Bulls vs Wizards keys, thoughts, matchups ect.

I did not see a break down of the series thread yet, so I thought I would take a minute and start one. Kind of hoping to see what others thoughts, keys, ideas and what have you are for this series.

I will give some of mine own now.

I think the Bulls have the better team talent wise and probably should win this series.

The Wizards don't have someone who is going to expose Boozer as a bad defender and that plays into the Bulls favor. The Wizards don't have a stretch 4, and that is one thing the Bulls struggle defending.

The Bulls are the better rebounding team with a +2.8 differential while the Wizards are even at 0.0.

The Bulls are listed at 1.17 points per shot by ESPN while the Wizards are 1.19 on offense.

The Bulls are listed at 1.13 PPS on defense while the Wizards are 1.23.

John Wall is a dynamic player, but Hinrich should annoy him and make his life somewhat difficult. Butler can easily defend the other wing players they have.

I expect the Bulls team defense will do a good enough job of keeping Wall out of the lane that the Wizards won't get enough easy 3's.

My keys to the games are:
Can the Bulls keep Wall out of the lane.
Can Butler/DJ/Dunleavy make enough shots to keep the Wizards defense honest.

This leads me to my last point. I think Butler's defense will be a bit overkill this series. The Bulls should be able to go more minutes without Butler on the court and bring more offense in (DJ/Hinrich/Dunleavy) to help spread the floor better.

The one thing that worries me about the Bulls is Butler. Last season when the Bulls beat the Nets Butler shot over 40% from 3. This season he shot 28%. If the Bulls miss open shots early the Wizards may pack the paint and dare the Bulls to shoot. If that happens the Bulls might very well lose this series.

What are your thoughts?

i actually think the Wizards are more talented but they are inexperienced and thibs is a much better coach than whitman so i believe that will be the difference

i have Bulls in 6

I'm worried that the Bulls put it into playoff gears early in the season, that they might not have another gear in the playoffs. I do mean the team as a whole, as I do think some players have that extra gear still.

So I'm not sure DJ gets better, but we'll see if he does. I'm also not sure Jimmy and Taj get better either. But I think guys like Boozer(it seems like Boozer is always the one that needs to step up somewhere because we know he's capable of more) and Kirk need to play more of their hand. Kirk will be the big factor in this series IMO. If he's Capt Kirk, we're good. If he's Capt Clank, this series will go 7, and we might get upset.

Poohdini said:

i actually think the Wizards are more talented but they are inexperienced and thibs is a much better coach than whitman so i believe that will be the difference

i have Bulls in 6

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I completely disagree that the Wizards are a better team. Although Tibs has been a better coach, he got out coached last night. The difference in that game was the Wizards fed the hot hand and the Bulls did not. When Nene was hot in the first half they road him to a big game. When Boozer was hot in the first he did not get the ball enough and basically didn't touch it again after the first.

When Dunleavy got hot in the 3rd he ended up getting sat and never came back in.

When Miller was killing DJ, Tibs didn't sit DJ and put Hinrich in. The Wiz left Wall out and road Miller as long as the could.

I have no clue why Tibs went with the all clank team down the strech. DJ was cold. Butler couldn't hit an open jumper. Taj Couldn't a jumper. Noah, was well kind of out of it. Hinrich was the only who was shooting well and that was early.

The Wizards are not going to have an answer for Boozer. He may miss his shots, but they are not going to be able to stay with him.

The Wizards are not a very good team. They have spot up shooters an ok 4/5 in nene and Wall. When Wall can get in the lane their shooters can make some 3s and they can be decent. The defend well, not as well as the Bulls. They don't have anyone who is a pure a shooter as Dunleavy. Boozer, is a complete mismatch. Noah when right, will be the best player on the floor.

I still think the Bulls should win this series. If DJ sucks like he did last night he needs to sit. Especially down the stretch. Also for the love of God, go with the hot hand for a bit.

