Only the Bulls… Your one and only Chicago Bulls.
Let’s see 60 wins: check; front-runner for MVP: check; coach of the year: check; Went from close to last in the league to 12th in offensive efficiency: check.
I could go on and on about all of the accomplishments and accolades that the 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls have achieved so far, but the main question is will it mean anything if you ain’t got that ring? Yes and No. That is such a cop out answer on my part…
The first thing this team has done is at least brought the Bulls back into the sports conscience of this town for the first time in along time. Did you see that Rose dunk? Man, I hated Noah when they drafted him, but that guy works his tail off… People are actually watching this Bulls team, which for awhile was very difficult. Trust Me. Tom Thibodeau has proven to be a tremendous hire for the Bulls. What they have done on the defensive end is just incredible. Their team defense has been the best I have seen in the NBA in a few seasons. Especially for not having many great individual defensive players; I mean when Kyle Korver can actually play in crunch time and defend somebody you know your coach has a done a hell of a job.
I remember reading an article early in the season where Derrick Rose was talking about the start of every practice, which is usually began by spending 20-30 minutes on defensive closeouts. That’s a drill that teams in grade school work on, but it’s also what separates this Bulls team. It is the little things that the Bulls are willing to do that has made them so successful up to this point. Also, it helps when you buy into your coach’s message from the top on down.
That top starts with Derrick Rose. There is a million different ways you could argue whether Rose is the MVP or not, but to me the thing that has made him so valuable to this team is the attitude that he brings to every game. The way he has fully embraced Thibodeau’s message and led his teammates on the court are to me the qualities that makes him the MVP besides some of the ridiculous games and plays he has had this season. A lot of star players are difficult to manage at times and do not take kindly to criticism by their coach. A perfect example of what makes Rose different would be when the Bulls played in Atlanta in March. The Bulls held a pretty comfortable lead in the game around the 3rd quarter when the Hawks came down and ran a screen & roll. On the play Rose allowed himself to be screened easily, which led to the Hawks scoring an easy bucket. Thibodeau immediately called a timeout and gotten in Rose’s face about the play. Rose did not pout or ignore his coach instead he acknowledged he made a mistake and said my bad. In a game where the Bulls won by a comfortable margin that told me a lot about Rose and the respect he has for his coach and the way he plays the game. And I think that the willingness of Rose to buy-in has reverberated throughout this team. It really is a likeable group to watch play the game of basketball.
All of that is great, but the really business at hand starts on Saturday. The Playoffs… I have seen the numbers thrown out that every time the Bulls have won 60+ games they have won a title. Well, that’s great in all, but you need to remember up until this point the highlight of the post-Jordan Bulls has been losing a 7 game series to a Garnett-less Celtics team. Having home court advantage will be a huge plus for this young team and the way as scary (Noah and Brewer) as it was how they kept their foot on the pedal all the way through the regular season that is also a plus for this team. They kept that edge and swagger heading into the playoffs because at this point the Bulls do not have that switch like the Lakers or potentially the Celtics have where they can just turn it on or off at the right time.
With all that said this team needs to win a playoff series. Going from no playoffs series’ wins to an NBA Finals is a big leap. Do I think the Bulls can make that leap? Sure… They will beat Indiana, but then the hard part starts. You can throw out regular season records when it comes to the playoffs. Your benches shorten up; you don’t have to account for long road trips or back-to-back games. After the first round I think the East will be a dog fight (predictions tomorrow) and I think the Bulls will be able to handle their own, but it is not a sure thing by any means.
This is where I come full circle on this Bulls team. Like I said they have done the little things right all year to put them in this position. Now it is time to continue to execute, defend and hit some big shots if you want to advance. The NBA playoffs are exciting as it gets at least for me. It is finally nice to have a dog in the fight again.
Tell next time… Another week & another farewell: Goodbye, Free Darko.
This video is not Bulls related, but I could not resist the combination of Pearl Jam and Shawn Kemp. Enjoy!
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