NBA Playoffs 2011: Joakim Noah, Luol Deng Learn Lessons from Bulls-Pacers Series

For fans, NBA playoff refereeing is completely mystifying.  Players get body-slammed going for layups without drawing a foul (except for sometimes when there is a foul), and then 30 seconds later, someone will get called for a hand check on the perimeter.

It’s almost as if the league directive to its officials reads something like, “Players shall not be allowed to do anything to impede their opponents from going to the hole.  However, once a player reaches the lane, the defenders may do everything short of punching them in the face to prevent a basket.”

Regardless of whether you think this is good or bad for basketball (hint: it’s bad), this is how the games are called.  Mostly.  And the Chicago Bulls had to learn this the hard way courtesy of the eighth seed Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers pushed, slapped and elbowed their way to a competitive series against the Bulls despite having won barely more than half as many games in the regular season.  Plays that were fouls in the first 82 games become no-calls, and flagrant ones became two shots with no ball on the side.

Game 2 of the Chicago-Atlanta series—a must-win for the Bulls—showed that a few players were starting to understand that.  With Derrick Rose stoically playing on an ankle that clearly limited his ability to finish at the rim, his team needed to start playing under playoff rules.

Joakim Noah and Luol Deng in particular showed that they get that. 

Their effort numbers were good, as they combined for 26 rebounds, four steals and two blocks.  But their contributions went beyond the numbers, as they slapped rebounds out of the Hawks’ hands, jostled under the basket and dove for every loose ball.

Their energy had everything to do with the Bulls 58-39 rebounding edge and Atlanta’s 34 percent shooting on the night.  Joakim’s seven offensive rebounds helped Chicago overcome less than 40 percent shooting, including an anemic 5-for-20 from the bench. 

And Deng was largely responsible for holding Joe Johnson to 16 points and preventing a repeat of Game 1’s three-point barrage.

With Rose and Carlos Boozer physically unable to play at their best, the Bulls will need a repeat from Noah and Deng in Atlanta if they’re going to steal a game and retake home-court advantage.

As Rose noted Wednesday night, “We’ve got to continue to make hustle plays because it’s just going to get harder.”

Who knew that this lesson would have been taught to them in such vivid fashion by the Pacers?