As much as people don't want to admit it, the Bulls are going to need Boozer's scoring and rebounding in this series. The Wizards frontline of Nene and Gortat is a bad matchup for Noah and Taj due to their size and physicality. They are taking advantage of the Bulls lightness up front. The Bulls did not defend well enough to justify eliminating Boozer as a 4th quarter option. Hope Thibs sees this and makes the adjustments or else we WILL lose this series otherwise. And that would not be a good look to Melo.

I completely disagree that the Wizards are a better team

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Bulls might be a better "team" but wizards are more talented

Wall > Augustin/Hinrich
Beal > MDJ
Ariza > Jimmy
Nene if he continues to play like he did last night > Boozer/Taj
Gortat < Noah

I was thinking Bulls in 6 to start the series and we're still on track for that. We made some mistakes in game 1 and Nene played out of his mind. We'll see what happens in game 2 before jumping to conclusions.

clonetrooper264 said:

I was thinking Bulls in 6 to start the series and we're still on track for that. We made some mistakes in game 1 and Nene played out of his mind. We'll see what happens in game 2 before jumping to conclusions.

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I mean the Bulls lost Game 1 at home against the Hawks in 2011, adjusted to win Game 2 and Game 3...had an offensive lap in Game 4 of that series to allow Atlanta to tie it then took control in the 4th quarter of Game 5 and dominated Game 6.

You could say the same with the Bulls last year (though they were on the road). They got handled in Game 1, rebounded nicely in Game 2, squeaked out with great defense in Game 3, probably got lucky in Game 4 as Nate went absolutely nuts. If injuries and sickness hadn't occurred, I would have expected them to close in Game 6, but they needed 7.

So losing Game 1 isn't the end of the world. We've been on the other side too where we win Game 1, but then don't compete or end up losing the series. Two series against Miami can tell you that... as can when Rose went down. You wanna go back further and the 09 Bulls against the Celtics was that way, of course that series was just nuts and a different animal.

Scoot26 said:

I mean the Bulls lost Game 1 at home against the Hawks in 2011, adjusted to win Game 2 and Game 3...had an offensive lap in Game 4 of that series to allow Atlanta to tie it then took control in the 4th quarter of Game 5 and dominated Game 6.

You could say the same with the Bulls last year (though they were on the road). They got handled in Game 1, rebounded nicely in Game 2, squeaked out with great defense in Game 3, probably got lucky in Game 4 as Nate went absolutely nuts. If injuries and sickness hadn't occurred, I would have expected them to close in Game 6, but they needed 7.

So losing Game 1 isn't the end of the world. We've been on the other side too where we win Game 1, but then don't compete or end up losing the series. Two series against Miami can tell you that... as can when Rose went down. You wanna go back further and the 09 Bulls against the Celtics was that way, of course that series was just nuts and a different animal.

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Exactly. Saying oh the Wiz are actually a better team than based off of one game is jumping to conclusions. After 2-3 games, then we can say those things

Poohdini said:

Bulls might be a better "team" but wizards are more talented

Wall > Augustin/Hinrich
Beal > MDJ
Ariza > Jimmy
Nene if he continues to play like he did last night > Boozer/Taj
Gortat < Noah

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You do realize that makes no sense right.

First Beal and Butler line up against eachother and Dunleavy and Ariza play each other. Dunlveay is better than Ariza. Neither can create off the dribble, but Dunleavy is a better shooter.

Gibson/Noah/Boozer are all better than Gortat/Nene/Booker. Nene shot lights out, but he shot 70 jump shots all season. 70. He is not going to make ~10 jumpers a game.

Beal Butler is about a wash. Beal is the better shooter but Butler is the better defender. Beal has about no off the dribble game.

Wall smokes who ever the Bulls have at PG, but the Bulls defend PGs well as a rule.

You are way overrating the Wizards. They are pretty damn limited. If the east was not a complete joke they would be watching the playoffs from their coach right now. You also don't underrate the Bulls talent. I guess the girl you know is never as pretty as the one you see once a month for some people.

czman said:

You do realize that makes no sense right.

