Bulls-Celtics: All Tricks and No Treats For The Bulls In Blowout Loss

Immediate reaction

Joakim Noah tears down a defensive board, time is running out, he puts up a prayer and… hits the shot clock as the third quarter comes to a close. It was that kind of night for the Bulls against the defending champs. I think the biggest thing I took away from this game was how Pillsbury soft our interior is on both ends of the court. I fear this is going to be a recurring theme for much of this season, one that does not bode well for the Bulls playoff chances.

Even though Tyrus Thomas struggled with mostly wide open shots, I commend his steady free throw shooting. Does anyone else think we should run some more plays for Thomas at the top of the paint?

Second impression

The old saying is” you live by the sword, and you die by the sword.” Tonight, shooting under 30% from the field, we did the latter. With Derrick Rose and Luol Deng being our only real penetrators on offense, it’s up to the rest of our guys to make shots. Another air-ball performance in the first half by Ben Gordon makes you wonder where his head is at.

All is not lost though Bulls fans as Rose did compete hard all night. I thought Kirk Hinrich also looked quick up the court and is proving to be able to guide the offense during the periods Rose is off the court. Though Thomas made you cringe after each brick he put up, he was not deterred and remained aggressive.

This game was more about how players would respond against a world class opponent and for the most part they showed perseverance.

Bull market moments

Slim pickings from this game in particular, instead I’d like to point out the above 90% free throw shooting pct. Even facing a blowout loss from the opening tip, this young team didn’t let it affect them from the charity stripe. This will pay off down the road.

Bear market moments

On the other hand we have too many to pick from to call out individually. Rather than harp on all the missed shots, frustration technical fouls, or careless turnovers, I’ll leave that to Vinny Del Negro to hash out with his players as he see’s fit.

On deck

No time to mope around the Bulls host the Grizzles tonight. I feel this is a great opportunity to see how this team deals with a good butt kicking. We have a chance to be real competitive in this game being that the talent level on both teams is close. The Grizzles do present a mismatch of size inside, but neither Marc Gasol nor Darko Milicic is a big threat to score like a Kevin Garnett. I expect the Bulls to come out big in the first half, and ultimately stave off a late rally to win a close game at home.