24 Dec 10 The Chicago Bulls 6th Pre-Season Game: An Analysis

Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesThe Orlando Magic handed the Chicago Bulls their most lopsided preseason loss in a 107- 67 rout that was marked a Bulls team that had little answers for the Magic’s offense. While a Bulls win against the Magic was unlikely, given that there starting power forward Carlos Boozer continued to be missed in the lineup due to injury compared to a relatively healthy Magic team, what seemed most apparent is that the team had little in the tank and it was evident from the opening tip off. Throughout the game, Bulls players almost universally shot poorly. After coming off a closely contested loss against the Dallas Mavericks, which probably drained the Bulls both emotionally and physically, the team reportedly flew into Orlando at 4am the next morning Houston Texans jersey
for their same day confrontation with Orlando. Regardless, there were some factors throughout the game that fatigued or not perhaps could have been managed better.The Bulls defense allowed perimeter scoring from Orlando to open up an early lead that the Bulls could not recover. As was exemplified in the Dallas game prior, the Bulls may have been better off utilizing a zone defense which was used effectively against the Bulls by the Mavericks. While the Bulls may have chosen not to do so against Orlando for fear of Dwight Howard beating them on inside feeds, given the back to back schedule, the Bulls might have considered going with a slower tempo game to conserve energy and challenge Howard to beat them. Orlando spread the floor so much that Bulls players were running around after balls and getting even more tired doing so. The lack of energy for the Bulls was pronounced as many players were late rotating to defensive assignments. On one play, Magic backup center Marcin Gortat got behind the Bulls defense for an easy score which was somewhat of a repeat of lapses seen in previous games. Towards the end of the third quarter, Orlando was almost scoring at will. On offense, while the Bulls got many good looks; execution was a problem. The Bulls bench players came into the game early and played heavy minutes.While hard to see, the Bulls did have some bright spots in the game and can hopefully utilize that as a learning experience that can lead to the team adding another dimension to their game. The Bulls were actually able to execute their offense, again, it seemed as though it was more a matter of converting as opposed to giving themselves opportunities to score, as the Bulls shot only 31% from the field. Also the projected bench players did provided solid post defense in the first half of the game as opposed to perimeter defense which was what put them in a deep hole by the end of the half. There was also still good hustle by the Bulls on defense, even if with less energy, it continues to be an improvement over last year. They were able to force turnovers.As for individual play, most of the team shot the ball poorly except for Derrick Rose who scored the only points for the starting lineup in the first half. Rose finished with seven points in limited minutes. C. J. Watson was perhaps the only Bull who had a good game providing the only real somewhat consistent offensive effort. Watson had a nice drive and layup to end the Indianapolis Colts jersey
first quarter. He also contributed on the defensive end especially late in the first quarter which led to a forced turnover and he took a hard charge at the beginning of the third quarter. He ended the game with 13 points and 4 assists. Luol Deng had a long night not connecting with his shots. He only found a bit of success driving to the hole and drawing fouls. James Johnson also struggled connecting but he ended the game with 10 points and 5 rebounds. There were some offensive successes that were somewhat effective, what was unclear is why they were not fully utilized. An area where the Bulls may refocus their effort includes the ability of several of their players to drive the ball. What the Bulls can build on is that on the occasions they took the ball strong to the basket, they found some pay dirt, getting to the foul line and even converting three point plays. Thus far the Bulls have seemed like a one dimensional team (although in fairness that is partly the result of injuries to key players). However, if the limited scoring was successful when they put the ball on the floor then it may make sense to explore using that more often. Some of these flashes of small victories came when Joakim Noah drove to the basket and drew a third personal on Dwight Howard; Ronnie Brewer driving to the rim got him to the free throw line; Luol Deng who struggled all night converted on a three point play on a drive in the third quarter and even Roger Powell’s drive and dunk at the end of the game provided a nice symbolic “refuse to quit” moment for the team. The Bulls seemed more consistent driving to the rim, which should be a message to the team to make this a more permanent part to their offensive repertoire. Jacksonville Jaguars jersey
While this loss to the Magic is embarrassing more so in a emblematic way, the Magic may have also provided the blueprint for how the Bulls can be successful, by mixing up their offensive sets and utilizing the additional talents of their players, specifically their ability to penetrate a defense which we have not seen much of thus far. This may be an instance where coaching should work to make the Bulls more than the one dimensional team they have been thus far in the preseason.For the game, I would grade the Bulls defense a C+, and the offense a C, coaching a B and the team overall a C.