NBA Playoffs 2011: The Superstar Effect of the Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls
You could see it. It was like that moment in a street fight, when the smaller guy sees the bigger guy stand up. The big guy fires a shot, the little guy feels the big guy's might. He looks at him….his aggressive posture changes. There is a hesitation to his jump-badness. Now, instead of attacking, the little guy decides to just cover up and accept his beating.
That same look is what I'm beginning to see from the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls players are looking at LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, yes Chris Bosh, and their posture is changing.
There is doubt in their minds. After every tough bail-out shot is made by a member of The Big Three, the Bulls' shoulders drop, as if to say, "Damn, that was good defense."
The Bulls young MVP point guard seems at a loss. He hasn't played against a defense that has given him so little opportunities at the basket. This series is exposing what is still the biggest weakness in his game, a deadly outside shot.
If he's been taking 1,000 jump shots a day? His 4-for-13 shooting from three and 38 percent shooting from the field in the series would suggest that maybe 1,500 reps are in order.
Before you jump on the Derrick Rose is overrated band wagon, consider his task.
He looks eerily similar to the LeBron James we saw in Cleveland last year. We all doubted him, said he couldn't get it done, etc.
Their supporting casts are very much alike. Varejao to Noah, Jamison to Deng, Moon to Gibson. The specifics of these players' games is different, but the level of effectiveness on offense is about the same.
What Rose has to accomplish is like Spider-Man showing up to a fight with a bunch of his friends at his side. Only problem is, he's battling Superman, Batman and Shazzam (Bosh had a great game, but I can't go higher than Shazzam right now).
He's still super, but it's a difficult equation to solve. Miami is beginning to run more sets. They are executing and using their superior athleticism to improvise when need be.
Tom Thibodeau is reaching and laboring to find the right mix to stop this locomotive as it gains speed. The worst possible sign in this series for the Bulls occurred in Game 3. Carlos Boozer tallied 26 points and 17 rebounds, and they still lost. That is very discouraging for Bulls fans. Boozer's production seemed to be the missing link to the Bulls effectiveness.
No one expected Bosh to go unconscious from the field, but he did. The Bulls lost a game where they held the two future Hall Of Famers to a combined 39 points.
On the bright side, the Bulls only came to Miami to get one game. The Bulls must approach Game 4 the way Miami approached Game 2. These types of strong defensive series are won by the team that can consistently make tough baskets and get to the line.
This may not be realistic, but to win this series, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer or Kyle Korver have to make a huge offensive impact. It's the only way to punch the bigger guy back. If it doesn't happen, Superman, Batman and Shazzam are going to beat the hell out of Spider-Man.
