other than Rose will be making a crucial offensive decision. All of the players know their own strengths and weaknesses, and let their teammates make the plays that they themselves are incapable of.
Chemistry
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The 2010-11 Bulls have one of the rarest qualities in professional sports today: genuine friendship. It sounds corny, cliche, even a little Hollywood. But these Chicago Bulls are a team in the purist sense of the word.
It stems from a mutual understanding of what they are trying to accomplish. Everyone realizes that the ultimate goal is to win a championship and they have bought in to doing whatever it takes to succeed. This means respecting one another, appreciating what each individual brings to the table, working hard in practice, and making sacrifices for the good of the team. I know, corny, right?
But with the Bulls, these old and tired cliches are a reality. They bust their ass when they're on the court and cheer wildly when they're not. Rose makes a spectacular layup and the bench goes crazy. When a timeout is called, it's almost a contest to see who can give out the most high fives.
ESPN's Henry Abbott wrote a great piece about the true chemistry of this Bulls team. At the end, he includes a quote from seldom-used forward Brian Scalabrine that sums everything up:
"We understand the severity of the situation. It's not every year you get to do something special. To win a championship, to compete at that level, you know you've got to make sacrifices. And guys know that. At the end of the day, someone on this team is going to help us win a playoff game. You push him down now, you're not going to get him later. So we pull him up."
Tom Thibodeau
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When Chicago announced that former Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau would be their new head coach, they new what they were getting—a strict, defensive-minded coach that will scream and yell until he turns purple. Many coaches attempt to pull off a similar style, but the players simply tune them out. 25 year old millionaires tend to grow tired of old men screaming at them.
But Thibodeau's hard-nosed approach is different. He always treats his players with the utmost respect and he expects (and receives) the same from them. Thibodeau regularly endorses Rose as the MVP of the league and never publicly undermines his players. However, he is a master of finding something wrong in the midst of a convincing victory.
After every win, Thibodeau points out some area where his team fell short. They may win by 20, but he'll go on and on about how they gave up too many offensive rebounds, or how poorly they executed in the second quarter. His never-be-satisfied attitude has rubbed off on his players and is one of the major reasons that the rookie head coach has his team at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Swept the Heat
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Although many people like to discount regular season games as somewhat useless, I would be wary of downplaying the significance that Chicago is 3-0 against Miami this season.
All three games were tightly contested (the Bulls have won by an average of three points per game) but there appears to be a mental hurdle for Miami when it comes to facing the Bulls. It seems like an eternity ago, but it was just last month that Heat players were reportedly crying in the locker room after a tough loss to Chicago.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I would assume the knowledge that you reduced a group of grown men to tears would give you confidence about facing that team in a seven game series.
And aside from the mental edge the Bulls hold, their size gives them an undeniable advantage in the paint. The most telling statistics from their three meetings this season are in the rebounding category. Bulls: 11 offensive rebounds per game, Heat: 6.7; Bulls: 43.7 total rebounds per game, Heat: 33.0.
Boston's Age
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There comes a time when every perennial contender makes the heartbreaking transition from experienced to too old, and is overtaken by some young upstart. It happens regularly and it happens fast. I believe that 2011 is the year the Boston Celtics make that transition.
Remember that epic seven game series in 2009 between Boston and Chicago? The one when a rookie Derrick Rose dropped 36 points and 11 assists in his playoff debut? The one when there was a combined six overtimes in games 4-6? The one when Joakim Noah straight up ruined Paul Pierce?
That was two years ago. Before Derrick Rose became the leading candidate for league MVP. Before Tom Thibodeau installed his stifling defense. Before Chicago signed Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and the majority of the supporting cast.
It was also two years before Boston traded big man Kendrick Perkins. Before over 150 games of mileage was added to the aging bodies of Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett. Before Boston decided to put its championship hopes on Shaquille O'neal's 39 year old corpse.
Don't get me wrong, the Celtics will not go down easily. They are too smart, too crafty, and too proud to just be shoved aside without a fight. But this is the year that the proverbial torch will be passed from Boston to Chicago.
The NBA's Best Defense
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I've already mentioned that Chicago plays an intense brand of defense. But the correlation between their defensive performance and sudden promotion to the NBA's elite level cannot be overstated.
The Bulls are first in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing a ridiculous 97.4 points per 100 possessions. They are also first in opponent's Effective Field Goal Percentage (FG% weighted to account for 3's) at 46.07%. Their 91.4 points allowed per game is second only to Boston, and their Defensive Rebound Rate of 75.97% is third in the league. In other words, they play some damn good defense.
(stats courtesy of Hoopdata.com)
Derrick Rose
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The Bulls biggest advantage over their competition is simple: they have Derrick Rose, and nobody else does.
Over the past several years, the title of NBA's Best Point Guard has been passed around like joints at a Cypress Hill concert. From Steve Nash, to Chris Paul, to Deron Williams, to Rajon Rondo for a little while, back to Chris Paul. But this season, Rose has placed a stranglehold on the point guard crown and doesn't appear eager to relinquish it anytime soon.
His numbers are certainly impressive—if he maintains his averages of 25.1 points and 7.9 assists per game, he will become just the fifth player in the last 35 years to do so. But it is the intangible aspects of Rose that make him so special.
Rose's tireless work ethic and humble nature are a breath of fresh air amidst the endless line of egocentric professional athletes. When asked about his MVP candidacy, Rose lowers his head, blushes, and gives his best aw-shucks routine.
But don't let his humility trick you. During Chicago's media day in September, it was Rose himself who nonchalantly asked, "Why can't I be the MVP of the league? Why can't I be the best player in the league?" His unwavering self-confidence and insatiable hunger for greatness are precisely what make him so dangerous.
Rose will never let his young Bulls team be satisfied with what they have accomplished. After a recent win against Phoenix, he said "I don't feel like I won tonight.We're taking steps back. We've got to come back [Wednesday] practice hard, and make sure we get things together."
This was after his team won its fourth consecutive game. After they had improved to 57-20. After they had widened the gap between themselves and Boston, the East's #2 seed. It's quotes like this that remind us how truly special Rose is. And it's quotes like this that lead me to believe anyone who doubts Derrick Rose and the Bulls is a complete and utter fool.