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better team as we work together better.....wizards have better overall talent

Dunleavy isnt better than Ariza.....Ariza is a better defender and he was a better shooter than MDJ was this year

i said Noah was better than Gortat and said if Nene continues to play well hes better

Wizards if they are clicking on all cylinders have a more balanced offense than us and have a pretty good defense to boot....the thing is they haven't put it all together yet....they are inconsistent

they also only have 4 less wins than us...you act as if they are sub .500...if the east was as good as the west we would be watching from the couch too

Heres a thought:

The Bulls need another superstar. Have needed one since 2010.

so czman...you still think the Wizards aren't more talented?

its the Bulls who are limited and its you that is overrating the Bulls and underrating the Wizards.....not the other way around

listen up!!! this shit is just getting started. Nothing matters but game 3 and chicago will bring it, their best effort yet. The machine must come out and Thibedau needs to go to a deeper more rabid rotation where everybody plays with everybody and we add some confusion. We are too predictable right now, we need to take that away even from ourselves and just ball and play defense hard against these guys. Let them speed it up and play frantic, our rotation couldl allow us to play faster and not get tired. Speed up Wall and he will turn it over and you can start to get some fast break stuff. Play Augustine more and Dunleavy more and Boozer more too. We have to trade more buckets and keep the attack random and from everywhere. we can do this, even if Tom doesn't do those things. !!! The heart of this team is strong and we will be unfazed, no more likely to win or lose game 3 than before and we took two hard losses in close games. Gotta finish better, we are just getting started!!! grind them to the bone chicago!!

Poohdini said:

better team as we work together better.....wizards have better overall talent

Dunleavy isnt better than Ariza.....Ariza is a better defender and he was a better shooter than MDJ was this year

i said Noah was better than Gortat and said if Nene continues to play well hes better

Wizards if they are clicking on all cylinders have a more balanced offense than us and have a pretty good defense to boot....the thing is they haven't out put it all together yet....they are inconsistent

they also only have 4 less wins than us...you act as if they are sub .500...if the east was as good as the west we would be watching from the couch too

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Lol...you are going back and forth with one of this forum's tried and true basketball retards. If he thinks Dunleavy is as good a player as Ariza...and Butler is as good as Beal (Beal is drawing comparisons to Ray Allen...Butler is drawing comparisons to who exactly???)...he is lost from the beginning.

I thought the Bulls were the better team and the better coached team...Washington obviously is the most talented. Unbelievable how this guy brow beats other people and becomes confrontational when he doesn't know what the hell he is talking about.

Raskolnikov said:

listen up!!! this shit is just getting started. Nothing matters but game 3 and chicago will bring it, their best effort yet. The machine must come out and Thibedau needs to go to a deeper more rabid rotation where everybody plays with everybody and we add some confusion. We are too predictable right now, we need to take that away even from ourselves and just ball and play defense hard against these guys. Let them speed it up and play frantic, our rotation couldl allow us to play faster and not get tired. Speed up Wall and he will turn it over and you can start to get some fast break stuff. Play Augustine more and Dunleavy more and Boozer more too. We have to trade more buckets and keep the attack random and from everywhere. we can do this, even if Tom doesn't do those things. !!! The heart of this team is strong and we will be unfazed, no more likely to win or lose game 3 than before and we took two hard losses in close games. Gotta finish better, we are just getting started!!! grind them to the bone chicago!!

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None of this makes any sense at all...none of it.

I am going to say right now, I was dead wrong about Beal and Butler. Beal is a much better shooter and Butler has been freaking awful. it is not even close. The Beal Butler matchup is killing the Bulls right now. I still think Dunleavy is a better shooter than Ariza. I would still take Noah/Gibson/Boozer over Gortat/Nene/Booker.

Wall is getting outplayed right now by the Bulls PGs, but obviously Wall is a better player.

I watched the game again last night. I don't know why, but I did. After I threw up a few times I came to the following conclusions.

Butler is complete garbage right now. I was wrong for ever thinking he could or should start. He is not a starting caliber wing player. His complete lack of offense is the primary reason the Bulls are down 0-2. The Wizards have just stopped guarding him on the perimeter. He is 1 for 14 on jump shots this series. You cannot play offense with a 1/2/3 who cannot shoot the ball. You just can't in the modern NBA. The Wizards are cheating off of him and leaving him wide open. When he does get the ball they are closing out slow and daring him to shoot. When he shoots he misses. When he doesn't the Bulls have to jack up bad shots because of the shot clock.


