NBA Playoffs 2011: 10 Adjustments the Bulls Need to Make to Beat the Heat
After Miami's 101-93 OT win last night, the Heat have wrestled control of the series by taking a 3-1 lead before heading back to Chicago. Derrick Rose missed a potential game winning shot as time expired in regular time.
Even though it's a huge hole, the series still isn't over. Multiple teams have come back to win after being down 3-1, and many of those teams went on to win the title that year. It would be a hard fight, but it is possible, especially if the Bulls can make these ten adjustments.
(All stats are via the NBA or the NBA Stats Cube)
Play Kyle Korver Earlier
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Kyle Korver has been a player known to hit big shots late in games. This series however, Korver has not been able to get anything going at the end of games. Similar to Carlos Boozer, Korver needs to get some touches early to get his shot going.
Even though Korver can sometimes step onto the floor hot, the Bulls should try to give him some easy shots early to get his rhythm going. If he can hit some shots early, it will help him when he tries to shoot late.
Give Derrick Rose a Break at the Beginning of the Fourth
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At the end of games, Derrick Rose just looks absolutely winded. Rose has had to use so much energy early in the game, he just hasn't had enough this series to finish at the end. In fact, in Game 4, Rose played a ridiculous 48-and-a-half minutes due to overtime.
Rose uses so much energy in his game that he's not the type of player who can play 40 minutes every night. C.J Watson, on the other hand, is more than capable of playing more than eight minutes per game that he's played this series. It would help Rose finish if he got some rest at the beginning of the fourth and was brought back in with six to eight minutes left.
Switch LeBron James off of Rose
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As we have seen throughout the series, LeBron has been a player who has caused Rose a lot of problems on offense. LeBron's length and quickness against Derrick has been a reason that Rose's stats are down across the board for the series.
If Derrick is going to get a chance to create, the Bulls need to rotate LeBron off of Rose. The best plan of action would be utilizing the Rose/Boozer pick and roll to a greater extent. The danger would be that the Heat would use this as an opportunity to double, but Boozer is a smart offensive big and could make Miami pay for leaving him.
Derrick just isn't a good enough player yet to try and go iso on LeBron many plays in a row, and there's no reason for him to keep trying it if it isn't working.
Continue to Play Ronnie Brewer
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Ronnie Brewer has been the Dwyane Wade stopper. When Brewer is on the floor, Dwyane Wade only scores 13.3 points per 36 minutes on 30 percent shooting. Brewer has also held LeBron to 41 percent shooting when he has been asked to guard him.
Since Kyle Korver is not doing a very good job of providing offense, it's worth giving up some of that for such stifling defense. Brewer also is one of the best players in the league at running the baseline, and can put pressure on Miami's defense in different ways. Brewer can also get Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah making good interior passes, a good way to...
Move the Ball
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Charles Barkley has said it best: Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer are two of the best passing big men in the league. In the Eastern Conference Finals, they both have combined for over six assists a game, about the same that MVP Derrick Rose has gotten this series.
The way the Heat have played defense has been to trap and frustrate Rose as much as possible and bait him into turnovers and bad shots. If the Bulls can get the ball out of Derrick's hands at times, it will put more pressure on Miami to guard the whole Bulls team.
Another stat: in their win, Chicago had 23 assists compared to only 16.7 per game in their three losses. Moving the ball makes Miami work hard, and that's where you can exploit their lack of depth.
Use the Fast Break
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One huge advantage the Bulls should have over the Heat is their rebounding. When the Bulls' bigs are able to get rebounds, they need to get the ball into the open court, even if there are defenders back on defense.
In Game 4, you saw many instances early where Derrick Rose would sprint down the court like a wide receiver as soon as the team got a rebound, and the bigs would throw him the ball on the other side. This is a play that the Bulls need to utilize as much as possible.
In a defensive struggle, you have to try as hard as you can to get easy baskets. Even if there are defenders back, the chances of Rose finishing through contact against backpedaling defenders in the transition game is much higher than the chances that Derrick can get an easy look against LeBron James, one of the biggest guys in the league.
Stop Rose from Going Iso on LeBron
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I realize that Derrick Rose going iso has been a common offensive play this season, but that's just not going to work against a player of LeBron's quality. As I said before, the Bulls need to get the Heat's defense moving so they can wear out their limited depth.
If Rose takes James iso very often, there are many things that happen that shouldn't. First of all, it uses up a lot of Rose's energy because he has to use so much energy to get a shot off over LeBron. Second, the Heat reserves can just stand and watch, because they don't have to work hard to prevent easy baskets. Third, the other Bulls players do not have chances to get shots and get into a rhythm which especially hurts when they're called on later in the game.
Even though Derrick Rose going iso has been a successful plan of action all year, it's not something that the Bulls can win a series with if the iso is on LeBron James.
Don't Give the Refs Chances
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Last night the Heat went to the free throw line 38 times compared to the Bulls' 22. Most of the attempts were not playoffs fouls, but are the type of calls that James, Wade and Bosh will get every night. The refs give players like LeBron the benefit of the doubt on calls, and you have to recognize that going into the game.
That said, the Bulls have to try and keep the Heat off the free throw line in critical situations. The Heat are a team that can overcome poor shooting like they had last night by going to the line, and you have to know that. Going to the line early gives a player like Chris Bosh a chance to get his jumper going, and you want to avoid that at all costs.
The most important thing is not for them to bite on pump fakes. Don't give the refs opportunites to call fouls, even dicey ones. If they can avoid doing this, they can limit the amount of easy opportunites Miami gets.
HIT YOUR SHOTS
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Unfortunately the biggest change that the Bulls need to make for Game 5 is that they need to hit their shots. There were multiple instances where players had wide open looks at threes, and they could not convert. In fact, the Bulls only shot 25 percent from three despite being widely unguarded.
This responsibility falls on four players: Derrick Rose, Kyle Korver, Luol Deng and Keith Bogans. If those players can combine for six to eight three pointers per game, it puts much more pressure on Miami to close out on the open attempts which creates driving room. However making only five on 23 attempts last night doesn't give Miami any reason to lay off.
Play the Bench Mob More
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Even though Carlos Boozer has played a pretty decent series so far offensively, his defensive rotations have been nothing short of horrendous.
Against Chris Bosh, Boozer has allowed 22.4 points on 61 percent shooting per 36 minutes. Taj Gibson has kept Bosh to 14.4 points and only 2.9 rebounds per 36 minutes while scoring 17.3 points on 73 percent shooting. Boozer is an option that the Bulls should go to early but they need to give Taj more than the 16 minutes per game that he's getting.
C.J Watson has also done a good job in his time averaging 14.9 points and 8.1 assists per 36 minutes. As I said earlier, he should get some minutes to try and give Rose a breather.