The second thing I took away is Tibs is coaching like crap. He does not understand what is happening. I don't think think Wittman is coaching well, but he is not making things worse like Tibs. I saw the other thread pointed to this, but I am just going to carry it on.

You cannot play anyone one 53 minutes who cannot score. If you do you will lose. You cannot play 4 on 5 on offense all game long. You just can't do it. At the end of the game Tibs told the players "No, more 3's". Sounds great. What it does not recognize is the Wizards were packing the paint because they did not respect the Bulls shooting. You cannot drive to the lane when there are no driving lanes. Dunleavy needs to play just to space the floor.

Gibson played well last night, but the night before Boozer was hot and didn't get the opportunity to have a good night.

Right now I feel like Tibs has has moved to the illogical conclusion.

If defense and rebounding is good then more defense and rebounding is better. Taken to the illogical conclusion all defense and rebounding is best.
If defense wins more games then offense then 5 all defensive players will win all the time.

It is the illogical conclusion.

It is also the logical reason why Dunleavy has played as many minutes in the series as Butler did last night.

last season when the Bulls beat the Nets Boozer averaged ~17 PPG and shot well over 50% from the field. Butler Shot over 40% from 3.

The season Butler should get a point for hitting the backboard and Boozer cannot even get on the floor let alone have plays run for him. Gibson is playing well, but he is doing it off the glass, not on jump shots. Gibson is 3 for 12 on shots further than 5 feet from the basket. Noah is 2 for 5 on shots 5 or more feet from the basket. Think about that, Noah has played 86 minutes and taken 5 shots further then 5' from the rim. Would you defend him if he did not have the ball.

You cannot have 3 of the 5 players on the floor not being defended on jump shots. Noah is not shooting well. Gibson is not shooting well. Butler is complete garbage. You cannot play offense that well. It means that the entire Wizards team can focus on the ball and not even guard their assigned men. When that happens you cannot get to the lane.

At some point you have to make a jump shot. If you can't make a jump shot you can't play 40 minutes a game, period. Boozer, no matter you think of him can make a jumpshot. Dunleavy can make a jumpshot.

Sometimes the answer is better floor spacing and offense. The answer is not always defense and rebounding.

I know everything is going to think I am crazy. I still think the Bulls have the better roster. They are just not playing the right players and the right minutes. I still think if the Bulls ride Boozer early and play Jimmy Butler ~32 minutes a game the Bulls are up 2-0 right now.

I hate to say it, but Tibs is turning into the defensive D'Antoni. Coach one side of the ball with a complete lack of focus and commitment to the other side. You don't win championships like that.

I really hate even typing this. I really wanted Butler to be a started for the Bulls. I really wanted to believe that Butler would bounce back after a poor shooting game 1. I was wrong. I forgot, the universe does not care what I think or want. Butler is who he is. My desire for him not to be garbage on offense does not change the fact that he is. I was wrong about him.

Last point. If the Bulls get swept and Tibs keeps coaching like this you can put a fork in any chance the Bulls get a big name FA. Melo is not going to come to the Bulls to play 45 minutes a game. Nor is he going to come here to sit so Jimmy Butler and his defense can play in the 4th. The way Tibs has handled Boozer and Dunleavy is not going to endear him to the more offensive minded players who the Bulls need. The minutes he plays guys is not going to sit well with superstars.

The worst thing for the Bulls is for them to get swept and then have the Wizards get spanked in the second round. It would really highlight the flaws of the Bulls and would change peoples opinions of Tibs, even if they don't say it outloud.

I wish we could see a couple big line-ups particularly when we are getting abused.

Noah, Boozer, Gibson, Dunleavy, Augustine would give me the rebounding I need, and some length in Beal's face. Let them penetrate into our bigs, fine. I just don't like the small ball of Noah, Gibson, Butler, Augustine, Heinrich that Thibs has fallen in love with. It leaves us with very few clear advantages. not length, not size, not scoring.